Soccer
McNamara, Phil
Phil McNamara
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- pmcnama1@utm.edu
- Phone:
- 731-881-7931
Notes and Achievements
McNamara has continued to build an impressive résumé at UT Martin, stringing together six combined OVC championships (including four consecutive titles from 2011-13). McNamara has guided players to 24 All-OVC first team honors, 12 earning second team honors and 22 on the All-Newcomer teams. McNamara helped Skyhawks earn their first OVC Player of the Year in 2014 when Rianna Jarrett brought home the award. In his second season, McNamara helped Melissa Govea earn UT Martin’s second OVC Defensive Player of the Year award. In 2019, the Skyhawks won three of the OVC's four major postseason awards, as Amy McGivern (Player of the Year), Kaci Mitchell (Defensive Player of the Year) and McNamara (Coach of the Year) were all crowned. The Skyhawks won their fourth regular season title in 2021 while McNamara picked up his third Coach of the Year award with Kamryn Chappell (Defensive Player of the Year) and Parker Gelinas (Freshman of the Year) taking home a pair of headline accolades.
The Skyhawks posted an 11-6-1 overall mark while going 6-2 in conference play to earn the program’s fifth league championship. UT Martin later advanced to the title matchup of the 2021 OVC Soccer Championship before suffering an overtime loss to bring their championship campaign to a close. The Skyhawks were rewarded for their strong play as they staked claim to three of the premier postseason honors including Coach of the Year (McNamara), Defensive Player of the Year (Chappell) and Freshman of the Year (Gelinas). Additionally, Erica Myers, Brooke Kala and Emely van der Vliet were tabbed to the all-tournament team.
In a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020, the Skyhawks played a conference-only season during the spring semester. UT Martin finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak to post a 6-4-1 campaign - good for third place in the league standings. Three players earned All-OVC honors with Emely van der Vliet and Maria Castaldo on the first team while Erica Myers was selected to the second team. Van der Vliet also picked up OVC Freshman of the Year honors in addition to All-Newcomer accolades.
UT Martin clicked towards the end of the 2019 season, stringing together a five-matchup unbeaten streak to ultimately finish third in the league standings with a 6-2-2 mark. Overall, the Skyhawks posted an 8-6-5 record, equaling the most ties in a single season in school history. The Skyhawk trio of Castaldo (first team defender), Bella Roberts (second team midfielder) and Elin Berggren (second team defender) each captured All-OVC postseason accolades. The freshman tandem of Castaldo and Berggren were also named to the OVC's All-Newcomer team. Goalkeeper Erica Myers led the OVC with five shutouts (four of which came in league play) and ranked 20th nationally with 104 saves.
McNamara oversaw one of the most successful seasons in school history in 2018. UT Martin shattered the program record with 15 victories on its way to the OVC regular season championship. The Skyhawks were ranked as high as 65th in the nation based off the NCAA RPI and ranked as high as eighth in the South Region of the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
Included in the historic 2018 campaign was a 13-match unbeaten streak from Sept. 7 through Nov. 2. The Skyhawks went 15-3-1 overall with a 9-0-1 OVC record as their only setbacks came at Arkansas State in the season opener, at No. 10 Tennessee and to Murray State in the OVC Championship finals match. UT Martin established new season-highs in points (128), goals (49) and shots (401) while also ranking in the top-15 in the nation in shots on goal per match (10.32, first), shots per match (21.11, fourth), scoring offense (2.58, fifth), winning percentage (.816, 10th), total goals (49, 15th) and points per match (6.74, 15th).
UT Martin's success in 2018 was recognized on a national level, as the NCAA designated the Skyhawks as the nation's Most Improved Team for 2018. A total of nine different UT Martin honorees combined for 13 All-OVC postseason honors while McGivern, Mitchell and Danae Kaldaridou were each named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's All-South Region Team.
