University of Chicago

Amy Reifert enters her 35th year as the Head Women's Soccer Coach at the University of Chicago in the 2025-26 academic year, having established one of the elite women's soccer programs in NCAA Division III. 

Reifert, who is the longest tenured soccer coach among all men’s and women’s UAA programs, has led the Maroons to 22 NCAA Division III postseason appearances, including two trips to the National Championship game, five to the Final Four, seven to the Elite Eight (including 2024) and 13 to the Sweet 16 Round. Reifert owns an impressive 37-20-5 (3-2) career record in NCAA postseason play. 

Her teams at UChicago have produced an NCAA Player of the Year (Renee Neuner in 2003), 22 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/United Soccer Coaches (NSCAA/USC) All-Americans, 80 NSCAA/USC All-Region selections, three UAA Players of the Year (five times, last, Jenna McKinney 2016-17) and five UAA Rookies of the Year (last Katie Jasminski 2017). 

Eight of Reifert’s alums have been named to the UChicago Athletics Hall of Fame: Shay Feilen (2008), Neuner (2011), Jessica Berry (2012), Cinnamon Pace (2013), Andrea Przybysz (2015), Danette Riehle (2018), Kate Cortis (2019) and Diana Connett (xxxx). 

A 10-time University Athletic Association Coach of the Year, five-time Central Region Coach of the Year, and 1996 NCAA Division III Coach of the Year, Reifert has compiled a 424-159-68 overall record at UChicago while guiding the Maroons to five UAA titles (last 2017). 

In her 37 years as a collegiate head coach (UChicago 1991-present, Knox College 1987-89), Reifert owns 432 career wins (424 at UChicago and eight at Knox). She ranks first among active female NCAA Division III women’s soccer coaches in career victories, third among all active NCAA Division III women’s soccer coaches (behind Dr. Todd Olson of Lynchburg and Scott Frey of Messiah) and 12th among all active women’s soccer coaches in Division I, II and III. 

She became just the 10th women's soccer coach in NCAA Division III history to reach 400 career wins with a 3-0 victory versus Illinois Institute of Technology on Oct. 21, 2021. 

The 2024 Maroons defeated the No. 2 and No. 5 ranked teams in the nation during the season and tied No. 1 WashU. UChicago reached the Elite 8, finishing the season with a 13-7-2 record. The Maroons, who have been ranked No. 1 in the nation 4 times, also have beaten the No. 1 team in the country five different times as UChicago annually plays one of the toughest schedules in the country. 

The Maroons class of 2017 is the most successful in UChicago history to date, posting a 68-18-2 record during its four campaigns, reaching two Final Fours and boasting an 11-4-1 record in postseason competition. 

The 2017 soccer season was the most dominant in UChicago history. The Maroons won their first 17 games en route to a school-record 22 victories. They finished as the NCAA Championship runner-up for the second time, dropping the title game to Williams, 1-0, allowing only one goal over six postseason contests. The defense set new school marks with 18 shutouts and a 0.29 goals against average, which ranked fifth in NCAA Division III. The offense was the most potent in school history with 80 goals, 69 assists and 229 points. First Team All-American midfielder Mia Calamari's 18 assists were a school record and ranked second in the nation. UChicago collected three All-American awards, five All-Region selections and seven All-UAA honors. Reifert and her assistants were picked as the USC Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year and UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.  

The 2016 Maroons reached the NCAA Final Four for the fourth time. They tied the school record for shutouts (then 14) and set a new mark for lowest goals against average (0.43). Two Maroons received All-American status. Reifert and her staff were picked as NSCAA Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year, as well as UAA Coaching Staff of the Year. 

UChicago won a then school-record 18 games in 2005 en route to a national third-place showing. After finishing the regular season at 14-2-2, the Maroons won their first four postseason games before falling to eventual national champion Messiah College, 2-1, in overtime in the semifinals. During Reifert’s tenure, the Maroons have lost to the eventual national champion eight times in NCAA postseason play. 

UChicago posted a 15-3-2 mark in 2004 and reached the NCAA regional semifinals. UChicago was ranked among the Division III Top 25 throughout the season and spent three weeks in the nation’s number one spot. 

In 2003, the Maroons came within 29 seconds of winning the school's first-ever NCAA Division III team championship. UChicago led Oneonta State 1-0 in the final minute of regulation in the national championship match, but Red Dragons scored at the 89:31 mark and early in the overtime for the 2-1 win. The 2003 Maroons posted a 17-2-4 record and earned a No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Division III coaches poll during the second-to-last week of the regular season. 

Reifert was named the NCAA Division III and UAA Coach of the Year in 1996 as the Maroons advanced to the NCAA Division III semifinals in their first-ever postseason appearance. UChicago also captured its second UAA title in three years. 

In 1994, Reifert led UChicago to its first-ever UAA championship with a 5-1 mark in conference play. She also guided the Maroons to an overall record of 14-4 and was named the UAA and West Region Coach of the Year. 

Reifert guided UChicago to a 12-4-2 mark in 1992, following a 3-10-4 finish in her first year with the Maroons in 1991. Following the 1992 campaign, she was honored with her first UAA Coach of the Year award. 

Several of Reifert’s assistant coaches during her tenure have gone on to coach collegiately or professionally, including Sarah Burton (UW-LaCrosse), Kate Cortis (Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado School of Mines), Marlon Mackenzie (Illinois Tech men’s team), Jason Murphy (UW-LaCrosse) and Julianne Sitch (UChicago  men’s team, winning a national championship in 2022, and Denver). Current assistant Sam Greene coached at UCLA and in the NWSL before coming to UChicago. 

Prior to her arrival at UChicago, Reifert served as head women's soccer coach at Knox College from 1987-89. While at Knox, she also served as head women's track coach and assistant women's basketball coach. 

A 1986 graduate of Amherst College, Reifert, a native of Greenwich, Conn., was a political science major and three-sport athlete (soccer, basketball and lacrosse). Reifert, who has served as chair of the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Committee, also holds a master's degree in sports management from Western Illinois University. She and her husband, Scott, senior vice president of communications for the Chicago White Sox, reside in Hyde Park. They have three adult children.