Quincy University recently added Marc Hager to the sports department last month as the new Women’s Head Soccer Coach. Hager previously worked for McKendree University as the assistant coach before shifting over to QU.

Marty Bell had his hands full once old Head Coach Dave Musso decided to move back to his home town of St. Louis and take on a position there with Lindenwood University. Bell said in an email sent to the team that they “received over 20 applications in less than 24 hours. “The email continued by saying, “The interest in this program is very high and is a credit to each of you (women’s team players) for establishing a winning tradition that makes leading this program a very attractive situation.”

The Quincy Women’s Soccer team is coming off a 17-4-1 season overall, 13-1-0 in conference. After making it to both the GLVC finals and the Sweet Sixteen led by a large senior class, the program took off in the last several years as they continue to move towards success.

Hager himself went to St. John Vianney High School in St. Louis, and then went to DI Webster University to play on the Men’s Soccer team. Being born and raised in St. Louis, plus having a good understanding of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, Hager believed he already had a foot in the door for the head coach position.

Hager couldn’t pass up the opportunity once making it on to the next level of interviews in front of the Quincy University Sports Department Board.

“I applied, then waited around for a while. After a few days, Marty Bell reached out to me asking if I wanted to do a phone interview, and I said ‘Of course!’ I didn’t want to pass that opportunity up.”

Hager was then asked to come up to Quincy and do the in-person interview with the board. It was shortly after that he officially received the Head Coach position. He talked to Musso several times over the past two weeks he has been at Quincy, asking about the team and taking any advice from the successful former coach.

“Ten NCAA tournaments in twelve years is a lot of expectation coming in,” mentioned Hager. “Typically when you take over a job, you’re either taking over a job where the only way to go is up, or in this case, you need to maintain it or the only way to go is down.”

Marc Hager is continuing to make himself at home in his new town of Quincy, even though he is already used to the small town feel coming from McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois. Although he is taking a lot of advice from Musso, Hager is excited to get the ball rolling in his own way for the upcoming fall season.

“They are big shoes to fill for sure, but what I do know is that I have a great group coming back, a group I know very well, and it’s in a conference that I know very well. I’m excited for the season,” said Hager.