Wendy Dillinger

Wendy Dillinger (born December 9, 1974 in St. Charles, Missouri) is the current head soccer coach at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and former professional soccer player. Dillinger previously served as the head coach at Washington University in St. Louis and Iowa State University and as an assistant at Indiana University.

Youth

Born in St. Charles, Missouri, to William and Dorothy Dillinger, Wendy began her soccer career at age five playing in the backyard not long before she joined forces with the CYC (Catholic Youth Council) St. Elizabeth Ann Seton team. From there she moved on to St. Cletus, Coke, Norco, Jamestown Stars and finally ended up with then national powerhouse JB Marine. She was a three-time Missouri State Cup Champion (once with Jamestown and twice with JB Marine) and in 1994 was named the Most Valuable Player of the U19 State Cup Final. In 1995, she captured a silver medal with JB Marine in the U23 National Amateur Cup which was played in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dillinger attended St. Charles West High School in St. Charles, Missouri where she was a four-year Honor Roll student and a member of the National Honor Society. As a Warrior, Dillinger scored 100 career high school goals and led her team to the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Final Four in 1992. She was named All-GAC (Gateway Athletic Conference) four years straight and named St. Louis All-Metro in 1992 and 1993. As a senior, she was twice named St. Charles Journal Athlete of the Week and received the St. Charles West Scholar Athlete Award, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Scholar-Athlete Award and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1993 St. Louis North-South All-Star Game. Dillinger also earned All-Conference honors in softball and led her team to a basketball district championship her senior year.

College

On June 10, 1992, the Indiana University Athletics Committee approved the addition of women's soccer as a varsity sport for the 1993–94 season and on December 21, 1992 IU Athletic Director Clarence Doninger announced the hiring of Joe Kelley as the women's soccer coach. Kelley previously served as an assistant coach for the men's program under Jerry Yeagley for 15 seasons and played for the Hoosiers in 1975.^[1]

On February 11, 1993, head coach Joe Kelley traveled to St. Charles, MO for his first in-home visit with then high school senior Wendy Dillinger. On May 27, 1993, Coach Kelley announced his first Indiana University women's soccer recruiting class which included Dillinger, Brooke Breer, Betsy Costello, Angie Doss, Amy Friedrich, Cheri Hooper and Quincy Wolkowitz.^[1]

Dillinger attended Indiana University from 1993–1997 (1996 redshirt) where she started 75 matches. She currently holds school career records for goals (37), assists (24), and points (98). She was a two-time first team All-Big Ten selection in 1994 and 1997. Dillinger also earned All-Region recognition in 1993 (All-Central), 1994 (All-Mid East) and 1997 (All-Great Lakes). Her 13 goals in 1993 mark the second-highest single-season total. She tallied eight assists in each of the 1993 and 1997 seasons, a mark that is tied for first in school history (Carrie Watts 1998). Her efforts make her the first player ever at Indiana to record three multi-goal games in one season. She also holds the school record with eight total multi-goal games. Dillinger, a biology major, received Academic All-Big Ten laurels in 1994–95.^[2]

