NATCHITOCHES -- Dallas Baptist assistant coaches Jess and Anna Jobe have been hired as co-head coaches of the Northwestern State soccer program, announced director of athletics Greg Burke on Tuesday.
 
The hires must be approved by the Louisiana Board of Supervisors, of which Northwestern State is a member.
 
Jess Jobe has served on the NCAA Division II Patriots' coaching staff for the past seven seasons, the last five as the associate head coach.
 
Anna Jobe spent this past season as a volunteer assistant at DBU after coaching on Baylor's staff for four seasons, two as a full-time assistant in charge of goalkeepers.
 
"I am pleased that Jess and Anna will be leading the NSU soccer program and look forward to working with them to take NSU soccer back to the top of the Southland Conference," said Burke, who fielded nearly 120 applicants for the position. "They will be good fits for NSU from both a soccer and personal perspective.
 
"In addition to praising their soccer knowledge and backgrounds, references for Jess and Anna were effusive as it relates to their character, work rate and soccer network that will be a tremendous asset to them in the recruiting process.  Most importantly, their references said they are ready to take this step in their careers."
 
Under Louisiana nepotism law, relatives on a coaching staff must be named co-head coaches.
 
DBU has been a Top 25 program in each of the last seven years, qualifying for six D-II NCAA Tournaments with an 108-35-11 mark in that span under head coach Michelle Lenard.
 
The Patriots have two regional championship appearances (Sweet 16), winning the title and advancing to the national quarterfinals in 2015.
 
Jess Jobe helped guide the Patriots to four conference regular season titles and four league tournament titles (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017) with Anna being involved in the final one.
 
"First and foremost I would like to thank (NSU) President Dr. Chris Maggio, (vice president for external affairs) Jerry Pierce, Greg Burke, and the NSU athletics department for extending us this opportunity," Jess Jobe said. "We are honored to become part of the NSU family and cannot wait to get started.
 
"The community and core values at NSU and within the athletic department are perfect matches for us. We believe we can build something really special here in Natchitoches and elevate the women's soccer program to new heights in the upcoming seasons. NSU provides a fantastic platform for us as coaches to invest in our student-athletes' development on the soccer field, academic success, and personal growth for many years to come."

During Anna Jobe's stint at Baylor, the Bears posted winning records all four seasons and winning conference records in Jobe's two seasons as a full-time assistant. Baylor reached the Big 12 Tournament all four seasons.
 
"I am extremely honored and grateful for this opportunity," Anna Jobe said. "Jess and I are really excited to begin building and investing in this program and in the lives of our student-athletes.
 
"Thank you to Greg Burke and the rest of the administration for believing in us. Thank you also to (Baylor coaches) Marci and Paul Jobson, (Dallas Baptist head coach) Michelle Lenard and the rest of our mentors and advocates for equipping us and preparing us to be ready and adequate for these roles. We believe that there are great days ahead for NSU women's soccer."
 
Anna also served as a mentor and spiritual advisor at Baylor and Dallas Baptist.
 
"Anna and Jess especially stressed their desire to be a resource for our student-athletes on all levels, not just competitively," Burke said. "Anna, especially, will serve as an excellent role model for our young ladies. 
 
"They will be active in the Natchitoches community and look forward to engaging the NSU soccer alumni.  Simply put, they bring a very well-rounded approach to the program."
 
Anna Jobe is an accomplished goalkeeper as a player, achieving NAIA All-American status three times at the University of Mobile (Ala.). The four-time all-conference selection was a two-time defensive player of the year.
 
She played semi-professional soccer in the WPSL with the Buxmont Torch the summer before her senior season.
 
In Jess's playing career, he redshirted as a freshman at Georgia Southern before transferring to Division III Fontbonne.
 
At Fontbonne, he was a three-time all-conference performer, twice as a goalkeeper and once as a midfielder.
 
NSU has had two other successful husband-wife coaching duos in recent years -- Hugh and Steph Hernesman (volleyball) and Brooke and Scott Stoehr (women's basketball). Women's basketball participated in two NCAA Tournaments with volleyball reaching one – all via an automatic bid from conference tournament titles.
 
The NSU soccer program leads current Southland Conference members with four league tournament championships, the last in 2005. NSU was the first college program in Louisiana to appear in the NCAA Tournament (2000) and has three national postseason appearances.
 
 
WHAT ARE OTHERS SAYING ABOUT JESS & ANNA JOBE?
 
"Jess and Anna are willing to invest the time and energy necessary to have a winning program at NSU and will do it the right way.  They take care of people and that's important because we are in the people business."
               Paul Jobson, Head Women's Soccer Coach/Baylor University
 
"Jess and Anna embrace a blue collar mentality.  They have tremendous work rate and have been looking for the right place to build a program together.  They know the region and where to find the good players.  They are good Christian people, they're loyal and they are winners."
               Marci Jobson, Assistant Women's Soccer Coach, Baylor University
 
"Jess has worked at my camp for the past five years and I am selective about who works my camp because it has my name on it. You find out a lot about someone and their character in a camp environment. Jess is a good clinician but what most impresses me is the fact that he is a first-class person.  As a head coach, he is going to be consistent during tough times.  He will instill boundaries and discipline in his program while maintaining respect for the student-athletes."
               Angela Kelly, Head Women's Soccer Coach, University of Texas
 
"I knew this day would come for Jess.  He has been included in so many aspects of our program for so long and has been a big part of the success we have had. If I had a college age daughter, I would want her to play for Jess.  Both Jess and Anna are young and passionate.  They will put their whole life into the NSU soccer program.  It literally will be their life."
               Michelle Lenard, Head Women's Soccer Coach, Dallas Baptist University