Jan. 5, 2009

Will Lemke Named New Head Soccer Coach; Spent Eight Years at NAIA Viterbo

    Youngstown -- Youngstown State University Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ron Strollo announced on Monday that Will Lemke has been named the Penguins' new head soccer coach. Lemke becomes the fifth head soccer coach in the history of the school’s program.

     Lemke comes to YSU after a successful tenure at NAIA Viterbo University where he won more than 80 games and was the winningest coach in the school's history.
    In eight seasons with the V-Hawks, Lemke posted an 84-54-7 mark. He led the program to two NAIA Regional Tournament appearances and was the Midwest Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in 2006.
    Off the field, Lemke's charges annually posted one of the top team grade-point averages at the school. He will have nine student-athletes graduate this year alone from VU.

    Strollo said Lemke's coaching background is solid and his track record of turning around a program will be beneficial at Youngstown State.
    “Coach Lemke comes to Youngstown State with a proven track record as a successful head soccer coach,” Strollo said. “He built a young program at Viterbo into a perennial conference power. His commitment to providing a positive experience for his student-athletes both on and off the field was a high priority. Also, he has done a significant amount of work assisting the development of youth soccer in Minnesota and Wisconsin and I know that will continue in the Mahoning Valley.”
    Lemke helped turn Viterbo into a perennial conference-title contender after the program had won just 24 games in the six years prior to his arrival. At Youngstown State, Lemke will face a similar task in turning a relatively new program -- 13 years old -- into a contender in the highly-competitive Horizon League.

    An native of Edgerton, Wis., Lemke said he is looking forward to getting a chance at building up another program, especially here in Youngstown.

    "I want to thank Ron Strollo, Elaine Jacobs and the entire search committee for giving me the opportunity to join the Youngstown State family," Lemke said. "I was very impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the athletics staff at YSU. I am excited to be part of a staff that is so dedicated to student success on and off the field. I very much look forward to working with the exceptionally dedicated student-athletes on the YSU soccer team."

    Lemke took over the V-Hawks program in 2001 after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at  Division II Winona State (1998-01).
    After posting a 3-12-1 mark his first season, Viterbo posted seven straight winning campaigns. His 12 wins in 2002 were a school best at the time. The school won MCC Championships in 2005 and 2006. The 2005 squad won a school-record 16 games and posted a .800 winning percentage. They finished 6-1-0 in the MCC that year and followed it the next season with a perfect 7-0-0 mark in 2006.
    The V-Hawks had the schools' only two NAIA Regional Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006 as well. The 2005 bid came after winning the conference's postseason tournament.
    Lemke's teams won at least 11 games in all but two of his seasons at the helm of the V-Hawks. After the squad finished fourth in the MCC for three straight campaigns, the program finished in the top three in each of his final four seasons. In 2008, the V-Hawks were 11-8-1 overall placing second in the conference at 6-2-0.

    He earned an Associate's Degree from UW-Rock County in 1992. He furthered his education at the UW-LaCrosse where earned his bachelors in Education and History in 1996. Most recently Lemke completed his Masters of Educational Leadership from Winona State University in 2007.
    In soccer circles, Lemke holds a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, a NSCAA National Diploma and a NSCAA Level II Goalkeeping Diploma. He is also a part of the Olympic Development Program and has spent time as a club coach.