Erskine College Athletics

Mark Peeler is in his 19th year as a member of the Flying Fleet staff, his 15th as Director of Athletics. Peeler has also been the leader of the men's basketball program the past eighteen years. He has directed an exciting transformation of the Flying Fleet athletics program. Erskine has tripled the number of student-athletes since 2000 and seen record-breaking fundraising totals. Erskine will have a record 400+ student-athletes in 2017-18. The Fleet participated in 10 intercollegiate NCAA Division II sports in 2004 but now compete in 15 programs. Erskine athletics teams have seen unprecedented success in NCAA Division II under Peeler's watch. Erskine has won 19 Conference Carolinas championships and participated in 23 NCAA Division II Southeast Regionals.

Peeler has been the men's basketball coach since 1999 and assumed dual duties as athletics director and basketball coach in July of 2004. The dual role was nothing new for Peeler who from 1996-1999 served in the same dual position at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC. Peeler also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Erskine teaching courses in Personal Health, Leadership and Administration in Sport Management, and the Write Course.

Peeler served on the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee as a representative of Division II from 2012-2016. He served as a member of the NCAA Division II National Men's Basketball Committee in 2008-2012 and was chair of the Southeast Region. Peeler was chair of the Conference Carolinas Athletics Director for 2014-16 and is a current member of the Southeast Regional RAC Committee for men's basketball.

Peeler was awarded Scotland County (NC) "Volunteer of the Year" in 1998 and received a Governor's Award (NC) for Service in 1999. Peeler has directed Erskine largest summer program the past sixteen years, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). Peeler was honored with a Paul Harris Fellows from the rotary in 2006 and 2013 for his service to the RYLA program. Peeler and his basketball team each winter coordinate and run the "Future Fleet" Youth Basketball League for the Due West community. He and the Erskine athletics program coordinate the Field Day activities at local elementary school Cherokee Trail each spring. Peeler is a current member of the board of directors of the Lakelands Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Mark Peeler is a 1984 graduate of the University of the South (Sewanee) where he received a B.A. in Political Science. Peeler played four years on the Sewanee basketball and golf teams. Peeler became the school's all-time assists leader in basketball while leading the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in assists during his final three seasons. He earned his master's degree from Winthrop University in 1994 while he served as an assistant coach for the Eagles. Peeler is married to Maggie Peeler, a former Erskine basketball coach who is currently a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor along with serving as the Fleet's Head Cross Country Coach. The couple reside in Due West. They have four children: Hope (18), Jenkins (16), Max (13), and Charlee (5).