Feb. 10, 2000

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Steve Swanson has been named the head coach of the Virginia women's soccer team, effective immediately, as announced by Virginia Senior Associate Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage. Swanson comes to Virginia from Stanford, where he was the Cardinal Head Coach for the last four seasons. He carries a career record of 104-63-11 to Charlottesville.

"I am extremely fortunate to be headed for a university and athletic program as highly regarded as Virginia's," says Swanson. "It is one of the top schools in the country academically and athletically, especially in regard to its soccer programs."

During his four-year tenure at Stanford, Swanson compiled a record of 49-28-4 and three NCAA tournament bids, including a trip to the third round in 1999. The Cardinal were the Pac-10 Champs in 1996 and 1999. Swanson was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1999.

Prior to heading the Stanford program, Swanson built the Dartmouth Big Green into a national powerhouse. In his six years at Dartmouth, Swanson built a record of 55-35-7 and guided the Big Green to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history (1993). In 1991 Dartmouth won the Ivy League title for the first time and he duplicated the title in 1993. Under Swanson, the Big Green also earned their first-ever national ranking in 1993 and concluded the season ranked in the top-20 in both 1993 and 1994.

Said Littlepage, "We are pleased to be able to attract Steve Swanson to be our women's soccer coach. He has vast experience in highly competitive academic and soccer programs. Following a coach like April Heinrichs is a big challenge, but Coach Swanson has the track record of a coach that can continue moving our women's soccer program forward."

Swanson holds an "A" license from the United States Soccer Federation and has coached both youth soccer and at the high school level. He is a 1984 graduate of Michigan State where he was a four-year letter-winner for the Spartans and their captain and leading scorer in 1984. Following graduation, Swanson played professionally in both the United States and Canada. He was the MVP of the National Soccer League in Canada in 1987.

Swanson and his wife Julie have two daughters, Alex, 10, and Kelsey, 7, and a three-year-old son, Sam. "Virginia's facilities, the strong tradition of success within the women's soccer program, the caliber of youth soccer in the state, and the beauty of the campus and surrounding community are also appealing to me and my family."

The Cavaliers concluded their 1999 season with a 3-2 triple overtime loss to the Hartford Hawks in the third round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament. Their 1999 record was 13-9. Stanford and Virginia faced off in 1999 at the Coca-Cola Classic. The Cavaliers rallied for a 3-2 victory against then-#23 Stanford after being down 2-0 with 22 minutes to play.