University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Women's Soccer

Sean Yengo enters his 29th season as Head Women's Soccer Coach in 2025 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Yengo is among the most successful women's soccer coaches in the history of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He surpassed 300 career victories during the 2023 season and sports a 303-177-51 career record entering 2024. He has the most victories of any active WIAC coach and the second-most in the history of the WIAC. At the time of his 300th win, Yengo became one of just over 50 coaches in NCAA Division III history to hit the milestone and was one of only 25 active coaches to do so. Yengo guided the Blugolds to three consecutive WIAC championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007, with the team sweeping both the regular season and conference tournament titles each time. His squads have played in four NCAA Tournaments, making four consecutive appearances from 2005-08. They advanced to at least the second round in three of those four tournaments, highlighted by a Sweet 16 berth in 2006. Yengo is a three-time WIAC Coach of the Year and was named the NSCAA Central Region Coach of the Year in 2006. His teams have produced 83 All-WIAC selections, 34 All-Region players, five NSCAA All-Americans, four NSCAA Scholar All-Americans and three WIAC Players of the Year. His squads earn NSCAA Team Academic Awards and NSCAA Team Ethics Awards on a regular basis. Prior to becoming head coach, Yengo had been an assistant coach for the Blugolds in 1996. He graduated from SUNY-Cortland with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1991, and later earned a master's degree from Cortland in 1996. He played soccer at the university from 1985-89 and was also a two-time All-American and three-time conference champion as a wrestler. He coached soccer at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Massachusetts from 1992-96 before joining UW-Eau Claire as an assistant. Yengo and his wife Tracy have two daughters, Danielle and Sydnee, and two sons, Zachary and Christopher.

JD Jones enters his eighth season on the UW-Eau Claire women's soccer coaching staff in 2025. Jones, a native of Buffalo, New York, spent 2016-18 seasons in Denver, Colorado, as a coach with the Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club and then as the lead technical coach with Bladium International Soccer Academy. Prior to that he coached with Chicago City SC and with Chicago Northwind SC working with U8-U18 boys’ and girls’ teams. He also spent several years coaching with Coerver Coaching, Illinois Olympic Development Program, and Lincoln Park High School. He holds a master’s degree in sports coaching from the University of Denver and has obtained his USSF C License. In addition, he serves as the director of coaching with Eau Claire United youth travel program. Before his competitive coaching experiences, he started coaching AYSO and has his AYSO Intermediate License. He has spent time in grassroots coaching within Lil Kickers and Skills Institute programs. In addition, he holds a National Youth Coaching license and a USC (f/k/a NSCAA) Futsal Mentor and Youth Coaching license as well as an LGBT Diversity and Inclusion coaching license. Outside of soccer, Jones is a member of the American Psychology Association, American Sociology Association and National Strength and Conditioning Association. His areas of interest rest in the psychological and sociological factors that affect athletes and athletic performance. He is married with three children.

Shamus Funk enters his 14th season on the UW-Eau Claire women's soccer coaching staff as a assistant coach and working with the goalkeepers in 2025. Upon coming to Eau Claire, Shamus has also served as Goalkeeper Coach with the Eau Claire United Soccer Club and is a Chippewa Valley AYSO Coach/Trainer. Funk has also served as the President of the Eau Claire United Soccer Club since 2018. During his collegiate career, Funk played for Minnesota State University-Moorhead Men's Club Soccer team while acting as the team's president. In that span, his squad competed at the NIRSA National Championships for 3 consecutive years. After his time in northern Minnesota, Shamus competed for North Dakota State's Men's Club Soccer team and returned to the NIRSA National Championships for another 2 years. After graduating from Minnesota State University-Moorhead with a major in mathematics and chemistry, Coach Funk earned his doctoral degree from North Dakota State University in 2008. His coaching career started at his high school alma mater, Moorhead Senior High School, as a men's soccer assistant varisty coach, men's soccer junior varisty head coach, and assistant boys track coach. In addition to coaching at UWEC and at the Eau Claire youth levels, Shamus is a Physical Sciences Instructor at Chippewa Valley Techinical College. Shamus and his wife, Christina, have two sons, Charles and Abraham, and two daughters, Baela and Lennon. Updated: 8/29/23

Rachel DeRusha enters her third season in charge of Alumni Relations for the UW-Eau Claire women's soccer team. Formerly Rachel Nerison, she played for the Blugolds from 2008-2011. DeRusha collected many honors in the Blugold uniform, earning All-Conference honors twice along with being named All-Region, Academic All-Region and the Judy Kruckman WIAC Scholar-Athlete. The two-time captain was also a leader in the classroom, earning a spot on the Dean's List and the WIAC Scholastic honor roll four times. DeRusha resides in Eau Claire and works at Luther Hospital as a Nurse Practitioner.  Updated: 7/23/2021