Knox College's women's soccer team gets a new head coach. Meet Robert Battisson...
GALESBURG — Knox College has named Robert Battisson as its new head women's soccer coach.
Battisson fills the void left by Taylor Houck's departure. Houck was hired in the spring in 2019 and led the Prairie Fire to their fourth and fifth consecutive Midwest Conference Championship. In 2019 and 2020, respectively.
"It is clear that Knox is a unique community and college that offers a first class educational experience, while also providing excellent athletic programs and competition," Battisson said. "I am very excited to begin this journey, working with a wonderful and talented group of student-athletes. I look forward to meeting and working alongside Knox College students, coaches, faculty, and administrators.”
Where did Battisson come from?
Battisson comes to Knox from the University of Akron, an NCAA Division I school located in Akron, Ohio. At Akron, he was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the women’s soccer program.
During his time at Akron, Battisson assisted the Zips in reaching new heights and expanded recruiting efforts globally. He helped in leading the program to a Mid-American Conference (MAC) East championship and five MAC tournament appearances.
Battisson assisted Akron to back-to-back undefeated seasons in the MAC East and recorded the most single-season conference wins in program history.
“I am excited to announce coach Battisson as our next head women’s soccer coach," said Daniella Irle, Knox's director of athletics. "He is committed to providing all players an environment where they can reach their full potential as a team and as individuals.
"Coach Battisson has the technical and tactical skill set needed to help our program win at the highest levels," Irle added. "Most importantly, he appreciates the value of a holistic education and understands his role in supporting the team’s development as scholar-athletes and community members.”
Knox has had recent success on pitch
Knox turned in another amazing season in 2021, finishing a perfect 8-0 in regular-season conference play and winning its first game of the MWC tournament. Knox is the first team in league history to have five consecutive regular season MWC Championships. The team has only lost two regular-season conference games over the past five seasons and has won the MWC tourney three times in that span.
“Over the past several years, Knox College women’s soccer has seen consistent on-field success in the Midwest Conference,” Battisson said. “Moving forward, we will do our utmost to continue the success of Knox College women’s soccer, while striving to take the program to new heights.”
Battisson's coaching resume
Prior to his time at Akron, Battisson was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. Before that, Battisson was an assistant coach at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
Before entering the NCAA Division I world, Battisson spent time at Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. Battisson was the head coach for the NCAA Division II men’s program. He led the program through their transition from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division II, and stabilized the program with an incoming class of 14 players.
Prior to leading the program at Chowan, Battisson was an assistant coach at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. Along with his collegiate coaching experience, Battisson has been involved as a head coach and camp director for multiple club teams and camps, as well as a regional staff coach for the Region II Olympic Development Program (ODP) in Ohio North, Kansas.
A native of England, Battisson played soccer and graduated from Lock Haven University in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in English. He went on to earn a master’s degree in English Literature from Northwestern Missouri State in 2005. Battisson added two more master’s degrees from the University of Akron — a sports science and coaching master’s in 2009 and a master’s of exercise physiology in 2011.
Battisson was a two-time first team All-PSAC performer at Lock Haven and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. He was a three-year team captain. He holds national licenses from the United States Soccer Federation, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and the English Football Association.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: NCAA Soccer: Knox College names its latest women's coach
