Jon Lowery named Hamline Men’s Soccer Head Coach

Former MN Thunder goalkeeper, Jon Lowery, has been named coach of Hamline Men’s Soccer program. A native of Apple Valley, MN, he led Apple Valley High to a 1992 State title and was the 1994 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year. Lowery’s collegiate career began at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 1995. As a freshman, he was a 20-game starter and UW-Green Bay’s MVP before transferring to Ohio State.

He was a first-team All-Big Ten goalkeeper for Ohio State in 1997 and was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection that season. He repeated his All-Big Ten honor as a senior in 1998, becoming the first two-time first-team All-Big Ten pick in the history of the program. As a Buckeye, Lowery was a two-time captain and two-time team MVP.

Lowery spent the majority of his pro career with the Minnesota Thunder, playing three seasons in 1999, 2000 and 2002. In 2001, Lowery started the season with the Carolina Dynamo before being called up by the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer.

Lowery has been serving as an assistant with Wake Forest since 2007. While working there, he collected the 2008 ACC regular season championship, the 2008 NCAA tournament #1 seed, and a 2008 NCAA final four appearance, in addition to the 2007 NCAA championship. Lowery also spent two years as an assistant at Ohio State working with the goalkeepers and assisting with all aspects of the program.

“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to join the Hamline community and to compete in one of the finest Division III conferences in the country,” said Lowery. “I’m excited to return to the Twin Cities, an area I appreciate and know very well. The bar has been set high for the Hamline soccer program, and I look forward to taking the Pipers to the next level in the MIAC.”

“Jon has proven success competing and coaching at the highest levels of soccer, and has strong ties to the Minnesota high school, club, collegiate and professional soccer scenes,” said Bob Beeman, AD of Hamline University. “We are excited that all of this will allow him to achieve immediate success with the strong program foundation he is inheriting at Hamline.”

Lowery is a USSF “A” licensed coach. Additionally he has an Advanced National Coaching diploma from the NSCAA and received a master’s degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2005. He’s been residing in Winston-Salem with his wife, Gretchen.