Dave DiIanni

Dave DiIanni (Dee-on-ee) completed his 12th season as head coach of the University of Iowa women’s soccer program. DiIanni was named the fifth head coach in program history on May 17, 2014, following an 11-year head coaching stint at Grand Valley State. He was inducted into the Grand Valley State Athletics Hall of Fame in November 2024.

A native of Ontario, Canada, DiIanni amassed a 346-100-48 career record. He guided Grand Valley State to three NCAA Division II National Championships, nine consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) titles, seven Final Four appearances in eight seasons, and 11 straight NCAA Tournament berths while coaching 21 All-Americans. His .895 winning percentage ranks first in NCAA Division II history.

In 12 seasons at Iowa, DiIanni has posted a 125-82-30 record. He has guided the Hawkeyes to five NCAA Tournament appearances, the program’s first-ever Round of 16 appearance, and two Big Ten Tournament Championships. The conference tournament title in Spring 2021 marked the first in program history. Iowa repeated as champions in 2023, defeating three consecutive ranked opponents during the postseason run, a program first.

In 2025, the Hawkeyes finished with a 12-5-4 overall record and a 6-2-3 conference mark, tying for third in the Big Ten regular-season standings. Iowa earned its second preseason ranking in school history at No. 13 and climbed as high as No. 5, the highest ranking in program history. The Hawkeyes remained ranked in both major polls throughout the season, a first for the program.

The season opened with a signature road victory as No. 13 Iowa defeated No. 6 Arkansas, 3-2. The win was historic, as Arkansas had suffered just one home loss in its previous 43 matches. Iowa’s 2-0 halftime lead marked the first time Arkansas had trailed at home at the break since 2021. The victory improved DiIanni’s record to 3-2 against opponents ranked sixth or higher during his Iowa tenure; prior to his arrival, the program was 0-7 in such matches.

Another historic performance came at Missouri State, where senior Kelli McGroarty scored four goals to set a single-game program record. Fellow senior Morgan Lietz recorded three assists, tying the program record for assists in a single match. McGroarty was later named Big Ten Player of the Week.

Iowa advanced to its 16th Big Ten Tournament in program history before falling to Wisconsin in the quarterfinals. Junior Sofia Bush earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors. The Hawkeyes earned a five seed in the NCAA Tournament, securing their third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, a program record. It also marked the third straight season Iowa hosted an NCAA Tournament match, something that had never been accomplished prior to DiIanni’s arrival. Senior Kenzie Roling’s goal lifted Iowa past South Dakota State and into the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the third consecutive season. Iowa became one of just 11 programs nationally to advance to the second round in three straight years.

Iowa faced LSU in the NCAA Tournament Second Round in Nashville, where the Hawkeyes fell to the Tigers after the match was delayed one day due to weather.

Four Hawkeyes earned All-Big Ten postseason recognition in 2025. Juniors Sofia Bush and Millie Greer earned second-team honors, while freshmen Liana Tarasco and Elle Wildman were named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Senior Taylor Kane was named Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award honoree. Bush and Greer also earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region honors.

Academically, five Hawkeyes earned CSC Academic All-District recognition. Additionally, 17 student-athletes were named Academic All-Big Ten, while 14 earned Dean’s List honors, including two named to the President’s List.

Iowa continued to draw strong support at home, averaging 2,076 fans per match, ranking fifth nationally and first in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes’ home match against TCU drew 2,382 fans, setting a program record for a regular-season match.

In 2024, Iowa posted a 15-3-4 overall record and an 8-2-1 mark in Big Ten play, finishing tied for third in the conference standings. The Hawkeyes opened the season 10-0-3, setting a program record for consecutive matches without a loss. After a 1-0 win over Indiana, Iowa climbed to No. 9 in the national rankings, the highest ranking in program history at the time. The Hawkeyes remained ranked in the top 25 throughout the season for the first time in program history.

