TOLEDO, Ohio - University of Toledo women's soccer coach TJ Buchholz announced the hiring of Jaelyn Cunningham as an assistant coach on Tuesday. Cunningham's duties for the Rockets will include working with the program's goalkeepers and defenders in addition to serving as the program's recruiting coordinator and camp coordinator.
 
"We are excited to have Jaelyn join our staff," Buchholz said. "She was a fantastic goalkeeper at the collegiate and professional level and came highly recommended by several top coaches in our profession.  One thing that definitely stands out about Jaelyn is her energy and passion for the game.  I am excited for the impact she is going to have on our program this fall."  

Cunningham joins the Rockets after serving as an assistant coach at NCAA Division II Queens (N.C.) University. During her time with the Royals, sophomore Erica Turner earned first-team all-conference honors after posting a 5-1-1 record and a .903 save percentage. Turner also was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week on three occasions.
 
Cunningham also worked with goalkeepers at the Charlotte Soccer Academy and the No. 1-ranked Providence Day High School's girls' soccer team during her time in Charlotte, N.C.
 
"I couldn't be more excited to join the staff here at Toledo," Cunningham said. "I'm grateful to TJ and Paul for bringing me on board. I think this is a great opportunity for me to learn and grow as a young coach. I look forward to getting to know the team and getting after it this fall." 

Cunningham played collegiately at Illinois (2016-19) where she earned second-team All-Big 10 honors as a junior. During that season, she posted an 11-7-1 mark, a 1.02 goals-against average and career-best .772 save percentage en route to posting six shutouts. Cunningham was also named Illinois' Team MVP in 2017 and 2018 and ranks second in Fighting Illini history with 106 saves.
 
Cunningham played two years in the Women's Premier Soccer League as well. She played for two league champions, Seattle Sounders (2018) and Chicago Red Stars (2019) and won the WPSL's Golden Glove award in 2019.
 
A Reynoldsburg, Ohio native, Cunningham graduated with her bachelor's degree in marketing from Illinois in 2019.