Men’s soccer head coach Russell Payne has signed a multi-year contract extension at Northwestern. Russell Payne led Northwestern to one of its best seasons in recent memory with a record of 10-4-3 overall and 4-3-1 in Big Ten play in 2023. Before 2023, the Wildcats hadn’t won 10 matches since 2013, and hadn’t notched a conference mark as strong since 2014. Coach Payne led NU to a significant improvement in the 2023 season compared to his first two seasons. He coached four Wildcats to All-Big Ten teams last year and recruited a Top Drawer Soccer’s No. 5 overall class in 2022. Before heading to Northwestern, Payne spent 11 years as a head coach at Army and also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team. This is a new extension of Payne’s contract, indicating a continuation of his coaching tenure at Northwestern.