Iowa earned a three seed in the Big Ten Tournament before falling to Washington in penalty kicks. The Hawkeyes also earned a three seed in the NCAA Tournament, the highest seed in program history. Iowa hosted Missouri State at the Iowa Soccer Complex for just the second home NCAA Tournament match in program history and earned a 2-1 victory. The Hawkeyes then traveled to Los Angeles and defeated Georgetown, 1-0, on Meike Ingles’ goal in the 54th minute to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in program history. Iowa fell to Virginia Tech, 1-0, in the Round of 16. The Hawkeyes finished the season ranked No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and No. 14 in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll.

Defensively, Iowa allowed just 12 goals during the 2024 season, breaking the previous program record by four goals, and recorded 12 shutouts. Graduate goalkeeper Macy Enneking posted a 0.541 goals-against average, ranking 12th nationally, and tied for seventh in the nation in shutouts. Enneking earned her third career Big Ten All-Tournament Team selection, the most in program history, and finished her Hawkeye career as the program’s all-time leader in shutouts and victories. Her 226 career saves rank fifth in program history.

Four Hawkeyes earned All-Big Ten postseason honors in 2024, the most in program history. Maggie Johnston and Millie Greer were named Second Team All-Big Ten, Sofia Bush earned third-team honors, and Berit Parten was named to the Freshman Team. Miah Schueller was Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award honoree. Bush, Greer, and sophomore Iba Oching earned United Soccer Coaches All-North/Central Region honors.

Bush was named to the United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-North Region, while Johnston earned Fourth Team honors, becoming the 13th and 14th Hawkeyes to receive all-region recognition.

Academically, Iowa set a program record with 20 Academic All-Big Ten honorees. Johnston, Kenzie Roling, and Elle Otto earned CSC Academic All-District recognition.

The Iowa Soccer Complex averaged a program-record 1,479 fans per match in 2024, ranking 13th nationally and second in the Big Ten.

Iowa finished the 2023 season with a 13-5-4 overall record, including a 6-0-1 nonconference start and a 3-4-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes went 3-2-1 against ranked competition and earned the eighth and final seed in the Big Ten Tournament before defeating No. 12 Michigan State, No. 5 Penn State, and No. 12 Wisconsin en route to the program’s second Big Ten Tournament title in four seasons. Iowa became the lowest seed in Big Ten history to win the conference tournament.

Following the Big Ten Tournament title, Iowa ascended to the highest national rankings in program history, climbing to No. 14 in the College Soccer News poll and No. 17 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings. Iowa finished the regular season 30th in the RPI and earned a five seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Hawkeyes earned the second NCAA Tournament win in program history with a 2-0 victory over Bucknell before a program-record crowd of 2,639 at the Iowa Soccer Complex. Iowa fell in the Second Round to fourth-seeded Georgia, 3-2, at Riggs Field in Clemson, South Carolina.

Iowa recorded a program-record 13 shutouts in 2023 and outscored opponents 36-17, holding significant advantages in shots and shots on goal.

Senior goalkeeper Macy Enneking tied for fifth nationally in shutouts, setting a school single season record with 12.5 clean sheets. She finished the season ranked third in career shutouts and fourth in career wins among Hawkeye goalkeepers.

Fourteen different Hawkeyes contributed to Iowa’s 36 goals. Senior Kelli McGroarty led the team with 18 points, while McGroarty and seventh-year senior Josie Durr tied for the team lead with seven goals. Juniors Elle Otto and Kenzie Roling also recorded double-digit point totals.

Fifth-year senior Samantha Cary was named Second Team All-Big Ten. Freshman Sofia Bush earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors, while redshirt junior Zoë Bessert earned the conference sportsmanship award.

Cary, Enneking, and McGroarty were named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team, with Cary earning Defensive Player of the Tournament honors. Cary and Enneking were also named First Team All-North Region, becoming just the third and fourth Hawkeyes to earn first-team regional honors.

Academically, five Hawkeyes earned CSC Academic All-District recognition, a program record. Cary became Iowa’s first United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American. Fourteen Hawkeyes were named Academic All-Big Ten.

