CHICAGO – Head coach Angela Staveskie has announced the hiring of two highly anticipated assistant coaches, Gabby Whittinghill and Jim Schneiderhahn.
Whittinghill, with a US Soccer "D" license, joins the Ramblers after serving as the head varsity soccer coach at Elk Grove High School for five years. She was also named athletic director at Chicago Public School's Luther Burbank in 2022.
In 2024 under Whittinghill's leadership, the Grenadiers had their first winning season and best conference finish at No. 2 since 2018. They kicked off the season with a seven-game win streak and recorded 10 total shutouts.
Whittinghill played semi-professionally in the USL W League with Chicago City Soccer Club from 2018 to 2023 and was a captain and leading goal scorer for the '19 and '20 seasons.
"I am so excited to work with such a great group of dedicated athletes and coaches. I'd like to thank Angela for this opportunity; everyone I've met here has been more than welcoming," said Whittinghill. "Loyola has strong values of togetherness and family and I'm looking forward to being a part of that. There has been a ton of success on the women's side, and I am excited to keep pushing this talented group to see where we can go."
Whittinghill received a Bachelor of Science in physical education from DePaul University then completed a Master of Exercise Science in health and fitness promotion at Concordia University.
"Gabby is a wonderful addition to our program. As a player, she was a confident, creative forward with a nose for goals. As a varsity girls head coach, she has had years of great success in building a program and taking it to the next level," said Staveskie. "Her confidence and ability to connect with our players made her a natural fit as a Loyola Rambler."
St. Louis native, Schneiderhahn comes to Loyola with over two decades of coaching experience. Most recently he was the assistant women's soccer coach at Purdue for nine seasons.
With the Boilermakers, Schneiderhahn helped bring in a top-20 recruiting class in 2022, and in 2021, he guided the team to its first NCAA tournament berth since 2009. The '21 squad capped the season with the program's second-most wins ever, 15-4-3, and they had their best conference finish in school history at No. 2 in the Big Ten.
During his tenure, Schneiderhahn coached two All-Americans, forwards Sarah Griffith ('21) and Maddy Williams ('17), and two NWSL 2021 draft picks, Griffith and goalkeeper Marisa Bova.
Prior to his accomplished career at Purdue, Schneiderhahn was an integral part of Illinois State's four consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances from 2011 to 2014. He was honored three times in the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year awards after winning regular-season conference titles in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
Schneiderhahn was head coach at Division II Emporia State in Kansas from 2006 to 2010, and before that he started his coaching career as a men's assistant coach at his alma mater Benedictine College in the late 1990s. He then became the women's soccer head coach in 2000.
Since 1996, Schneiderhan has served as a staff assistant in the United States Youth Soccer Association's Olympics Development Program and was a record-breaking goaltender during his student-athlete days at Benedictine.
"Jim has a wealth of knowledge and experience having coached collegiate women's soccer for over 25 years and achieving great success at this level. I'm excited for our players and staff to lean into his experiences," said Staveskie. "His strengths as a person and coach complement our staff and we're so happy to welcome him to the Rambler family."
