Julie Orlowski

Julie Orlowski enters her tenth season as Thomas University’s head women's soccer coach in 2022. Orlowski joined the Night Hawk athletic department in February 2013 and also handles compliance duties.


Under Orlowski, the Night Hawks returned to the NAIA National tournament in 2021 for the first time in 17 years after finishing as Continental Athletic Conference finalists.


Midfielder Olivia Taylor collected a handful of national and conference honors in her final season under the tutelage of Orlowski. Taylor was named a 2017 NAIA women's soccer honorable mention All-American, the first Night Hawk to earn the honor since Carina Spengler in 2013. She was also on the 2017 United Soccer Coaches NAIA Women's All-East Region first team and was voted to the All-Sun Conference first team. She ranked 30th in the NAIA in assists per game (0.5) and 40th in shots per game (4.1) and led the team in goals (11), assists (9) and points (31). In the classroom, she was a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-TSC honoree.


Junior defender Katy Hunt was a second team honoree on the United Soccer Coaches NAIA Women's All-East Region Team and a second team All-TSC player while Kara Houston and Rebekah Wiltshire were both honorable mention selections.


The TU women's soccer team posted the top GPA in the department for the 2017-18 year, and was honored nationally as an NAIA Scholar Team. The NAIA named Linnea Roivas, Taylor and Anna Gray to the 2017 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete Team and TU placed six student-athletes on the Academic All-TSC squad in Taylor, Houston, Anna Felixson, Gray, Daniella Pistelli and Roivas.


In 2016, Orlowski guided Thomas to a 9-9 overall record, including 8-2 in The Sun Conference (TSC), good for third place and a berth in TSC Tournament quarterfinals following an appearance in the championship game the season before. Among the highlights, the Night Hawks ended TSC regular-season and tournament champion Keiser's 15-match win streak and gave the Seahawks, ranked second in the nation at the time, their only loss before the national tournament. Seven players were named to All-Conference teams, including three to the first team.


Off the field in 2016, the Night Hawks posted three TSC All-Academic Team members and the Champions of Character award winner. Three players were named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.


Orlowski spent the previous 12 seasons of her coaching career prior to Thomas as the head coach of the Stetson University (NCAA Division I) women’s soccer program. During her time as a Hatter, she recorded 88 wins while her teams reached the Atlantic Sun Tournament each year from 2003-2010. The Hatters reached the Atlantic Sun conference title match in 2006. At Stetson, Orlowski coached 28 All-Conference performers, including 11 first team selections. In her 12 seasons, Orlowski also fielded the league’s Defensive Player of the Year (twice), Offensive Player of the Year (twice) and Freshman Player of the Year (twice). She was also the 2007 Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year and NISOA Central Coach of the Year.


Stetson’s women’s soccer program also excelled in the classroom under Orlowski’s tutelage earning four NSCAA All-Academic selections, six CoSIDA Academic All-Region selections, and public recognition from the NCAA for the program’s outstanding Academic Performance Rate. Coach Orlowski has also been heavily involved in various administrative roles within the NCAA serving on the NCAA National Committee from 2009-2013 and the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee from 2006-2013.


Prior to Stetson, Orlowski served as the assistant coach at the University of South Florida and was the head coach at Boise State University, University of North Florida, and current Sun Conference rival St. Thomas University. As a note of record, Orlowski started or resurrected each of these three programs. Orlowski holds a United States Soccer Federation "B" License. She is a state coach for the Florida Youth Soccer Association and has served as an Olympic Development Program instructor.


Orlowski received her Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from Florida International University where she was a four year starter and team captain with the women’s soccer team. The St.Louis, Mo. native also earned a Master of Science in sports administration from St. Thomas University in 1995. Currently, Orlowski resides in Thomasville, Ga.