University of North Alabama

UNA Athletics
UNA Box 5071 Florence, AL 35632

Division 1 Alabama Southeast

Public Medium National competitor

I'm interested in this program!

Coaches

Email coach

Chris Walker

Chris Walker is the fourth head coach in UNA women's soccer program history, starting in 2013. He completed his 11th season in 2023. The 2023 season makes him the longest-tenured head coach in the program's 27 year history.

Walker owns an 94-82-24 record at UNA that includes reaching the championship match of the 2023 and 2018 ASUN Conference Tournaments. The 2018 finals appearance was the program's first season in Division I and in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Walker turned in a record of 11-5-6 with an ASUN Championship appearance in 2023. The Lions finished the regular season in fourth place in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings despite being picked to place 12th in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll. The Lions earned two wins in the ASUN Tournament, defeating Queens at home 1-0 before upsetting top seed Lipscomb 1-0 in Nashville. The Lions fell in the ASUN title match 3-2 on penalty kicks after a 3-3 regulation draw.

The Lions posted a 11-9-1 overall mark in 2018 and won the first five matches of the Division I era, including back-to-back road shutouts of Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State. UNA finished 3-4-1 in ASUN play to finish sixth in the regular-season standings and earned a spot in the ASUN Tournament. The Lions downed Kennesaw State 2-1 in the opening round and NJIT 3-0 in the semifinal to claim a spot in the finals against Lipscomb in Nashville. The Bisons held off UNA for a 3-2 win to claim the league title.

North Alabama was 6-11 in 2019, battling through numerous injuries to finish 2-6 in the ASUN. That 2019 record included four road wins.

Walked previously led UNA to the championship match of 2014 Gulf South Conference Tournament, won regular-season and post-season GSC titles in 2015 and advanced to the NCAA Division II South Regional in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Walker’s first squad in 2013 went 8-8-2 before the 2014 Lions posted a 14-4-1 mark. That team included the Division II National Player of the Year in junior Chloe Richards, who led Division II in four categories, including most goals and most points.

For his part, Walker was voted the 2014 Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year by the other league coaches.

In 2015, Walker led UNA to a 15-3-2 record and the Lions hosted the GSC Tournament for the first time after winning the regular-season GSC crown. After claiming the GSC Tournament title as well, UNA hosted an NCAA South Region event for the first time and made the program's sixth NCAA post-season appearance in the last seven years.

UNA went 8-8-0 in 2016 with a 7-5 Gulf South Conference mark and followed this past season with a 13-4-2 mark hat landed the Lions back in the NCAA Division II South Regional for the third time in his five years at the school and the seventh time in the last nine years.

Walker is the fourth head coach in the 21-year history of the UNA women’s soccer program and came to Florence after serving as an assistant coach at Lee University.

Walker, a Lee graduate and former player on the men’s soccer team there, served as an assistant coach with the Lee women’s team for the three years and helped lead the Flame to two NAIA National Championships.

At UNA, Walker followed Graham Winkworth who posted a 111-81-8 record with the Lions over 10 years and led UNA to four consecutive NCAA Division II Regional Tournaments from 2009-12.

Walker had a successful playing career for the Lee Flames and was an integral part of the squad that qualified for the NAIA national tournament in 2005. He was a captain of the Flames squad and earned all-conference honors on three different occasions. He graduated from Lee in December 2006 with a B.A. in Business Administration and then served as a graduate assistant for the Lee men’s team in 2006-07.

In 2008, Walker moved to Tennessee Tech where he worked as the top assistant and finished his M.A. in Education in July 2008. He was also working as a director of coaching at Westfields Soccer Club in Indiana before returning to Lee in 2010 as assistant coach with the women’s program.

Over his last three seasons at Lee, the school had the best women’s soccer program in the history of the NAIA. Winning three Southern States Athletic Conference regular season and tournament title and back-to-back national championships (2010-11). Lee holds the highest winning percentage in NAIA national tournament play in the history of the organization. Lee also went all three seasons without a loss in league play.

Also during Walker’s time as an assistant at Lee, in addition to the numerous individual awards earned on the field by Flame players, the team carried at least a 3.3 grade point average all three years and was recognized by the NSCAA and NAIA as an Academic Team Scholar Award winner.

Walker is married to former Lee University soccer player, Tiffany Cox Walker and they have a son, Benjamin. He officially became an American citizen in October of 2019.

Email coach

Adam Sportsman

Adam Sportsman closed out his second season with North Alabama in 2023.

He helped the Lions to their best season in Division I program history in 2023, finishing with a record of 11-5-6 and making an appearance in the ASUN Championship Final match.

Sportsman came to UNA after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville. He also spent two seasons at Auburn University as a graduate assistant coach, specializing in development of goalkeepers in the women's soccer program.

Sportsman also served as the team manager for the University of Missouri soccer team for two seasons, with other coaching experience at local Missouri High Schools.

Sportsman earned his masters degree from Auburn University in Administration of Higher Eduction and his undergraduate degree from University of Missouri in Multidisciplinary Studies.