• 1993 – For the first time in the history of Indiana University, women's soccer competed as a varsity sport. On September 5, The Hoosiers kicked off their home opener in front of a Bill Armstrong Stadium crowd of 2,027 fans and went on to beat the University of Cincinnati 3–1. Dillinger notched 13 goals for the Hoosiers, five of which were game winners and added eight assists on 61 shots. She led the Hoosiers in every offensive category. Only two Hoosiers have tallied three assists in a single game, Dillinger against Detroit on September 8, and Megan Pipkens in a 3–0 win over Oakland on September 30, 2004.^[3] On October 31, Dillinger scored twice and Sheryl Mansberger added another goal as the women's soccer team beat UW-Green Bay, 3–1, to cap a nine-game winning streak and finish Indiana's first varsity season with a 12–6–0 record.^[4]
• 1994 – In the Big Ten's inaugural season and Indiana's first ever Big Ten match, Dillinger scored three against the Northwestern Wildcats on September 9, the first of only six Indiana hat tricks in program history (Kristen Arnold vs Northwestern September 28, 2007; Kim Grodek vs Marquette August 27, 2004; Lindsay McCarthy vs Oakland September 30, 2004; Kris Fosdick vs IUPUI September 6, 1998; Abby Ryan vs Pittsburgh September 8, 1996).^{[3][5][6][7][8]} On September 14, Dillinger netted two goals against Louisville in a span of 70 seconds to set a school record for quickest back-to-back goals. She added six more for a season best 11 goals (3rd in the Big Ten) as well as five assists as the Hoosiers finished with a final record of 8–10–0.
• 1995 – She dished out a team best three assists alongside Amy Friederich and Tracy Grose. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week and to the Soccer America Team of the Week after a 1–0 win against Wisconsin on October 8 in which she scored the game-winning goal. Dillinger played in all 19 matches and notched four goals on 27 shots. Indiana finished the season 8–10–1.
• 1996 – Redshirt
• 1997 – Dillinger tied a school record with eight assists on top of nine goals. During the first weekend of play, Dillinger earned the Nike/Butler University Kick-off Classic Tournament Most Valuable Player. On September 12, she notched the second of the quickest pair of goals scored by Hoosiers just 30 seconds after Tory Dolan in a 6–1 routing of Bowling Green. Dillinger's final career point came in the form of an assist in her final regular season match against Kentucky when she connected with Kris Fosdick in the 36th minute for the game winner. The 2–0 win was Coach Kelley's and the women's soccer program's 50th win. Coach Kelley's squad ended with an 11–9–0 record.^[9]

Dillinger's Indiana University Women's Soccer Records

• Career Goals (37) – 1st
• Career Assists (24) – 1st
• Career Points (98) – 1st
• Career Game Winning Goals (13) – 1st
• Career Multi-Goal Games (8) – 1st
• Career Shots (216) – 1st

Professional

Indiana Blaze

Dillinger's senior career began with the W-League's Indiana Blaze in 1997 where she played through 2000. In 1997, Dillinger started nine games in which she recorded three goals and two assists. In 1998, she started the final two games of the season after returning from Denmark. Dillinger played a leading role in helping the Blaze win the Central Conference and advance to the W-2 Final Four in 2000 where they finished third overall. She started at three different positions for the Blaze: center midfield, center back and forward. In 2000, she was third in points with four goals and four assists. In July 1999, she was named to the W-League Team of the Week alongside Charmaine Hooper of the Chicago Cobras.

Fredericksburg Boldklub

In the summer of 1998, following her senior year at Indiana University, Dillinger headed to Europe to play professionally for Denmark's Fredericksburg Boldklub. She notched three goals and added three assists in five games to help Fredericksburg advance to the Elite Division.

Atlanta Beat

In February 2000, the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) was founded by John S. Hendricks, chairman and chief executive of Discovery Communications, Inc. and became the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid professionals. Dillinger was invited to the week-long combine held at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida December 5–9, 2000, during which 200 invitation-only players got the chance to participate in games and drills.^[10] It was during this combine that Dillinger recorded the first ever official WUSA penalty kick. At the end of the week, 120 of the players were selected in a 15-round draft to fill the roster spots.

Dillinger was not selected in the initial draft; however, she did receive invitations to try out for the Atlanta Beat and Carolina Courage in February 2001. She attended the Beat's invitation-only tryout which took place on the campus of Emory University February 15–18 and consisted of 19 invitees from around the country. On February 19, the Atlanta Beat finalized their pre-season roster of 28 which included the addition of Dillinger along with Suzanne Eastman, Charry Korgel and Sarah Reading.

March 1 marked the beginning of a month-long pre-season in which the 28-player roster trained at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Georgia Tech's campus.^[11]

In the third and fourth matches of the pre-season at Agnes Scott College on Saturday, March 17, the Beat faced Vanderbilt University and the University of Florida. After playing 90 minutes in the first match of the double header, Dillinger made her mark less than five minutes after entering the second contest when she took a pass from Kylie Bivens and struck a 35-yard blast to the upper left corner past the Florida's goalkeeper for the game winner in the 61'.^[12] The team then traveled to Chula Vista, California for exhibition matches at the WUSA Preseason Tournament. Following the week-long tournament, teams would be required to cut their rosters to 20 players.

