One of the most accomplished women’s college soccer head coaches in the country, Paula Wilkins, the winningest coach in UW program history, is in her 18th season as head coach of the Wisconsin women’s soccer program in 2024.
With a pair of College Cup Semifinal appearances and 16 NCAA tournament berths, Wilkins has long been regarded as one of the game’s elite coaches. In 17 seasons at the helm in Madison, she has made great progress in rebuilding the culture and sustaining success with the women’s soccer program at Wisconsin.
Wilkins ranks third in Big Ten history for career coaching wins (312). She also ranks second in Big Ten history with eight regular season titles, not including her three tournament titles.
This past season, Wilkins claimed her 300th career win against LSU. The team advanced to the B1G Championship game and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Emma Jaskaniec claimed the program’s first Big Ten Medal of Honor since 2012.
In 2022, Emma Jaskaniec was named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, while Natalie Viggiano, also an All-Big Ten Team member, became the seventh Badger in program history to be drafted professionally.
UW advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four seasons in 2021 and enjoyed an eight-game unbeaten run on its way to the program’s fifth Sweet 16 appearance under Wilkins.
Wilkins became the winningest coach in program history during the 2020-21 season with a 1-0 win over Iowa while Jordyn Bloomer earned her second-straight Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year award while she was named a second-team All-American.
The 2019 season was one for the history books as the Badgers went undefeated in conference play for the first time in two decades thanks to a 10-0-1 ledger and claimed the 2019 Big Ten Regular Season Championship outright. Wilkins earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the seventh time in her career while Jordyn Bloomer, Camryn Biegalski, and Dani Rhodes all earned All-America honors for the Cardinal and White. In addition, Bloomer was named the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, Biegalski was named the Big Ten Defender of the Year and Rhodes was awarded the Big Ten Forward of the Year honor. Wisconsin advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight season and the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season before bowing out to UCLA.
In 2018 Wilkins experienced success with Wisconsin yet again. Posting a 14-4-4 record on the season, Wilkins & co. were awarded a No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament for the 20th time in program history. Blowing by conference champions Memphis 4-0 in the first round, Wisconsin then traveled to Palo Alto, Calif. to face off against conference champs Hofstra in the second round. Due to poor air quality Wisconsin was forced to travel to Salinas to play. Unfazed, the Badgers defeated Hofstra 6-0 to advance to the Sweet 16. Forward Dani Rhodes set a Wisconsin program record in the contest by scoring four goals, and six goals was a Wisconsin women’s soccer record for goals in an NCAA game. It was Wisconsin’s second trip to the Sweet 16 ever. The Badgers met No. 1 seed Stanford, a team that would make it to the final four before losing to eventual-champion Florida State, and was defeated 1-0 on the road.
Wilkins, known in part for helping out with the career of Rose Lavelle, has another midfielder making national headlines in Victoria Pickett. The Canadian native was a MAC Hermann semifinalist in 2018 and was given First Team All-Big Ten, First Team All-Region, and First Team All-American.
One of the biggest success stories of Wilkins’ career is that of former Wisconsin standout, Rose Lavelle. Lavelle was the No. 1 draft pick in the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League after being selected by the Boston Breakers, becoming the first ever Badger to be selected first in any respective sport’s professional league. The Cincinnati, Ohio native has also been a breakout star for the U.S. Women’s National Team, recording her first goal with the national team in just her fourth appearance. During her time at Wisconsin, Lavelle shined under the leadership of Wilkins, becoming the first player in program history to emerge as a three-time All-American. Additionally, Lavelle was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year for back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016 and capped off her collegiate career as a four-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. Lavelle also earned preseason recognition in 2015, being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list and was tabbed as the No. 1 player in the country by Top Drawer Soccer.
