Bethany Lutheran College Athletics

Derick Lyngholm enters his seventh season as head coach of the Bethany men's program in 2025 after serving as the women’s coach for the previous 12 seasons.

During the 2024 campaign, Lyngholm led the Vikings to a 12-7-3 overall record and 11-2-1 mark in UMAC play. Bethany advanced to the UMAC Championship for the sixth straight season, falling to UW-Superior who reached the round of 16. Danny Almeida earned All-Region for Bethany while sixth other Vikings joined him on the All-Conference squads with Guilherme Gancho being named the UMAC Rookie of the Year. 

Lyngholm helped guide the Vikings to a 13-7-2 record in 2023 including an 11-2-1 mark in the UMAC. Danny Almeida earned UMAC Rookie of the Year honors while Bethany saw six others join him on the All-Conference team. Lorenzo Falleti went on to earn All-Region honors, marking the third straight year Bethany has had an honoree. 
 

2022 was a strong year for the Vikings, as they set a school record with 15 wins, while going 11-2-1 in conference play. Liam Peterson and Antonio Lima both earned All-Region honors as well as top awards in the UMAC. 

In 2021, Lyngholm led the Vikings to a 14-7 overall record, 13-1 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference contests. The Vikings won their first UMAC regular season championship in program history, sharing the title with UW-Superior. BLC qualified for the UMAC Tournament for the third-straight season and were the No. 2 seed for the second-straight year, falling in overtime in the UMAC Finals.

As a team, Bethany set season records in wins (14), UMAC wins (13), winning streak (eight games), and game-winning goals (14). The team also swept UMAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year Awards with Max Busch and Liam Peterson also receiving Second Team All Region honors.
 

The 2020 squad advanced to the UMAC Tournament championship game for the first time in school history. Busch was named conference MVP and Lyngholm was selected as the UMAC Coach of the Year.

In Lyngholm's first season with the men, the team achieved the program’s best season in the NCAA era. The Vikings amassed over 30 school records and returned to the UMAC playoffs for the first time in five years. Freshman Max Busch became the first player in program history to earn All-American and All-Region honors. Under Coach Lyngholm, Busch led the nation in goals per game and points per game and the Vikings were the NCAA DIII statistical champions with 3.95 goals per game.

In 15 seasons at Bethany, Lyngholm’s teams have achieved:

• The ninth-best single season turnaround out of the 440 NCAA DIII women's teams (2010)
• Two UMAC Female Student Athletes of the Year (2008 & 2011)
• Six UMAC Student Athlete of the Year Nominees: 4 women; 2 men (2008, 2011, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021)
• Bethany’s first ever men's soccer NCAA All-American  (2019)
• Two UMAC Offensive MVPs: 1 men (2020, 2021)
• One UMAC Defensive MVP: men (2021)
• Bethany’s first ever Academic All-American-women's (2011)
• All-Region Performers: 2 women; 3 men (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021(2)
• Five Academic All-Region Recipients-women's (2011, 2012, 2017), men’s (2020,2021)
• Two Academic All-Americans, men (2020, 2021)
• Two UMAC Newcomer of the Year-1 women; 1 men (2012, 2019)
• Six straight NSCAA Ethics awards for Fair Play: women (2013-18)
• Five straight NSCAA Team Academic Awards: women (2014-18)
• 47 UMAC All-Conference Award winners: 31 women; 16 men
• 103 UMAC Academic All-Conference Award winners: 83 women; 34 men
• 1 UMAC Coach of the Year (2020)

A 1997 Bethany alumnus, Lyngholm was a two-year starter for the Vikings from 1995-96. As a freshman, he started every game at goalkeeper and helped lead the team to a 14-3-1 record and a #15 national ranking. Lyngholm then played for Bethel University from 1997-98. As a senior, he etched his name in the NCAA record books when he recorded 32 saves against the nation’s #1 ranked team and defending national champion Wheaton College.

Before returning to Bethany, Lyngholm served as an assistant coach with the Bethel men's soccer program for six years. Working primarily with the goalkeepers and recruiting, Lyngholm helped lead Bethel to the 2004 MIAC Tournament. It marked the Royals first post-season berth in over 20 years. During his tenure, Bethel goalkeepers set school records for shutouts in a season, shutouts in a career, and received first team all-conference accolades.

Lyngholm received his A.A. from Bethany and both his bachelor's degree in Media Communication and his master's degree in Communication from Bethel.

Aside from coaching the Vikings, Lyngholm is also active in the Mankato United Soccer Club. Over the years, he has served as the club’s Director of Coaching, a board member, and as a competitive coach. His teams have won multiple tournaments including the Wal-Mart All-American Cup and advanced to both the semifinals and finals of the USA Cup where they lost to the eventual tournament champions. Lyngholm holds a Premier Coaching Diploma and a National Goalkeeping Diploma from the United Soccer Coaches Association.

In addition to his duties as head coach, Lyngholm is also an instructor in Bethany's communication department and is a public address announcer for both Bethany and Minnesota State University-Mankato basketball teams. Lyngholm resides in Eagle Lake with his wife, Dianna and his two children, Christian and Elyse.