On March 25, 2001, in a match against the Bay Area CyberRays, the Brazilian connection of Sissi and Katia combined to take an early lead 16 minutes into the match. The Beat remained down by one for the next 54 minutes before Dillinger, who entered the game in the 60' for Charry Korgel, struck a shot from distance which deflected off CyberRays defender Thori Bryan and in to the back of the net. The score would remain tied 1–1.^[13]

On March 28, 2001, the Atlanta Beat defeated the San Diego Spirit 2–0 and moved to 8–0–1 in pre-season play. Dillinger scored the first goal from the penalty spot in the 10' to give the Beat a 1–0 lead. The penalty kick and ensuing red card were given when Spirit defender, Kim Pickup, made a dangerous tackle on Beat forward, Charmaine Hooper. Pickup was ejected from the match.^[14] Charmaine Hooper connected with Kerry Gragg for the second goal of the match.^[15] By the end of pre-season, Dillinger led the Beat in scoring with four goals.

On April 2 WUSA rosters were cut from 28 to 20 and the Atlanta Beat announced their final roster which included Dillinger as well as FIFA co-Player of the Century Sun Wen, US WNT players Briana Scurry, Cindy Parlow, Nikki Serlenga, former Canadian National Team Captain Charmaine Hooper, Japan's National Team's Homare Sawa, and Julie Augustyniak, Nancy Augustyniak, Kylie Bivens, Marci Miller, Sharolta Nonen, Dayna Smith, Lisa Krzykowski, Charry Korgel, Nicole Lamb, Kelly Cagle, Emily Burt, Kerry Gragg and Melanie Wilson.^[16]

Three weeks following the Beat's season opener at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, April 21 against the New York Power, Dillinger was released. Upon returning home, Dillinger underwent knee surgery. She was one of three Indiana Hoosiers to play during the inaugural WUSA season along with Tracy Grose, Carolina Courage and Kelly Wilson, Bay Area CyberRays.^[17]

St. Louis Archers

In 2004, Dillinger concluded her playing career as player-coach for the W-League's St. Louis Archers. In addition to coaching soccer stars such as Lindsay Kennedy (St. Louis Steamers) and Beverly Markwort (Indiana University), she tallied four goals and three assists in six games. Dillinger officially retired in April 2005 after a patellar realignment.

Coaching

Indiana University

Dillinger served as the assistant women's soccer coach at her alma mater Indiana University under Head Coach Joe Kelley for four seasons (1998–2001). During her tenure, she helped guide the Hoosiers to 35 wins, including an NCAA Tournament berth and the first NCAA Tournament win in school history in 1998.

Dillinger's responsibilities at IU included: individual technical and small group tactical training; contacting and evaluating prospective student-athletes; arranging and conducting official visits for prospects; scouting opponents; completing athletically related activity (ARA) logs; and arranging payment of match officials. She also served as the staff liaison with the athletic department compliance coordinator.

Washington University in St. Louis

Dillinger wasted no time making her mark as the head coach of the Washington University in St. Louis women's soccer team. In six seasons on the Danforth Campus, Dillinger guided Washington University to an 86–25–8 overall record. She ranked 14th among active Division III coaches, winning 75.6 percent of her games. Exhibiting the balance between athletic excellence and academic excellence, in the last six years the Bears have captured four UAA Conference Titles on the field and in the classroom, four ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Americans, 10 Academic All-District Honors, and 68 Academic All-UAA Honors.

Dillinger's responsibilities at Washington University included: directing and coordinating the activities of the soccer staff in the planning, organizing and coaching of the soccer program; ensuring compliance with University, Conference and NCAA policies and regulations; scheduling all fall and spring intercollegiate contests; managing the women’s soccer budget and allocating funds for distribution toward uniforms, equipment, travel and officials; organizing, preparing, and conducting team practices, training, and competition; analyzing opponents (e.g. analyzing game statistics and tactical data of opponents and preparing appropriate game plan); recruiting student-athletes in accordance with NCAA rules and regulations (e.g. campus visits, activities and meetings); consulting with the Director of Undergraduate Admissions in the recruitment process of prospective student-athletes; designing, overseeing and implementing the strength and conditioning program for all players; representing soccer program to various university divisions and externally to media, students, parents, and the general public; and counseling team members in academic, disciplinary and personal matters.

