Biography: Mary (Trigg) Ybarguen enters her 11th season as the head coach for the Nighthawks in the fall of 2024.

During the 2023 season, Ybarguen stepped back into a lesser role as welcomed a new baby into the world in September.

During her ten seasons at the helm of the Nighthawks, she has coached one GNAC Player of the Year, one GNAC Newcomer of the Year, one GNAC Freshman of the Year, and her players have earned 36 All-GNAC selections and six All-Region honors. In the last three seasons, NNU has compiled a 33-9-7 overall record and 17-6-5 GNAC mark, and earned a berth in the GNAC Tournament in both years it was held.

The 2022 season may have been the best yet for Ybarguen at the helm of the Nighthawks, earning the program’s highest-ever GNAC finish of second with a 9-2-3 conference record and 12-4-4 overall mark. NNU was the 2-seed in the GNAC tournament and reached the conference title game for the first time in program history before falling to eventual national champion Western Washington. During the season, the Nighthawks were ranked 25th once by the United Soccer Coaches and received votes in the national poll five other times, including the final rankings. Seven Nighthawks were named to the All-GNAC teams, led by the program’s first-ever GNAC Player of the Year in senior Ashley Parton. Parton and Madison Grande were also both consensus All-Region picks. NNU’s 12 wins were the second-most in program history and most against an entirely NCAA DII schedule.

Ybarguen led NNU to a historic 2021 season, reaching the GNAC tournament for just the second time in program history and first since the 2017 campaign. The Nighthawks earned the third seed in the conference playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 8-4-2 mark in conference play and 10-5-3 overall record. Seven Nighthawks earned All-Conference honors, led by a First Team nod for Madison Grande, who was also named All West Region by both the United Soccer Coaches Association and the D2CCA.

The 2020 season was shortened and moved to the spring of 2021, but that didn’t stop the Nighthawks from an amazing year in which they went undefeated with an 11-0-0 mark. The Nighthawks recorded seven shutouts in their 11 matches, including six of the final seven. Overall on the year, NNU outscored their opponents a staggering 30-5 while averaging 19 shots per game and allowing just 5.7.

In the 2017 season, Ybarguen led NNU to the best season in program history to date as the Nighthawks set records for wins in a season (11), conference wins (8), shutouts (10), and earned the team’s first playoff berth. She earned GNAC Coach of the Year honors as a result of the success.

Ybarguen came to NNU after two seasons as the women’s soccer assistant coach at Sacramento State University. She also filled the same role at San Francisco State University from 2008 until 2011. While at SFSU, Ybarguen helped guide her teams to a pair of NCAA Division II playoff appearances and a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship in 2010.

Ybarguen played three years at NCAA Division I Fresno State University and completed her collegiate playing career at NCAA Division I Campbell University in North Carolina. Following her year at Campbell University, she played in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) with the San Francisco Nighthawks.

During her time at Fresno State, the Bulldogs captured Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championships in both 2005 and 2006 – including an undefeated record in conference play in which they did not surrender a goal during the 2006 conference season.

A three-time Western Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete, Ybarguen was also a two-time WAC All-Academic selection and an All-Atlantic Sun Conference Academic selection as a senior at Campbell.

Prior to her arrival at NNU, Ybarguen was active in the Sacramento-area club soccer scene, and has coached with the Sacramento United FC soccer club, the Alpine FC soccer club, and served as a District II Olympic Development Program evaluator.

Ybarguen earned a Master’s Degree in Sports Management from California University of Pennsylvania in 2010, completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications and Journalism from Fresno State in 2008, and holds a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Advanced National Diploma.