Ripon College Men's Soccer

Following a national search, Grace Carlson has been named the next head swimming and diving coach at Ripon College, as announced by Director of Athletics Chris Schumacher on May 16, 2024.   “We welcome Grace as she takes the helm as our new swimming and diving coach,” Schumacher said. “From the very start of our interview process, it was abundantly clear that Grace possessed the passion, expertise and vision we sought to lead our swimming and diving program. We are thrilled to have her join our athletic staff and look forward to the contributions she will bring to our athletes and Ripon College.”   Carlson comes to Ripon after serving as an assistant men’s and women’s swim coach at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. For the last two seasons she recruited athletes to Springfield, worked closely with the distance group, assisted in scheduling and administrative work and ran home meets.   Prior to Springfield, Carlson was the lead age group coach with the Minnetonka Swim Club in Minnetonka, Minnesota, coaching over 100 13-14 year olds, 9-10 year olds, developmental swimmers and the National Team. During the 2019-20 season, she was an assistant swimming and diving coach at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where her father Jon has been the head swimming and diving coach for the last 34 seasons. Carlson said: “I am thrilled and honored to be joining the Ripon community as the new Head Coach for Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving! Thank you to the coaches in my life that have supported me throughout my career and thank you to Chris Schumacher and the team for giving me this opportunity! Go Red Hawks!” Carlson also has experience as an assistant swim coach at St. Peter High School and Rosemount High School, both in Minnesota. A four-time letterwinner and captain of the swimming and diving team at Gustavus Adolphus, she also has experience as an assistant camp director with the Gustavus Swim Camps over the past eight years.   Carlson received her bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Gustavus Adolphus in 2019, and received her master’s degree from Springfield College in May 2024 in Physical Education with a concentration in Athletic Leadership.

Assistant Men's Soccer Coach David Scott has been involved with most facets of soccer in Wisconsin during the last 40 years. He served as head coach for the Ripon College men’s team from 1980-95 and assistant coach for the men’s team at Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wis. from 1996-2019. He continues to serve as an instructor for the state coaching staff and an ODP coach. He is currently in his fourth season as an assistant coach with the Red Hawks and is a member of the Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame. Scott holds an A license, a National Goalkeeping Coaching license, and a National Youth license along with National and Advanced National Diplomas from the NSCAA, for whom he taught State and Regional Diploma courses for many years.  

Marco Rhein '12 was named the 14th Head Coach of Men's Soccer in July 2019. The winningest men's soccer coach in school history, Rhein concluded his seventh season at the helm in 2025, collecting a 10-7-2 record with a Midwest Conference Tournament appearance. The season marked his third consecutive finish with a winning record, and was the program's second MWC tournament appearance in four years.    The 2024 season was one of the most successful seasons in Red Hawk history. The team finished 3rd all-time for wins in a season with a mark of 13-6-1 overall and 4-3-1 in Midwest Conference play The Red Hawks also finished 2nd all-time for goals in a season, and 1st all-time for assists in a season. The goal mark of 56 positioned the team 10th in the NCAA in total goals and 18th in goal differential during the regular season. Andrew Robertson was named a first-team All-MWC performer and a fourth-team All-Region selection by the United Soccer Coaches Association.   In 2023, Ripon went 6-4-7 overall and 1-3-4 in Midwest Conference play. At home, Ripon was nearly unbeatable, going 5-2-2. The Red Hawks had the best defensive record in the MWC while giving up its fewest amount of goals since 2000. Ripon also had its least amount of losses in 24 years while achieving its highest win total since 2010. Offensively, Ripon's 81 points were tenth-most in program history. Jacob Oppeneer was named a second-team All-MWC performer -- his eight goals were tied for the tenth-most in single-season program history.   The 2022 season put the Red Hawks back on the map with Rhein leading the squad to its first Midwest Conference (MWC) Tournament appearance since 2010. The team’s midseason seven-game unbeaten streak was the longest for the program since 2001. In addition, the 2022 team finished 5th in all-time season goals (leading the league), 3rd in all-time season assists, and 3rd in all-time season points in the storied history of the Red Hawk Men’s Soccer program. These accomplishments earned Coach Rhein and his staff the 2022 MWC Staff of the Year award, an honor only achieved twice before in program history.   In his short time as head coach, Rhein has guided three all-state and three all-conference players to individual successes, more than the previous 10 years combined. In 2020/21, Coach Rhein embarked on a fundraising initiative to enhance Prairie Field (home of Red Hawk soccer) which, thanks to generous alumni and friends of the program, raised nearly $40,000 and led to the installation of new seating and branding upgrades for the facility.   A student-athlete for the Red Hawks from 2008-12, Rhein competed in 75 total matches for Ripon, leading the team as captain for three seasons and earning Academic All-Conference honors in 2010 and 2011. He served as a captain of Ripon's 2010 Midwest Conference Championship team which finished 8-1 in conference play, en route to clinching hosting rights for the MWC Tournament. He finished his career with eight goals, one assist and 17 points.   Rhein graduated from Ripon with a major in Biology and a minor in Education, before going on to earn his Master of Science in Educational Leadership from UW-Milwaukee. After obtaining his degree at Ripon College, he taught at both Markesan High School in Markesan, Wis. and Brooklyn Center High School in Brooklyn Center, Minn.   Coach Rhein currently resides in Ripon with his wife, Stephanie, and their dogs, Ringo and Penny. Rhein also holds the position of Assistant Athletic Director in addition to his coaching duties.