DUBUQUE, Iowa – The University of Dubuque's Nelson Edmonds, Vice President of Student Engagement and Intercollegiate Athletics, announced Erin Connolly as the new head women's hockey coach for the Spartans.
"We look forward to welcoming Erin to the only NCAA women's collegiate varsity hockey program in the state of Iowa," commented Edmonds. "Her accomplishments as a player and in the classroom have set the bar for being accountable, being a great teammate, and challenging oneself to be their best version. Her dedication to giving back as a coach will serve this program well as we continue to grow and ingrain UD hockey in the regional and national landscape."
Erin Connolly becomes the University's second coach in the school's history. Most recently, she has spent five seasons as an assistant coach for the nationally-ranked UW-Eau Claire women's hockey team (overall 87-26-2, 36-9-1 in conference play). She served the team as its goalie coach for her first three seasons before taking on the assistant coach role ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
"I am incredibly grateful to president Dr. Travis Frampton, Vice President of Student Engagement and Intercollegiate Athletics Nelson Edmonds, UD administration and the athletic department for the opportunity to lead this growing program. The University and the community of Dubuque have so much to offer for our student-athletes, and I'm honored to be part of it. UD is an exciting place to build a competitive program. During my interview I saw a beautiful campus, a university with proven academic excellence and a strong support of Spartans athletics, and a lively hockey community with a premiere ice rink in the ImOn Arena. Thank you to the committee for believing in me; I can't wait to get started with this group of hardworking student-athletes and showcase competitive hockey in the tri-states!"
Connolly was a standout goaltender while playing for UW-Eau Claire from 2016-20. She was named a CCM/AHCA All-American, WIAC Player of the Year and WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete as a senior in 2020. She was a four-time member of the All-WIAC first team and helped the Blugolds win O'Brien Cup championships in 2018 and 2019. She helped the Blugolds reach the NCAA Tournament in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Since 2024, she has led Team Wisconsin as the Under-16 Girls Head Coach, where she developed players while competing in the Minnesota Girls Elite Hockey League. She has been involved in USA Hockey Youth Development since June of 2017 as Wisconsin's Goaltending Development Coordinator. She also was the Director of Goaltending from 2022-24 for Valley Sports Academy and YMCA Youth Programs Director in 2021-22.
The Mequon, Wisconsin, native was named Wisconsin's Ms. Hockey as a senior at Homestead High School in 2016. She was a two-time all-state selection in high school. She received her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology - Human Performance from UW-Eau Claire in 2020 and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University Honors Program. She will begin her duties on June 16, 2025.
Awards and Honors:
4x First Team All-WIAC
4x AHCA All-American Scholar
AHCA First Team All-American
WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award
WIAC Player of the Year
Laura Hurd Player of the Year Runner-up
Blugold Super Six Award
Team Captain
Leader-Telegram Female Athlete of the Year
