PITTSBURGH (January 19, 2017) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds head coach Dave Brandt has announced additions to his technical staff for the 2017 season.

Joining Brandt and assistant coach Dan Visser on the coaching staff will be Andrew Scheck as assistant coach and former Hounds goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap as goalkeeping coach. On the training side, Leigh Anne Cowger returns for her second season as Head Athletic Trainer, while Mike Whiteman will officially head strength and conditioning for the club.

“I’m really excited to have Hunter, Mike and Andrew working with the pro team this year,” Brandt said. “Hunter is obviously transitioning from playing to coaching, and he’s already doing a fantastic job with our keepers, while Mike’s expertise in strength and conditioning is well-known throughout the area.

“Andrew is someone who has expertise and experience both on the soccer side and in the area of soccer specific strength and conditioning and whose work I have been familiar with over the last several years.”

For the coaching staff, Scheck comes to the Hounds after spending the past five seasons at North Carolina State University. In Raleigh, Scheck first joined as a volunteer assistant for the men’s soccer team in 2012, transitioning his way to the strength and conditioning staff before eventually taking on the role of Director of Sports Science in the spring of 2013. His role in the latter included the implementation and management of soccer-oriented fitness plans for the Wolfpack and collaboration with sports medicine to help with player injury and rehab.

A native of Acworth, Georgia, Scheck played collegiately at Liberty University.

Retiring from professional soccer this past season, Gilstrap brings a vast amount of experience to the goalkeeping coach position. He notched 171 appearances total across six different franchises over an 11-year career at the professional level, including 102 caps with the Hounds – good for eighth all-time in club history.

Gilstrap has also served in the role of Director of Goalkeeping for the Hounds Academy, building its Goalkeeper Academy in 2012.

For the training staff, Whiteman will enter his sixth season overall with the organization. He has served as the Academy’s Director of Sport Science for the past five years, and will now bring uniformity in the development of successful training regimens from top-to-bottom throughout the organization.

Whiteman’s expertise lies specifically in power and speed development, as he has personally worked with a variety of athletes ranging from the collegiate ranks to professional, including individuals in the MLS and NFL.

With the start date of the regular season rapidly approaching this March, don’t miss out on your chance to root on the Hounds in 2017 with season tickets. On sale now, contact our ticketing department at 412-325-7247 to speak to a Hounds ticket representative and learn more today.