CLAREMONT, Calif. - After two tenures leading the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's soccer program, including the last four seasons from 2017-21, Jen Clark has chosen to step away from her role as the program's head coach.

Clark had success during both of her stints with the Athenas, the first of which came from 2000-03.  During that time, she brought the program from fourth place in the SCIAC in 2000 to a tie for first place in 2002, earning CMS its first league title in 14 years while capturing the league's Coach of the Year honor. The 2002 squad also defeated Cal Lutheran in a SCIAC playoff game to earn the program its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. 

Clark returned to CMS 14 years later for the 2017 season, after previously serving as the associate head coach at Castleton University for three years. While at Castleton, she helped the Spartans to the 2015 North Atlantic Conference Championship and earned the 2014 NSCAA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.  She also served as an assistant coach at Middlebury College, where she was a part of a staff that guided the Panthers to their first NCAA Division III Final Four appearance.

After returning to CMS, Clark was an integral part of the athletic department and the college community.  She served on faculty committees and was a valued faculty member, teaching a variety of physical education classes.  In the spring of 2021 Clark was nominated for the Glenn R. Huntoon Award for Superior Teaching.

On the field, she led the Athenas to an NCAA Regional championship in 2019 with a 2-1 win over Emory and a 4-2 penalty kick win over Cal Lutheran, matching the deepest NCAA run in program history with a Round of 16 appearance. CMS nearly advanced one round further, before falling in overtime to No. 3 Washington University in the sectional semifinals.

After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Clark helped the Athenas to a 9-4-3 record in 2021, which marked the third season in a row in which CMS improved its winning percentage from the prior year.  

A nationwide search for Clark's replacement will begin immediately, as CMS will look to continue building its recent momentum after graduating only two seniors off the 2021 squad.