Mike Song comes to Whittier College after nearly 30 years of experience as a men's lacrosse player and coach. He is assisting Head Coach Todd Francis ahead of the return of a revitalized Whittier College men's lacrosse program as a member of the MCLA.
Song's arrival marks a return to Southern California. He served as head coach at Westcliff University (NAIA/MCLA) where he led the program to a 14-1 overall record, positioning the program for Southwestern Lacrosse Conference Division II playoff contention in 2025. In his career at Westcliff, the Warriors scored 195 goals to 77 allowed, averaging 14-6 per game. The team’s RPI ranking in MCLA DII was 23rd in the nation in 2024. He most recently spent time at the University of Illinois, where he served as Interim Head Coach between September and December 2024.Â
Previously, Song was head coach at Westside High School ('19 THSLL Coach of the Year). Coach Song converted the program from under three wins to a Houston Independent School District Championship '22, a THSLL Class D South City Championship '22, and a State Championship '22 appearance. In his four years, Coach Song has earned college offers to NCAA Division I-III and NAIA schools for over 70% of each senior class. He has also coached four All-State and seven All-District players.
Song also directed and coached Nation United-Texas, an elite high school club program, where he won multiple championships, with players committing to Virginia, Hofstra, Marist, Hampton University, Virginia Military Institute, High Point, and more. Coach Song continues to work with Nation United Foundation, assisting with the We Stand Initiative and the Develop Your Game program.
In 2018-19, Coach Song was an assistant coach at the University of Houston. From 2014-2018, Song served as Head Coach at Long Beach Polytechnic HS, named one of the top 10 sports schools in the country according to ESPN.
At Poly, Coach Song launched the program and graduated it from a club to a CIF school sport, earning an overall coaching record of 43-25 (.632), while also developing Long Beach Youth Lacrosse, a youth and feeder program offering lacrosse to minorities and lower income families.
Prior to LB Poly, Coach Song was Varsity Assistant and JV Head at Mira Costa HS in Manhattan Beach, CA, where he led the team to an 11-1 record.
As a player, Song was a midfielder for the Korea National Team in the 2002 World Lacrosse Championships, starting all games including Sweden, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Wales, and Ireland. Korea ranked 11th in the world, and Song was a leader in overall points. In college, Song attended Lehigh University, playing for the men's lacrosse club and earning NCLL All-Star accolades in ‘97, as well as competing in the NCLL national championship tournament two times, reaching both semi-finals and quarter-finals in '97 and '01 respectively. At Lehigh, Song earned a B.S. in Marketing and minored in African-American Literature and Writing.
