University of Michigan hires Dave DiIanni from Iowa to lead women’s soccer program

(Photo Credit: Iowa Athletics)

ANN ARBOR, MI – University of Michigan Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel announced the hiring of Dave DiIanni (dee-on-ee) as the Michigan head women’s soccer coach.

DiIanni is the fourth head coach in the 32-year history of the women’s soccer program.

“We are excited to bring Dave and his family back to the state of Michigan,” Manuel said. “He is a proven national championship-winning coach who has been successful at every level he has coached. He brings a wealth of experience to Michigan, and we look forward to his leadership of our women’s soccer program.”

“I want to take a moment to thank Warde Manuel and Lisa Savoury for their help in navigating this process in the search for the next University of Michigan head soccer coach,” DiIanni said. “My family and I are very excited to be coming home, where we’ve spent the better part of our years raising our children. I’m excited for the opportunity to lead this program as we chase the standard of success that the University of Michigan is known for. We will be process-driven, growth-minded and relentless in the pursuit of achieving the Michigan standard of success by winning on and off the field.”

DiIanni is 19th among active women’s soccer head coaches with 346 wins over his 23-year head coaching career, compiling a 346-100-48 (.749) record at Grand Valley State (2003-13) and Iowa (2014-25). His career .749 winning percentage ranks third among current head coaches. He was inducted into both the Spring Arbor Hall of Fame and the Grand Valley State Hall of Fame in 2024.

DiIanni comes to Michigan after serving as the Iowa head coach for the last 12 seasons, compiling a 125-82-30 record as the program’s all-time winningest head coach. He led the Hawkeyes to five NCAA tournament appearances, highlighted by the program’s first trip to the Round of 16 in 2024. DiIanni led Iowa to two Big Ten Tournament titles, coming in the spring of 2021 and in 2023. In 2023, Iowa was the No. 8 seed and picked up three wins to raise the trophy as the lowest seed to ever win the Big Ten Tournament.

Last season, Iowa earned the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and peaked at No. 5 in the national polls en route to a 12-5-4 overall record and 6-2-3 showing in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes earned their third consecutive NCAA tournament bid in 2025, beating South Dakota State in the first round to reach the second round for the third straight season.

During his tenure in Iowa City, he helped 23 players earn All-Big Ten honors with four players honored in 2021, 2024 and 2025. He coached 14 athletes to all-region recognition, including four first-team honors. The Hawkeyes also excelled in the classroom with 180 student-athletes earning Academic All-Big Ten honors. He had 10 players named CSC Academic All-District, with two Hawkeyes earning Academic All-America honors twice.

DiIanni turned Iowa into a defensive juggernaut, setting program records for most shutouts in a season (13 in 2023) and fewest goals allowed (12 in 2024). He coached the program’s all-time shutouts leader and wins leaders. DiIanni’s Hawkeyes held opponents to an average of one goal or under in seven of his 12 seasons.

Prior to joining the Hawkeyes, DiIanni spent 11 years coaching at Grand Valley State, where he amassed a 221-18-18 record. At GVSU, he led the Lakers to three NCAA DII National Championships, eight NCAA Regional Championships, seven final four appearances, 11 NCAA Tournament berths, nine GLIAC titles and seven GLIAC Tournament titles. He was chosen as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Coach of the Year three times, including his final season with the Lakers — where he finished 24-0-1 while winning the third national championship in five seasons. During his tenure as head coach, he developed 88 players who earned All-GLIAC honors, including seven who were named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year and eight who were named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, 50 players earned All-Region honors and 34 earned All-America laurels.

Before joining the collegiate head coaching ranks, DiIanni was the head coach for seven years at Jackson Lumen Christi High School. His first collegiate coaching experience came at Hillsdale College, where he helped the men’s and women’s team.

In his first coaching role, DiIanni spent seven years working with the Olympic Development Program in Michigan, training and developing the highest level of soccer in the state. He coached the team to four ODP national championships.

DiIanni, a USSF B-licensed coach, earned his associate’s degree from Seneca College in 1993 and his bachelor’s degree from Spring Arbor University in 1997.

He and his wife, Kristy, have two daughters, Karissa and Kelsey.