Katie Nimitz joined the Lady Toppers in 2019 as an assistant coach. Her primary duties are training, mentorship and development of the team's goalkeepers.
In her first season with WKU, Nimitz coached a goalkeeping core that held opponents to 19 goals on the season. That number is the ninth lowest in school history. Anne-Marie Ulliac posted a 1.05 GAA for the season and made 70 total saves on the season. She shutout five opponents in 2019 including four against C-USA teams.
Nimitz joined the Lady Toppers after two years as an assistant coach at Quincy University in Quincy, Ill.
While at Quincy, Nimitz worked primarily with the Hawks' goalkeepers. Over that same time frame, Nimitz has also served as the head coach of Florida Sol FC, a WPSL side based in Jacksonville, Fla.
At Quincy, Nimitz's goalkeepers collected 22 shutouts across 40 matches, including a school-record streak of eight consecutive shutouts by Megan Swanson during the 2017 campaign. During her two seasons, the Hawks put together a 27-10-3 record and finished the 2017 season ranked No. 11 in the nation after reaching the Division II Sweet 16.
Nimitz was part of the Quincy staff recognized as a Division II Regional Coaching Staff of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches in 2017. In just two seasons, she helped to coach a First Team All-American, a First Team Scholar All-American, five All-Region selections and 13 All-Conference picks, including the 2017 Great Lakes Valley Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year and 2018 Co-Freshman of the Year.
In addition to her collegiate experience, Nimitz has worked extensively as the Camp Director of Beast Mode Soccer based in Los Angeles, CA. Working under the founder of the program and one of the top technical trainers in the world, David Copeland Smith. Nimitz has worked with elite players from across the nation, helping to develop their technical abilities while improving weaker areas of their game in the process.
Nimitz possesses her United Soccer Coaches Association Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma and was a presenter for the organization in January 2018 at the Philadelphia Coaching Convention. She earned her USSF “D” license in June 2019. Since May 2013, Nimitz has also served as a staff coach for SoccerPlus, an organization founded by US Soccer legend, Tony DiCicco.
Prior to her coaching career, Nimitz was a two-year student-athlete at Lynn University, a Division II program in Boca Raton, Fla. While there, she was named to the Sunshine State Conference Academic Honor Roll in both of her seasons. Nimitz earned her Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Lynn in 2017 and earned her Master of Science degree in education from Quincy University in 2019.