The 2017 season was an impressive year for the Skyhawk soccer program as McNamara led the squad back to the OVC tournament, producing All-OVC first team member Kaldaridou and All-Newcomer squad member Kamryn Chappell. Kaldaridou led the UT Martin offense as she netted seven goals and tallied a team-best 18 points on the season. Chappell was an integral piece of the UT Martin defense, leading the team in minutes played with 1,796 minutes logged on the year.
In 2016, McNamara oversaw the development of All-OVC first teamer McGivern and All-OVC newcomer Kaldaridou. McGivern ranked ninth in the OVC in points per game (0.72) and 10th in goals (five) as just a sophomore while Kaldaridou added four goals and two assists as a sophomore last season.
After a slow start to the season, McNamara’s squad rallied to claim a tie for third place in the league standings and ultimately a home contest in the first round of the OVC Soccer Championship in 2015. Three Skyhawks earned All-OVC honors with Maggie Burkett and Rebecca Starnes earning first team nods while Saphyra Coombs-James earned second team honors. The freshman duo of Starnes and Burkett were also joined on the All-Newcomer squad by Lisa Schmieder.
In 2014, McNamara saw the Skyhawks open the season with a school-record four victories on their way to a fourth-straight season with double-digit victories. Guiding the team to a 12-6-2 record including a 6-3-1 conference slate, the Skyhawks were offensively gifted by leading the OVC in shots taken. The season saw newcomer Jarrett set a school-record with 17 goals on her way to the program’s first OVC Player of the Year honor.
The 2013 season saw the Skyhawks own a piece of conference history. The Skyhawks picked up their fourth consecutive OVC title (including two regular season and tournament championships) after rattling off an 8-2 record in conference play to win their second consecutive season crown. The Skyhawks became the first team in conference history to pull off such a streak.
The Skyhawks saw five players take home six OVC awards, highlighted by three All-OVC first team selections for Mariah Klenke, Aoife Lennon and Hannah Fessenden while Alyssa Curtis earned second team honors. Lennon was joined by classmate Ellie Myrick as All-Newcomer selections. Three players took home All-Tournament honors as Lennon and Fessenden both joined Lucy Pater. As a whole, six Skyhawks took home either All-OVC or All-OVC Tournament accolades in 2013.
After McNamara took the Skyhawks to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, he posted arguably the best season in school history in 2012. UT Martin captured its first outright Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship and pushed Southeastern Conference power Kentucky to the limit before a narrow 1-0 loss in overtime of the NCAA Tournament.
For his efforts, McNamara garnered 2012 OVC Coach of the Year honors. He also presided over five players who were All-OVC performers, including Coombs-James - the program's first-ever OVC Freshman of the Year. All in all, eight of McNamara's players earned All-OVC or All-OVC Tournament accolades in 2012.
McNamara’s second season at UT Martin was a banner year, as the Skyhawks captured their first-ever OVC Tournament championship in 2011. UT Martin won six straight games from Oct. 21 through Nov. 6 on its way to 14 victories before falling to then-undefeated Memphis in its first NCAA Tournament match in school history. The Skyhawks boasted four players on the All-OVC team, including Govea (the league’s Defensive Player of the Year) and Brooke Robertson (the fourth player in program history to achieve All-OVC first team status in two different seasons).
In his debut season as Skyhawk skipper, McNamara guided UT Martin to an 8-8-2 record and 3-4-1 OVC slate. The Skyhawks began to click midway through the schedule, winning seven of nine games during one stretch. UT Martin also continued its home dominance under McNamara, putting together a five-match win streak and going unbeaten for a 58-day span, falling only in the home opener and finale in 2010. The stingy Skyhawk defense also excelled under McNamara, as the team tied an all-time single-season record with eight shutouts.
McNamara came to UT Martin from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., where he led the Eagles to the NCAA Division II championship tournament in each of his last seven years. His teams advanced to the NCAA Final Four in back-to-back years in 2004-05 and won five regular season league titles and four South Atlantic Conference tournaments. During his eight-year tenure at Carson-Newman, he picked up the South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honor four times.
