LIBERTY, Mo. – William Jewell College is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas Bledsoe as the head women's soccer coach, starting February 5. He is the 10th head coach in program history.
"We are excited to welcome Thomas Bledsoe to the Jewell community. His high level of energy combined with his experience in strong Division II programs will help move our women's soccer team forward in a positive direction," said Senior Associate Athletics Director JaeLynn Ellison. "Our student-athletes have been engaged throughout this process and are excited to get started. We are looking forward to the next era of Jewell soccer under Coach Bledsoe's leadership."
Bledsoe has spent the last two seasons at Emporia State University as an assistant coach as the Hornets went 9-6-5, 5-2-5 in the MIAA in 2025, and advanced to the semifinal of the MIAA Tournament after beating No. 16 Washburn in the quarterfinal round. Over the course of the season ESU was ranked as high as No. 9 in the Central region. In 2024, the Hornets were ranked No. 17 in the Division II preseason poll and posted their best conference record in three years. During the campaign Emporia tied teams ranked No. 5 and No. 15 in the Midwest region and beat then-No. 7 regionally ranked Northwest Missouri State.
Bledsoe has mentored eight All-MIAA honorees, a MIAA Offensive Notable Performer, and saw over 75% of new players starting at least two games and averaging 40-plus minutes per contest in 2024. Off the field the team had a 3.856 grade point average in the Spring and led the nation in service hours across all Division II programs.
Before his tenure at Emporia, Bledsoe was an assistant at Montana State University – Billings. In his time with the Yellowjackets he was a part of beating nationally ranked No. 24 Western Oregon, mentored four All-GNAC honorees, and held a 3.48 team GPA.
Out of college, he spent a year at Missouri Southern State University mentoring a program-record six All-MIAA honorees
A native of Belton, Mo., Bledsoe played one season at Southwest Baptist University before an injury forced him into a coaching role that he occupied for three seasons with the Bearcats until his graduation after which he earned his master's degree in athletic/activity administration in 2023, also through Southwest Baptist.
"First I want to think Chris McCabe, JaeLynn Ellison, Will Schneider, and the rest of athletic staff at William Jewell for welcoming me to campus and extending the opportunity to become the next head coach of William Jewell Women's Soccer," said Bledsoe. "Also, a special thanks to Jane Grimley-Gunn for taking a chance on me, bringing me back home, and allowing me to grow as a coach and person in Emporia over the last 18 months. I am so very excited to get started and see just how special William Jewell and my new women's soccer team really is."
