Crookston, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston athletics department and Athletics Director Stephanie Helgeson announced the hiring of Neil Mancktelow as head women's soccer coach on Friday afternoon.
Mancktelow becomes the sixth Head Coach in program history and succeeds Kyle Halfpop, who resigned earlier this month.
"I am excited to name Neil as our sixth Head Coach in program history," Helgeson said. "Neil is a coach we were impressed with this past season as an Assistant Coach. He spent numerous hours outside of the pitch with the student-athletes and he is very passionate about the program. He has great determination and work ethic. I think he will do great things with Golden Eagle soccer," Helgeson continued.
Mancktelow was named assistant coach for the Golden Eagles in August of 2022 and helped guide the goalkeepers and the Golden Eagles to two wins this season, their most since 2016, when they won three matches.
"I would like to thank the AD (Stephanie Helgeson) for this opportunity and I look forward to beginning my journey with University of Minnesota Crookston,"said Mancktelow. "The campus and community have been very welcoming since my arrival, and I am excited to continue working with this group of student athletes and the staff here in the athletic department. WINGS UP and GO GOLDEN EAGLES!"
Prior to helping guide the Golden Eagles for a season, Mancktelow was most recently the head women's soccer coach at Mount Marty University in Yankton, S.D. from 2018-20. His 2018 squad scored 12 goals. Defensively his best team was the 2019 squad, allowing 2.85 goals per game. Mount Marty competes in NAIA, as a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).
Prior to his appointment as head coach at Mount Marty, Mancktelow served three years as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I institution University of South Dakota from 2015-18. Mancktelow helped the Coyotes reach the 2015 Summit League Tournament, compiling an 8-12 mark on the season. He aided Elena Tsakakis to CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, and coached six players to eight all-conference accolades during his three years.
Before his arrival at South Dakota, Mancktelow served as director of coaching as well as academy director for Sampson County Soccer Club in Clinton, N.C. Mancktelow was a collegiate player, competing first at Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga., and then at SUNY Canton in New York.
He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in sport management from SUNY Canton. Mancktelow received his Master of Arts in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in leadership, management, and communication, followed by his Master of Arts in sport management from the University of South Dakota. He is originally from Maidstone, the county town of Kent, England.