• 2002 – In her first year as a head coach, Dillinger guided the Bears to a 10–5–3 record (10–2–3 vs Division III opponents), including a 3–2–2 mark in the UAA. Washington U. remained in the hunt for a post-season bid until the final week of the season. The Bears allowed just 0.75 goals per game and recorded nine shutouts while outscoring their opponents 36–14. Three Washington University athletes were named to the All-UAA Second Team: Charlotte Felber (SO GK), Brenda Harpole (JR B) and Meg Lag (FR B). In addition to ten student-athletes earning Academic All-UAAHonors, three were named Academic All-District: Christine Vavra, Tana Mitby and Brenda Harpole.
• 2003 – Dillinger led WU to a 14–3–3 mark, and won the second UAA championship in school history. WU also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Twelve Washington University student-athletes earned Academic All-UAA Honors, two of which were named ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Americans: Brenda Harpole and Christine Vavra. UAA Champions; UAA Coaching Staff of the Year; The Bears finished with an NSCAA Final National Ranking of 18th.
• 2004 – Dillinger and the Bears posted a 17–3–1 mark in 2004 and advanced to the Sectional Finals for the third time in school history before falling 0–3 to No. 6 University of Puget Sound. Washington University captured their third overall UAA Title and second under Coach Dillinger. In addition to setting a school record for Goals Against Average (0.51) and career wins (36), Charlotte Felber (SR GK) was named UAA Player of the Year and selected as an Academic All-American. Felber as well as Talia Bucci (SO B) and MeghanMarie Fowler-Finn (SO M) were named NSCAAAll-Region. Four student-athletes earned Academic All-UAA Honors, one of which, MeghanMarie Fowler-Finn was named ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District. WashU finished 12th in the final NSCAA National Rankings.
• 2005 – The Bears finished 11–7–1 (3–4–0 in UAA) outscoring opposition 32–12. Six of the seven drops were one goal games. Three players earned All-UAA recognition: Talia Bucci (JR M) and MeghanMarie Fowler-Finn (JR M) First Team and Caitlin Malone (FR F) Second Team. Bucci, Fowler-Finn and Nina Sass (SO GK) were all named All-Region Second Team. Eleven student-athletes earned Academic All-UAA Honors and MeghanMarie Fowler-Finn was named Academic All-District.
• 2006 – The Bears tied the school record for wins with a 17–3 overall record, including a 7–0 record in University Athletic Association (UAA) play, while outscoring their opponents 56–9. Dillinger and her staff (Carrie Marino, Lori Khazen and Chris Sellers) picked up UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors after capturing the UAA title and advancing to the NCAA Sectional Semi-Finals before falling to Washington & Lee 1–2. Dillinger also helped mentor NSCAA First Team All-American, ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, UAA Most Valuable Player and D3Kicks.com National Player of the Year, MeghanMarie Fowler-Finn (SR M). All-UAA Selections included Folwer-Finn, Talia Bucci (SR M), Caryn Rosoff (FR F) and Carrie Sear (JR GK) on the First Team and Libby Held (FR B) on the Second Team. Fowler-Finn, Bucci and Sear were also named NSCAA All-Region and Rosoff was awarded UAA Rookie of the Year. Twelve student-athletes earned Academic All-UAA Honors. The Bears finished the season ranked 11th according to the NSCAA Final Poll.^[18]
• 2007 – Washington University advanced to the NCAA Sectional Round for the third time under Coach Dillinger before falling to No. 3 TCNJ 0–1. Again tying a school record with 17 wins, the Bears finished with a final record of 17–4. For the fourth time in six years, Dillinger guided her team to a UAA Championship. Caryn Rosoff (SO F) garnered the honors of UAA Player of the Year and NSCAA Second Team All-American. She was also named First Team All-UAA alongside Libby Held (SO B) and Caitlin Malone (JR F). Carrie Sear (SR GK) and Carly Anderson (JR M) earned Second Team honors. Rosoff and Sear were named to the NSCAA All-Central Regional first team, while Held and Becca Heymann (SO M) earned third-team accolades. Nineteen (19) players earned All-UAA Academic Honors, one of which, Cassie Scaman (SO B) was named ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District. The Bears finished 9th in the NSCAA Final National Rankings.^[19]

Washington University's travel schedule under Coach Dillinger included trips to the states of Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin (14 states).

