Kate Ryan Reiling, captain of Macalester's 1998 national championship squad, returns to her alma mater as the new head women's soccer coach, the St. Paul, Minnesota, college announced today. Ryan Reiling will begin her duties in March.  She replaces John Leaney, who retired from coaching following a longtime and distinguished career at Macalester.

A three-time All-America midfielder, Ryan Reiling led Macalester to the NCAA Division III championship as a junior, and in her senior campaign was selected MIAC Player of the Year as the Scots finished runner-up in the NCAA playoffs. She was a two-time team captain and was selected as the Final Four Offensive Player of the Tournament in '98. She is ranked No. 7 on the program's all-time goal scoring list with 30 and during her four seasons as a Scot helped the team go 76-9-3 overall and winning three conference championships with perfect 10-0 records.

“I am excited by the opportunity to work for an institution that was instrumental in my own personal development,” Ryan Reiling said. “My experiences as both a coach and student-athlete at Macalester have only deepened by commitment to the Macalester community.”

“Kate Ryan Reiling is a terrific addition to the Macalester women's soccer program and to the Mac community,” said Macalester Director of Athletics Kim Chandler. “She is a bright, passionate and talented leader and I am confident that she will provide great leadership to our program and to our department.”

Ryan Reiling has been involved in soccer in several positions since graduating Cum Laude from Macalester in 2000 with a degree in Political Science. She was Director of Coaching and Player Development at CC United Club in Chaska, assistant coach at St. Catherine University, and assistant to Leaney at Mac from 2004-07.

She has coached and worked with the Minnesota Olympic Development Program (2000-01), St. Paul Academy (2002), Minnesota Thunder P.L.U.S as director of programs, Bloomington Youth Soccer Club (2004-06), and the Lightning U11 Soccer Club (2009) in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Ryan Reiling recently completed her Masters of Business Administration degree from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Prior to attending Tuck, she wrote a case-study on Wal-Mart's sustainability initiatives. In addition, she has served as a consultant with Google, Wal-Mart, and Marathon Equipment Company on both domestic and international expansion opportunities. She is also founder and creator of Morphology Games, a creative, laugh-out loud party board game for all ages.