Coaches

Head coach - T.J. Buchholz

Buchholz, Wartburg's second full-time men's and women's soccer coach, led Northwestern (Iowa) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Great Plains Athletic Conference to four of its most successful men's seasons in school history in 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007 with the squad winning 10-or-matches each time. His overall record with the men's program was 68-59-4 and included a Great Plains Athletic Conference championship in 2004 and an NAIA Region III tournament title and national tournament berth last fall. He took the reigns of Northwestern's women's program last fall, guiding the 2007 team to seven wins.

“I'm extremely excited about this opportunity,” Buchholz said. “Wartburg is an institution that values academics and athletics, and you can see that by the type of students that come to campus. As far as the immediate plans with the soccer program, I know the pieces have been put into place. It's time, now, to continue the process of taking things forward.”

Before serving his alma mater as head coach of the men's and women's programs, Buchholz was Northwestern's assistant men's coach in 2000 after graduating from NWC in 1999 and was the campus' director of security from 2004-07. He was a member of Northwestern's soccer team from 1995-98, earning all-conference honors his senior year as well as the team's Most Valuable Defensive Player Award.

T.J., who recently concluded a master's degree in sports management at California University of Pennsylvania, his wife, Candace, and daughters, Chloe and Season, reside in Denver.

Sara Johnson, Assistant coach

Johnson, the captain of the 2004 NCAA Division III national championship team at Wheaton College of Illinois, is in her second season with the Wartburg women's soccer program in 2008.

Prior to arriving in Waverly, Johnson served as head junior varsity coach at Wheaton (Ill.) Academy High School during the 2006-07 academic year. She had also been a counselor for various Athletes in Action summer camps in British Columbia, Canada, while playing with the Fraser Valley Action FC team in 2003.

Besides the 2004 national championship, Johnson’s collegiate playing career was highlighted with all-region honors in 2003 and 2004, the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Player of the Year award in 2003, all-CCIW honors in 2003 and 2004, and an Ohio Valley Conference all-league honor in 2001 when she attended Eastern Illinois University.