D3 Soccer: A Quest for Championships Without Limits

Finding the Right Fit

Zimmerman always envisioned becoming a college student-athlete, and academics remained the top priority throughout her recruitment. She surveyed offers at Division I and III before settling on Washington and Lee, where her twin sister, Elizabeth, had already committed to play soccer.

Initially hesitant to follow in her sister’s footsteps after sharing so much of their athletic journey, Zimmerman eventually embraced the chance to play two sports, with D3 soccer leading the way.

“I could definitely tell that, at the Division III level, the quality and competitiveness of the programs didn’t drop at all,” she said. “The overall well-rounded experience, community and relationships that I could get a sense of when visiting … definitely drew me in.”

Tiffany Pins, the head women’s soccer coach at Washington and Lee, reinforces that message during her recruiting conversations. A former Division I student-athlete herself, Pins believes Washington and Lee delivers an opportunity to contend for titles through roster continuity while preparing for what comes next.

You can have it all [at W&L]. You’re going to play the highest-level Division III teams. You’re going to win championships. You can go abroad, join other organizations, and then get this world-class education.

— Pins, a Four-time Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Coach of the Year, said in an interview with yd3

_{Source: Linfield Magazine (2018), citing NCAA data}

Washington and Lee’s D3 Soccer Success

After earning ODAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, the 5-foot-8 midfielder has continued to illustrate Pins’ vision. As a junior, Zimmerman has posted career highs with 12 goals, seven assists and 31 points. She also earned first-team all-conference honors and was named the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

On Saturday, W&L enters the D3 women’s soccer championship bracket with a 16-1-2 record, a No. 3 NCAA Power Index (NPI) ranking and three straight regular-season and tournament titles.

The latest one, secured with a 1-0 win over Lynchburg on Nov. 7, marked the first time in program history the Generals have notched three consecutive ODAC tournament crowns.

That shutout wasn’t an anomaly. The Generals rank fifth nationally in goals-against average (GAA), with Zimmerman again reinforcing one of D3 soccer’s stingiest units. In fact, their defense propelled them to the Sweet 16 in each of the last two seasons.

During this historic stretch, Pins has watched Zimmerman develop into a leader. She pointed to her ability to adapt to different positions and emerge as a more vocal presence within the team.

She hasn’t batted an eye. It’s always, ‘What does the team need? I’m here to help, and I’ll do it.’

Juggling D3 Soccer, Basketball & Academics

Zimmerman’s time on the pitch only tells part of the story. She appeared in 14 games for the W&L women’s basketball team last season, as the Generals posted a 31-1 record and reached the NCAA Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion Denison.

The Cincinnati native credits a more consistent summer training regimen with better equipping her to handle the demands of both programs. Balancing them requires discipline and an understanding of when to step back and recover between commitments.

Being really efficient with my time and fully focusing 100% of my energy on whatever task is in front of me has been really helpful. … Just knowing that if I can consistently do these little things, they will compound and bring me success.

That approach carries into the classroom. A double major in accounting and sociology, Zimmerman is a four-time W&L Scholar-Athlete and a two-time President’s List honoree.

To boot, she serves as the vice president of finance for Delta Society, one of six Panhellenic organizations on campus. Her professional ambitions are taking shape, with a summer internship lined up as an investment banking analyst at William Blair in New York City. W&L’s alumni network has helped her navigate those early career steps.

For Pins, that broader advancement is precisely the point.

The Generals’ mantra, “bamboo,” reflects the work beneath the surface that makes visible accomplishments possible. Zimmerman embodies that mindset, with Saturday’s NCAA tournament opener providing her another stage to demonstrate it.

Washington and Lee hosts John Jay College on Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. ET in the first round of the D3 soccer tournament.