Looking to the Future with Bella Iorio, Assistant Women's Soccer Coach

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Bella has been the Assistant Coach for UNC Asheville Women's Soccer since the summer of 2021. A Clayton native, she played soccer at UNC Asheville for four years (fall 2015 - fall 2018). During her time playing for UNC Asheville she started 58 of 74 games played at midfield for the Bulldogs, starting 32 of her last 33 games while serving as a team captain in her junior and senior seasons. She graduated with a degree in Health & Wellness Promotion and a minor in Management in May of 2019. After graduation, she was a Graduate Assistant for Concord University Women's Soccer, where she graduated in May of 2021 with a Masters of Arts in Health Promotion. During her time at Concord University, they won the MEC Regular Season and won the MEC Conference Tournament, only losing in the first round of the NCAA DII against West Chester. Following that she worked for Head Coach Andy McNab at Barton College in October of 2020 until she got the job at UNCA.

What is a piece of advice that you would give your past self in terms of navigating athletics as a female? A piece of advice I would give my past self is to stay true to who you are and continue to be driven in your goals, even when it becomes difficult or challenging.

What area of women's athletics do you see most impacted by Title IX? More female sports and female participants at the collegiate level. You do not see many women in leadership roles, but I do think it is something that is growing and will hopefully continue to grow at all levels.

What do you hope to see in the future for women in sports administration roles? I hope to see continued growth for women in sports administration and leadership in sports.

How do you see the future of UNC Asheville Athletics? What is something that looks promising? UNC Asheville Athletics has grown so much since I was here as a student-athlete. It is very exciting to see all of the current and future plans of athletic facilities being updated.
All of the resources that are readily available to our athletes now, and how much all of these resources help them become the best person and best athlete they can be.

As we look to the future of college athletics, what is the biggest change you have seen that you hope to see sustainable growth in? The biggest change is how much support there is for student-athletes regarding mental-health. More athletes are open to talking about their mental health with coaches, mental-health professionals, etc because it has become more of a norm. I hope to see more universities making strides to help their athletes and have different avenues for athletes when they are struggling with mental health.

Who is a female in athletics that you look up to?
Jill Ellis, former US Women's National Team Head Coach, had a very successful career as a collegiate coach and national team coach. She is continuing to fight for equality through FIFA as an ambassador to increase the number of female coaches at the professional level.

Join us for Our Turn to Play Scholarship Dinner April 25th at 6:00PM in the Wilma M. Sherrill Center to celebrate our female student athletes and highlight some impactful women in the sports industry. Sponsorships and Ticket opportunities are available by contacting apritch2@unca.edu or visiting the ticket link HERE.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

Looking to the Future with Bella Iorio, Assistant Women's Soccer Coach

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