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Jim Conlon
Jim Conlon took the Washington University in St. Louis women's soccer program to a new level in 2016 after the Bears claimed the programs' first national championship with a 5-4 shootout victory over Messiah Dec. 3 in Salem, Va.
Conlon has led the Bears to four national championship game appearances, including National Runner-Up finishes in 2009, 2015 and 2023, 11 University Athletic Association (UAA) titles and 15 trips to the NCAA Tournament in his 14 seasons on the Danforth Campus. He has 236-44-30 (.810) overall record leading the Bears.
WashU recorded a 19-2-3 overall record in 2016, the third most wins in school history, and won the University Athletic Association (UAA) title for the fourth time in the last five years. He mentored three All-Americans in 2016 – Lizzy Crist (first), Maggie Crist (first) and Katie Chandler (third). Lizzy Crist was named the 2016 NSCAA National Player of the Year and NSCAA Scholar Athlete of the Year, in addition to being named 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year.
In 2022, the Bears reached the Elite 8 for the 12th time in program history. Senior Maggie Brett earned a United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-America nod. Brett and junior Anna Viscovich were named United Soccer Coaches All-Region VIII selections.
In 2021, Conlon mentored two CoSIDA Academic All-America selections in Katy Mockett and Emma Greenfield.
In 2019, Conlon led the Bears to an 18-1-3 record and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 11th time in school history. WashU also won its fifth-straight UAA title. He mentored two United Soccer Coaches All-America selections in Gabbie Cesarone and Taylor Cohen, in addition to a pair of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in Katy Mockett and Kristen Reikersdorfer.
For his efforts Conlon and his assistant coaches were named the 2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Central Region Staff of the Year for the fourth time in his career.
in 2018, Conlon guided the Bears to a 21-1 overall record and a trip to the NCAA Division III National Semifinals for the third time in the last four years. The Bears also won their fourth-straight UAA title. WashU set single-season school records for fewest goals allowed (6), shutouts (16), wins (21), winning percentage (.955), and consecutive wins (21).
Conlon and his staff earned picked up some hardware along the way, earning United Soccer Coaches National Coaching Staff of the Year, United Soccer Coaches Central Region Staff of the Year and UAA Coaching Staff of the Year. The Bears had four student-athletes earn All-America honors for the first time in school history – Maggie Crist (first), Darcy Cunningham (first), Hannah Menard (first) and Taylor Cohen (second).
Conlon and the Bears posted a 20-3-1 overall record in 2015, and finished as the NCAA Division III National Runner-Up. The Bears advanced to the Final Four for the third time in school history and claimed a share of their 10th UAA title. In addition, Conlon and his staff earned UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
In 2009, Conlon made his mark at WashU in just his second season, leading the Bears to an NCAA Runner-Up finish after falling to No. 1-ranked and defending national champion Messiah College, 1-0, in San Antonio, Texas. WashU tied a then-school record with a 17-4-3 overall mark, and won its fourth-straight UAA championship.
Conlon led WashU to an 18-5 mark and an appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2011, and then posted a 19-2-1 mark in 2012 and a second-consecutive trip to the Elite 8.
The Bears posted a school-record 20-1-1 mark in 2013, advancing to their third-straight NCAA Quarterfinal and won their second-straight UAA Championship with a perfect 7-0 mark. WashU had a 14-game winning streak, second longest in school history, and outscored its opponents 78-8. Conlon and his staff was also named the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year for the first time in his career, and he was also named the NSCAA Central Region Coach of the Year for the second-straight season.
He has mentored 13 student-athletes to 20 All-America awards, including 2014 D3soccer.com Midfielder of the Year Lillie Toaspern and 2015 and 2016 D3sooccer.com National Goalkeeper of the Year Lizzy Crist. Conlon has also had five student-athletes named Academic All-American.
Conlon arrived on the Danforth Campus on March 13, 2008, after serving for eight seasons as the head women’s and men’s soccer coach at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He is the third women’s soccer coach in WashU history and the second full-time coach.
As the first full-time soccer coach in Wartburg history, Conlon posted a 108-48-10 overall record with the men’s team and a 96-57-5 mark with the women’s team. He led the men’s squad to five NCAA appearances, advancing to the Sectional semifinals in 2005 and 2006, and to the Sectional final in 2004.
In 2007, the Wartburg women’s team won the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) title and advanced to the NCAA Sectional round, the squad’s first NCAA berth in school history.
Conlon was named the NCAA Division III West Region Coach of the Year in 2006, and garnered IIAC Coach of the Year honors in 2003 and 2004. He had 64 student-athletes earn Academic all-IIAC honors, four ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honorees and four NSCAA All-America selections while at Wartburg.
He has a 438-147-44 (.731) record in 24 seasons coaching collegiate soccer, which includes eight seasons as the men’s and women’s soccer coach at Wartburg College (2000-07).
A 1998 graduate of Loras College, Conlon played for four seasons on the Loras men’s soccer team and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in business management and sports management.
Upon graduation, he served as the assistant women’s and men’s soccer coach at his alma mater for two years, while pursuing a Master of Arts in physical education with an emphasis in athletic administration.
Conlon and his wife Jeanne have two children: Courtney and Carson.
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