This is the first in a seven-part series profiling the six inductees and one special award winner that will be honored on April 18 at the Pacific Lutheran University Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet inside Olson Gymnasium. Today's feature is on 2026 Hall of Fame inductee Chad Kearns who played on the Lute men's soccer team from 2008 to 2011.
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One of the top scorers in program history, Chad Kearns enters the PLU Athletics Hall of Fame after powering the Lutes to their first ever trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Kearns hit the ground running as a first-year, playing in 17 games and making three starts in 2008. Kearns scored two goals during the season, including the game winner on the road against George Fox University on Nov. 2.
The Seattle native was even better a sophomore, securing First Team All-Northwest Conference and Second Team NSCAA D3 All-West Region honors after leading the conference in scoring with 11 goals and points with 24 across the 19 game schedule. Kearns scored an overtime game-winner against eventual Ohio Athletic Conference Champion Capital University in September while coming up big with another overtime winner 16 days later in a 2-1 victory over Whitworth University. Kearns had five game-winning goals during the season, helping the Lutes' tie a school record for wins with 14 in addition to helping the program earn a spot in the Top 25 national rankings for the first time since 1992.
As a junior, Kearns was tabbed the NWC Offensive Player of the Year, leading the conference in both scoring and points for the second consecutive season. Kearns scored four goals in a 6-1 thrashing of Trinity Lutheran College on Sept. 12 and went on to finish the season with 15 goals, five assists, and 35 total points. Kearns had five game-winning goals during the 2010 campaign, including the only score in a 1-0 upset of 11th-ranked Pacific University on Oct. 3. He finished the season as a First Team All-Conference selection for the second consecutive season and was the only NWC student-athlete named First Team All-West Region. His efforts helped the Lutes lead the league in scoring, averaging 2.37 goals per game as the squad tallied 45 goals over the 19-game season.
After narrowly missing the NCAA Division III Tournament the previous two seasons, Kearns focused his efforts on a single goal for his senior campaign. Following his All-Region selection, he remarked, "I couldn't have done it without my teammates and coaches. Next year, I will look to not only repeat my success, but also help our team make the elusive NCAA Tournament."
And he did just that. Kearns scored 13 goals, had seven assists, and a school record six game-winning goals during his senior campaign in 2011. Pacific Lutheran shattered school records for goals in a season with 56, most wins with 15, fewest losses in the NCAA era with four, while posting a school record 11-game win streak. Kearns had a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory over Linfield College on Sept. 17, helping the Lutes hoist the NWC title with a 12-2 record. His exploits guided PLU to its first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament and the program's first appearance at a national tournament since the team made the NAIA Tournament in 1992. Kearns was tabbed First Team All-NWC for the third straight season, was named Third Team NSCAA All-Far West Region, and was tabbed Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-District.
Kearns credits Head Coach
John Yorke and teammate Surafel Wodajo as having some of the biggest impact during his time at PLU along with close friends Riley Hoyer and Matt Holm.
Arguably the most clutch player in school history, Kearns still holds the school record for game-winning goals with 17 while sitting sixth all-time in career goals (41) and points (96).
Kearns graduated in 2012 with a degree in business administration. Kearns used the skills learned on the soccer pitch in his professional life, starting his own executive coaching and consulting business in 2022 after spending 10 years building teams and leading a large marketing agency in Seattle. Kearns is married to Jaclyn Rudd and has a son named Ollie.
