University of South Carolina head men's soccer coach Mark Berson announced on Wednesday the hiring of former Gamecock Spencer Lewis as an assistant coach for the men's soccer program at Carolina. Lewis most recently served as an assistant coach at Newberry College for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He replaces former assistant coach Mike Babst, who was recently hired as an assistant at Northwestern University.

"We are pleased to have Spencer join our staff," Berson said. "He brings valuable experience as a former Gamecock who played on our 2005 Conference USA championship team. Most importantly, Spencer is an outstanding young man who will have an immediate impact in our program working with our players."

"I want to thank Coach Berson and Coach Molinary for giving me the opportunity to come back to the University of South Carolina as a member of the coaching staff," Lewis said. "I look forward to contributing to the tradition and excellence of the men's soccer program at South Carolina and to begin immediately working with the current players to continue the program's success in Conference USA and the NCAA Tournament."

During his time at Newberry, Lewis assisted with all facets of the Wolves' program, including organizing and executing daily practice plans, game plans, recruiting both domestic and international student-athletes, supervising the academic standing of student-athletes and other administrative tasks. Lewis also served as the interim head coach at Newberry during the spring of 2011, where he finalized the spring and fall schedules, completed the 2011 recruiting class and oversaw practice sessions for the squad.

Lewis has also served as a coach in other capacities since his time in the Garnet and Black. He has held the position of Talent Identification Program Director for South Carolina United FC, where he has also served as the U11-12 Boys' Pool Director and a coach for the U11 squad within the organization. Lewis has also served as a staff coach for the South Carolina Olympic Development Program and an assistant coach at Hammond School in Columbia. He holds his NSCAA National Diploma coaching license.

Lewis is a native of Irmo, S.C., and was a four-year letterwinner (2005-09) for Berson's squad. Lewis saw action in 49 games with 27 starts during his career in the Garnet and Black, playing the majority of his time as a central midfielder. He was a member of the 2005 Conference USA Tournament Championship team. Following his college career, Lewis spent the 2010 season with the Southern California Seahorses of the USL Premier Development League. He was also a member of the Colorado Rapids Reserves U-23 squad in 2008.