At Carson-Newman, McNamara’s teams were consistently ranked, as his players garnered several top honors throughout his tenure. All in all, he coached 43 all-conference players, 22 all-region players, four All-SAC Tournament members, four All-SAC tournament MVP’s, four All-Americans (including the first in Carson Newman history), four All-NCAA Tournament team players, three SAC Players of the Year and two SAC Freshmen of the Year. In addition to coaching the program’s first-ever national All-American, he also guided the Eagles to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and NCAA Tournament victories. Four players also earned national or regional academic All-American awards under his watch.
McNamara’s 2009 Carson-Newman team was the best in school history, as they set a single-season record for most wins (20). They finished ranked seventh in the nation after winning their third NCAA Southeast Regional title under his guidance.
McNamara won 11 games or more every year for the past eight years at Carson-Newman, a tremendous feat considering the Eagles had never won more than 11 games in any one season in its first 11 years of playing soccer prior to McNamara’s hiring.
Before Carson-Newman, McNamara served two seasons at Virginia Intermont in Bristol, Va.. He posted a 17-12 record and he led the team to both conference and regional championships. He was named conference and regional coach of the year. He spent the 2001 season as head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs. The men were ranked 18th in the nation.
McNamara also served as an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s programs at his alma mater, King College in Bristol, Tenn.
McNamara has three European coaching licenses and has served as a youth coach for the Irish Football Association (IFA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a player, he was a YTS trainee with Ashton Villa FC in England for two years, and spent one season with the Carrickfergus Rangers FC in the Irish First Division. He was a member of the Cliftonville FC in the Irish Premier League for four years before ending his playing career in the United States, spending one season playing indoor soccer with the Huntsville Fire of the Premier League and two years with the Roanoke Wraft of the PDL D-2 League.
McNamara is married to the former Jacqueline Logue of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and has two children, Halina and Anthony.
- 12 seasons
- Career Record: 275-137-29
- Record at UT Martin: 115-91-22
- Conference Record: 112-50-12
- OVC Record: 67-39-10
- OVC Championship: 2012, 2013, 2018, 2021
- OVC Tournament Championships: 2011, 2012
- OVC Coach of the Year: 2012, 2018, 2021
McNamara has continued to build an impressive résumé at UT Martin, stringing together six combined OVC championships (including four consecutive titles from 2011-13). McNamara has guided players to 24 All-OVC first team honors, 12 earning second team honors and 22 on the All-Newcomer teams. McNamara helped Skyhawks earn their first OVC Player of the Year in 2014 when Rianna Jarrett brought home the award. In his second season, McNamara helped Melissa Govea earn UT Martin’s second OVC Defensive Player of the Year award. In 2019, the Skyhawks won three of the OVC's four major postseason awards, as Amy McGivern (Player of the Year), Kaci Mitchell (Defensive Player of the Year) and McNamara (Coach of the Year) were all crowned. The Skyhawks won their fourth regular season title in 2021 while McNamara picked up his third Coach of the Year award with Kamryn Chappell (Defensive Player of the Year) and Parker Gelinas (Freshman of the Year) taking home a pair of headline accolades.
The Skyhawks posted an 11-6-1 overall mark while going 6-2 in conference play to earn the program’s fifth league championship. UT Martin later advanced to the title matchup of the 2021 OVC Soccer Championship before suffering an overtime loss to bring their championship campaign to a close. The Skyhawks were rewarded for their strong play as they staked claim to three of the premier postseason honors including Coach of the Year (McNamara), Defensive Player of the Year (Chappell) and Freshman of the Year (Gelinas). Additionally, Erica Myers, Brooke Kala and Emely van der Vliet were tabbed to the all-tournament team.
In a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020, the Skyhawks played a conference-only season during the spring semester. UT Martin finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak to post a 6-4-1 campaign - good for third place in the league standings. Three players earned All-OVC honors with Emely van der Vliet and Maria Castaldo on the first team while Erica Myers was selected to the second team. Van der Vliet also picked up OVC Freshman of the Year honors in addition to All-Newcomer accolades.
