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Keith Wiggans
Head Coach
Keith Wiggans is entering his fifth season as head coach at his alma mater after being promoted from associate head coach in December 2019.
Wiggans spent 11 seasons serving under his college coach and the program's all-time winningest coach, Ralph Lundy, who retired in following the 2019 season. Wiggans was an assistant coach for nine years and associate head coach for two seasons before taking over the program. He was part of the staff which won the Southern Conference title and made its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2010.
In 2023, the Cougars finished the season with a 6-6-5 record including five home wins. Starting the season with seven-straight undefeated games, Charleston picked up wins over Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern. The Cougars went on to defeat William & Mary and Drexel in the regular season, finishing the season with a victory versus Winthrop at home.
In 2022, Charleston posted a 5-7-5 record. The Cougars achieved a 5-0-3 record on home turf. In their first game against a conference foe, the Cougars won 2-0 over the Blue Hens of Delaware.
In 2021, the Cougars posted a 5-8-3 record. Charleston began the season with a bang, knocking off South Carolina, 1-0, in extra time in Columbia. Wiggans' squad did not allow a goal for the first three matches of the 2021 campaign.
The Cougars were successful against Palmetto State competition, beating South Carolina, Furman, and Winthrop on their way to a 3-1-1 record versus in-state foes. Charleston erased a 3-0 deficit on Oct. 16 to knock off CAA foe Delaware, 4-3, behind Nick Burnz's golden goal header in extra time.
In his first season as head coach (played in Spring 2021 due to Covid-19 protocols), the Cougars went 1-4-3 including a 1-0 upset of No. 16 Coastal Carolina in the final game of the year. CofC also played No. 12 UNCW to a 0-0 double overtime draw.
Forty-three players have been named all-conference or an all-rookie team member during his time with the Cougars. In 2017, he coached Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year Leland Archer, who became the first Cougar to earn the award in the program’s history.
A former men’s soccer standout at The College from 2000 to 2004, Wiggans also produced a freshman All-American goalkeeper in Kees Heemskerk in 2010 in addition to goalkeeper Kevin Shields being named to the All-CAA First Team in 2015 and All-CAA Second Team in 2017.
Under Lundy, Wiggans supervised goalkeeper training as well as the recruiting responsibilities, budgeting, scheduling and day-to-day operations of the program.
Prior to CofC, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the West Virginia men’s soccer program and received his master’s degree in athletics coaching education.
While at West Virginia, the Mountaineers posted a 15-3-3 record with a perfect 9-0-1 record in BIG EAST Conference play in 2006, marking the first time in conference history that a team went undefeated playing at least a 10-game conference schedule.
Wiggans and the WVU staff were named the 2006 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year as the Mountaineers spent eight weeks ranked in the Top 10 including five in the Top 5 and earning a ranking as high as No. 3 in the nation. Under his tutelage, Nick Noble earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year honors as well as First Team NSCAA All-American accolades.
Originally from Athens, Ga., Wiggans closed out his college career with the Cougars as one of the most-decorated goalkeepers in school history. As a three-year starter, he posted a 41-16-5 record and helped lead CofC to its first-ever Southern Conference title as well as a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004.
Wiggans was a four-year member of the All-SoCon Academic Honor Roll, two-time member of the SoCon All-Tournament and All-Conference Teams as well as a two-time NSCAA All-South Region Second Team selection. He still holds the school record for career goals against average (0.99), wins (41), shutouts (23) and saves (269).
After completing his college career, Wiggans played seven seasons for the Charleston Battery of the United Soccer League (USL) First Division.
A 2004 College of Charleston graduate, Wiggans earned his bachelor’s degree in communication. He and his wife, Alice Keeney, who played on the CofC women’s soccer team from 2000 to 2004, reside in Charleston and have two daughters, Zoe and Quinn.
Wiggans spent 11 seasons serving under his college coach and the program's all-time winningest coach, Ralph Lundy, who retired in following the 2019 season. Wiggans was an assistant coach for nine years and associate head coach for two seasons before taking over the program. He was part of the staff which won the Southern Conference title and made its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2010.
In 2023, the Cougars finished the season with a 6-6-5 record including five home wins. Starting the season with seven-straight undefeated games, Charleston picked up wins over Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern. The Cougars went on to defeat William & Mary and Drexel in the regular season, finishing the season with a victory versus Winthrop at home.
In 2022, Charleston posted a 5-7-5 record. The Cougars achieved a 5-0-3 record on home turf. In their first game against a conference foe, the Cougars won 2-0 over the Blue Hens of Delaware.
In 2021, the Cougars posted a 5-8-3 record. Charleston began the season with a bang, knocking off South Carolina, 1-0, in extra time in Columbia. Wiggans' squad did not allow a goal for the first three matches of the 2021 campaign.
The Cougars were successful against Palmetto State competition, beating South Carolina, Furman, and Winthrop on their way to a 3-1-1 record versus in-state foes. Charleston erased a 3-0 deficit on Oct. 16 to knock off CAA foe Delaware, 4-3, behind Nick Burnz's golden goal header in extra time.
In his first season as head coach (played in Spring 2021 due to Covid-19 protocols), the Cougars went 1-4-3 including a 1-0 upset of No. 16 Coastal Carolina in the final game of the year. CofC also played No. 12 UNCW to a 0-0 double overtime draw.
Forty-three players have been named all-conference or an all-rookie team member during his time with the Cougars. In 2017, he coached Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year Leland Archer, who became the first Cougar to earn the award in the program’s history.
A former men’s soccer standout at The College from 2000 to 2004, Wiggans also produced a freshman All-American goalkeeper in Kees Heemskerk in 2010 in addition to goalkeeper Kevin Shields being named to the All-CAA First Team in 2015 and All-CAA Second Team in 2017.
Under Lundy, Wiggans supervised goalkeeper training as well as the recruiting responsibilities, budgeting, scheduling and day-to-day operations of the program.
Prior to CofC, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the West Virginia men’s soccer program and received his master’s degree in athletics coaching education.
While at West Virginia, the Mountaineers posted a 15-3-3 record with a perfect 9-0-1 record in BIG EAST Conference play in 2006, marking the first time in conference history that a team went undefeated playing at least a 10-game conference schedule.
Wiggans and the WVU staff were named the 2006 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year as the Mountaineers spent eight weeks ranked in the Top 10 including five in the Top 5 and earning a ranking as high as No. 3 in the nation. Under his tutelage, Nick Noble earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year honors as well as First Team NSCAA All-American accolades.
Originally from Athens, Ga., Wiggans closed out his college career with the Cougars as one of the most-decorated goalkeepers in school history. As a three-year starter, he posted a 41-16-5 record and helped lead CofC to its first-ever Southern Conference title as well as a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004.
Wiggans was a four-year member of the All-SoCon Academic Honor Roll, two-time member of the SoCon All-Tournament and All-Conference Teams as well as a two-time NSCAA All-South Region Second Team selection. He still holds the school record for career goals against average (0.99), wins (41), shutouts (23) and saves (269).
After completing his college career, Wiggans played seven seasons for the Charleston Battery of the United Soccer League (USL) First Division.
A 2004 College of Charleston graduate, Wiggans earned his bachelor’s degree in communication. He and his wife, Alice Keeney, who played on the CofC women’s soccer team from 2000 to 2004, reside in Charleston and have two daughters, Zoe and Quinn.