Dylon Harrison
Staff Writer
The contract of ISU’s head women’s soccer coach, Allison
Gibson, will not be renewed after it expires this coming January, meaning the
Bengals will have a new coach next season.
Gibson came to ISU 13 seasons ago in 2006 after working as an
assistant at the University of San Francisco for five years.
This was announced on Oct. 29 by interim athletic director Pauline Thiros to department staff and players.
Over her 13 seasons at ISU, Gibson had a combined record of 82-137-22.
The decision to not renew Gibson’s contract was made in hopes of making ISU women’s soccer a stronger force in the Big Sky Conference.
“I appreciate Coach Gibson’s dedication to Idaho State Soccer and recognize that she has been the architect of some proud history,” Thiros said in a press release. “It has become clear to me, however, that a change is needed in order to restore ISU’s position as a consistent Big Sky Conference contender.”
Gibson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Sonoma State in 1995 and got her master’s from the University of San Francisco in 2004.
The decision to not renew Gibson’s contract comes after ISU finished with a 2-14 overall record and 1-8 record in the Big Sky Conference.
Both of the team’s wins were home games against Utah State and Southern Utah.
Previously, Gibson has led the team to two Big Sky championships in both 2006 and 2012. She also led runner-up teams in 2009 and 2013.
The 2014 season was the last season in which the women’s soccer team finished above .500, ending the season 10-9-1 overall and 5-4-1 in conference.
But this was followed by their worst season of the last five years. The team finished the 2015 season with a record of 1-17-1 overall and 0-10-0 in conference.
She also coached 27 first and second-team all-league selections, 30 players who received honorable mention all-conference and 142 players who received Big Sky all-academic honors.
Gibson herself was named Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2006, 2009 and 2012.
One of her former players, Amanda Ellsworth, was named Big Sky Offensive MVP in both 2012 and 2014. Another one, Maria Sanchez, won the Golden Boot in 2015.
Gibson led her teams to two undefeated home seasons in 2007 and 2012 and is regarded as the “winningest head coach in Idaho State University history.” This is because her 82 career wins are more than any other ISU coach has ever achieved.
This is just one of many big changes being made to Idaho State Athletics by the interim athletic director as she works towards improving the reputation of the university’s sports programs.
No potential replacements for Gibson have been announced yet, but the university is currently conducting a national search for a new head coach.
