Katie Burton, the eighth coach in Portland State history, will enter her eighth season at the helm in 2024.

Since taking over the program in June of 2017, Burton has led the Vikings to a 35-69-11 (.361) overall record and 21-31-4 (.411) mark in conference action. Burton earned her 30th career win as head coach during the 2023 season, joining Laura Scott as just the second coach in program history to reach the milestone.

Under Burton's guidance, the Vikings have reached four conference tournaments including two appearances in the Big Sky semifinals. Burton is responsible for two of the program's four postseason victories after leading the Vikings to quarterfinal wins in 2017 and 2023. In back-to-back seasons (2022-2023), the Vikings went 4-2-2 against conference opponents, finishing third in the final Big Sky standings.

Over seven seasons, Burton has coached 12 Vikings to All-Big Sky honors (16 total awards), including 2023 first team midfielder Sienna Higinbotham. Led by five weekly honors in 2017, the Vikings have tallied 12 Big Sky Player of the Week honors under Burton. 

YEAR-BY-YEAR HIGHLIGHTS 

2023 - Burton guided the Vikings to an 8-8-2 record (.500), their highest win percentage since 2014. For the second consecutive season, PSU finished third in the regular season Big Sky standings with a 4-2-2 conference record after a 4-0-1 start. For just the fourth time in program history, the Vikings won their opening match of the Big Sky tournament, beating Idaho State 4-1 to advance to the Big Sky semifinals. The Vikings totaled 27 goals on the year, marking their most successful season offensively since 2013. Four Vikings earned All-Big Sky honors, highlighted by first team midfielder Sienna Higinbotham. Higinbotham finished the regular season tied second in the conference with six goals scored, becoming the first Viking to earn first-team honors under Burton and the first Viking to win the award since 2016.

2022 - Burton coached the Vikings to their best conference start since 2013, opening Big Sky play 4-0-1 while notching three consecutive shutouts. The Vikings finished the regular season 5-8-5, going 4-2-2 in conference action. Burton's squad qualified for the Big Sky Tournament as the No. 3 seed, the program's highest seed in eight seasons. Viking senior defender Hailey Green was named honorable mention All-Big Sky, while junior forward Raniyah Burton was a second team all-conference selection.

2021 - Burton led the Vikings to a 4-10-2 record (2-4-2 BSC), helping the Vikings to conference wins over Sacramento State and Idaho. Sienna Higinbotham and Lucy Quinn each earned All-Big Sky Honorable Mention honors. 

2020 - Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 fall season was played during the spring of 2021. The Vikings played an abbreviated eight-game schedule, finishing 0-8-0. Burton coached sophomore midfielder Sienna Higinbotham to a second team all-conference honor that season.

2019 -  the Vikings returned to the Big Sky tournament for the second time in three seasons, finishing 4-15 on the year while going 3-6 in conference play. The Vikings tallied two players on the All-Big Sky list in Sofi Papastamos and Tea Poore.

2018 - Burton led the Vikings to a 5-10-1 overall record. Portland State missed the Big Sky tournament by just one position following a 3-5-1 conference season. Burton helped lead Krystal de Ramos to a single-season record for shots on goal percentage and a spot on the All-Big Sky honorable mention.

2017 - Burton led the Vikings back to the Big Sky tournament after a two-year absence in her first season at the helm. Burton and the Vikings finished fourth in the Big Sky at 5-4-1 in conference play, and 9-10-1 overall. Additionally, Burton led the Vikings to their first win at the Big Sky tournament since 2013, with a 1-0 win over Northern Arizona - a team they had never beaten in the Big Sky tournament previously - in the Big Sky quarterfinals. That season, Burton led four individuals to All-Big Sky honors as Katie Forsee and Kristin Moyer made the All-Big Sky second team, while Liz Hansen and Morgan Matthews received All-Big Sky honorable mention. The Vikings totaled five Big Sky Players of the Week during the 2017 season. 

BEFORE PORTLAND STATE

Burton came to the Vikings after spending the last two seasons as the associate head coach at Sacramento State, where she helped lead a program turnaround. The Hornets hadn’t made the Big Sky tournament in four seasons before Burton’s arrival, but broke that streak with a Big Sky tournament appearance in Burton’s first year in 2015.

Burton then helped lead the Hornets to a second-place finish within the Big Sky in 2016, when they clinched the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Big Sky tournament with a 2-1 win over the Vikings in both teams’ regular-season finale.

Burton cut her teeth as an assistant coach at the University of San Francisco from 2011-14, where she again helped lead a program turnaround. The Dons hadn’t finished better than seventh in the nationally respected West Coast Conference in the previous five seasons to Burton’s arrival. However, Burton helped lead USF to two top six finishes in the WCC in her four years at the school, and laid the groundwork for the Dons’ record-breaking season in 2015, when the team set program records for best WCC finish (T-2nd), most WCC wins (7) and best WCC record (7-2-0).

Burton’s first coaching stop came at UNLV, where she spent a year-and-a-half as an assistant coach/camp director/director of operations for both the men’s and women’s soccer programs from 2010-11.

As a player at Sacramento State, Burton helped lead the Hornets to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2007. Burton and the Hornets swept the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles that season, and finished with an unbeaten conference record at 4-0-3.

Burton was a three-time All-Big Sky selection as a player (2003, 2006, 2007), including an All-Big Sky first-team selection as a senior in 2007.

Burton is married to her wife, Christine Conklin, and is the daughter of Susie and Brian Cram.

EDUCATION:

University of San Francisco, M.A., Sports Management, 2013

Sacramento State University, B.S., Business Administration, 2008

COACHING EXPERIENCE:

• 2015-17, Sacramento State, Associate Head Coach

• 2011-14, San Francisco, Assistant Coach

• 2010-11, UNLV, Assistant Coach/Camp Director/Director of Operations Men’s and Women’s Soccer

PLAYING EXPERIENCE:

• Sacramento State, 2003-07

• Helped Sacramento State to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2007

• Led Sacramento State to Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles in 2007

• Three-time All-Big Sky selection, including first-team selection in 2007

• All-Big Sky tournament selection in 2007