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With the 2025 fall season for Pace Athletics set to kick off on August 30 with football’s opening day, the department has announced several coaching changes and additions ahead of the new academic year. Football enters a new era under the leadership—and return—of Chad Walker, while men’s soccer welcomes its first head coach since reinstatement, and women’s soccer promotes its 2024 associate head coach.

Walker, who previously served as offensive coordinator for the football program from 2014 to 2016—during which time he recruited some of the most well-known names in Pace football history, including Jalen Bien-Aime, Jah’Sheem Martin, and Prince Unaegbu—returns to lead the team for the 2025 campaign.

“We are fired up to come back home to Pace University, a place that we hold dear to our hearts,” Walker said. “I've always believed that Pace University was one of the most underrated universities in the country and has so much to offer students—from diverse academic curriculum and career preparation to internship opportunities and the best location in the world.”

Pace football will kick off the fall season for the department with a nonconference matchup against Saint Anselm College at Northwell Stadium on August 30 at 5:00 p.m. Looking ahead to the season, Walker shared his vision: “This season is about raising our standard—not just talking about excellence but living it every day. I’m most looking forward to seeing our guys grow as athletes, teammates, and men.”

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On the soccer side of Pace Athletics, Edward Evans—who was part of the women’s coaching staff for eleven seasons—was named head coach of the men’s program in January 2025. Brittany Soto, previously associate head coach for women’s soccer, has been promoted to lead the women’s team.

Evans and Pace’s first official men’s soccer roster in thirty-five years will compete in a full eighteen-game Northeast-10 (NE10) Conference schedule. Their first contest is scheduled for September 4 at 3:30 p.m. at Northwell Stadium against Goldey-Beacom College.

“I am excited to bring back the men’s soccer program for the first time since 1990,” said Evans. “It’s an honor to be a part of it, and the support we’ve already received from the soccer community has been incredible.”

Soto joined Pace in fall 2024 as associate head coach for the women’s soccer program. As of January 2025, she has been promoted to head coach and will make her debut on September 5 at 5:00 p.m. at Northwell Stadium against Georgian Court University.

She brings with her a résumé spanning fifteen years at the club and high school levels. In 2021 and 2022, she led the Hopkins School team in Connecticut to the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) quarterfinals, and in 2015, was named Head Coach of the Year with the Knoxville Crush.

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“I am truly honored for the incredible opportunity to lead the women’s soccer program and deeply grateful to Coach Evans for his mentorship this past season,” Soto said. “With a rich history and a strong foundation laid by those before me, this program stands on a legacy of excellence. I look forward to building upon that tradition, working closely with our players, and guiding the team toward continued success.”

For full schedules and updates, visit the Pace Athletics website.

The 2025 season for Pace University softball was nothing short of historic. Under the leadership of head coach Claudia Stabile, now in her forty-fourth season, the Setters rewrote the program’s record books and reached the NCAA Division II Championship for the first time in school history.

After a solid start in late February, including early-season sweeps of Fairmont State and Shippensburg, Pace faced adversity during a tough West Coast road trip in March, dropping six straight contests. What followed, however, became the defining stretch of their season—and one of the most dominant runs in all of Division II softball this year.

Beginning with a pair of home wins over Dominican University on March 23, the Setters rattled off twenty-seven consecutive victories, a program record that stretched over five weeks. The streak featured series sweeps, walk-off wins, and shutouts, culminating in a perfect 20–0 record in Northeast-10 (NE10) Conference play. The Setters controlled games from start to finish, eventually climbing to No. 14 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) national rankings.

Pace went 31–2 at home and capped the regular season by sweeping Southern New Hampshire, Saint Anselm, and Saint Michael’s, securing the top seed in the NE10 Tournament. There, they continued their winning ways, defeating Bentley, Adelphi, and Assumption to claim the NE10 Championship.

In the NCAA East Regional, Pace dispatched D’Youville and St. Thomas Aquinas before topping Bentley again to advance to the NCAA East Super Regional. A nine-inning loss in Game 1 to Wilmington (Del.) nearly halted their momentum, but true to their mindset all spring, the Setters responded. They shut out Wilmington 8–0 in Game 2, then closed out the series with a 5–1 victory to earn their first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Once on the national stage, the Blue and Gold proved they belonged among the country’s best. After a narrow 3–2 loss to Central Oklahoma, the Setters bounced back with a 2–0 win over Shippensburg and a thrilling 2–1, ten-inning victory over Saginaw Valley State. They ultimately fell just one game short of the national championship series, closing the year with a 4–2 semifinal loss to Tampa.

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Statistically, the Setters were among the nation’s elite, finishing with a 48–13 overall record and a program-best national ranking of No. 4. Ace pitcher Gisselle Garcia turned in a historic season, going 30–6 with a 0.73 ERA and 400 strikeouts. Offensively, Pace was led by Riley Jenkins (.354 BA, 32 RBIs), Willa Poplawski (.344 BA, 41 RBIs), and Brianna Shea (.293 BA, 33 RBIs). As a team, they outscored opponents 257–102 while setting a multitude of program records.

The team collected a slew of accolades, including All-American, All-Region, All-Conference, and Academic All-District honors. Garcia became the program’s first NFCA First-Team All-American and set multiple school records for both single-season and career pitching statistics.

Coach Claudia Stabile led the Setters through a year that forever transformed the program. Known for her exceptional guidance and player-first philosophy, she helped elevate the team into a national contender. In recognition of her impact, she was named NE10 Head Coach of the Year for the second time in her illustrious career. The entire coaching staff was honored as the ATEC/NFCA East Region Coaching Staff of the Year, reflecting their remarkable leadership throughout the season.

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The 2025 season was a milestone not only for its results but for the standard it established. A record-setting 48-win campaign, a 27-game win streak, an East Regional title, a conference championship, and a trip to the NCAA Division II semifinals cemented the Setters’ 2025 season as one of the greatest in Pace University athletics history.