Blair Quinn is in his fourth season as associate head coach of the University of Iowa women’s soccer program. Quinn coaches Iowa’s goalkeepers.
In three seasons in Iowa City, Quinn has helped the program to 34 victories, two NCAA Tournament appearances and the first Big Ten title in school history.
Quinn joined the program with 16 years of collegiate coaching experience with stops at Houston, Arizona State (two stints), New Mexico State, Loyola Marymount, Kansas, Johnson County Community College, Rockhurst, and University of Saint Mary. He served as head coach at New Mexico State from 2011-13.
In 2021, Quinn helped lead Iowa to a 12-6-2 season and a winning 5-4-1 record in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinal with a 1-0 first round victory at Michigan State before falling to Rutgers in Piscataway. Five Hawkeyes earned Big Ten Conference postseason honors. Sara Wheaton was named to the All-Big Ten second team, while Alyssa Walker and Hailey Rydberg picked up third-team honors. Addie Bundy was a unanimous selection on the All-Freshman team and Riley Whitaker was one of 14 players to earn the conference sportsmanship award. The 2021 postseason team marks the first time in 21 years Iowa had three players named to one of the top three All-Big Ten teams. In 2000, Sarah Lynch (first team), Julie Atkocaitis (second team) and Kate Walse each earned all-conference recognition.
Hailey Rydberg, Alyssa Walker and Sara Wheaton were also named to the United Soccer Coaches North Region Third-Team. The all-region honor was the first for all three players and marked just the second time in program history that three Iowa players have been named to an all-region team in the same season. Cloe Lacasse, Melanie Pickert and Alex Melin were recognized in 2013.
The Iowa defense posted seven shutouts and held 18 opponents to two scores or fewer through 20 games, while eleven Hawkeyes contributed to 31 goals on the offensive side of the ball, which ranked third in the Big Ten. On Oct. 14, 2021, Iowa posted a 4-3 victory over Nebraska in which the Hawkeyes came back from a three-score deficit to earn the largest comeback in program history.
In the classroom, 19 Hawkeyes earned Big Ten Fall Academic All-Conference team recognition, matching the school record for the second straight season and the third time in program history.
Quinn helped the program to its second straight NCAA Tournament berth in 2020. After starting the season slowly, Iowa was playing its best soccer when matter most — in the postseason.
With an expanded Big Ten postseason schedule due to league-only scheduling because of COVID, the Hawkeyes posted wins over second-seeded Illinois and third-seeded Minnesota in the Big Ten Regional weekend. The team followed with a road win at top-seeded Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals before downing third-seeded Wisconsin to claim the program’s first-ever Big Ten title.
The win in Happy Valley was the first for the program in school history and the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions were the highest ranked opponent Iowa defeated all-time. Two freshmen — forward Meike Ingles and goalkeeper Macy Enneking — were named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Players, respectively. Ingles scored three-game winners in the tournament, while Enneking posted two shutouts and made 14 saves.
As a result, the Hawkeyes earned their second straight NCAA Tournament berth, and they continued to make history. Shipped to North Carolina, Iowa tallied a 1-0 victory over Campbell — on the Camels’ home turf — to notch the first NCAA Tournament win in the record books. Iowa had third-seeded UCLA on the ropes in the Round of 32 before surrendering two goals late in a 2-1 defeat.
Iowa finished the season with a 7-9-1 record, but all seven of the victories came in the team’s final 10 games. Under Quinn’s guidance, Enneking was a unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman team selection after taking over in goal midway through the season. The freshman led the Big Ten with a 0.47 goals against average in 11 games, her .912 saves percentage was tops in the league and her six shutouts were tied for third.
Academically, Iowa matched a school record with 19 Academic All-Big Ten selections, eight Hawkeyes were Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, the program had 31 Dean’s List honorees (in fall and spring semesters), and the program earned the United Soccer Team Academic Award, posting a 3.49 team grade point average.
During his first season as a Hawkeye, Quinn helped guide Iowa to one of the best seasons in program history. The Hawkeyes opened the season with nine straight wins en route to a No. 17 national ranking, the highest in program history. Iowa tied a school record, winning 15 games, including seven in Big Ten play, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.
Under Quinn’s tutelage, senior Claire Graves won 14 games, second-most in a single season in program history. Graves finished her career with a school-record 37 victories in four seasons.
Defensively, Iowa was one of the Big Ten’s best, posting eight shutouts in 20 games and holding opponents to seven shots or fewer in 13 games. Iowa had three players garner All-Big Ten recognition, one all-region honoree, two first-team Academic All-Americans, three academic all-region, and a school record 19 Academic All-Big Ten selections.
Quinn came to Iowa City following a two-year stint at Houston, where he was an assistant coach for the Cougars, while also assisting with the NWSL’s Houston Dash. Quinn joined the Cougars in 2017 as assistant coach and he was promoted to associate head coach for the 2018 season. Houston won 14 games in two seasons after winning 12 total games in the four seasons prior to his arrival.
In 2014-15, Quinn spent two seasons at Arizona State as the goalkeepers coach. He helped lead the Sun Devils to the 2014 NCAA Tournament and Arizona State made three NCAA appearances during his five-years in Tempe.
Under Quinn’s direction, Arizona State goalkeeper Chandler Morris tied the program’s second-best single-season total for shutouts, finishing with 7 1/2 in 2014. Morris finished her career as the program’s all-time leader in combined shutouts (25).
Quinn served as head coach at New Mexico State from 2011-13, guiding the Aggies to a single-season school record 10 wins in 2011, which included the program’s first postseason victory. New Mexico State forward Jannae Cambra earned second-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors in 2013.
In the classroom, the Aggies enjoyed great success during Quinn’s tenure as 20 different players earned Academic All-WAC recognition. Half of those 20 players garnered conference academic honors multiple times.
The Aggies broke a number of school records in 2011, including shutouts (11) and goals against average (1.14). Elise Nordin became the first player in program history to earn second-team CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District 7 honors.
Quinn served in his first stint at Arizona State from 2007-10, helping lead the Sun Devils to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003. Under his direction, Brianna Silvestri posted a school record for goals against average (0.85) in her first season as a full-time starter. The following season, Silvestri broke her own record with a 0.77 goals against average during a season where she posted six shutouts and was a NSCAA National Player of the Week honoree.
Before moving to the Pac-12, Quinn served in coaching positions at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and as a volunteer assistant at Kansas in 2006, where he helped the Jayhawks to an 11-win season. Quinn spent the 2015-06 season as an assistant coach at Johnson County Community College and he was a graduate assistant at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, during the 2004-05 season.
Quinn began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas, working with both the men’s and women’s programs for two seasons from 2000-02.
Quinn played professionally from 1997-2003. He started his professional career with the Tallahassee Scorpions of the Eastern Indoor Soccer League before playing with the Sacramento Knights of the Western Indoor Soccer League. Quinn was with the Kansas City Brass of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues and Arizona Thunder (WISL), before he ended his playing career with the Kansas City Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League.
As a three-year starter at goalkeeper at Rockhurst University (NAIA), Quinn garnered first-team NAIA All-America and second-team National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America honors. As a senior he led the Hawks to the NAIA Final Four and still holds Rockhurst records for shutouts in a season (15) and career (37).
Quinn earned a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2005 from Rockhurst University. He also has earned several coaching licenses, including United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National “A” License, United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National Goalkeeping License and the NSCAA National Youth Diploma.
A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Quinn and his wife, Lacey, have two sons, Aidan and Riley.