DeKALB, Ill. – Julie Colhoff (COLE-hoff), a championship student-athlete and accomplished coach with extensive experience in Chicagoland, has been named the fifth head coach in the history of the Northern Illinois University women's soccer program, NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier announced Thursday.
 
Colhoff has spent the past four seasons as the top assistant coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where she was part of building a new program, and previously spent three seasons at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. She helped lead Loyola to three championships during four seasons on the lakefront.
 
"We're very excited to bring Julie to NIU to lead our women's soccer program," Frazier said. "Her energy, enthusiasm and knowledge of the game of soccer, as well as her experience as a champion student-athlete, set her apart during the search process. In addition, her deep roots in Chicagoland make her a great fit for NIU. I'm excited to see what she will do here to take our team to the next level."
 
"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to join the NIU Huskie family," Colhoff said. "I align very much with the athletic department's clear mission of developing champions in the classroom, in competition and in life, and want to thank Sean Frazier for entrusting me with the privilege of contributing to this legacy. It's an honor to lead the NIU women's soccer program, and I look forward to showcasing our relentless pursuit of growth as we strive to bring future MAC Championships home to NIU."
 
During her four seasons at UIC, the Flames improved each season, and finished 2017 with a winning record in the Horizon League for the first time in school history. UIC players earned eight all-conference and six all-freshman team recognitions, and back-to-back goalkeeper of the year honors during her tenure, which began when the school first added the women's soccer program in 2014. Her responsibilities at UIC ranged from on-field coaching to recruiting, budget management, overseeing team academic progress and leadership development. 
 
As an assistant coach at Lewis from 2011-13, Colhoff was involved in every aspect of the program, which posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 18 years during her tenure.  Flyers' student-athletes earned six all-conference honors and Lewis earned its first Division II playoff berth in 15 years in 2012 after a 10-win season.
 
A four-year starter at center back for Loyola, Colhoff was a member of three championship teams as the Ramblers won the Horizon League tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2007, and claimed the league's regular season championship in 2008.  She was a two-time all-conference selection, the 2009 team captain and earned Horizon League All-Tournament honors in 2008 and 2009.  The Buffalo Grove, Illinois native finished her career ranked third all-time in matches played at Loyola.
 
Colhoff's international experience includes a year as international team leader for Soccer without Borders in Sololá, Guatemala, and a summer experience with the Hercules women's professional soccer club in Alicante, Spain.  She has also worked with several local clubs and soccer academies, including the Chicago Fire Juniors City.
 
Colhoff earned her bachelor's degree in Human Services from Loyola in 2010, where she was also a four-time member of the Dean's List and the Loyola All-Academic Team. She was a three-time Horizon League All-Academic honoree. She completed her master's degree in organizational leadership and higher education from Lewis in 2013.

Colhoff takes over the Huskie women's soccer team that is coming off an 8-10-1 season overall a year ago and went 5-6 in MAC play.  She begins her duties at NIU on Monday, March 12.
 
 
What They're Saying…about Julie Colhoff
 
"First and foremost, we are super excited for Julie that she has been given the opportunity to lead the next group of women and beyond at NIU. Julie has been here at UIC with us starting from scratch, so I think her preparedness and being around the day-to-day operations from the beginning will reflect in some of the things she will put into place. Hopefully those things will help NIU move forward and accomplish the goals set for the program."
Brian Rigby, UIC Women's Soccer Head Coach
 
 
"I am extremely excited for Julie. She is a fantastic coach and her work ethic is matched by very few. I think she is going to be extremely successful at Northern and I can't wait to see what she is able to accomplish for the Huskies."
Chris Koenig, Lewis University Women's Soccer Head Coach
 
 
"I have known Julie since she was a senior in high school. I was the Athletic Director at Loyola when she was a student-athlete and then here at Lewis when she was an assistant coach. I have followed her career and think she will do a great job for NIU. She was a great player, a great teammate, has been fantastically received by players she has coached over the years. I think she is a great choice for Northern Illinois and hopefully she will follow in the footsteps of Lisa Carlsen as a former Lewis coach who has had success at NIU."
John Planek, Director of Athletics Lewis University
 
 
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