Iowa finished the 2022 season with a 5-6-7 overall record and a 2-3-5 mark in Big Ten play. Hailey Rydberg earned All-Big Ten Third Team honors after leading the team with 14 points on five goals and four assists. Rydberg tied senior Caroline Halonen for the team lead in goals, while sophomore Elle Otto led the Hawkeyes with five assists.

The Hawkeyes were again strong defensively, led by senior captains Samantha Cary and Sara Wheaton, allowing just one goal per match on average and recording six shutouts.

Notable victories included a 2-1 road upset of No. 13 Northwestern, the fifth top-15 win in program history. Iowa also defeated Nebraska, 4-0, improving to 4-1-1 against the Cornhuskers over the previous six meetings.

Academically, Iowa recorded 16 Academic All-Big Ten selections. Hailey Rydberg, Jenny Cape, Samantha Cary, and Addie Bundy earned CSC Academic All-District honors. Cape was also selected for the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship.

The Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee named Cape the University of Iowa Women’s Breakthrough Athlete of the Year and selected Cary as Women’s Hawkeye of the Year.

In 2021, DiIanni led Iowa to a 12-6-2 record and a 5-4-1 mark in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after a first-round win at Michigan State before falling to Rutgers. Five Hawkeyes earned Big Ten postseason honors, including Sara Wheaton on the All-Big Ten Second Team, Alyssa Walker and Hailey Rydberg on the Third Team, Addie Bundy as a unanimous All-Freshman selection, and Riley Whitaker as a sportsmanship award honoree.

The 2021 season marked the first time in 21 years Iowa had three players named to one of the top three All-Big Ten teams. Rydberg, Walker, and Wheaton were also named to the United Soccer Coaches North Region Third Team, marking just the second time in program history Iowa placed three players on an all-region team in the same season.

DiIanni earned his 300th career victory on Oct. 21 with a 1-0 win over Minnesota. He became one of two active Big Ten coaches to reach 300 career wins. Iowa’s Big Ten Tournament opening-round win at Michigan State was DiIanni’s 80th victory at Iowa, tying Ron Rainey as the program’s all-time wins leader.

Iowa recorded seven shutouts in 2021 and held 18 opponents to two goals or fewer. Eleven Hawkeyes contributed to 31 goals, ranking third in the Big Ten. On Oct. 14, Iowa defeated Nebraska, 4-3, completing the largest comeback in program history after trailing by three goals.

Academically, 19 Hawkeyes earned Big Ten Fall Academic All-Conference honors, matching the school record for the second straight season.

The Hawkeyes endured a slow start to the 2020 season after losing 12 seniors from the 2019 NCAA Tournament team. After starting winless through seven matches, Iowa surged late in the season. With an expanded Big Ten postseason due to conference-only scheduling, DiIanni led Iowa to wins over Illinois and Minnesota before defeating top-seeded Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and Wisconsin in the championship match to claim the program’s first Big Ten title.

The win at Penn State marked the program’s first-ever victory in Happy Valley and the highest-ranked opponent Iowa had defeated. Freshmen Meike Ingles and Macy Enneking were named the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Players, respectively.

Iowa earned its second straight NCAA Tournament berth and recorded the first NCAA Tournament win in program history with a 1-0 victory over Campbell on the road. The Hawkeyes nearly upset UCLA in the Round of 32 before falling, 2-1.

Iowa finished the season 7-9-1, with all seven wins coming in the final 10 matches. Enneking was named a unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman honoree. Academically, Iowa matched a school record with 19 Academic All-Big Ten selections, eight Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, 31 Dean’s List honorees, and earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award with a 3.49 team GPA.

DiIanni led Iowa to one of the best seasons in program history in 2019. The Hawkeyes tied a school record by winning their first nine matches, including road victories at No. 14 NC State and Notre Dame, and climbed to a then-program-best No. 19 national ranking.

Iowa finished with 15 wins, tying the single-season program record, and earned an at-large NCAA Tournament berth for the second time in program history. The Hawkeyes won seven Big Ten matches, tied a program record, and finished fifth in the conference standings. Iowa also set a school record with nine home wins.

