UC Davis Athletics

Synonymous with success, Joyner has improved the Aggies in each and every season, with 2023 being no different, leading UC Davis to one of their best finishes in program history while becoming just the second Aggie coach to ever earn a Coach of the Year honor, after being donned as the 2023 Big West Coach of the Year.

Joyner backed up the program’s historic 2022 campaign with an even better encore in 2023, guiding UC Davis to a second-straight season as the No. 2 seed in the Big West after compiling a 10-6-2 regular season record, being one of only two Big West teams to reach double-digit win totals. The Aggies entered the year predicted to finish fifth in the preseason poll and shattered all expectations. Joyner’s team led the conference in goal differential (+10), goals against average (0.944), shutout percentage (0.444), while also ranking second in total goals (27), and third in scoring offense (1.50). Joyner’s record-breaking success the past two seasons has provided UC Davis with two top-two finishes in the regular season after having not placed higher than 3rd in the Big West prior to her arrival.

On a developmental note, under Joyner’s guidance this past season, Leslie Fregoso, became the first Aggie to ever capture an individual Big West end-of-year award, securing the Midfielder of the Year. In addition to Fregoso, the Aggies earned a total of five All-Big West honors and one All-Freshman award. Fregoso solidified herself as the best midfielder in the conference and was selected to the All-Big West First Team. Midfielder Risa Yamada and defender Bella Mayo received All-Big West Second Team selections, while forward Sam Tristan was recognized as an honorable mention. Elise Picard was the final Aggie to be honored, finding herself on the All-Freshman Team. 2023 marked the second straight year in which Joyner helped lead five or more Aggies to end of season All-Big West honors.

Prior to Joyner’s Big West Coach of the Year season, the Aggies’ achievements in 2022 put UC Davis on the map. Registering the first win over a ranked opponent in program history was just a small fraction of the success captured that season. The Aggies would go on and end the year second in the Big West with a final record of 9-6-4, giving UC Davis their best regular season finish since joining the conference. A large contributor to this historic finish was a five-game win streak that Joyner guided the team to, starting with a win on the road at UC Santa Barbara on October 9, extending all the way until October 27, with another road win against Long Beach State in the regular season finale to secure the No. 2 seed this past fall. The six conference wins were the most in the Division-I era for an Aggie team, and the most since 2003.

It was after this 2022 campaign in which she signed a multi-year contract extension, a contract that that will run through the 2028 season.

“I am excited for the future of our women’s soccer program under the leadership of Tracy Joyner,” said Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca. “As one of the top soccer coaches in the country, she’s done a remarkable job positioning UC Davis for sustained success and we’re proud to support her championship pursuits.”

Under Joyner's leadership in 2022, UC Davis saw a record five Aggies win post season awards as Leslie Fregoso, Jayde Holley, Emma Vane, Francesca Van Norden, and Sarah Canavan all had career years under her guidance. The three first team inclusions of Fregoso, Holley and Vane, was the first time UC Davis had three first team selections since 2001, and the first time ever in the Division-I era.

Uplifting the program in all facets since her arrival, Joyner has been able to maintain both success on and off the pitch for her student-athletes. On top of leading the program to new highs with on-the-field success, the Aggies have been model students in the classroom under Joyner's leadership, most recently posting a 3.57 team GPA this past year which was a Davis Athletics high during the Fall quarter and a program best for Women's Soccer in the Division 1 era.

In 2021, Joyner led UC Davis to its best record since 2015 at 10-8 just one year after the Big West Conference canceled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Aggies' 2021 win total was the just second time in the last 21 seasons that UC Davis achieved double-digit wins in a season and its first double-digit win season in the Division I era. Joyner guided UC Davis to wins over both UC Irvine and Cal Poly, the regular season and conference tournament champions respectively, on the way to that total.

Leslie Fregoso and Risa Yamada were named to the All-Big West first team and freshman Jayde Holley made the all-freshman team under Joyner's watch in 2021. It was the first time UC Davis had two first team selections since 2013 and the seventh straight season an Aggie has made the all-freshman team.

In May 2022, Joyner was inducted into the California Storm Hall of Fame alongside World Cup and Olympic gold medalists Brandi Chastain and Leslie Osborne, as well as FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner from Brazil, Sissi.

Under Joyner, the Aggies have seen a member of their team garner an All-Big West selection 12 times, including six first team selections.

Her debut season featured a young UC Davis roster that shined in the first nationally-broadcasted game of the Joyner era when the Aggies defeated defending Big West regular season and Tournament champions Long Beach State on its home field. That result was Joyner's inaugural Big West victory and the program's first win against the 49ers on their home turf since September 11, 1984.