UT Martin clicked towards the end of the 2019 season, stringing together a five-matchup unbeaten streak to ultimately finish third in the league standings with a 6-2-2 mark. Overall, the Skyhawks posted an 8-6-5 record, equaling the most ties in a single season in school history. The Skyhawk trio of Castaldo (first team defender), Bella Roberts (second team midfielder) and Elin Berggren (second team defender) each captured All-OVC postseason accolades. The freshman tandem of Castaldo and Berggren were also named to the OVC's All-Newcomer team. Goalkeeper Erica Myers led the OVC with five shutouts (four of which came in league play) and ranked 20th nationally with 104 saves.
McNamara oversaw one of the most successful seasons in school history in 2018. UT Martin shattered the program record with 15 victories on its way to the OVC regular season championship. The Skyhawks were ranked as high as 65th in the nation based off the NCAA RPI and ranked as high as eighth in the South Region of the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
Included in the historic 2018 campaign was a 13-match unbeaten streak from Sept. 7 through Nov. 2. The Skyhawks went 15-3-1 overall with a 9-0-1 OVC record as their only setbacks came at Arkansas State in the season opener, at No. 10 Tennessee and to Murray State in the OVC Championship finals match. UT Martin established new season-highs in points (128), goals (49) and shots (401) while also ranking in the top-15 in the nation in shots on goal per match (10.32, first), shots per match (21.11, fourth), scoring offense (2.58, fifth), winning percentage (.816, 10th), total goals (49, 15th) and points per match (6.74, 15th).
UT Martin's success in 2018 was recognized on a national level, as the NCAA designated the Skyhawks as the nation's Most Improved Team for 2018. A total of nine different UT Martin honorees combined for 13 All-OVC postseason honors while McGivern, Mitchell and Danae Kaldaridou were each named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's All-South Region Team.
The 2017 season was an impressive year for the Skyhawk soccer program as McNamara led the squad back to the OVC tournament, producing All-OVC first team member Kaldaridou and All-Newcomer squad member Kamryn Chappell. Kaldaridou led the UT Martin offense as she netted seven goals and tallied a team-best 18 points on the season. Chappell was an integral piece of the UT Martin defense, leading the team in minutes played with 1,796 minutes logged on the year.
In 2016, McNamara oversaw the development of All-OVC first teamer McGivern and All-OVC newcomer Kaldaridou. McGivern ranked ninth in the OVC in points per game (0.72) and 10th in goals (five) as just a sophomore while Kaldaridou added four goals and two assists as a sophomore last season.
After a slow start to the season, McNamara’s squad rallied to claim a tie for third place in the league standings and ultimately a home contest in the first round of the OVC Soccer Championship in 2015. Three Skyhawks earned All-OVC honors with Maggie Burkett and Rebecca Starnes earning first team nods while Saphyra Coombs-James earned second team honors. The freshman duo of Starnes and Burkett were also joined on the All-Newcomer squad by Lisa Schmieder.
In 2014, McNamara saw the Skyhawks open the season with a school-record four victories on their way to a fourth-straight season with double-digit victories. Guiding the team to a 12-6-2 record including a 6-3-1 conference slate, the Skyhawks were offensively gifted by leading the OVC in shots taken. The season saw newcomer Jarrett set a school-record with 17 goals on her way to the program’s first OVC Player of the Year honor.
The 2013 season saw the Skyhawks own a piece of conference history. The Skyhawks picked up their fourth consecutive OVC title (including two regular season and tournament championships) after rattling off an 8-2 record in conference play to win their second consecutive season crown. The Skyhawks became the first team in conference history to pull off such a streak.
The Skyhawks saw five players take home six OVC awards, highlighted by three All-OVC first team selections for Mariah Klenke, Aoife Lennon and Hannah Fessenden while Alyssa Curtis earned second team honors. Lennon was joined by classmate Ellie Myrick as All-Newcomer selections. Three players took home All-Tournament honors as Lennon and Fessenden both joined Lucy Pater. As a whole, six Skyhawks took home either All-OVC or All-OVC Tournament accolades in 2013.
