Xavier University Athletics
Nate Lie Announces Promotions of Katy Etelman, Tyler Smaha
10.31.23 | Women's Soccer
Etelman and Smaha both earn title of associate head coach after Musketeers win second BIG EAST title in three years
CINCINNATI – Xavier women's soccer head coach Nate Lie announced the promotions of Katy Etelman and Tyler Smaha to associate head coaches after helping lead Xavier to a share of the BIG EAST regular season title, the Musketeers' second in three seasons.
"I feel blessed and fortunate to work alongside an incredible coaching and support staff, one that can rival any in the country," said Lie. "I strongly believe that much of the program's success can be attributed to the hard work, passion, knowledge, compassion, and continuity of our staff that interacts with our student-athletes on a daily basis."
"That being said, it's with an immense sense of both pride and gratitude, that I announce the promotions of Katy Etelman and Tyler Smaha to Associate Head Coach. I never imagined having two Associate Head Coaches on the same staff, but they both fully deserve the title. Katy and Tyler are both uniquely talented and contribute to the team's success in specific ways. That being said, what makes this situation special, is that they work together astoundingly well, with a true collaborative spirit. They epitomize our 'We/Me' mentality, never caring who receives credit for the job accomplished."
The 2023 Musketeers wrapped up a share of the BIG EAST title on the final day of the regular season, the program's second in the last three years, and enter the league tournament as the No. 1 seed, earning a bye to the semifinals. The Musketeers have spent most of the 2023 season ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, and came in at No. 13 in the NCAA Soccer Committee's Top 16 Midseason Ranking.
"Katy and Tyler have worked tirelessly to help Xavier women's soccer reach new levels of success, both in the BIG EAST and on a national level," said Brian Hicks, Xavier's Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations. "We're excited to see how the program can continue to build and excel under the guidance of this staff."
Since joining Xavier's staff, the pair have helped coach the Musketeers to at-large bids to the NCAA Championship in 2021 and 2022, marking the first back-to-back appearances in the tournament in program history.
In 2022, Xavier finished with unbeaten BIG EAST regular season record for the first time in program history and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship for a second-straight season. Xavier advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history, topping Tennessee, 4-1, in the first round.
The 2021 Musketeers won the BIG EAST Regular season title, earning the program's best rankings in the USC Poll (No. 11) and the RPI (No. 7) during the season. Xavier earned the program's first at-large bid and home match in the NCAA Tournament after finishing runners-up in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Etelman joined Nate Lie's staff as an assistant coach in August 2021, coming to Xavier from Ball State.
"Katy is one of the most caring, selfless people that I know," said Lie. "She carries herself with a quiet strength and authority, never needing to be the center of attention. That being said, Katy is a fierce competitor whose words carry great weight. She is humble, curious, and driven, with a constant focus on the team's growth, as well as her own. Katy is kind and thoughtful, always considering the needs of our student athletes, along with the challenges they are facing."
"I consistently look to her when making big decisions, knowing that she's guided by doing what is right and within the values of our program. Having known Katy for about 15 years at this point, I'm so proud to be part of her coaching journey, and can't wait to see what lies ahead!"
Prior to joining Xavier's staff, Etelman spent three seasons at BSU and helped guide the Cardinals to an overall record of 35-11-4 (23-6-2 MAC) and two of the program's three all-time appearances in the MAC Championship during her time there. Etelman helped coach 11 All-MAC selections and eight all-region choices at BSU, including a program-record four all-region performers in 2020-21.
Etelman coached at Ohio State and her alma mater, Miami (Ohio), prior to her time at Ball State.
As a player, the former Katy Dolesh was a four-time All-Mid-American Conference player for the Miami RedHawks, where she played for then-assistant coach Nate Lie. A center midfielder at Miami from 2010-13, the Etelman was a second-team all-conference selection during her freshman season and a first-team choice in each of her final three years.
She earned her Bachelor's degree in health promotion (2014) and a Master's in sport leadership (2015), both from Miami's department of Kinesiology and Health.
Smaha joined Xavier's staff in 2020 as a volunteer assistant for the 2020 season and was promoted to assistant coach in 2021.
"Tyler is, quite literally, one of the most driven, hard-working, productive people I have ever met," said Lie. "He has a relentless mentality toward improving Xavier Women's Soccer and helping us realize our full potential, and his passion is infectious. At the same time, Tyler is also a natural and intentional relationship-builder, who brings positivity, humor and energy on a daily basis.
"He made an immediate impact the second he joined our program, displaying selflessness, humility and adaptability, while starting off as a volunteer GK coach -- with no goalkeeping background. In the three years since, Tyler has become essential in everything that makes us successful, and I'm excited to see his continued growth going forward."
Prior to his time at Xavier, Smaha had served as an assistant for the women's program at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas since 2019. Prior to that, Smaha had worked as a volunteer assistant for the men's program at Drake.
Additionally, Smaha worked as a staff coach for both the Iowa and Kansas Olympic Development programs, and also coached on the prep level on both the club stage at Sporting Iowa and at Johnston High School.
