CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Illinois soccer head coach Janet Rayfield has announced the addition of Hailey Parungao to her Fighting Illini staff as Director of Soccer Operations.

"We are extremely excited to add Hailey to our staff," said Rayfield. "She brings a tremendous level of experience working in many roles within the game and she has a genuine love for the game. Her organizational skills are exceeded only by her welcoming personality and her passion for excellence. Hailey is a great fit for our program, the DIA, and our University."

"I am excited to join the Illini Soccer family," said Parungao. "To work alongside Janet, Jeff and Sammy Jo is a privilege and an honor. I look forward to contributing to this prestigious program."

Parungao comes to Illinois following two seasons as an assistant coach at Illinois Central College for both the women's and men's programs, as well as serving as a head coach for the Morton Premier Soccer Club since 2019.

Along with her coaching experience, Parungao has served as the event and player services coordinator for The Girls Academy League since June of 2021, responsible for the showcase experience for 70+ soccer teams and over 200 college coaches.

Prior to The Girls Academy League, she worked as a youth national team administrator and talent identification associate for the United States Soccer Federation from 2019-20, where she managed preparation and execution of Youth National Team camps and tournaments to accelerate development of players, as well as supported a network of technical staff including Talent ID Directors, Managers, and YNT Network Scouts with administrative needs like travel and event logistics and data analysis.

Parungao also has experience working with IMG Events for the Miami Open, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Access Sport UK and the Nevada Griffons Baseball Team.

She had a distinguished youth soccer prep career where she was a four-year varsity starter at Peoria Notre Dame and played for the Sporting Futbol Club from 1999-2007 and the John Gaspar Soccer Academy from 2007-13 as well as the State Olympic Development Program (ODP) team. She was a four-time all-sectional honoree and a two-time Journal Star Top 11.

She earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology, sport management and marketing from Indiana and a master's degree in education in sports administration from the University of Miami.

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