Jacksonville University hires John Constable as women’s soccer head coach

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Following a national search for a new leader of the women’s soccer program, Jacksonville University Athletics has named John Constable as the new head coach.

Constable joins the Dolphins after five seasons as the head coach at Nova Southeastern University. During his time with the Sharks, Constable led team to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2015-19) and brought home the first NCAA Regional Championship title in program history during the 2019 season.

“I am excited to welcome John Constable as our new women’s soccer head coach,” Senior Vice President and Athletic Director Alex Ricker-Gilbert said. “John believes strongly in our core values and will be a great fit for the culture of this department. I’m proud of the search lead Lauren Cevis and I’m looking forward to the future of the women’s soccer program.”

Constable assumed his position at Nova Southeastern in 2015 and inherited a team that ranked seventh in the Sunshine State Conference the previous year. Since taking over the program the Sharks have ranked consistently in the top three in the league while making five-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). In the 2019 season the Sharks posed a 17-4-2 record while going unbeaten at the NSU Soccer Complex.

“I am delighted to be taking over as head women’s soccer coach at Jacksonville University,” Constable said. “I will be forever grateful to Alex Ricker-Gilbert and Lauren Cevis for giving me this opportunity. Together, with the help of the fine young ladies of the program and its staff, Jacksonville University women’s soccer will progress from strength to strength, in the classroom, in the community and on the field. It became apparent instantly when I arrived on campus for my interview, that Jacksonville is a first-class university and has a first-class athletic program to match. With hard work, teamwork, organization and discipline, I have no doubt that continuous improvement is in the pipeline for JU women’s soccer.”

The Sharks captured their first-ever SSC Regular Season Championship in 2017 under the direction of Constable, who was then named the 2017 SSC Coach of the Year. NSU also reached the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year, and advanced to the second round for the first time in program history. Constable guided the team to its highest-ever national ranking of seventh. That 2017 team could boast the SSC Freshman of the Year and earned the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“I could not be more excited to welcome John to the Dolphin family,” Deputy AD/SWA Lauren Cevis said. “His passion for the game, and knowledge of the sport are truly unparalleled. I look forward to the progressive direction of our women’s soccer program under his leadership.”

While overseeing the Shark’s academic progress, Nova Southeastern boasted a team GPA consistently above 3.2 while earning Academic All-District honors two years in-a-row. The 2018 Fall Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the Sunshine State Conference honored 20 student-athletes from the women’s soccer program.

Along with his coaching and academic oversight duties Constable devoted himself to the Davie, Fla. community as well. He organized and managed numerous community outreach programs while fundraising over $5,000 annually. Under his direction the NSU Soccer Camp grew to be one of the most prominent in the southern Florida region.

Prior to his time at NSU Constable was the head coach at Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C., leading the Valkyries to their first Regular Season Conference Championship in 2014, their first regional ranking and a conference semifinal appearance in the Conference Carolinas Tournament. He was a two-time Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year (2012, 2014). He mentored an All-Region performer, seven All-Conference players and eight Academic All-Conference student-athletes.

After finishing 2-15-1 and 1-8-1 for the 2011 season and starting the 2014 season as a No. 7 preseason conference selection, he helped the program improve tremendously to a 15-3-1 overall record and an impressive 9-1-1 in conference play. The Valkyries went on a 12-game win streak, a program best, to clinch the conference regular season title and advance to the conference semifinal round.

Prior to Converse College, Constable spent four years as an assistant coach at Delta State University. During his time at DSU he helped coach both the men’s and women’s programs as well as the junior varsity program. In 2008, he helped guide the Lady Statesmen to a 10-7-2 overall record and appeared in the Gulf South Conference tournament for the first time in program history.

Constable spent his collegiate career playing Division II soccer at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn. and Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Penn. While at Tusculum, he was a member of the No. 1 ranked team in Division II that advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite 8.

In addition to his collegiate playing experience, Constable played professionally for the Scottish Professional Premier League team, Motherwell Football Club for three years.

A 2007 graduate of Seton Hill University, Constable earned his Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration and went on to complete his MBA in Management from Delta State University in 2009.