After McNamara took the Skyhawks to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, he posted arguably the best season in school history in 2012. UT Martin captured its first outright Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship and pushed Southeastern Conference power Kentucky to the limit before a narrow 1-0 loss in overtime of the NCAA Tournament.
For his efforts, McNamara garnered 2012 OVC Coach of the Year honors. He also presided over five players who were All-OVC performers, including Coombs-James - the program's first-ever OVC Freshman of the Year. All in all, eight of McNamara's players earned All-OVC or All-OVC Tournament accolades in 2012.
McNamara’s second season at UT Martin was a banner year, as the Skyhawks captured their first-ever OVC Tournament championship in 2011. UT Martin won six straight games from Oct. 21 through Nov. 6 on its way to 14 victories before falling to then-undefeated Memphis in its first NCAA Tournament match in school history. The Skyhawks boasted four players on the All-OVC team, including Govea (the league’s Defensive Player of the Year) and Brooke Robertson (the fourth player in program history to achieve All-OVC first team status in two different seasons).
In his debut season as Skyhawk skipper, McNamara guided UT Martin to an 8-8-2 record and 3-4-1 OVC slate. The Skyhawks began to click midway through the schedule, winning seven of nine games during one stretch. UT Martin also continued its home dominance under McNamara, putting together a five-match win streak and going unbeaten for a 58-day span, falling only in the home opener and finale in 2010. The stingy Skyhawk defense also excelled under McNamara, as the team tied an all-time single-season record with eight shutouts.
McNamara came to UT Martin from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., where he led the Eagles to the NCAA Division II championship tournament in each of his last seven years. His teams advanced to the NCAA Final Four in back-to-back years in 2004-05 and won five regular season league titles and four South Atlantic Conference tournaments. During his eight-year tenure at Carson-Newman, he picked up the South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honor four times.
At Carson-Newman, McNamara’s teams were consistently ranked, as his players garnered several top honors throughout his tenure. All in all, he coached 43 all-conference players, 22 all-region players, four All-SAC Tournament members, four All-SAC tournament MVP’s, four All-Americans (including the first in Carson Newman history), four All-NCAA Tournament team players, three SAC Players of the Year and two SAC Freshmen of the Year. In addition to coaching the program’s first-ever national All-American, he also guided the Eagles to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and NCAA Tournament victories. Four players also earned national or regional academic All-American awards under his watch.
McNamara’s 2009 Carson-Newman team was the best in school history, as they set a single-season record for most wins (20). They finished ranked seventh in the nation after winning their third NCAA Southeast Regional title under his guidance.
McNamara won 11 games or more every year for the past eight years at Carson-Newman, a tremendous feat considering the Eagles had never won more than 11 games in any one season in its first 11 years of playing soccer prior to McNamara’s hiring.
Before Carson-Newman, McNamara served two seasons at Virginia Intermont in Bristol, Va.. He posted a 17-12 record and he led the team to both conference and regional championships. He was named conference and regional coach of the year. He spent the 2001 season as head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs. The men were ranked 18th in the nation.
McNamara also served as an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s programs at his alma mater, King College in Bristol, Tenn.
McNamara has three European coaching licenses and has served as a youth coach for the Irish Football Association (IFA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a player, he was a YTS trainee with Ashton Villa FC in England for two years, and spent one season with the Carrickfergus Rangers FC in the Irish First Division. He was a member of the Cliftonville FC in the Irish Premier League for four years before ending his playing career in the United States, spending one season playing indoor soccer with the Huntsville Fire of the Premier League and two years with the Roanoke Wraft of the PDL D-2 League.
McNamara is married to the former Jacqueline Logue of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and has two children, Halina and Anthony.
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 3, Episode 2
Tuesday, September 02
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 3, Episode 1
Monday, August 25
Hawk Walk with Allie Buchmann
Tuesday, August 19
Skyhawk Sports Talk - Season 2, Episode 10
Thursday, April 10
