Oberlin College Profile

A New Soccer Chapter

With the 2013 season, Oberlin College women's soccer team opened a new chapter under new Head Coach Dan Palmer. Best known for its fantastic academics, Oberlin College, located 35 miles west of Cleveland in Oberlin, Ohio, was in need of an overhaul, having compiled a record of 18-65-8 over the previous five seasons.

Coach Palmer has the credentials to bring the women’s soccer level up to the school’s stellar academic level. Coach Palmer brings 23 years of collegiate coaching experience and a history of great success. Most recently he spent nine seasons as the Head Men's Soccer Coach at Case Western Reserve University where he led the Spartans to two University Athletic Association Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances while winning a total of 87 matches. Coach Palmer has made an immediate impact, and for the 2014 and 2015 seasons his teams were 10-9 and 7-7-3, respectively.

A two-time UAA Coach of the Year, Palmer’s teams were ranked in the nation’s top-20 three times, including as high as second in 2007. During his time with the Spartans, he also mentored numerous All-Americans and Scholar-All Americans. In time he believes the Yeowomen program can reach that level.

"This is an exciting challenge and opportunity for me professionally,” Palmer said. “The potential for Oberlin College women’s soccer is outstanding. Already, we have started the process of changing our culture and have set a standard of how we are going to operate within the program. I have been very, very pleased with our team so far and we are moving in a positive direction."

Oberlin participates in the NCAA's Division III and the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Other ECS schools in this conference include Denison University, DePauw University, and Kenyon College. When founded in in 1984, the NCAC was a pioneer in gender equality, offering competition in a then-unprecedented 10 women's sports.

About Oberlin
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio. Founded in 1833 by a Presbyterian minister and a missionary, it holds a distinguished place among American colleges and universities. The Oberlin community is known for its exemplary academic and musical pedagogy and its commitment to social justice, sustainability, and creative entrepreneurship. The College is one of the first American institution of higher learning to admit female and black students, and is oldest continuously operating coeducational institution, since having admitted four women in 1837.

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, part of the college, is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the country. Admissions into the Conservatory program is rigorous and highly competitive, with over 1400 applicants worldwide auditioning for 120 seats.

Occupying 440 acres in a small town setting, Oberlin has approximately 2,900 undergraduates. Its SAT 25th-75th percentile range is 1890 to 2190, and it accepts around 33% of those who apply.