ELLENSBURG — Lindsey Lee, head coach of the Central Washington University women’s soccer team, has announced her resignation.
Lee was head coach of the Wildcats for three seasons, according to a CWU press release. It was her first collegiate head coaching job; previously, she was an assistant coach at Cal Poly for seven years.
She replaced longtime coach Michael Farrand, who resigned two games into the 2021 season. He was the soccer head coach for 21 years.
Athletic Director Dennis Francois said Lee’s husband Austin, director of the CWU athletic department Academic Success Center, took a job at Cal Poly.
“Going home for them,” he said.
Lee will be replaced by assistant coach John Hawks, who was named as the interim coach for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Francois said the timing of the resignation made it a search for a new head coach difficult.
“The time to search for coaches is immediately after the season, and for us that was back in November,” he said.
It would’ve taken a few weeks to put together a search committee, adding to the time crunch.
“It wasn’t a great time to go out to search,” Francois said.
Lee was on maternity leave during part of the 2024 season and gave birth in December, he said, and has been on leave since. Hawks was in charge if the team while she was out.
The Wildcats compiled a record of seven wins, 34 losses and 16 ties in Lee’s three years as head coach. Central was 4-24-10 in the Great Northern Athletic Conference in her three years. The team won its first game in 2024 but lost its last seven.
Lee’s teams placed 11 players on the all-conference team, and four players received player-of-the-week honors during her tenure. Her players received extensive academic recognition, with 49 being named to the academic all-conference teams and five receiving College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition. Three players posted 4.0 grade point averages.
“I want to thank Coach Lee for her service and dedication to the Wildcat soccer program over the past three seasons,” said Dennis Francois, CWU athletic director. “I appreciate her efforts to advance the soccer program.”