Stewart Givens was named assistant soccer coach at UTEP on Jan. 28, 2019.
In his third season at UTEP in 2021, Givens helped guide the Miners to wins over Incarnate Word, NM State, UTSA and Western Kentucky.
UTEP played the 2020 season in the spring of 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Givens served as interim head coach for the final two months of the year after head coach Kathryn Balogun went on maternity leave. He guided the team through challenges of traveling during the pandemic and matches being postponed.
Notable moments on the pitch included a 3-1 victory against NM State (2/11/21), facing three different power five programs, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to rally past UAB, 2-1, (3/14/21) and battling back to tie North Texas, 1-1, (4/2/21) despite playing the final 34 minutes shorthanded. Additionally, Cayman Tamez and Tessa Carlin were named to the All C-USA third team, making it the first time since 2003 that the Miners had multiple underclassmen earn all-league honors.
In 2019 he helped the Miners forge a record of 10-7-3, the first double win total at UTEP in three years. The Miners also went 5-4-1 in C-USA action to punch their ticket to the league championships for the first time since 2016. Furthermore, it marked the first winning season in league play since an effort of 6-2-2 in 2014.
The Orange and Blue proved to be a very strong defensive squad in 2019. UTEP posted seven shutouts while limiting six other opponents to only one goal. The seven blankings ranked tied for sixth on the program’s single-season list.
UTEP went 6-3-2 at home, but more impressive was the effort of 4-4-2 on the road. It was the best road record since 2016. Included in the road victories was a 3-2 win at Marshall (9/26), marking the program's first road win in the series in 11 years. UTEP also posted a double-overtime triumph at I-10 rival NM State (9/12).
Individually Lauren Crenshaw was a second-team All C-USA honoree, while Tessa Carlin snared a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman team.
Givens joined the Miners after serving as assistant coach at Central Michigan University. He helped aid 22 student-athletes to All-MAC Academic selections and mentored CMU all-time leading scorer Lexi Pelafas (41 goals, 94 points).
Prior to his time with the Chippewas, Givens was an assistant coach with women’s soccer program at Oakland (2014-17). He helped the team claim the 2015 Horizon League Tournament Championship to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The squad road an 11-game unbeaten streak at one point, including seven consecutive shutouts. There were 11 All-Horizon League selections and 37 All-Academic honorees during his time with the program.
Givens was also previously a graduate assistant with the Oakland men's program for two seasons. During his time there the Grizzlies won the Summit League regular-season and tournament championships in 2012. He was the girls varsity coach at Troy High School in suburban Detroit for three seasons, and served as the head coach for the Pontiac-based Vardar Soccer Club.
Givens played at Oakland, where he earned four letters and served as a team captain for two seasons. He was a member of the NCAA, the Horizon League and Oakland's student-athlete advisory committees, was a two-time All-Summit League selection, and was nominated by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for Scholar All-America 2018.
He trained post-collegiately in Scotland and played from 2009-13 with the Michigan Bucks of the Professional Development League. From 2009-12 the Bucks won the Great Lakes Division Championships. In 2012 the team qualified for the fourth round of the U.S. Open cup after besting the Chicago Fire of the MLS in the third round. He was the 2011 PDL Defender of the Year Award and was named to the PDL Best XI that year as well.
Givens earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education from Oakland in 2010. He holds coaching certification from the United States Soccer Federation and a diploma in mental and physical player development from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Furthermore, he earned a US Soccer National B License and a United Soccer Coached GK diploma in May 2019.
