Illinois State hires Wisconsin assistant Marisa Kresge as new head coach

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State soccer program has found its new leader, as former Illinois State assistant coach and Wisconsin assistant Marisa Kresge was named the team’s new head coach by Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan.

“We are extremely excited to have Marisa Kresge lead our soccer program at Illinois State and welcome her back to campus,” Brennan said. “Marisa has been a proven winner at every stop of her career, as a player at Maryland and Wisconsin and as a coach here at Illinois State and Wisconsin. She is extremely competitive and structured in her approach as a coach and a recruiter, which we believe will translate into success for our soccer program. Her tough, blue-collar mentality as a leader fits well with the culture of our department and we look forward to watching her get this program to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.”

Kresge returns to Illinois State after spending the last five seasons on the coaching staff at Wisconsin. In that time, she has helped lead the Badgers to a Big Ten Conference championship and four NCAA tournament appearances, which included three trips to the Sweet 16. During her time in Madison, she also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator and brought in over 30 players from the Midwest region, five from the East Coast and seven players from the Frontier region.

“I could not be more excited or honored to be named the next head coach of Illinois State Soccer,” Kresge stated. “I want to thank Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan, Executive Associate AD Nona Richardson and everyone involved in the hiring process. The energy of the administration, their investment into the program and their drive to be successful was something I was immediately drawn to. Illinois State has a rich history of success, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with our student-athletes and lead this program into the next chapter.”

Last season with the Badgers, Kresge and staff led UW to a 10-6-6 overall record and a NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance. A total of four Wisconsin student-athletes earned all-Big Ten honors and one earned all-region honors. The recruiting class put together by Kresge was also ranked No. 16 nationally by Top Drawer Soccer.

In 2020, UW reached the Big Ten Tournament final while Jordyn Bloomer earned second-team All-America honors and was named the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year for a second-straight year. In addition, the 2021 Recruiting Class was ranked in the Top 25. In 2019, the Badgers won the regular-season Big Ten title thanks to an undefeated record in league play and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the second-straight year. Three Badgers (Jordyn Bloomer, Camryn Biegalski and Dani Rhodes) earned All-America honors to set a school record for most All-Americans in a single season. Wisconsin finished ranked No. 10 in United Soccer Coaches, No. 16 by TopDrawer Soccer and finished No.12 in the RPI.

In 2018, Kresge helped lead Wisconsin to a 14-4-4 record and the second Sweet 16 NCAA appearance in program history. Wisconsin finished ranked No. 15 in United Soccer Coaches, No. 14 by TopDrawer Soccer and No. 23 in the RPI. In her first season at Wisconsin in 2017, she assisted in leading the Badgers to a 14-6-2 record and the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

After graduating from UW in 2016, Kresge spent one season with Illinois State helping the Redbirds to a 14-6-3 record that year as part of head coach Eric Golz‘s staff. With Kresge’s assistance on the sidelines, ISU won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles, earning a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Additional coaching experience for Kresge includes time with the Verona Soccer Club, where she worked with teams aged u11 to u17.

Kresge earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, physical education and adapted physical education during her time as a student-athlete at Wisconsin, where she competed three years for the Badgers. The Severna Park, Maryland, native started 19 of the 20 matches during her senior season and was the team captain while earning Academic All-Big Ten honors for the second year in a row. She currently holds a USSF A – Senior License.