Thomas Taking Over Panthers Program
Welcome, Samuel Thomas, the new head coach of the Panthers' women's soccer team.
Thomas brings a wealth of collegiate coaching experience, most recently as the head coach of the women's program at NCAA Division II Quincy University (Illinois) for the last two years. There, Thomas led the Hawks to 15 wins over two seasons, including a conference semifinal appearance. His team also led the Great Lakes Valley Conference in goals scored this past season.
Before his time at Quincy, Thomas was an assistant coach at two Division I women's programs: Old Dominion University (ODU) from 2018-19 and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) from 2015-17. His highlights there included leading ODU to its best defensive year in program history in 2018 and leading SIUE to a conference championship in 2016, where the team upset #2-seed Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA tournament. While Thomas was at both Quincy and ODU, his athletes had the highest cumulative GPA of all teams on campus.
Prior to his time at SIUE, Thomas coached at two NAIA programs in Oregon – first as an assistant coach at Oregon Institute of Technology, and then as head coach at Eastern Oregon University.
Thomas is a graduate of Principia (C '12, US '08), where he was a standout goalkeeper for the men's soccer team. He was the SLIAC Player of the Year in 2010 and First Team All-Region in 2009, along with All-Conference all four years. Thomas was recently named to the SLIAC All-Decade Team for 2010-19, and he is third in career wins (34) and seventh in career shutouts (19) in conference history.
"Samuel has impressed me with the level of experience, preparedness, enthusiasm, and energy he brings to the task at hand," says Athletic Director Ann Pierson. "He is committed to providing strong leadership and is ready to jump into this new role. I believe he will be quite an asset to our department."
Thomas is excited to step into this role. "I would like to thank Ann Pierson and President Williams for the opportunity to return to Principia, and for entrusting me to lead the women's soccer program," he says. "I would also like to thank Jess Semnacher and all of the members of the search committee for their diligent work in this process. The soccer programs at Principia College have long cultivated successful teams, lifelong friendships, and proud alumni. I look forward to continuing that tradition!"
The department would also like to thank outgoing head coach, Meagan Fleming, for her 13 years of dedicated service to the athletic department. Fleming began as a graduate assistant in 2009 and was an assistant coach for the women's soccer team until she took over as head coach in 2017.
"Meagan has been an invaluable member of the department, and we are sad to lose her," says Pierson. "She brings a calm, quiet, and strong presence to her work. She has served as a wonderful role model to our young women, and we wish her well as she starts a new chapter in her life."
STORY COURTESY OF PRINCIPIA COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