Iowa State University

On January 24, 2008, senior associate athletics director Dr. Calli Sanders announced Wendy Dillinger as the new head women's soccer coach of the Iowa State Cyclones.^[20] She recorded her first win with the Cyclones at DePaul University on Friday, September 5, 2008 in a 3–1 victory. Dillinger also captured her 100th career win as a head coach on August 22, 2010 against Northern Iowa by a tally of 3–1. Dillinger captured wins against every team in the Big 12 over the course of her tenure except West Virginia University and Texas A&M.

• 2008 – Dillinger's first season as head coach of the Cyclones set in motion a plan to build a program founded on competitiveness and rooted in character, academics and the community. A final overall record of 5–12–2 (0–8–2 Big 12) included wins against two in-state rivals Drake and Northern Iowa. The Cyclones dropped one goal losses to No. 25 Kansas and No. 7 Texas while drawing even with No. 15 Colorado. Prior to Dillinger's arrival the program had topped 500 in home attendance only six times since 1995. The 2008 excitement bested the single game attendance record of 641 setting the bar at 929 and averaged 585 per match. Seven players were named Academic All-Big 12, two of which, Ann Gleason and Lauren Fader, were named CoSIDA District VII Academic All- Americans. The women's soccer team did capture the coveted Cyclone Challenge Cup for community service. Final RPI 197
• 2009 – The 2009 season witnessed steady improvement notching a 7–9–4 overall record (2–8–0 Big 12) with wins over No. 20 DePaul, Oklahoma State, Texas and an overtime thriller against Northern Iowa. Ann Gleason and Lauren Fader again led the academic charge being recognized as CoSIDA District VII Academic All-Americans for the third straight year. Gleason also became the first Academic All-American in Cyclone Soccer history. Nine players in all were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team. For the second consecutive year, the soccer program was recognized for their work in the community by winning the Cyclone Challenge Cup. Final RPI 164
• 2010 – Another year of improvement saw the Cyclones finish 8–10–2 (3–7–0 Big 12). Just days into pre-season, the Cyclones were displaced after three nights of heavy rainfall resulted in record flooding in Ames including their own Cyclone Soccer Complex. The Cyclones produced eight shutouts on the season and fell on one goal losses to No. 8 Oklahoma State and in overtime to No. 7 Texas A&M. Fans again showed their continued support raising the single game attendance record over 1,000 for the first time (1,076). Seven players were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team. Final RPI 108
• 2011 – The Cyclones took another step in the right direction during the 2011 campaign in dramatic fashion. The Cyclones finished the season with an even 9–9–1 (2–6 Big 12) and set a season record for shutouts holding nine opponents scoreless including wins over No. 23 Washington and a double overtime shocker against Texas Tech. The season also included a last second 0–1 loss to No. 2 Oklahoma State as well as a 1–0 win in what would be the Missouri Tigers last ever Big 12 match. The Cyclones ended the year with an RPI ranking of 78th in the nation. This was the first time in Big 12 history that all conference members were ranked in the top 100. A program best 13 players were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team. Final RPI 78
• 2012 – Increasing the number of wins for the fourth straight year and recording the most wins since 2005, the Cyclones ended even again at 10–10–0 (1–7–0 Big 12). Led by All-American Jennifer Dominguez who notched a Big 12 best 14 goals, the Cyclones recorded another seven shutouts while dropping four one-goal losses to ranked opponents (No. 16 Virginia Tech, No. 20 San Diego State, No 17. Oklahoma State and No. 20 Baylor). Cyclone Nation showed its support in droves when 1,451 helped top the single season attendance record for the in-state rival match with Iowa. Midway through the season marked the opening of the new $11.8M Cyclone Sports Complex replacing the previous natural surface soccer complex. The soccer program recaptured the top spot for giving back to its community by being recognized with the Cyclone Service Team Award while posting a league-high 18 players to the Academic All-Big 12 Team. Final RPI 115
• 2013 – Taking another step forward, the Cyclones broke the 0.500 barrier and qualified for the Big 12 Conference Tournament for the first time since 2007. Their fourth place Big 12 finish was the second highest in program history, finishing the season 9–8–2 (3–4–1 Big 12). Wins included an overtime finish against Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State while drops included ranked opponents No. 3 Stanford, RV Santa Clara, No. 15 Texas Tech and No. 16 West Virginia. For the fourth time in six years the home match attendance record was bettered when 1,574 fans watched a controversial loss against the Red Raiders. Despite steady improvement, Coach Dillinger was relieved of her coaching duties on November 3, 2013;^[21] the Cyclones would eventually fall to Baylor 0–1 in the Big 12 Tournament under Interim Coach Tony Minatta. Out of a possible 15 eligible upperclassmen, a remarkable 14 were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team. Final RPI 127

