Wilkes University Women's Soccer

John McNichol enters his eighth season as the head coach of the Wilkes women's soccer program in 2025, and is the seventh lead mentor in program history. He began serving as the Senior Compliance Office for Wilkes Athletics for the 2022-23 season and was named the Associate Athletic Director for Compliance in October 2025. In 2024, the team improved in their second year of Landmark play going 5-10-3 overall with a 2-5-2 record in conference play. 2023 marked the team's first campaign in the Landmark Conference, finishing with a 1-4-4 record in conference play and a 3-6-7 overall record. In 2021, McNichol's team advanced to the MAC Freedom semifinals with a victory in the 4/5 game. Niamh Harkins was named was named Second Team All-Region IV by the United Soccer Coaches and Emily Bidelspach was a Second Team All-MAC Freedom selection. In addition, the team earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Silver Award. In his second season (2019), McNichol once again led the Colonels back to both the MAC Freedom and ECAC postseason tournaments.  He coached four all-conference selections, including Jessica Egan and Harkins as first team members.  The 2019 squad earned the United Soccer Coaches Bronze Team Ethics and Sportsmanship award as well. In his first season (2018) McNichol led the Colonels to a 5-2-0 record in conference and to the MAC Freedom championship game for the fifth time and the ECAC semifinals for the third time in the program's 32-year history. McNichol coached five all-conference selections including first team members Nicolette Towlen, Egan and Harkins and the 2018 team earned the United Soccer Coaches Bronze Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award. McNichol spent the previous four seasons as the head coach at Pennsylvania College of Technology. As the first full-time head coach of the team, McNichol took the Wildcats to the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) tournament three times, including the first-ever appearance in 2015 after leading the team to a 7-3-2 record in conference play.  During his tenure at Penn College, McNichol led the team on a steady course of improvement culminating in an appearance in the NEAC championship game last season. McNichol finished with at least eight wins overall in three of his four season’s at the helm. In addition to his team success, McNichol found individual success with his players, coaching 17 All-NEAC selections and one United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American. His student-athletes carried their success into the classroom as well, with 30 players named NEAC Scholar-Athletes with eight United Soccer Coaches All-Academic selections. Over the last four years, McNichols’ teams have held a cumulative GPA of 3.19. The 2016 team was awarded United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for the 2016-17 school year, while the 2017 team was awarded the United Soccer Coaches Team Ethics Award, Gold Certificate, which is award to teams whose players received a low level of yellow or red cards throughout a season. McNichol began his coaching career spending six seasons as a men’s soccer assistant coach at King’s College from 2008-2013. During his time with the Monarchs, McNichol served as the top assistant on the 2013 Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) championship team, the first championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. McNichol aided in the team’s overall success by recruiting two United Soccer Coaches All-Region players, one conference Rookie of the Year, one conference Defensive Player of the Year, and 16 All-MAC Freedom selections. The teams also achieved success in the classroom, with 27 Academic All-MAC selections, and one CoSIDA Academic All-American. McNichol also organized multiple alumni events, including Alumni Weekend, Alumni Games, and the Alumni Golf Tournament. Community service efforts were also managed by McNichol, who helped organize the King’s College Red Card Cancer project and all other community service projects, including free camps for children aged 5-12. McNichol also had success at the club level, coaching the Cantolao Explosion 95/96 Girls Club Team to the 2014 PA State Presidents Cup Championship, while coaching two Division I, one Division II, and five Division III athletes. McNichol has also served on multiple committees over his career, including the NCAA Women’s Soccer Regional Advisory Committee Mid-Atlantic Region, the NEAC Women’s Soccer Committee Chair, and a NEAC Men’s and Women’s Soccer Sportsmanship Subcommittee member. McNichol also served at Division I camps at the Penn State University women’s soccer camps, Bucknell men’s soccer camps, and the University of Maryland Elite camps. McNichol graduated from King’s in 2008 with a degree in Marketing with a minor in Business Administration, and earned his Master’s in Health Care Administration in 2010. While at King’s, McNichol was a four-year member of both the men’s soccer and baseball team. McNichol was a two-year starter on the Monarch’s soccer team and a pitcher on the baseball team, which won the MAC Freedom championship and advanced to NCAA Regionals in 2006. McNichol also had success in the classroom, being named Academic All-MAC every semester. McNichol and his wife Debbie reside in Mountain Top and have two children, John (5) and Thomas (2).

