David Groves was named the third head coach in Grand View University men’s soccer history on April 18, 2022.
Groves led the Vikings to a historic breakthrough during the 2025 season, guiding Grand View to its first-ever NAIA National Championship. Picked to finish near the bottom of the conference in the preseason poll and entering the NAIA National Tournament unseeded, the Vikings authored one of the most remarkable postseason runs in NAIA history. Grand View defeated No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan (1–0), No. 1 Bethel (1–0), No. 9 Georgia Gwinnett (2–0), No. 12 Cumberlands (1–0), and No. 11 West Virginia Tech (2–1) to capture the national title.
The championship season was highlighted by numerous individual honors. Kevin Ventura was named NAIA Player of the Year and NAIA National Tournament MVP, while Luis Helm earned NAIA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Ventura, Helm, and Justin Figaroa were named NAIA All-Americans, with Ventura, Helm, Figaroa, and Pietro Piacenza earning All-Tournament recognition. Ventura, Helm, Figaroa, Payton Chapman, and Nacho Gonzalez also garnered All-Conference honors. Groves was subsequently named NAIA Coach of the Year.
Since taking over the program, Groves has compiled a 43-25-12 overall record. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, he serves on the NAIA National Tournament Committee and the Conference Raters Committee. Grand View competes in the Heart of America Conference, widely regarded as the NAIA’s most competitive conference, having produced five of the last eight national champions.
Prior to his arrival at Grand View, Groves served as head coach at Lyon College, where he posted a 48-23-4 record and a 28-7-2 mark in the American Midwest Conference. Under his leadership, Lyon earned two NAIA National Tournament berths in four seasons and advanced to three AMC Tournament championship matches, capturing both the regular-season and tournament titles in 2021. Groves coached five All-Americans during his tenure. Prior to his arrival, the program had produced just one in its history. Groves was named AMC Coach of the Year in 2021.
Before Lyon, Groves was head coach at Northeastern Junior College, leading the Plainsmen to a 22-14-3 record over two seasons. In 2017, he guided NJC to the regional championship match and earned Region Coach of the Year honors after inheriting a program that had gone 10-54-1 prior to his arrival.
Groves began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Western Michigan University, where the Broncos compiled a 19-11-8 record during his tenure.
Overall, Groves holds a 113-62-19 record as a collegiate head coach. He earned both his Master of Arts and Bachelor of Business Administration degrees from Western Michigan University.
