Bolivar, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University Director of Athletics Mike Pitts has announced the hiring of Stefan Skillman as the new Head Coach of the Women's Soccer program.
 
"We are delighted that Coach Skillman has joined the Bearcat Family," said Pitts. "He has an outstanding work ethic and is well on board with the mission of SBU. It's obvious that faith is an important component of Coach Skillman's journey, both personally and professionally. We strongly believe he is the ideal fit for our women's soccer program as we transition to the GLVC next season. I look forward to working with Coach Skillman, and seeing his impact on the women's soccer program!"
 
Skillman brings 10 years of coaching experience with him, 4 as an assistant and 6 as a head coach. He is coming from York College where he served as the Head Women's Soccer coach since 2016. In his time there he rebuilt the team from a 12 player roster to a 33 player roster, taking the team from 0 wins against NAIA opponents to two consecutive years of 10 win seasons. Along with their improvement in wins, he helped the team qualify for the KCAC Conference tournament two years in a row.
 
In 2017, Skillman was named KCAC Coach of the Year. He has guided 11 players to All-KCAC awards, 2 NSCAA College Team Ethics & Sportsmanship awards, 2 Player KCAC Character Medallion awards, and 3 Daktronics NAIA Women's Soccer Scholar Athletes.
 
Not only does Skillman bring a successful coaching resume to SBU, he brings a spiritual background that fits well within Southwest Baptist's foundation. At a young age, Skillman accepted Christ as his savior, devoting his life to Christ from then on. "Being a believer in Christ has been an essential part of my life," said Skillman. "When I was older, I decided to go to Grace Christian University, because it was a Bible college that provided higher education with Christ being the center of it." Skillman also has plans to implement his faith into the SBU Soccer program. "My desire with the Bearcats' Women's Soccer team is to create a program in which the player's experience has an unspeakable impact on their lives."