UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-RIVER FALLS ATHLETICS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Competitive Sports Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Hockey Coach
Amanda Ryder is back with the Falcon coaching staff for her eighth season in 2021-22, leading the UWRF defenders.
Ryder was a four-year letter winner with the Falcons and was a key player for UWRF from 2009-13. After her senior season she was named to the AHCA All-American team. She finished her career with 20 goals and 56 points in 114 games and was named to the first All-NCHA teams three times.
In 2013-14, Ryder was an assistant girls hockey and softball coach at Hudson High School. She has also worked at Exceed Hockey coaching off-ice training for players aged 9-18.
Ryder earned her degree from UWRF in 2013 in exercise and sports science.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
- Director of Athletic
- Head Softball Coach
- Senior Woman Administrator
Amber Dohlman begins her eighth season as the head softball coach in 2023.
In addition to her coaching duties, Dohlman is the Director of Athletic communications and the Senior Women's Administrator at UW-River Falls. She is an active member of the NCAA Softball Regional Advisory Committee and has served as the NCAA Representative at multiple NCAA Championships.
Dohlmen led the Falcons to a 14-22-1 record in her first year. Previously, Dohlman had been the head softball coach and assistant sports information director at Millikin University since 2012.She led the Big Blue to a 20-15 record in her first season as head coach. She has a 67-79-1 overall record as the head coach. She has been a member of the NCAA regional ranking committee (2013-15) and organized and ran the first ever Millikin Big Blue softball tournament. She has participated in several national coaching clinics and coordinated and conducted offense/defense clinics for youth aged 10-18. She served as an NCAA Championships game representative for the last three seasons. Dohlman has recruited and coached two All-Americans, 13 All-Region players, three All-CCIW players and 18 All-WIAC players.
"Coming back to UWRF is a dream come true," said Dohlman. "I always hoped that I would get an opportunity to come back and be a part of this program and help it grow. River Falls is home, it is the place I have compared every other university too. It's a special place with great people and great athletes. Coaching at your alma mater is what I think every coach hopes they can do sometime in their career."
Dohlman joined the Millikin staff after serving as an assistant softball coach at the UW-Eau Claire and UWRF. Dohlman spent 2011 and 2012 on the staff of Wisconsin-Eau Claire helping coach the Blugolds to a 33-14 record, the WIAC regular season championship, and a spot in the NCAA DIII Tournament in 2012.
Dohlman was on the staff at River Falls from 2006-2010. UWRF compiled a 134-76-1 record during her five years as a student assistant and assistant coach. She has a career record of 195-104-1 as an assistant coach. Dohlman was the Head Coach of the Minnesota SnoCatz Fastpitch Club team in Brooklyn Park, Minn. from 2010 to 2012.
In addition to coaching, Dohlman worked in the sports information offices at Millikin, Eau Claire and River Falls. She has several years of experience in media relations, statistics, web streaming, social media and web page production.
Dohlman took over the Falcon softball program after Faye Perkins retired as head coach at the end of the 2015 season. She was an assistant coach under Perkins during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
She earned her undergraduate degree in 2008 from UWRF in secondary education-health and human performance with an emphasis in exercise and sport science.
Job Titles:
- Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Job Titles:
- Associate Head Volleyball Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Track and Field Coach - Throws
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head Golf Coach
- Head Women 's Golf Coach
Orlenko came to River Falls after serving as the head girl's golf coach at Woodbury High School for five years. He has previously served as an assistant golf professional at country clubs in Wisconsin and Florida.
As a high school coach, Orlenko led Woodbury to Minnesota AAA State Tournament berths in three of the five years at the helm, with the best finish coming in 2018. In all five years he had a player qualify individually for the state tournament, including a personal best of second place in the 2018 edition. Orlenko's team also never finished lower than third place in the Suburban East Conference, with multiple all-conference members, and an overall conference championship in 2018. He was also named section coach of the year in 2015, 2016, and 2018.
