Iowa’s Katelyn Longino accepts head coaching role at Grand Valley State

ALLENDALE – Grand Valley State Director of Athletics, Keri Becker, announced the hiring of Katelyn Longino to become the sixth head women’s soccer coach in program history.

Longino comes to GVSU after spending seven seasons at the University of Iowa as an associate head coach under former GVSU women’s soccer head coach and national champion Dave DiIanni. During her time at Iowa, Longino helped lead the Hawkeyes to two BIG Ten Tournament Championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances.

“I am extremely honored and grateful to be the head coach for the Grand Valley State women’s soccer program,” said Longino. “Grand Valley State is known for its rich tradition of excellence, both on and off the field, and I am eager to contribute to that legacy. I look forward to working with our talented student-athletes and continuing a culture of success, hard work, teamwork, dedication, and development within our program. Together, we will strive to achieve greatness. I can’t wait to get started and to build on the tradition of success here at Grand Valley State.”

Before joining the Hawkeyes in 2018, Longino had coaching stints at Valparaiso, Xavier, and Columbus State. In the 2017 season, Longino was on staff at Valparaiso in their first season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Prior to her time at Valparaiso, Longino spent one season at Xavier in the 2016 season.

“Katelyn Longino brings excellent vision for our women’s soccer program. She values strong relationships with her student-athletes, knows how to develop talent, and has a fire to compete,” said director of athletics Keri Becker. “This team is hungry for next level success and Katelyn demonstrated throughout the process that she is the one who will help them achieve this. I would also like to thank Dr. Kurt Patberg at Mammoth Sports Consulting for his assistance with this search,” added Becker.

Longino played her freshman season at Columbus State, helping the team to 18 wins and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Following her freshman season, Longino transitioned into coaching, serving as a student assistant for two seasons. In 2014, she helped guide Columbus State to 21 wins and an Elite Eight appearance. In her final season at CSU, Longino helped lead the team to a national championship game appearance where they fell 2-0 to Grand Valley State.

Longino, who holds a USSF “B” coaching license, has held coaching positions with the Ohio Elite Soccer Association, CFC Red Star, and Columbus Youth Soccer. Longino also hold United Soccer Coaches Sports Performance and Psychology diplomas. She graduated from Columbus State in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and she received her master’s degree in coaching education and athlete development from Xavier in 2018.