Iowa State's travel schedule under Coach Dillinger included trips to the states of California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin (15 states).

University of Missouri - St. Louis

Wendy Dillinger was named the head women's soccer coach at the University of Missouri-St. Louis on December 19, 2013. On the hiring, Director of Athletics Lori Flanagan remarked "We are thrilled to name Wendy as our women's soccer coach and welcome her and her family to UMSL. She is an outstanding coach who has proven herself. We believe her knowledge of and passion for the game of soccer will benefit our student-athletes and will take this program to the next level."^[22] Dillinger joined former Indiana Hoosier and men's coach Dan King.^[23] Dillinger's first Triton win was a 3-0 victory over Waldorf College at Don Dallas Stadium on Saturday, September 5, 2014. In three years, Dillinger has captured wins against all GLVC Teams exempt University of Indianapolis and Truman State University.

• 2014 – Dillinger's first season as head coach of the Tritons 8-8-1 (6-8-1 GLVC). Laura Hurlbut (September 8 & 22) was twice named GLVC Offensive Player of the Week. With a Team GPA of 3.26, the Tritons earned the NSCAA College Team Academic Award for its work in the classroom. Seniors Brooke Barczewski, Liz Drennan and Mary Kopsky were three of 12 Tritons honored with the GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award.
• 2015 – The Tritons posted the most wins since 2007 finishing with an overall record of 12-5-4 (8-3-4 GLVC) and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 32 years.^[24] The fall of 2015 also witnessed the induction of former UMSL All-Americans Jan Gettermeyer Sansone and Joan Gettemeyer into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame.^[25] The Tritons recognized the two for their contribution to the soccer community on October 23 after tying #18 Bellarmine 2-2. The Tritons would finish the regular season in 4th securing a home field first round conference tournament game where they defeated fifth seed Drury University 2-1 in overtime when Miriam Taylor scored her 11th goal of the season. The Tritons advanced to the GLVC Championship after besting top-seeded Bellarmine 2-1, but would fall to Truman State in the Championship Final 0-1. That run was sufficient to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Tritons would travel to Grand Valley State University only to drop a 0-1 battle with rival Quincy despite outshooting the Hawks 21-9. Miriam Taylor (October 5) and McKayla Harder (October 12) were named GLVC Offensive Players of the Week. Four players earned All-Great Lakes Valley Conference playing honors. Junior forward Miriam Taylor was selected to the first team, while junior Kayla Delgado was a second team selection. Senior back Mary Hoffmann and freshman forward McKayla Harder were both named to the third team. Fifth-year senior and former Triton basketball player, Kelly McGovern was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Three players earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) all-region honors. Junior forward Miriam Taylor was a second team selection, while junior forward Kayla Delgado and senior back Mary Hoffmann were both third team honorees.^[26]
• 2016 - For the second year in a row, the Tritons secured an at-large bid to participate in the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament, after finishing third in the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season (13-5-1 GLVC 11-3-1). The Triton side dropped five matches to #2 Grand Valley State, #8 Bellarmine, #15 Rockhurst (twice) and unranked Indianapolis while drawing even with #19 Truman State and revenging two earlier losses against #12 Rockhurst in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.^[27] Six players earned All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honors, Senior back Kayla Delgado was a 2nd team selection, while seniors Kirsten Crabtree, Miriam Taylor Taylor Tosovsky, sophomore McKayla Harder, and junior Emily Mosier, were all named to the 3rd team.^[28] Freshman goalkeeper Emily Rish was named the GLVC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after posting a pair of shutouts, holding No. 19 Truman State and Quincy scoreless for 200 minutes.^[29] Kayla Delgado was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Midwest Region First Team. Delgado earned NSCAA All-Region honors for the second straight year after being named a third-team selection at forward in 2015. Her move to the backfield helped the defense to a goals against average of 0.83 with four shutouts. The Triton squad recorded the most wins in program history since 2003, and notched the program its first NCAA win since 1982.^[30] In March 2017, former Triton Kirsten Crabtree signed with Skovde KIK in the Sweden Women’s Professional Soccer League, becoming the first UMSL alumnae to play professionally overseas. ^[31]

