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Roosevelt University

Roosevelt University Athletics
 430 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60605
NAIA Illinois Midwest
Private Small Competitive team
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Tom Czop

Tom Czop enters his fifth season as the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Roosevelt University, where he also serves as the Associate Director of Athletics.


Czop started a new chapter with the Lakers after serving as the head coach at Robert Morris University Illinois, a program he helped build into a consistent national contender during 23 total years as a member of the Eagles coaching staff. Czop joined the RMU women's soccer program as an assistant coach in 1997, and was named Associate Head Coach prior to the 2001 season. During his time at RMU, the Eagles qualified for nine NAIA National Tournaments, advancing to the semifinals in 2004 and quarterfinals in both the 2010 and 2013 seasons. In addition, RMU won eight CCAC Conference regular season and four tournament championships throughout his tenure. Czop also served Robert Morris University in his capacity as an associate director of athletics.


After Roosevelt and Robert Morris integrated their respective programs into one department, Czop joined the Lakers as an Associate Director of Athletics and facilitated the integration of all programs, including women's soccer, before taking on the head women's soccer coaching duties in September 2020.


Czop is a 1995 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics while competing for the Rangers men's soccer team. He was named to the NCAA All-American Team as a sophomore in 1991, and was once again honored as an NCAA All-American, as well as the team's Most Valuable Player in 1993. Czop is also the holder of several Parkside men's soccer career scoring records.


Following his collegiate playing career, Czop spent a season as an assistant coach for the Parkside men's soccer team, helping the Rangers to an NCAA No. 1 ranking and the university's first-ever berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. For his efforts, Czop was inducted into the UW-Parkside Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. He is a 1990 graduate of Lake Park High School in Roselle, Ill. and was named to the Lancers Athletics All-Century Team in 2000.


Czop's coaching resume includes staff assignments with the USA Olympic Development Program, as well as the Illinois Youth Soccer Association. Prior to moving into an administrative role, Czop spent 12 years as an academic advisor at Robert Morris and served as RMU's Director of Sports Information from 2011 to 2017.


Czop is a resident of Crown Point, Ind., where he resides with his wife Sharon and two sons, Tyler and Luke.

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Jean Gehrke

A native of Orland Park, Jean was a three-sport athlete and four-year varsity soccer starter at Carl Sandburg High School. She was a multi-year team captain who helped lead the team to a 2nd place finish at the IHSA State Championship her junior year. After high school she attended Moraine Valley Community College for two years, red-shirting her sophomore year due to injury. She then received a scholarship to Eastern Illinois University where she helped them secure both conference regular season and conference tournament championships. Gehrke finished out her college career at Robert Morris University-Illinois, where she led her team to its first conference championship and became the first NAIA All-American in program history. She earned several other awards during her playing career and was inducted into RMU’s inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class in 2010.


Shortly after graduation from RMU, Jean joined the staff as an assistant coach and was associate head coach from 2016 until 2020 when the school integrated with Roosevelt University. During her time at Robert Morris, she coached players from all over the world and helped develop players into All-Americans while coaching several teams to conference championships and national tournament appearances.


After the integration of RMU and RU, Gehrke spent the 2020-21 year at NCAA Division II Purdue University Northwest as assistant coach before returning to the Lakers for the 2021 fall season. In addition to her role at RU, Gehrke is currently a staff coach with the Illinois Olympic Development Program.


Jean and her husband, Scott Patterson, reside in Homer Glen.

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