Josh Lenarz ‘98 is in his 22nd season as the head coach of the women’s soccer program. In his tenure entering the 2023 season, he has accumulated a 320-122-34 career coaching record and is fifth on the NAIA's active coaching wins list.. Under his leadership, the Trolls are a perennial front-runner in the conference, has earned recognition as a national tournament qualifier, and have regularly found themselves in the NAIA Top 25 ratings.
In 2019, the Trolls had an overall record of 17-3-1, making it to the opening round of the NAIA National Championships. They finished second in the conference for the regular season with a 10-2 record.
During the 2018 season, he coached the team to a NCCAA National Championship, a CCAC regular season championship, and a 21-2-2 overall record and a 9-1 conference record.
Lenarz led teams to the post-season national tournaments 13 times in the past 15 seasons, which includes five appearances to the NAIA National Championships. During the 2017 season, they advanced to the Opening Round as the conference tournament champs. In the 2011 season, the team, at 16-4-2, earned an at-large bid to the opening round. The program made its first-ever NAIA appearance in 2008 with the team advancing to the Final Four and making it to the Sweet Sixteen the following season.
In addition, the Trolls advanced to the NCCAA National Championships eight times with the latest appearance being in 2018. Earning Trinity’s first ever national title, the team claimed the championship in 2005. They finished in third place in each the 2007 and 2010 seasons.
Under his leadership, the team also earned conference regular season championship titles in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. In 2009 and 2017, they claimed the conference tournament title. The team also earned the CCAC Karl Boeck Champions of Character Award four times.
Lenarz was named the CCAC Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2018. He has also been recognized as the NCCAA National Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2008, the NCCAA North Central Region Coach of the Year 12 times, and the 2005 NAIA Region VII Coach of the Year. In 2016, he received the NISOA/NCCAA Frank Jewell Award for Christian character and integrity while coaching.
Lenarz’s coaching experience also includes an USSF National Coaching License, four years as the assistant coach for Trinity's men’s team, and two seasons as the varsity girls’ coach at Timothy Christian High School in Elmhurst, Ill. He also worked with the Chicago Gaels, a semi-professional women's soccer team.
A graduate of Trinity, Lenarz received a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He also has a master’s degree in higher education-college student affairs from Azusa Pacific University. He was a four-year soccer player at Trinity, earning all-conference honors for four years and NCCAA All-American honors three times.
Lenarz is also the assistant director of athletics at Trinity. He and his wife, Kelly, and children, Peyton, Casey, Dylan and Ryder, reside in Palos Heights, Illinois.
