Iowa AD Beth Goetz gives update on softball coaching search

IOWA CITY — As Iowa softball begins postseason play this week, whether Karl Gollan loses the “acting” part of his title as the Hawkeyes’ acting head coach remains uncertain.

The athletics department announced last week via a press release that it will conduct a national search for its next head softball coach since previous head coach Renee Gillispie will not return in 2026. (She has missed the 2025 season due to a “personal medical matter.”)

“We certainly have asked Karl to participate in the process if he’s interested,” Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz told The Gazette. “But we will — as we typically do — we’ll do a national search to make sure we have the right leader for that group going forward.”

Gollan joined Iowa’s staff after the 2024 season as an assistant coach and then was promoted to acting head coach after interim head coach Brian Levin’s contract was terminated with cause in March.

Iowa’s results under Gollan have been outstanding. The Hawkeyes’ 15-7 Big Ten record is their best since a Gayle Blevins-led team went 14-6 in 2008. The Hawkeyes are seeded sixth in the Big Ten tournament, which will begin on Wednesday. (It is a remarkable difference from 2024, when the Hawkeyes went 6-17 in Big Ten play and missed the conference tournament.)

Goetz said the qualities she values when searching for Iowa’s next softball coach is “the same in terms of how I think about filling any of these coaching positions.”

“We want to find people that are going to be great representatives of the institution, that fit our culture obviously, that have the skill and knowledge to develop,” Goetz said. “We’re looking for teachers of the craft, but most importantly, it’s an overall commitment to how they want to develop our young people.”

Recent internal hires within Iowa Athletics include Jan Jensen’s promotion from associate women’s basketball head coach to head coach in 2024 and Goetz’s promotion from interim athletics director to permanent athletics director in 2023. Goetz’s promotion followed a national search.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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