GENEVA, N.Y.—William Smith Head Soccer Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie '08 recently announced she has hired UW-Superior Head Coach Allison DeGroot to serve as her top assistant coach for the 2025 season. Over the past eight seasons, DeGroot led the Yellowjackets to four conference championships and four NCAA tournament appearances.
 
"I'm excited to welcome Allison to the William Smith soccer family and to our coaching staff – we truly have one of the best coaching staffs in the country," Burnett-Kurie said. "Allison brings a wealth of experience and success. From being a GA and first assistant at a nationally-ranked program, to leading her own program to four NCAA appearances, she knows what it takes to build and maintain a championship culture."
 
The winningest coach in UW-Superior history, DeGroot compiled a 90-59-13 record, winning four consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference championships (2021-24). She was voted the UMAC Coach of the Year six times by her peers. An active member of the UW-Superior campus community, DeGroot was also recognized with the institution's 2019 Inclusion Award and the 2021 Outstanding Mentor Award.
 
DeGroot was named the head coach at UW-Superior prior to the start of the 2017 season. DeGroot inherited a program that had just two winning seasons in the 24-year history of the program and had won just a single match in 2016, but quickly built the Yellowjackets into a consistent winner. In 2020, she guided UW-Superior to a 7-3-0 record, the program's first winning season in 14 years.
 
The following season, DeGroot's team posted an impressive 18-4-1 record, breaking the program record for wins in a season. UW-Superior secured the program's first UMAC regular season championship with an unbeaten 13-0-1 conference record and then won its first UMAC Tournament title with a 3-2 triumph over Northwestern (Minn.).

DeGroot again went unbeaten in conference play in 2022, repeating as UMAC regular season and tournament champions. In the UMAC Tournament, the Yellowjackets outscored their opponents 12-0. UW-Superior ran its streak of conference championships to four with title winning efforts in 2023 and 2024. Her Yellowjackets nearly picked up their first NCAA tournament win this past fall, playing No. 25 Carleton to a scoreless draw before falling 3-2 on penalties.
 
DeGroot mentored 49 All-UMAC selections, including five UMAC Defensive Players of the Year, two UMAC Offensive Players of the Year and two UMAC Rookies of the Year. Her student-athletes also earned 10 United Soccer Coaches All-Region awards.
 
DeGroot's student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom, earning four Academic All-America awards and 17 Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators, in addition to dozens of UMAC Academic All-Conference awards.


Prior to her time at UW-Superior, DeGroot spent four seasons as an graduate assistant coach and an assistant coach at Augsburg. Her work with the Auggies' goalkeepers saw the team's GAA drop from 1.24 to 0.72. DeGroot helped Augsburg earn its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2016.
 
A former Division I goalie at Marquette, DeGroot earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2010. She also holds a master's degree in leadership from Augsburg.
 
"What excites me the most about Allison isn't only her success on the field, it's her true commitment to providing an exemplary experience for our student-athletes, her belief in community and her ability to positively impact and mentor young women. On a personal level, I have learned from Allison over the past 13 years and she has pushed me to become a better coach, mentor and person and I look forward to working alongside her as we continue the storied legacy of this empowering program."
 
William Smith is coming off a 17-4-4 season that saw the Herons advance to the 2024 NCAA Division III National Championship match. William Smith returns 17 players from that team, including All-American midfielder Ruth Hotaling.