Played at Illinois State in college; coached at Springfield
MARQUETTE, Mich. – Northern Michigan University athletic director Rick Comley has announced the hiring of Erin Egolf as the new head coach for the women’s soccer program.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Egolf as the new head coach of our women’s soccer program,” said athletic director Comley. “Her passion for the game, commitment to student-athlete development, and vision for success align perfectly with our values and goals. “
“I am honored and delighted to become the next Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Northern Michigan University,” said Egolf, who joins the Wildcats after spending the 2024 season as an assistant coach at Division I Illinois State, where she played for the Redbirds in 2009 as a starting central midfielder and a 2009 MVC All-Freshman Team member. “I am especially grateful to Rick Comley, Robin Burke, and the rest of the search committee and support staff for this fantastic opportunity.”
While with the Redbirds, ISU posted the most wins in a single season since 2019, and earned a bid to the MVC Tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 spring campaign. The seventh-seeded Redbirds earned a 1-0 win over No.6 UNI, becoming the first No. 7 seed to win at the MVC women’s soccer tournament.
“It is clear to me that NMU is a wonderful place, and I look forward to building on the culture of excellence that has been established within the women’s soccer program. The magic of Marquette is hard to put into words, but I immediately knew that the city, school, athletic department, and women’s soccer program were the perfect fit for me. I am eager to get started in this new role, and work together with the student-athletes in this program to continue the tradition of high-level success!”
Before joining the Redbirds, Egolf had a remarkable career as the head coach with the University of Springfield women’s soccer program. In her nine seasons as head coach, Egolf became the winningest coach in UIS program history, posting a record of 53-66-19, while taking the team to three GLVC tournament berths in 2017, 2022, and 2023. Egolf was extremely familiar with the program, as she was the head coach for nine seasons, an assistant coach from Fall of 2013 to the Spring of 2016, and a player from 2010-2013.
In tandem with her coaching career, Egolf also served as the Assistant Athletic Director of UIS beginning in October of 2023. She was the 2022 Women’s Golf NCAA Tournament Director, a member of the UIS Athletics’ Strategic Planning Committee, the housing liaison for the UIS athletic department, the game administrator for an abundance of UIS athletic events, and served on search committees within the athletic department.
During her time at UIS, Egolf coached and mentored a myriad of talented student-athletes including All-Region selections in Abby Dellamorte ’23, Sierra Cenek ’21-’23, and Maggie Juhlin ’19, as well as multiple All-Conference selections. Off the field, Egolf also guided the team in the classroom. During her tenure, the team had a 100% graduation rate, a team GPA above 3.4 every semester, and various Academic All-Conference honorees. The team, under Egolf, also earned the United Soccer Coaches Association Team Academic award each year she was at UIS.
Prior to her head coaching position, Egolf was the assistant coach of UIS soccer where she helped to plan training sessions, aid in recruitment, run team film sessions, and help to maintain the teams successful academic standing. During her time as a player, she was the starting center midfielder at UIS, and became the All-Time Career Goals Leader and the All-Time Career Points Leader.
As an undergraduate player for the squad, Egolf was named to the GLVC All-Conference Second-Team and the All Academic GLVC Team during her first year in 2010. In 2011, she continued her success as a member of the GLVC All-Conference Third-Team, All-GLVC Academic Team, Third-Team All Midwest Region, Women’s College Scholar All-Central Honorable Mention Team, and earned the Division II Athletic Director’s Association Academic Achievement Award winner. In her final year, she earned her third All-Conference honor as well as back honors on the Women’s College Scholar All-Central team, and the All-GLVC Academic Team.
