Bio

Mike Holmes, a native Iowan with 20-plus years experience in coaching and the St. Ambrose University Director of Athletics, will serve as the head women's lacrosse coach in 2026-27.

"Mike brings strong coaching gifts, deep knowledge of athletics, and a steady commitment to the development of student-athletes," St. Ambrose University President Amy Novak, EdD, said. "His leadership reflects a genuine care for our students and a clear desire to strengthen this program in ways that support competitive excellence, team culture, and the overall student-athlete experience."

Holmes joined St. Ambrose in the summer of 2019 after serving as the athletic director at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, a private Catholic university with 17 athletics programs competing at the NCAA Division III level.

At St. Ambrose, he leads an Athletics Department that has expanded to include 30 varsity programs that serve more than a third of the school's undergraduate student population. Most Fighting Bees teams compete in varsity sports sanctioned by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

A native of Des Moines, Holmes graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Simpson College in 1989 and a Master of Education degree in Sports Psychology from Iowa State University in 2000.

Holmes began his career in collegiate athletic administration in 2014, when he accepted the positions of athletic director and head basketball coach at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, a public university of approximately 1,400 students located near the northern tip of Maine, close to the border of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada.

He became athletic director at Franciscan University in 2017. Founded in 1946 by the first bishop of Steubenville, Franciscan University has much in common with St. Ambrose, as a private, Catholic institution with a strong grounding in the liberal arts.

From 2008-14, Holmes was head men's basketball coach and an instructor at Southwestern Community College  in Creston, Iowa, where his teams had five winning season in six years. Prior to joining Southwestern CC, Holmes served as a high school basketball coach at six schools: Ottumwa (Iowa) Community (2002-2008), Cardinal Ritter in Indianapolis (2001-2002), Roosevelt in Des Moines (1996-2001), Waverly-Shell Rock in Waverly, Iowa (1994-1996), Spirit Lake in Iowa (1991-1994) and Allison-Bristow in Allison, Iowa (1989-1991).

He also served as dean of students at Ottumwa, athletic director at Cardinal Ritter and assistant athletic director at Roosevelt.