University of Lynchburg

University of Lynchburg Athletics
Turner Gym 1501 Lakeside Dr Lynchburg, VA 24501

Division 3 Virginia Northeast

Private Small Developing team

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Coaches

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Dr. Todd Olsen

Dr. Todd Olsen took over the Lynchburg women's soccer program ahead of the 1994 season and in the time since has built a perennial conference and regional powerhouse and a consistent NCAA postseason tournament participant, capping it off with a national title in 2014.

Olsen led the 2014 Hornets to a 27-0-1 record, tying for the most wins in Division III history en route to the national championship. He was named ODAC, state, regional, and national coach of the year for his efforts. His team produced three All-Americans in the 2014 campaign, while sitting atop the national leaders in defense and scoring the entire season.

Since his arrival, the Hornets have posted 28 winning campaigns and have advanced to the NCAA tournament 21 times. In 2000, Olsen led his team to the school’s first ever NCAA tournament win for either men or women. Since 2000, his squads have been to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament (2009, 2014), the Elite 8 four times, and the Sweet 16 seven times. Under Olsen’s leadership, his teams have won 482 matches. Also during his tenure, the squad has produced 91 all-region, 107 all-state, 195 All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference, five Academic All-Americans, and 23 NCAA All-Americans.

In 2022, the Hornets won their 17th ODAC championship and made the program's 21st appearance in the NCAA tournament. Haleigh Casey was crowned an All-American for her perfroamnce on a Lyncburg defense that only allowed 0.36 goals per match. Lynchburg has 16 shutouts in 2022 which was the third-best shutout percentage in Division III at .727. The Hornets also put seven players on all-conference teams, two on all-state teams, and three on all-region teams.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Olsen received his bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education in 1985 from Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pa., where he was a two-time Academic All-America selection. After graduation, Olsen traveled to England and attended Loughborough University, earning his master’s degree in 1987 after completing a comprehensive soccer coaching regimen. In 1992, Olsen rounded out his academic career at the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a master’s degree in public health and a Ph.D. in epidemiology.

Aside from on-the-field coaching and classroom teaching, Olsen is actively involved with service and study abroad projects both locally and globally. He has taken the women’s soccer team on soccer/service trips to Argentina and Costa Rica. In addition, he has partnered with Sports Outreach Institute and serves in a volunteer role as the community public health epidemiologist. He has traveled to African nations multiple times in this role, where he is able to utilize his unique background as soccer coach and epidemiologist. He has developed and implemented community health workshops and programs on community public health issues in Kenya and Uganda. His work has helped serve some of the world’s poorest people with these training sessions.

In 2012, Olsen was inducted into the Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame, which honors his philanthropic and coaching achievements. In the fall of 2012, he was inducted into the Slippery Rock University Athletic Hall of Fame.

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Natalie Deacon

Natalie Deacon, a native of West Chester, Pa., joined Lynchburg's coaching staff in 2017 following a four-year playing career under the leadership of head coach Dr. Todd Olsen. During her time on staff, the Hornets have claimed three Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships in 2017, 2018 and 2022 and made four NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022. She helped the Hornets reach the Round of 16 in 2017 and the Elite 8 in 2018.

Throughout Deacon’s playing career, spanning from 2013-16, the Hornets posted an 84-8-6 record and won three Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships. Lynchburg reached four NCAA tournaments appearances and won the Division III national championship in 2014. A two-year captain, Deacon was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, three-time All-ODAC selection, and the 2016 women’s soccer ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Immediately following her time on the pitch, Deacon transitioned to the track in 2017, where she became a three-time NCAA All-American, twice in the indoor 1-mile and once in the outdoor 1500m, as well as a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. Deacon helped lead the Hornets to the 2018 ODAC outdoor track & field championship.

On four separate occasions, Deacon has traveled to Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda to serve alongside Coach Olsen with various nonprofit organizations. She assisted Coach Olsen in implementing the Women of Worth long-term project, which strives to empower young women using the tools of soccer and education.

Deacon holds her Advanced National Diploma from United Soccer Coaches, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She is a graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy - Class 46, and served as the head girls’ soccer coach at Brookville High School in Lynchburg from 2019-2021.

Deacon graduated from Lynchburg in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology and a minor in coaching. In 2019, she completed her master's degree in Lynchburg's nonprofit leadership studies program.

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Sophie Walsh

Sophie Walsh joined Lynchburg’s coaching staff in 2023 following a four-year playing career under the leadership of head coach Dr. Todd Olsen.

The Raleigh, NC. native started all 22 games of her senior campaign to lead the Hornets to the 2022 ODAC title. She earned a spot on the ODAC All-Tournament team, as well as All-ODAC honors on the season. Walsh contributed heavily to the defensive line and central midfield over the course of her career, leading the program to two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022.

Walsh graduated from Lynchburg in 2023 with a bachelors in Exercise Physiology and a psychology minor. She is currently pursuing her masters of Public Health degree.

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Lindsey Grady

Lindsey Grady joined Lynchburg’s coaching staff in 2023 following a four-year playing career under the leadership of head coach Dr. Todd Olsen.

A two-year captain, Grady helped lead the team to the 2022 ODAC Title and two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022. She contributed heavily to the forward line and central midfield over the course of her playing career from 2019 to 2022. Grady garnered College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors in her senior campaign.

Raised in a military family, Grady has lived in six different states over the course of her life. Her four years in Lynchburg mark the longest she has consecutively resided in one place.

Grady graduated from Lynchburg in 2023 with a bachelor's degree of Communications Public Relations and minors in Leadership Studies, Marketing and Crisis Communications. She is currently pursuing her masters in Nonprofit Leadership.

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Caitlin Mertens

Caitlin Mertens rejoined her alma mater's women's soccer program as a graduate assistant in the summer of 2020.

One of the most prolific scorers in program history, Mertens won D3soccer.com's national forward of the year and Old Dominion Athletic Conference player of the year honors in her senior season after helping the Hornets to the NCAA Division III tournament quarterfinals. She scored 29 goals that season, second-most in Lynchburg's storied program history, and was a second-team All-American and first-team All-South Atlantic Region honoree.

The Succasunna, N.J. native earned three All-ODAC and All-State accolades in her career and was named to the ODAC All-Tournament Team twice. Her 63 career goals rank fourth on Lynchburg's all-time leaderboard, and her 147 points rank fifth.

She spent the 2019-20 year in Richmond working as an intern for Fit4Kids, a nonprofit that works on nutrition and physical fitness skills with at-risk youth, and as a medical scribe with OrthoVirginia.

Mertens graduated from Lynchburg in 2019 with a degree in health promotion and is currently pursuing her master's degree in public health.