Emily Hester is in her fifth season (2025) as head women's soccer coach at Wayne State College, named the 10th coach in program history on February 23rd, 2021. In four years at WSC she has coached the Wildcats to records of 23-34-16 overall and 20-25-13 in NSIC play. Her career coaching record stands at 29-57-23 and 25-43-19 in conference games.
In 2024, WSC qualified for the NSIC Tournament for the first time since the 2019 season posting records of 7-7-5 and 6-4-4 (eighth place) in the NSIC. It was the best conference record for the Wildcats since 2005 and the first .500 record in NSIC play since 2016. The team's 26 goals were the most scored since the 2016 season.
Under Hester in 2023, the Wildcats finished 7-8-3 overall and 10th place in the NSIC with a 5-6-3 league mark. The seven wins were the most by a WSC women's soccer team since 2016 (9-6-3). WSC allowed 10 fewer goals in the 2023 season and had two All-NSIC Second Team selections in junior defender Morgan Rhodes and sophomore midfielder Paige Pemberton.
Wayne State posted records of 3-11-4 overall and finished 12th place in the NSIC during the 2022 season at 3-9-3. Hester coached two All-NSIC performers - Annika Syvrud and Reagan Allen - who were both voted All-NSIC Second Team.
In her first season on the Wildcat sidelines, Hester coached the Wildcats to records of 6-8-4 overall and ninth place in the NSIC with a 6-6-3 league mark. WSC was two points shy of qualifying for the NSIC Tournament and had two players named to the NSIC All-Conference Team with Megan Phillips and Chloe Schlines each collecting Second Team honors.
Hester came to Wayne State after spending three seasons (2018-20) as head coach at Shepherd University in West Virginia, an NCAA Division II school. She coached the Rams to records of 5-8-5 overall and 4-4-5 in conference play in her first season at Shepherd in 2018.
Other coaching stops for Hester include two years as an assistant coach at Division I Southern Utah, one year (2015) at Chicago State and one year (2014) as an assistant coach at Southwest Minnesota State where she helped the Mustangs to a 10-8-1 record and 9-5-1 conference mark while in Marshall.
A native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Hester graduated from Bellevue University in 2014 where she had a standout playing career. She was a three-time All-MCAC Second Team selection and a three-time MCAC Scholar Athlete, helping the Bruins to three MCAC regular season championships and four NAIA national tournament appearances.
Hester also earned Team MVP honors, Bellevue University Female Athlete of the Year and received the NAIA Champions of Character Award as a senior. She also has coaching experience with various club teams and worked with the Nebraska Olympic Development Program while also serving as camp coach at North Carolina (seven years) and Texas (one year).
Hester earned a bachelor’s degree from Bellevue in 2014 in health and human performance and has a master’s degree from Southwest Minnesota State.
updated 7/14/25
