Christopher Newport University

Through his first five seasons as the head coach for Christopher Newport women's soccer, Jamie Gunderson has set and re-set the bar for success with an incredible and unprecedented start to his career. He opens the 2026 season with an overall record of 93-4-12 for a winning percentage of 90.8 percent. 

Gunderson entered his fourth year in 2024 without a single loss on his ledger, posting a 60-0-7 overall record to shatter the NCAA all divisions record for consecutive games without a loss to start a coaching career. The run reached 84 games with a 75-0-9 record, setting an NCAA Division III record overall and posting the third longest unbeaten streak in NCAA soccer history. 

Wasting no time making history as the head coach for the Christopher Newport women's soccer program, Gunderson opened his coaching career with an unforgettable first season in 2021. The Captains wrapped up an unbeaten 22-0-1 campaign that included six straight wins in the postseason to lead Christopher Newport to the first team tournament championship in school history. After guiding the Captains' to the program's first ever national title during his inaugural campaign, he led the top-ranked team in the country all the way to the NCAA Division III National Quarterfinals in his second year and third years and added another Final Four appearance in his fourth season. 

Gunderson was appointed the head coach of the Christopher Newport women's soccer program in the spring of 2020 after serving as an assistant coach for eight years. He became the seventh Head Coach in the program's 24-year history and coached CNU through the canceled 2020 season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and started his coaching career in 2021. 

Setting an unbreakable record at the helm, Gunderson guided the Captains to an undefeated season and the program's first national championship in 2021. After an assertive run through the regular season, CNU saved its best soccer for the postseason with one of the most dominant NCAA Tournament runs in Division III history. The Captains never trailed while facing five nationally-ranked opponents in six postseason games, and allowed just a single goal with five shutouts. 

Gunderson and his staff developed a team that was lethal from start to finish. The Captains competed for just under 2,097 minutes of game time and trailed in only one game for a span of only 15:30. After capturing the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship, CNU would go on to outscore their six postseason opponents, 9-1, and logged a goals-against average of 0.166 against some of the most talented offenses in the nation. 

CNU opened Gunderson's first season with 13 straight victories before a 1-1 draw with Mary Washington. After that tie, the Captains ran off nine straight victories to win the championship with an overall record of 22-0-1. The Captains established a number of program records in the historical campaign, including most wins, shutouts, lowest GAA, and highest save percentage.

Gunderson was named the head of the United Soccer Coaches National Coaching Staff of the Year, becoming the first Division III Women's Soccer Coach to ever earn National Coach of the Year honors in his first season at the helm. The Captains' coaching staff was also named the Region VI Staff of the Year. In each of his first four seasons at the helm, Gunderson led the Region VI Coaching Staff of the Year as CNU was selected in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. 

The team added 22 games to the run in 2022 with a near perfect 19-0-3 record after winning the conference regular season and tournament championships before advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season. The Captains put together a carbon copy season together in 2023 with another 19-0-3 record and National Quarterfinals finish, extending the unbeaten streak to 67 games after three years. The streak of consecutive unbeaten games reached 84 games all the way to the conference championship game in 2024 and established a new Division III record and ranked as the third longest roll in NCAA women's soccer history (Division I, II, and III).

In 2021, he guided four Captains to All-America plaudits, including National Player of the Year Riley Cook and National Goalkeeper of the Year Haley Eiser. Over his career, Gunderson has coached seven different players to All-American honors including five first team certificates. 

Gunderson, who has been with the Captains since the fall of 2012, previously served as an assistant coach under Dan Weiler for seven seasons before stepping into the interim head coaching position following the 2019 season. The interim tag was then removed in April. 

Prior to taking the reins as the top assistant coach in 2014, Gunderson also served under head coach Ruth Keegan as a volunteer assistant coach in 2012 and started his tenure with Weiler in 2013. He has been a staple on the sidelines during the most successful stretch in program history as he helped guide the Captains to six straight regular season conference titles between 2013-18 and six NCAA Tournament berths in his time under coach Weiler. In a three-year stretch between 2016-18, the Captains set and re-set the program record for wins in a season while capturing the program's first three Capital Athletic Conference Tournament Championships. 

In 2018, Gunderson was part of the coaching staff that led Christopher Newport to the NCAA Division III National Semifinals and wrapped up the season with a 21-2-0 overall record. For his efforts, he was honored as part of the United Soccer Coaches Atlantic South Region Coaching Staff of the Year. 

Prior to arriving at Christopher Newport University, Gunderson was a four-year starter at Methodist University and was a USA South All-Sportsmanship Team representative for the Monarchs. He has competed professionally as a member of the Norfolk Sharx in the Major Indoor Soccer League and also played with the Lionsbridge FC. He also continued to hone his coaching prowess as a head coach with the VA Legacy soccer club in Williamsburg, Va. from 2009-19. 

Gunderson holds a "C" License from the United States Soccer Federation, earning the certificate in 2018. He is a 2008 graduate of Methodist University, earning a degree in Accounting. He and his wife, Mary, reside in Newport News with their son Charlie.