Anton Niklasson enters his eighth season as an assistant coach at Wilmington College in 2025-26.
In 2022, Niklassson aided Head Coach Cory Bucur in guiding the Quakers to a 12-6-3 overall record and the program's first appearance in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) title game in 16 seasons. Additionally, seven Quakers earned All-OAC recognition. The team finished 4-11-2 overall and 3-5-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) during Anton's second year on staff with Bucur in 2023. The 2023 season saw three Quakers earn All-OAC recognition.
During his first four years on staff, Niklasson, a former Quaker goalkeeper, assisted then-Head Coach Alex Van der Sluijs to consecutive third-place finishes in the OAC. In the spring of 2021, WC won its first playoff game in over a decade by defeating Capital University 2-1 in an OAC Tournament quarterfinal at Williams Stadium before coming a shootout away from an appearance in the championship game. The following year, the Quakers again hosted Capital in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup, but fell 4-3 in a wild game.
The 2024-2025 season saw the Quakers finish with a 11-6-3 overall record and a OAC Tournament appearance. The Quakers ended the regular season 4-5 in conference play before falling to Otterbein in the first round of the OAC Tournament. Alfie Harris was selected to First Team Academic All-Ohio by the Ohio Collegeiate Soccer Association (OCSA) along with Luke Washenfelder who was selected to the Second Team. Randy Harris and Parker Burke were both selected to the All-Ohio Second Team. Jackson Beske, Jase Edmonson, and Alfie Harris were named Academic All-District by the College Sports Communicators (CSC). Five players were named All-OAC Honorees, Randy Harris First Team forward, Parker Burke Second Team forward, Alfie Harris Second Team midfielder, Kaden Young Third Team forward, and Jace Houck Third Team midfielder. Two players were chosen as OAC Player of the Week with Kaden Young (Oct. 7, 2024) and Parker Burke twice (Sept. 30, 2024 & Sept. 9, 2024). The Quakers were ranked for the first time since 2022 by the United Soccer Coaches (USC) in the second Region VII (Seven) rankings at No. 7 and peaked at No. 5.
Nineteen times during Niklasson's tenure have WC individuals garnered All-OAC honors including Van der Sluijs as Coach of the Year in the fall of 2021.
*Last updated - August 12, 2025*
