SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Already hard at work in the midst of the season, Converse University head women's soccer coach Colin Wylie announced the addition of Renan Diniz to his staff as the team's assistant coach.

"I am really excited that Renan is joining our coaching staff. His soccer background and coaching experience put him above the other candidates and I am looking forward to him helping develop the team," stated Wylie about his new hire. "He takes a lot of pride in his work and I know he will help this program get even better."

Renan most recently had a two-year stint at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, where he also earned his master's degree in early 2025. As an assistant coach for the Eagles, he assisted in planning and executing practice and training sessions and game strategies for both the varsity and reserve teams, collaborated with the team's head coach to evaluate player progress through data-driven analysis, and assisted with operations and logistics management, including creating itineraries and game-day tasks. Diniz also served as the Eagles' co-head JV coach.

"I want to thank coach Wylie and the Converse University athletics department for this opportunity," stated Diniz. "I am excited to work and help the women's soccer program to achieve big things in the upcoming years."

Diniz also spent the 2025 season with The Montgomery Academy as an assistant coach, helping the team achieve the AHSAA 7A state championship. He had many of the same responsibilities as he had at Faulkner, such as training session planning and execution and scouting for match-day preparation. He helped coach five all-state players.

Across his time at Faulkner and the Montgomery Academy, Diniz has coached 16 all-conference athletes.

Off of the pitch, Diniz served for two years as the operations manager for Montgomery United FC, a USL 2 team in The Gump. There, he provided inventory management, streamlined workflows via spreadsheet optimization, and worked closely with the coaching staff to ensure roster, itineraries and trips were planned in a timely manner.

Prior to his coaching career, Diniz played soccer at Auburn University at Montgomery for four seasons. He appeared in 50 career games and started in 36 games. Diniz, a native of São Paulo, Brazil scored 10 goals and assisted on eight goals. His best season came as a sophomore in 2019 when he appeared in 17 games, making 15 starts. He netted five goals, including three game winners, and an assist while logging a career-high 1,248 minutes on the pitch.

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