Building on a season in which they lost multiple starters and Rose Lavelle, Wilkins led Wisconsin to a season full of surprises. An upset over No. 3 Virginia on the road was just one win in Wisconsin’s seven-game winning streak following a loss to Stanford. The Badgers also had a big upset win over Penn State late in the season to keep championship hopes alive. Defeating Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Badgers dropped to Northwestern 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals. After receiving a bid into the NCAA Tournament, an uncertainty before the season, Wisconsin knocked off Toledo in the first round 5-0. UW then faced No. 1 seed South Carolina in Columbia and lost 1-0, ending Wilkins’ 11th season. Aside from the success on the pitch, Wilkins helped lead her three freshmen starters to All-Big Ten honors, Dani Rhodes earned Second Team All-Big Ten, and Victoria Pickett was recognized with First Team All-Big Ten honors at the end of 2017. Rhodes, freshman Sammy Kleedtke, and Pickett all then went on to receive All-Region recognition. Rhodes and Pickett were given First Team Midwest All-Region, and Kleedtke was third team.
The 2016 season saw the Badgers accumulate a 9-5-8 record, which included an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. After defeating Marquette on their home field in the first round of action, Wisconsin nearly knocked off No. 9 Florida in the second round after an overtime battle. After starting the year 5-4-4, Wilkins guided the team to a seven-game unbeaten streak to close out the regular season, including a win over No. 8 Minnesota in Minneapolis as well as a tie against ranked opponent, Michigan.
Wilkins’ work in establishing a winning culture at Wisconsin culminated in one of the program’s most remarkable seasons in 2015. Despite beginning the year 3-4-2 overall, Wilkins rallied the Badgers to a nine-game unbeaten streak. The remarkable run included a 1-0 victory at Maryland on Oct. 24, which clinched UW at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title—the program’s first since 1994. Wilkins was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the sixth time in her career and became the second ever to win the award at Wisconsin, joining only Dean Duerst (1996). Under the mentorship of Wilkins, Rose Lavelle became the first NSCAA first-team All-American at Wisconsin since 1991 and the program’s first-ever Big Ten Midfielder of the Year. Victoria Pickett was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, just the second in UW history, joining only Lavelle, both coached by Wilkins.
Under Wilkins, Wisconsin put together the winningest season in program history in 2014. The Badgers finished 19-3-2, winning the Big Ten tournament and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Wilkins coached Rose Lavelle and Genevieve Richard to become the program’s first NSCAA All-Americans since 2000. Richard also became just the second player in UW history to be named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. Cara Walls, Rose Lavelle, and Kinley McNicoll joined Richard in earning First-Team All-Big Ten accolades, while Brianna Stelzer was Second Team All-Big Ten. Lavelle, McNicoll, Richard, Stelzer, and Walls earned All-Great Lakes Region recognition.
Wilkins guided the Cardinal and White to a 10-win campaign in 2013, becoming just the second head coach in school history to earn double-digit victories in five consecutive seasons. A former All-American herself, Wilkins helped acclimate her heralded rookie class to the college game while aiding Rose Lavelle in becoming Wisconsin’s first-ever Big Ten Freshman of the Year award winner. Lavelle went on to become the 16th UW player to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors, the first since 2011.
In 2012, Wilkins guided Wisconsin to an appearance in the NCAA tournament, the team’s third in the last four seasons, and eclipsed 10 wins for the fourth-straight year.
In 2011, the Badgers made their third-straight appearance in the Big Ten Tournament. Wilkins guided UW to the NCAA Tournament in 2010, the school’s best finish in 15 years, after reaching the third round of the NCAA tournament in just her third season with the program.
In her second season, UW finished with a 9-9-1 record finishing the season at .500, and narrowly missed a berth into the Big Ten Tournament. In her first season, Wilkins led the Badgers to a 6-11-1 record, marking a three-game improvement overall and a one-game improvement in the Big Ten from 2007 to 2008.
Following the conclusion of her first season, Wilkins scored one of the top recruiting classes for 2008, ranking 21st in the nation and marking the highest ranking in UW history. In her first recruiting class, two were named to the 2008 Big Ten All-Freshman Team - Laurie Nosbusch and Erin Jacobsen.
Before her start at Wisconsin, Wilkins was the head coach at Penn State for six years. The Nittany Lions earned six NCAA tournament berths, which included two College Cup appearances during her tenure. In addition, Penn State won the last six Big Ten regular season championships, along with a pair of Big Ten tournament titles.
