Meet Washington State Soccer's New Coaching Staff

Washington State Soccer will enter a new era in 2026, with longtime head coach Todd Shulenberger leaving the team to take a job with Ole Miss. The team has finished putting together it's new coaching group, so here's who will be leading the team in the next season.

Chris Citowicki will be the team's new head coach. Citowicki joins the Cougars after spending the last eight years with the Montana Grizzlies. Citiwicki led the Lady Grizz to the NCAA Tournament four times. Under his stewardship the Grizzlies were one of the Big Sky's elite programs, winning the conference tournament four times and the regular season title five times, including a run in 2023 and 2024 when they were unbeaten in conference play in back to back seasons.

Citowicki has filled out his coaching staff with three hires. The first to join the program was Ashley Herndon. Herndon is one of Citowicki's most trusted lieutenants, having spent five years as an assistant coach with the Grizzlies under his tenure. Herndon ws responsible for developing the Grizzlies' offense, a unit that was one of the Big Sky's top scorers during her time with the team.

The program's next hire was Alex Nestor. Nestor comes to Pullman after spending two years as the head coach of Penn State Brandywine, a Division III school. Nestor was responsible for making sure Brandywine's transition to a Division III school was a smooth one, and in his second year with the team the Lions earned their first postseason trip with their qualification for the United East Conference Tournament.

Finally, Washington State hired their Associate Head Coach. The Cougars have hired the woman Todd Shulenberger will be replacing in Oxford, Former Ole Miss head coach Molly Rouse. Rouse had been the head coach for the Rebels for three seasons, and while her first two years showed promise, the team regressed in 2025, failing to win a game in the SEC.

2026 will be represent one of the biggest changes Washington State soccer has ever gone through. Shulenberger. Shulenberger was many things to the Cougars, their longest tenured head coach, the most wins for a head coach, the man who led the team to the College Cup for the only time in program history. Shulenberger's hire was an era demarcation for the Cougars, and his departure should prove to be the same.

In addition to their new coaching staff, the Cougars will have a new conference in 2026. Familiar foe Oregon State will be back in the new Pac-12, and new WCC rival Gonzaga will also be joining the conference, but other than those two the Cougars are about to become much better acquainted with several former Mountain West schools.

Whether it wanted to or not, Cougar Soccer is getting a fresh start in 2026. The roster will be mostly different, the opponents will be mostly different, and the coaching staff will be entirely different. We're still half a year away form finding out just how different things are going to be.