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Billiken Coaches Lead by Example Through Dedication to Women's Sports

07/15/2020

As they push themselves to succeed on and off the playing field, Saint Louis University’s female student-athletes know their coaches and staff in Billiken Athletics have their backs, encouraging them to grow as leaders, scholars and women for others.

The Billikens celebrate their 2019 A-10 Championship.

The Billiken women's soccer team celebrates its fourth Atlantic 10 Conference crown in the history of women's soccer at SLU in 2019. Billiken Athletics photo

SLU’s team includes an array of women leaders, from coaches to staff members, each of whom is dedicated to helping their Billikens excel. They lead by example and have been noted locally and nationally for their dedication and passion for women’s sports.

“One of our goals as a program is to develop future leaders and prepare our women to leave SLU on a mission to change the world,” Katie Shields, head coach of SLU’s women’s soccer team, said. “Athletics gives us a unique platform to do this. By being a part of a team you learn first-hand how life changing it is to be a part of something bigger than yourself. During their time in our program, our women will also learn what it means to be a servant leader, to learn how to fail, grow and get out of their comfort zone. These components are preparing our women to be successful in their educational and professional lives.”

Learn About Coach Shields’ Journey

Olivia Applewhite, SLU women’s basketball assistant coach, said playing basketball gave her a competitive drive and she hopes to instill the same in her players.

“Having a competitive edge is one thing I think that if I wasn’t involved in sports, I wouldn’t have this quality. This edge has helped me to constantly challenge myself to be better. I never want to be outworked by someone else,” she said. “My goal is to continue to instill that into our student athletes.”

Ciaja Harbison

Junior guard Ciaja Harbison dribbles in a past game. Billiken Athletics photo

Read How Sports Have Shaped Coach Applewhite’s Career

Shields was honored with the Rising Star award at the 2020 Women of Distinction banquet. The award is given to leaders aged 35 and under.

Applewhite was also celebrated as a young leader this spring. She was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Thirty Under 30 list for the 2019-20 season. The program recognizes young coaches who exemplifies involvement in community service, mentorship and impact on others, professional manner, and attitude and professional association involvement.

Meet Some of SLU’s Women’s Athletics Leaders

Women’s Basketball
  • Lisa Stone, head coach of SLU’s women’s basketball team, 644-352 record. She was named “Coach of the Year,” by the Atlantic 10 Conference and College Sports Madness High Major’s “National Coach of the Year” in 2016. Stone has earned eight conference “Coach of the Year” awards during her career.
  • Jordann Reese, assistant coach for the women’s basketball team, helped guide the Billikens to 83 wins – third most among Atlantic 10 Conference teams – an A-10 regular-season co-championship and three appearances in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
  • Olivia Applewhite, assistant coach for the women’s basketball team, is now in her fifth year with the Billikens’ coaching staff. A stand-out player with the Dayton Flyers, she played three seasons of professional basketball overseas following her collegiate career. Applewhite was recently named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) “Thirty Under 30” for the 2019-20 season.
Cross Country/Track and Field
  • Jacque Taylor, assistant coach for SLU’s cross country and track and field teams, has helped coach SLU student-athletes to breaking 20 school records during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons in 2019. At Taylor's first A-10 Cross Country Championship in 2017, men's runner Manuel de Backer became the first Billiken to capture an A-10 individual title when he finished first in the meet.
  • D'nara Jones, assistant coach for the cross country and track and field teams, has helped coach the University’s sprinters and hurdlers to seven new records since January 2019. She is among the top 10 triple jumpers in the history of Portland State University, her alma mater.
Field Hockey
  • Zoe Adkins is new to SLU, becoming head coach of SLU’s field hockey team in June 2020. Her five-year tenure at Franklin Pierce University included two seasons with 10 victories, equaling the number of 10-win campaigns the school achieved in its previous 18 seasons.
  • Maura Jacobs, assistant coach of the Billikens field hockey team, graduated as one of the top goalkeepers in American University and Patriot League history. She closed her career with 214 saves, a 1.63 goals against average and a .702 save percentage.
Women’s Soccer
 
  • Katie Shields, head coach of the women’s soccer team, has recently led the Billikens to their current undefeated (9-0-1) in conference play standing, claiming A-10 regular-season and tournament titles, and qualifying for the NCAA Championship.
  • Bryana McCarthy, assistant coach for the Billikens, has recently joined the team after a career featuring high-profile international and professional play. McCarthy was a member of the Senior Canadian Women's National Team, and played as a pro from 2013 to 2017.
  • Olivia Silverman, former Billikens goal keeper, has recently joined the team as a volunteer assistant coach. Playing three seasons for SLU, Silverman was co-recipient of the Billikens' One Award in her sophomore year, and was named to the Maccabi USA Open Women's Team that competed in the 2017 World Maccabiah Games in Israel.
Softball
  • Christy Connoyer, head coach of SLU’s softball Billikens, is the longest-tenured head coach in team history. She also is Billiken softball’s winningest coach. She concluded the shortened 2020 season with a 251-245 record as the Saint Louis mentor and a 282-275 career mark.
  • Chelsey Mulligan, assistant coach of the softball team, was a standout player at the University of Iowa, starting 208 games in the Iowa infield and posting a .335 batting average during her four-year career (2008-11). She served as team captain as a junior and senior and received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award following her senior season.
  • Maxine Rodriguez, assistant coach of the softball team, played two seasons with the DePaul University Blue Demons and garnered Big East Conference All-Academic plaudits both years.
Volleyball
 
  • Maureen Dunn, assistant coach of the volleyball team, helped take SLU to a 17-12 (11-5) record during the 2019 season, nine more wins than the previous season. The Billikens rattled off eight consecutive wins early in conference play, helping them earn the third seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship.
Senior Billiken Athletics Staff Members
 
  • Janet Oberle, Ph.D., senior associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator, climbed through the administrative ranks in the Saint Louis University department of athletics since arriving on campus as a member of the Billikens' inaugural women's soccer team in 1996.  In 2019, Oberle was one of 22 senior athletics administrators invited to participate in the prestigious NCAA Pathway Program. The yearlong program’s goal is to prepare these individuals to excel as directors of athletics or conference commissioners.
  • Annie Reis, J.D., associate director of athletics for administration, came to SLU after spending 9 1/2 years in various roles at Lindenwood University-Belleville. During her time at Lindenwood, she guided the athletics department to its 26-sport membership in the NAIA and assisted the university in gaining its first conference memberships with acceptance into the American Midwest Conference and the Mid-States Football Association.
  • Angie Bradley, assistant director for sports medicine and wellness, is responsible for sports medicine administration, mental health initiatives, the empowerment speaker series, facilitation of bystander intervention and sexual assault prevention training. She also is the athletic trainer for the Billikens’ women’s soccer and men’s and women’s track and field teams.
  • Arike Mercer is assistant director of athletics for compliance.

Learn More About Sports at SLU


Saint Louis University is a Catholic, Jesuit institution that values academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service. Founded in 1818, the University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 13,000 students on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Building on a legacy of now more than 200 years, Saint Louis University continues to move forward with an unwavering commitment to a higher purpose, a greater good.

Story by Amelia Flood and Maggie Rotermund, University Marketing and Communications