ETSU’s women’s soccer team begins a new chapter as Adam Sayers, the head coach for the team of nine seasons, resigned in November 2019. After becoming the all-time winningest coach in ETSU history in 2018, he has left some big shoes to fill.
New head coach Jeremy “Jay” Yelton has stepped up to the line.
Yelton has spent the last 17 seasons at Samford University as an assistant coach and was an associate head coach for the last four seasons at Samford. While coaching for the Samford women’s soccer team, Yelton lead the team to a league win for the last six years.
Yelton is a Piney Flats native, so as he returns to his home roots he is reminded of his childhood.
“I grew up around here, so I went to basketball camps here, played soccer on the intramural fields,” said coach Yelton. “I came to all the games for the legendary basketball teams from ‘89 to ’92. It’s a part of me. I’ve always been connected to the University, and I felt like it was a place where I could help continue a good soccer tradition.”
Yelton also has experience as an assistant coach at Georgia State University, a head coach at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina, and a high school coach at Parkview High School in Atlanta, Georgia.
“My goal is to build a good team that is known for being hard workers and giving more than they take,” said Yelton. “I want to get a real competitive team that is entertaining to watch. When we go out there and play, we represent our fans in a way that they can be proud of us.”
Yelton will be the fourth head coach in the programs history, and he brings a lot of experience in understanding athletes. He knows that every player on a sports team goes through the good and the bad days and wants to build from that at ETSU.
“The amount of emotion that college athletes go through, from overjoyed to completely devastated and sad – so I think it’s our job as coaches to continue to motivate them,” said Yelton. “We’re making kids who are being responsible with decisions, and they don’t let excuses creep in. They take personal responsibility for the things that they can control.”
