Who says you can’t go home again? In the case of Wilmington Hammerheads defender Michael Mecham, it’s almost as if he never left.

An alumnus of UNC Wilmington soccer, Mecham spent his entire college career as a Seahawk. He started 67 of 73 possible games in his four years and was named second team All-CAA his senior year in 2015.

Mecham signed with the Hammerheads of the United Soccer League after his eligibility expired last December.

Being an amateur college player turned professional in the span of just a few months would pose a challenge for anyone. Mecham was no exception.

“I would probably say I miss playing with all my best friends,” said Mecham. “All of the guys on the team are my best buddies and it was great going through two, three, four years of playing and putting in work with them every day.”

The 2015 season was one in which the Seahawks went through some growing pains, finishing 8-8-3, including a 3-3-2 mark in conference play. Mecham missed the final game of the year, a CAA Tournament loss to Delaware, due to a hamstring injury.

His recovery and immediate jump to the USL, though, did nothing to harbor his ability to work on his game once he became healthy.

“I went through a bit of time when I didn’t touch a ball after the fall season because I was recovering from my hamstring injury,” said Mecham. “Since I’ve been healthy it hasn’t changed at all. I’ve always put everything I had into this sport so it’s just continuing to do the same.”

Mecham’s playing time for the Hammerheads has been substantial from the start: he’s averaging 65 minutes per game on the field. He never went to the bench on April 1, spending all 90 minutes on defense in a 0-0 tie against the Richmond Kickers.

“My goal coming into this season was just to learn as much as I possibly could from the older guys,” said Mecham. “I wanted to come in and try to get a starting spot and just soak up as much as I could. I’ve been getting a good amount of minutes but mostly because other guys have been getting injured, but I’ve been coming on and performing well.”

One would think Mecham has enough on his plate with his new career, but the former Seahawk is still a full-time student at the university.

“I’m taking 12 credit hours worth of online classes,” said Mecham. “I’ve been doing some coaching for the Hammerheads’ youth side. Been trying to support my brother [Shane Mecham] as much as possible as well; he’s on the UNCW team now.”

Mecham will continue through 2016 as a key member of a young Hammerheads squad, and he will keep representing the Seahawks both on and off the pitch as a young professional.