Orlenko played professionally as a member of the Wisconsin PGA Section from 2007-09 and continues to play in the amateur ranks. He earned a degree in business administration from UW-Eau Claire in 2006. Bryan and his wife Corbin family reside in Apple Valley, Minn., with their daughters Corinne, Bridget, and Noelle.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Assistant Women 's Lacrosse Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Athletics Director - Facilities and Events
Job Titles:
- Assistant Athletic Trainer - Twin Cities Orthopedics
Job Titles:
- Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Job Titles:
- Administration
- Athletics Director
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Team Physician - Twin Cities Orthopedics
Job Titles:
- Team Physician - Allina Health
Job Titles:
- Assistant Volleyball Coach
Job Titles:
- Voulnteer Athletic Trainer
Job Titles:
- Assistant Track and Field Coach - Pole Vault
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Lacrosse Coach
Job Titles:
- Fitness and Member Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Assistant Volleyball Coach
Job Titles:
- Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
Job Titles:
- Recreation Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers / Assistant Head Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Corporate Sponsor Coordinator
- Head Men 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Hockey Coach
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Assistant Golf Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Hockey Coach
Job Titles:
- Head Women 's Hockey Coach
Job Titles:
- Laundry and Equipment Manager
- Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers
Job Titles:
- Assistant Special Teams Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Track and Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Assistant Women 's Lacrosse Coach
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Head Women 's Tennis Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Associate Athletics Director - Compliance and Student - Athlete Services
Job Titles:
- Assistant Track and Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Head Athletic Trainer - Twin Cities Orthopedics
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men 's Basketball Coach
- Head Women's Golf Coach / Assistant Men 's Basketball Coach
Lance Westberg is in his fifth season with the men's basketball coaching staff in 2018-19.
Prior to joining the Falcons, Westberg spent a season as an assistant coach at River Falls High School and also spent three seasons as the Head Coach and Director of the Minnesota based Triple Threat Club team.
Prior to joining the coaching profession, Westberg played for four years at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul where he was a part of three regular season UMAC championships, three conference tournament championships, and three NCAA national tournament appearances from 2010-13. Individually, he earned honorable mention to the All-UMAC team during the 2012-13 season along with being named the conference championship MVP, and the UMAC Individual Sportsmanship Award.
The former River Falls High School player graduated from the University of Northwestern with a bachelor's degree in educational studies. He continued his education with a post-baccalaureate degree in Math Education at UW-River Falls in 2015.
Westberg is actively involved with the Falcon recruiting efforts, perimeter player development, scouting and directs the Falcon summer basketball camps.
Westberg, resides in River Falls and is currently a Math teacher in the River Falls school district and is in his fourth season as the Head Women's Golf Coach at UW-River Falls.
Job Titles:
- Program Assistant / Skate School Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Head Football Coach / Quarterbacks
Job Titles:
- Head Cross Country Coach / Assistant Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Defensive Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Assistant Golf Coach
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Campus Recreation
Job Titles:
- Media and Technology Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Head Women 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Athletic Trainer - Twin Cities Orthopedics
Job Titles:
- Associate Head Men 's Hockey Coach
Job Titles:
- Head Women 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Assistant Track and Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Associate Athletics Director - Business Affairs
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Head Women 's Lacrosse Coach
- Second Women 's Lacrosse Head Coach
Talia Hayes was hired as the UWRF's second women's lacrosse head coach in program history in November of 2021.
Under Hayes, the Falcons are coming off a 12-5 season in 2023, including an 8-0 record at home and finishing ranked seventh in NCAA Division III Region VII. In her first season at the helm in 2022, Hayes led the Falcons to a 15-2 overall record, finishing the year ranked eighth in Region VII and leading NCAA Division III in shots per game (42.8) and shots on goal per game (32.4).
Hayes has experience as an assistant coach at the high school level, spending time as the Eastview High School (Apple Valley, Minn.) girls lacrosse varsity assistant coach since 2017. In addition, she coaches club lacrosse with Pipeline Lacrosse Minnesota and previously spent time coaching the successful Minnesota Loons Select girls' lacrosse team, winning multiple tournaments.
A three-year team captain and Midwest Women's Lacrosse All-Conference honoree at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Minn., Hayes is the Northwestern women's lacrosse all-time leading scorer with 258 points off 179 goals and 79 assists. She was also the league's Rookie of the Year and was a three-time Team MVP.
Also a member of the Northwestern women's basketball team, she helped lead the Eagles to an NCCAA National Championship appearance as a team captain. In 2020, she was named an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee and earned the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award.
She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Biology and master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Northwestern.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Athletics Director - Strategic Communications
- Athletic Communications