As a player, Smaha spent three seasons at Buena Vista University, before spending his final season at Simpson College.
He graduated from Simpson College with a Business Management degree with a Minor in Secondary Education in 2017, and earned a Master's degree in Health and Human Performance from Fort Hays State University in 2021.
"I feel blessed and fortunate to work alongside an incredible coaching and support staff, one that can rival any in the country," said Lie. "I strongly believe that much of the program's success can be attributed to the hard work, passion, knowledge, compassion, and continuity of our staff that interacts with our student-athletes on a daily basis."
"That being said, it's with an immense sense of both pride and gratitude, that I announce the promotions of Katy Etelman and Tyler Smaha to Associate Head Coach. I never imagined having two Associate Head Coaches on the same staff, but they both fully deserve the title. Katy and Tyler are both uniquely talented and contribute to the team's success in specific ways. That being said, what makes this situation special, is that they work together astoundingly well, with a true collaborative spirit. They epitomize our 'We/Me' mentality, never caring who receives credit for the job accomplished."
The 2023 Musketeers wrapped up a share of the BIG EAST title on the final day of the regular season, the program's second in the last three years, and enter the league tournament as the No. 1 seed, earning a bye to the semifinals. The Musketeers have spent most of the 2023 season ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, and came in at No. 13 in the NCAA Soccer Committee's Top 16 Midseason Ranking.
"Katy and Tyler have worked tirelessly to help Xavier women's soccer reach new levels of success, both in the BIG EAST and on a national level," said Brian Hicks, Xavier's Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations. "We're excited to see how the program can continue to build and excel under the guidance of this staff."
Since joining Xavier's staff, the pair have helped coach the Musketeers to at-large bids to the NCAA Championship in 2021 and 2022, marking the first back-to-back appearances in the tournament in program history.
In 2022, Xavier finished with unbeaten BIG EAST regular season record for the first time in program history and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship for a second-straight season. Xavier advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history, topping Tennessee, 4-1, in the first round.
The 2021 Musketeers won the BIG EAST Regular season title, earning the program's best rankings in the USC Poll (No. 11) and the RPI (No. 7) during the season. Xavier earned the program's first at-large bid and home match in the NCAA Tournament after finishing runners-up in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Etelman joined Nate Lie's staff as an assistant coach in August 2021, coming to Xavier from Ball State.
"Katy is one of the most caring, selfless people that I know," said Lie. "She carries herself with a quiet strength and authority, never needing to be the center of attention. That being said, Katy is a fierce competitor whose words carry great weight. She is humble, curious, and driven, with a constant focus on the team's growth, as well as her own. Katy is kind and thoughtful, always considering the needs of our student athletes, along with the challenges they are facing."
"I consistently look to her when making big decisions, knowing that she's guided by doing what is right and within the values of our program. Having known Katy for about 15 years at this point, I'm so proud to be part of her coaching journey, and can't wait to see what lies ahead!"
Prior to joining Xavier's staff, Etelman spent three seasons at BSU and helped guide the Cardinals to an overall record of 35-11-4 (23-6-2 MAC) and two of the program's three all-time appearances in the MAC Championship during her time there. Etelman helped coach 11 All-MAC selections and eight all-region choices at BSU, including a program-record four all-region performers in 2020-21.
Etelman coached at Ohio State and her alma mater, Miami (Ohio), prior to her time at Ball State.
As a player, the former Katy Dolesh was a four-time All-Mid-American Conference player for the Miami RedHawks, where she played for then-assistant coach Nate Lie. A center midfielder at Miami from 2010-13, the Etelman was a second-team all-conference selection during her freshman season and a first-team choice in each of her final three years.
She earned her Bachelor's degree in health promotion (2014) and a Master's in sport leadership (2015), both from Miami's department of Kinesiology and Health.
Smaha joined Xavier's staff in 2020 as a volunteer assistant for the 2020 season and was promoted to assistant coach in 2021.
"Tyler is, quite literally, one of the most driven, hard-working, productive people I have ever met," said Lie. "He has a relentless mentality toward improving Xavier Women's Soccer and helping us realize our full potential, and his passion is infectious. At the same time, Tyler is also a natural and intentional relationship-builder, who brings positivity, humor and energy on a daily basis.
"He made an immediate impact the second he joined our program, displaying selflessness, humility and adaptability, while starting off as a volunteer GK coach -- with no goalkeeping background. In the three years since, Tyler has become essential in everything that makes us successful, and I'm excited to see his continued growth going forward."
Prior to his time at Xavier, Smaha had served as an assistant for the women's program at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas since 2019. Prior to that, Smaha had worked as a volunteer assistant for the men's program at Drake.
Additionally, Smaha worked as a staff coach for both the Iowa and Kansas Olympic Development programs, and also coached on the prep level on both the club stage at Sporting Iowa and at Johnston High School.
As a player, Smaha spent three seasons at Buena Vista University, before spending his final season at Simpson College.
He graduated from Simpson College with a Business Management degree with a Minor in Secondary Education in 2017, and earned a Master's degree in Health and Human Performance from Fort Hays State University in 2021.
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