When her first season at the helm of women's soccer concluded, Janae Gonzalez, Janessa Staab and Leslie Fregoso earned the first All-Big West Conference awards of their respective careers. With help from Coach Joyner, Gonzalez signed two professional contracts following graduation with Club America and Matzalan in the Liga MX Femenil.

Due to COVID-19, the Big West Conference canceled the 2020 season on December 10, 2020, due to the ongoing health and safety challenges affecting Big West campuses, their communities, and the significant resources required to properly safeguard the health and well-being of all student-athletes.

Prior to her tenure with the Aggies, Coach Joyner led the San Francisco State women's soccer program from 2015-19. Joyner arrived on campus and immediately set out to turn around a program that had posted a winning overall record only twice in the previous 11 years. That mission was accomplished because she guided the Golden Gators to four consecutive winning campaigns, including back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2017 (10-5-3) and 2018 (10-6-3).

Sporting an overall record of 36-25-12 in her four years at the helm, including winning records in the always difficult California Collegiate Athletic Association in each of her last two seasons. Joyner led San Francisco State to a berth in the 2018 CCAA tournament for the first time since 2010, advancing on penalty kicks over Cal State San Marcos in the first round before facing No. 10 UC San Diego in the semifinals.

Her first two seasons saw the Golden Gators post back-to-back winning records for the first time since 2002 with identical 8-7-3 marks in 2015 and 2016.

Impacting the program on the field and in the classroom, she helped student-athletes earn 48 CCAA All-Academic Team awards, 14 All-CCAA women's soccer honors — including a trio of first-team selections, two United Soccer Coaches all-region selections, and SFSU's first-ever CCAA Goalkeeper of the Year selection.

In addition to her duties at San Francisco State, Joyner was the head varsity girls coach at St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco, leading the Wildcats to the 2019 West Catholic Athletic League title, a berth in the CIF Central Coast Section championship game and a spot in the CIF Northern California Regionals.

Prior to her arrival in San Francisco, the Moraga, Calif., native was the head coach at Santa Rosa Junior College from 2012-14, leading the Bear Cubs to an impressive 42-15-7 overall record, a 2012 Big 8 Conference title, and consecutive berths in the second round of the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs.

Joyner was named Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Bear Cubs to a 15-3-3 overall record and a league title, and followed that campaign with a 14-win season in 2013. That year, 11 of her student-athletes earned scholarships to four-year universities.

She also served as an assistant coach at her alma mater, California, for the 2009 season, and possesses extensive club experience as a coach for the Livermore Fusion Soccer Club (2015-2019) and as the technical director for the Heritage Soccer Club in Pleasant Hill, Calif. (2003-2010).

A four-year letterwinner for the Golden Bears from 2002-06, Joyner was a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic Team selection (2003-05), a two-year team captain (2004-05), and a Pac-10 All-Conference selection (2005), starting every match on the back line throughout her final two seasons. Throughout her time in Berkeley, she played a key role in helping Cal earn three NCAA Tournament berths (2002, 2004-05).

Joyner led the team with nine goals and was named Cal's Freshman of the Year before earning United Soccer Coaches All-West Region honors two years later as part of a record-setting defense in 2005. That year, the Golden Bears set the school mark for team goals against average (ranking seventh in the NCAA at 0.48), while tying the record for fewest goals allowed (11) and shutouts (14) in a season. The 2005 season saw the Golden Bears finishing with a 16-4-1 record and advancing to the NCAA Round of 16 - the farthest in the past three decades.

Following her collegiate career, she played for the local powerhouse, California Storm in the WPSL (2006-2008). With the launch of the Women's Professional Soccer league in 2008, Joyner was selected 28th overall in the WPS General Draft to the FC Gold Pride. She also represented the Atlanta Beat in 2009.

Joyner graduated with a bachelor's degree in mass communications from California in 2006, and holds two master's degrees: an Ed.M. in counseling specializing in sport psychology from Boston University (2011) and a master's in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University (2014).

In April 2019, she was inducted into the Cal Soccer Hall of Fame - otherwise known as the "Lair of Legends."

Joyner earned her UEFA "A" License from the Welsh FA in 2019, United States Soccer Federation (USSF) "B" Coaching License in 2017, and United Soccer Coaches (formerly the National Soccer Coaches Association of America) National Diploma in 2009.

Joyner’s journey as one of the only American women to hold the prestigious United European Football Association "A" Coaching License, was highlighted in a short documentary, titled ‘Coach’ that premiered in New York in the spring of 2019. Nearly 50,000 coaches currently possess the UEFA "A" License, but only 1% of those are women.

Joyner is a passionate advocate for women coaches globally. She also serves on the WIS (Women in Soccer) Advisory Board and believes in building confidence and leadership through soccer. She is a Goal Five Ambassador and has been a keynote speaker at the WPSL Convention.

Outside of coaching, Tracy loves her dog Murphy, her partner Justin, daughter Weslee, and the beach.