Kansas State women's soccer coach Mike Dibbini resigns, citing health reasons

MANHATTAN — Mike Dibbini, the only head coach Kansas State women's soccer has known, stepped down on Monday, citing health concerns.

Dibbini was hired for the position in December 2014, shortly after K-State announced it was starting a program beginning with the fall 2016 season. K-State announced that it would begin a national search for a new coach immediately.

"Due to some health concerns that I have dealt with over the last 18 to 24 months, I have decided to step away from K-State soccer to focus on my health," Dibbini said in a statement. "It has been an honor to be the first head soccer coach at K-State

"I am proud of what we were able to accomplish during the building process of this program the last 10-plus years. The current and former players that have been here will always have a special place in my heart."

In his nine seasons at K-State, Dibbini's Wildcat teams had a 38-98-21 record, including a 3-12-3 mark this fall. Their best year was 2022, when they went 6-10-3 and made the school's first and only Big 12 Tournament appearance.

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"We appreciate coach Dibbini and all he has done to help build our soccer program,” K-State athletics director Gene Taylor said. "Starting a program from scratch is demanding and difficult and he and his staff have made strides over the past nine years. I think the world of Mike Dibbini. We wish Mike and his terrific family nothing but the best."

Dibbini, a 1999 graduate of Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, got his start in coaching with Salina Central High School from 1999-2006 before taking over the men's and women's programs at his alma mater.

Kansas Wesleyan thrived under Dibbini, who had a combined men's and women's record of 244-65-25 from 2005-12, winning 24 total Kansas Conference titles and leading the Coyotes to 13 NAIA postseason appearances. He was a 12-time KCAC coach of the year.

Dibbini left Wesleyan in 2013 to take the women's coaching job at Division II Cal Poly Pomona, where he compiled a two-year record of 21-13-6 before returning to Kansas in 2014.

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State women's soccer coach Mike Dibbini resigns, citing health reasons