Lilly Cross begins her second season as assistant coach of the Colonels in 2025 after being named the first full-time assistant in program history in late May 2024. Cross joined Wilkes after serving as the head women's soccer coach at Keystone College for the past two seasons in 2022 and 2023. As the head coach of the Giants, she was active in all aspects of recruiting, planning of training sessions and scouting reports, organization of fundraisers, arranging transportation and team meals, and managing the budget. As head coach she mentored the conference Rookie of the Year in 2022 and multiple First Team, Second Team, and Honorable Mention student-athletes in 2022 and 2023. Her team received the United Soccer Coaches All-Sportsmanship Team and All-Academic Team awards in 2022. Cross previously served as the head assistant coach at Keystone in 2019 and 2020.  Cross is currently the head coach of the United Women's Soccer (UWS) League 1 Back Mountain Torrent in Dallas, Pa., a position she has held since April of 2023. The Back Mountain Torrent earned the UWS League 2 Championship in 2023 and under her guidance had the league offensive and defensive players of the year, three First Team selections and two Second Team selections. She also works as a personal trainer since November 2021 at AthElite Performance Training in Scranton, Pa. Cross was a five-year starter in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) from 2015 through 2019 for Hershey F.C. She was named a WPSL All-Star in 2016. Cross was a four-year member of the Messiah College (now Messiah University) women's soccer team from 2015 through 2018. During her time at Messiah the team won the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth championship in 2015, 2016, and 2018 and made NCAA Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final 4 appearances including earning National Runner-up in 2016. She was named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll in 2017 and 2018. She graduated from Messiah College in 2019 with her bachelor’s degree in athletic training and was a four-year member of Messiah’s Athletic Training Student Association.

Krista Liotti begins her fourth season with the Wilkes women’ soccer team in 2023. Liotti came to Wilkes after most recently serving as the President/Director of Coaching and Head Coach/Team Trainer and Goalkeeping Coach with Football Club Ninety. Liotti has additional club soccer experience with Abington Soccer Club as Head Coach and Goalkeeping Coach, and with Cantolao Explosion as Goalkeeping Coach. Liotti is no stranger to the Northeast PA soccer scene, having served two stints as Goalkeeping Coach at King’s College while also serving as goalkeeping coach, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Head Coach of women’s rugby at Susquehanna University. She also served as varsity girls’ soccer Head Coach at St. John Neumann Regional Academy in Williamsport, where she was named Coach of the Year. Liotti graduated from Misericordia in 2003 with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, where she was a member of the Cougars women’s soccer team. Liotti earned a second Bachelor’s from Lock Haven in Health and Physical Education, Coaching and Sport/Exercise Psychology in 2008, where she was a member of the club women’s rugby team, and graduated with a Master’s in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, Sport Rehabilitation from California University of Pennsylvania in 2013.

Lee joins the Wilkes women’s soccer staff in 2025 as an assistant coach. Lee was a four-year member of the women’s soccer team, playing 10 games in goal. She was named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll in 2021 and 2022, and the Landmark Academic Honor Roll in 2023 and 2024. The Middletown, Pa. native was also named as the Landmark Conference Defensive Athlete of the Week on 9/9/24.  

Holmstrom joins the Wilkes women’s soccer staff in 2025 as an assistant coach. Holmstrom played five seasons as a Colonel, appearing in 54 career games and starting 50 as a defender. The West Deptford, N.J. native was named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll in 2022 and the Landmark Academic Honor Roll in 2023 and 2024.