Iowa scored 45 goals in 2019 with an NCAA-best 16 different goal scorers. The Hawkeyes ranked second in the Big Ten and 26th nationally in scoring while posting eight shutouts. Senior goalkeeper Claire Graves recorded 14 wins and finished her career as the program’s all-time leader in victories.

At season’s end, Natalie Winters, Devin Burns, and Gianna Gourley earned All-Big Ten honors. Winters became the first Hawkeye to earn all-conference recognition in all four seasons and also earned all-region honors for the second straight year.

Academically, Iowa was the only program nationally to produce two First Team Academic All-Americans in Kaleigh Haus and Hannah Drkulec. The Hawkeyes also earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award and recorded a school-record 19 Academic All-Big Ten honorees, including four student-athletes with perfect 4.0 GPAs.

In 2018, Iowa posted an 8-7-3 overall record and a 4-5-2 mark in Big Ten play, remaining in conference tournament contention until the final match. Winters earned Third Team All-Big Ten and Third Team All-Region honors, Iowa’s first all-region selection since 2014.

Academically, Iowa earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for the 12th straight season and produced the first Google Cloud Academic All-Americans in program history, with Haus earning First Team honors and Drkulec named to the Second Team.

In 2017, DiIanni led Iowa back to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2014. The Hawkeyes finished 9-8-2 overall and tied for eighth in the conference, improving four places from the previous season. Sophomore Devin Burns led the team with nine goals and 23 points, ranking among the top single-season totals in program history. Graves posted seven shutouts and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Winters earned her second career All-Big Ten selection. Academically, Iowa earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for the 11th straight season and placed 15 student-athletes on the Academic All-Big Ten team.

In 2016, Iowa posted an 8-11-0 record with a young roster featuring eight freshmen. Winters earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors, Graves started every match in goal, and Burns ranked third on the team in goals.

In 2015, DiIanni led Iowa to a 7-10-1 record. Senior Hannah Clark led the Big Ten in saves and saves per match and finished her career as the winningest goalkeeper in program history.

DiIanni’s squad earned the NSCAA Ethics and Sportsmanship Award, and six Hawkeyes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors. His 2016 recruiting class was ranked 28th nationally by BigSoccer.com.

In his inaugural season in 2014, DiIanni guided Iowa to a 14-7-1 overall record and a 7-5-1 mark in Big Ten play, tying the program record for conference wins. Iowa advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship match, and seniors Cloe Lacasse and Melanie Pickert earned First Team All-Big Ten and First Team All-Region honors.

Iowa finished the season with a school-record 14 shutouts and ranked among the top 35 nationally in goals-against average and save percentage.

Academically, Iowa earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the eighth straight season, and nine Hawkeyes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.

DiIanni arrived in Iowa City after leading Grand Valley State to an NCAA Division II National Championship in his final season, guiding the Lakers to a 24-0-1 record. He was named NSCAA National Coach of the Year for the third time.

DiIanni led Grand Valley State to national championships in 2009, 2010, and 2013 and compiled a 22-0-4 record in 2009. He was named CaptainU Division II Coach of the Year and coached multiple National Players of the Year.

DiIanni took over the Laker program in 2003 and quickly built it into a national power, leading Grand Valley State to its first NCAA Tournament appearance, first regional title, and first national championship game.

Before Grand Valley State, DiIanni spent seven years as head coach at Jackson Lumen Christi High School and three years as an assistant coach at Hillsdale College, where he helped launch the men’s and women’s soccer programs.

He also spent seven years with the Michigan Olympic Development Program, coaching teams to four regional and four national championships.

DiIanni holds a USSF B License and earned his associate’s degree from Seneca College in 1993 and his bachelor’s degree from Spring Arbor University in 1997. He was inducted into the Spring Arbor University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024. DiIanni and his wife, Kristy, have two daughters, Karissa and Kelsey.