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Jeremy Groves
Central Michigan University Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Michael Alford has announced the hiring of Jeremy Groves as the sixth head coach of the women's soccer program.
"We are excited to have a championship-caliber coach like Jeremy Groves leading our soccer program," Alford said. "I have always valued head coaching experience and Jeremy has shown he can lead a program to consistent championship success. Taking a program to an elite level is never easy, but Jeremy has shown he understands what it takes – from recruiting outstanding student-athletes, maximizing their potential on and off the field, and creating a great team culture."
Groves, who originally hails from Leeds, England, comes to CMU from Kentucky, where he served as volunteer assistant coach for the past season. Prior to that, Groves led Murray State to unprecedented success, building the Racer program into a dominant force in the Ohio Valley Conference.
"I am excited to be here and want to thank Michael Alford and his staff for this opportunity," Groves said. "As we went through the process, it was clear what a fantastic place CMU is. People really care about this program; the facilities are outstanding with the new renovations and it has a top academic profile.
"This program also has great history and I look forward to building on that and taking it to new highs. We are not only going to compete for conference championships here, we are also going to raise the profile of this program on a national front. We are going to have a program that is built around student-athlete success on and off the field."
In four seasons under Groves, Murray State posted a sterling overall record of 50-21-6 and his Racers reigned over the Ohio Valley Conference with a record of 32-3-5. Through 2015-17, Murray State went unbeaten (25-0-5) in OVC play, including a spotless 10-0-0 mark in 2015, becoming the first team in conference history to go undefeated in league play.
The Racers won three consecutive OVC regular-season championships and captured two conference tournament crowns. Groves was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2015 and in 2017.
At Murray State, Groves recruited and coached the first and only three-time OVC Offensive Player of the Year, Harriet Withers. During his four years as head coach, Groves' teams featured 14 players who received All-OVC recognition.
In his final season at Murray State, Groves' Racers made history, posting a program-best 15-2-2 record, which included an 11-game unbeaten streak. MSU attained a program- and conference-record RPI rank of No. 21 and received votes in the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer.com polls for four-straight weeks.
From 2010-13, Groves served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Morehead State, where he helped the Eagles reach three OVC Tournament title games. He led the Eagles to the 2010 OVC regular season championship and the 2010 and 2013 OVC tournament titles.
Prior to Morehead State, Groves coached at his alma mater, Kentucky. From 2006-07, he was an assistant coach with the women's program, and then assisted with the men's program from 2007-10.
Groves initially played collegiately at Virginia Intermont, earning NAIA All-American honors in 2001, before transferring to Kentucky. In Lexington, Groves was a part of two MAC championship squads. In 2003, the Wildcats advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Groves graduated from UK with a bachelor of arts degree in kinesiology and business and is working towards his masters of science in teaching, coaching and sports leadership.
Before his collegiate career, Groves played for his hometown club, Leeds United, in addition to Rotherham United and York City.
Groves and his wife, Melissa, have two sons, Aidan and Jaxson.
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