NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College Athletic Department and Athletic Director Ryan Bowles announced the hiring of Becky Maines as the eighth head coach of the St. Olaf women's soccer program on Thursday.
 
"All of us at St. Olaf are excited to welcome Becky and her family to The Hill," Bowles said. "To bring in someone with Becky's experience, character, and her student-athlete-first mentality is a win for our women's soccer student-athletes and program. I am confident that our program will rise under Becky's leadership."
 
A former NCAA Division II student-athlete at Erskine College, Maines has 17 years of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level, most recently as the assistant coach at the University of Minnesota from 2018-21. She has also previously worked at Ole Miss, Tennessee Tech, and Auburn, as well as her alma mater.
 
"I would like to thank Ryan Bowles and the rest of the athletic department for this incredible opportunity to lead the St. Olaf women's soccer program," Maines said. "I couldn't be more excited to become part of the Ole family. The first time that I stepped on campus, I could feel the sense of community and knew this place was special. The college and the department prioritize developing the whole person - student and athlete - which will prepare our student-athletes for a bright future and allow them to become the best version of themselves. I am extremely excited to build upon the tradition that has been established and I look forward to achieving new heights with these young women."
 
At the University of Minnesota, Maines was part of the coaching staff that helped guide the Gophers to a Big Ten Tournament title and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2018. The Gophers did not allow a goal in their first four postseason games before falling on the road in the second round to fourth-ranked UCLA.
 
Following her three seasons at Minnesota, Maines was the director of coaching at the U13 and U 14 levels for Tonka Fusion Elite, while also serving as a U13 girls coach for the club. Prior to her time in Minneapolis, Maines was the co-head coach for FC Dallas WTX (2016-18), the assistant coach at Ole Miss (2010-15), the head coach at Tennessee Tech (2008-10), the assistant coach at Auburn (2003-08), and the head coach at Erskine (2002-03).
 
While at Ole Miss, Maines was the recruiting coordinator for a program that brought in top-25 recruiting classes in the country in 2012 and 2014. She led Tennessee Tech to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournaments in 2008 and 2009, including a run to the championship game in 2009, which was its first appearance in the title game since 2000. Her five-year tenure at Auburn included three Southeastern Conference (SEC) West titles, four trips to the NCAA Tournament, and a record of 58-32-11 (.617).
 
All told, Maines has coached seven All-Americans, four conference Offensive or Defensive Players of the Year, four College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans, 26 all-conference honorees, three National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) draft picks, and 68 conference academic honor roll honorees. The teams she has coached have made seven NCAA Tournament appearances, won five conference championships, and earned 12 United Soccer Coaches Academic Awards.
 
During her playing days, Maines was a two-time team captain and two-time Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (CVAC) All-Tournament Team member at Erskine, where she helped lead the team to its first conference title by scoring the game-winning goal in the championship game. She graduated from Erskine with a bachelor's degree in physical education, went on to earn a master's degree in health and physical education from Tennessee Tech, and was inducted into the Erskine Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.