UMSL's travel schedule under Coach Dillinger included trips to the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin (5 states).

Coaching History

Recruiting

Dillinger's recruiting history includes trips to: Crossroads of America College Showcase (Indianapolis, IN), GSi (Kansas City, KS), Orange Classic (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), WAGS, Surf Cup (CA), Texas Shoot-out (TX), Bluegrass Elite Showcase Tournament (KY), Germantown Invitational Tournament (Memphis, TN), Germantown College Showcase (Memphis, TN), President's Day Cup (Phoenix, AZ), College Search Kickoff (Muscatine, IA), CASL Shootout (Raleigh, NC), MYSA Classic (St. Louis, MO), St. Louis Cup (St. Louis, MO), Hammer FC Blue Chip Showcase (Cincinnati, OH), Midwest Regional League, Best of the Midwest, Indiana State Cup, Illinois State Cup, Missouri State Cup, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri HS State Championships.

Camps, Clubs, and Clinics

Dillinger currently serves as the Director of Triton Soccer Camps which specializes in high school aged identification and youth development. Previously she served as the director of Cyclone Soccer Camps LLC in Ames, Iowa for six years, hosting over 500 campers on the Iowa State University campus. She spent 14 consecutive summers as a member of the camp staff at Indiana University Soccer Camps and has also helped with camps at Washington University, IUPUI, Northern Arizona University, St. Louis University, University of Missouri and West Virginia Wesleyan University.

While in Missouri and Indiana, Dillinger coached USYSA teams from Scott Gallagher MR (U8, U9, U10), Lou Fusz (U17), Missouri Rush (U10, U11), Bayern Munchkin (U7), JB Marine (U17, U18), Junior Hoosiers FC (U14, U16, U19), Bloomington Cutters (U12) and Center Grove SC (U12, U14, U17). In the spring of 2017, Dillinger was named Head Coach of the WPSL Fire & Ice Reserves Team.^[32]

"Coach Wendy" has also helped players from the Ames Soccer Club, Ankeny Rush, Ames High School, Cyclone Soccer Youth Academy, Indiana Olympic Development Program (ODP), Missouri Olympic Development Program (ODP), University City Soccer Club, Mary Institute & St. Louis Country Day School, Clayton HS, Jennings High School (Missouri), Bloomington HS South, Bloomington HS North, Edgewood HS, Bedford North Lawrence HS, Center Grove HS, Martinsville HS and Monroe County Parks & Recreation. Representing college athletics and Washington University in St. Louis, she has presented at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital SportsWorks exhibition at the St. Louis Science Center and participated in St. Louis Soccer Club College Coaches Discussion Panel in 2004 and 2006.

Coach Dillinger earned her NSCAA National Diploma in January 2000 at Nova Southeastern University. She has been a member of the NSCAA since 1998 and has attended NSCAA Annual Conventions in Baltimore, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Charlotte.

Honors

Playing Honors

Indiana University

Managerial Honors

Washington University in St. Louis

• UAA Coaching Staff of the Year (2003, 2006)

References

External links

• Wendy Dillinger Profile for Iowa State University
• Indiana University Women's Soccer
• St. Louis Post Dispatch Article
• Dillinger Raising Two Families