The athletic department announced Wendy Dillinger as Iowa State’s new head soccer coach on Thursday.

Dillinger ranks 14th among NCAA Division III active coaches with a .756 winning percentage while coaching Washington University in St. Louis to an 86-25-8 record. Washington went to four Div. III NCAA Tournaments and won three conference championships.

“I am very honored and excited to be joining a great athletics department team at Iowa State with a chance to compete in one of the most-respected conferences in the nation,” Dillinger said in a press release. “Jamie Pollard’s vision and plan for Cyclone athletics are aggressive and energized, and I want to be a part of taking the next big step at ISU.”

The Cyclones lost to Texas A&M in overtime in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament to end their 2007 season.

The Cyclones started the season with a 6-1-3 record, including a tie at home to No. 3 Texas, before losing six of their last nine games.

“Building on the success of the Iowa State soccer program will require leadership, drive, direction and an aggressive recruiting philosophy, Dillinger said. “The energy and excitement at ISU will draw talented student-athletes.”

Dillinger also said the team would play with an “attacking style.”

Her Washington team went 17-3 overall and 7-0 in University Athletic Association play in 2007, tying a school record.

Dillinger and her staff were named UAA Coaching Staff of the Year after her team advanced to the NCAA Sectional Semifinals.

“During the evaluative and interview processes, it was clear that Wendy had an extreme passion for developing an outstanding college women’s soccer program in the classroom and on the field,” senior associate athletics director Calli Sanders said in a press release. “Beyond her expectation for success is a detailed vision for how it will happen.”

Dillinger will replace former ISU coach Rebecca Hornbacher, who resigned from the program this year. Hornbacher coached at Iowa State for six seasons and left as the winningest coach in ISU history. Hornbacher resigned to “begin a new chapter” in her life.