Alex Ortega has coached for the Mammoths since 2022, helping Amherst win the NCAA Division III Championship in 2024.
On the heels of the national championship win, Ortega and the Amherst coaching staff were co-winners of the United Soccer Coaches Division III National Coaching Staff of the Year award. The Mammoths also won the NESCAC Championship in each of Ortega’s first two seasons on the staff.
Ortega came to Amherst from Randolph-Macon College, where worked as an assistant coach since prior to the 2019 season. The Yellow Jackets were 24-15-3 in his time. In 2021 RMC went 5-1-3 in conference play, its fewest league losses in one season since 1999.Â
Prior to his time with Randolph-Macon, Ortega spent one season at Clark University. During his tenure with the Cougars, the team led the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) for goals, assists and points. Clark's 3.06 goals-per-game were a top 15 mark in the nation.
Before Clark, Ortega served as the assistant men's soccer coach for three seasons at his alma mater Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire. While with the Chargers, Ortega was part of a staff which consistently won more than ten games a season and had stellar North Atlantic Conference records. Colby-Sawyer's offense was ranked in the top four in the NAC during his tenure.
In the club ranks, Ortega has experience with the New England Futbol Club in Massachusetts and with Lightning Soccer Club in New Hampshire. His NEFC U14 boy's team won the New England Premiership last fall. Ortega coached all levels from U14 to U17 while with Lightning Soccer Club.
Ortega graduated from Colby-Sawyer in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in sport management. While with the Chargers, he was named All-Conference as a junior and senior and served as a team captain in his senior year. He played in all 80 games across his career, including 62 starts. He finished his career in the Chargers record book with the second-most points (72), second-most goals (28) and fourth-most assists (16) in program history. He ranked 27th in the nation for game-winning goals in his senior year, collecting five on the season.
Ortega is a native of Milton, Vermont.
