Bethel University Athletics

Julie Parr (Ewing) comes to Bethel after a distinguished playing career at the University of Illinois. Julie was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten member and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award recipient. As a senior she was named a Big Ten “Player to Watch” and a Top Drawer Soccer Top-20 Conference Player (#14). Julie was a defender during the first three years of her career and spent time as a wing midfielder as a senior, while helping the Illini to a Big Ten Tournament championship. As a senior she recorded a career high of five goals and two assists including the go ahead goal against #11 Penn State in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament, which the Illini won 2-1 in overtime.

She also played the 2011 season in the Women's Proffesional Soccer League (WPSL) with the Chicago Red Stars. The Red Stars won the Midwest Conference and subsequently hosted and participated in the WPSL championship match. Parr scored the game tying goal late in regulation, but the Red Stars fell in overtime. 

In high school she was named a 2005 NSCAA/Adidas All-American. As a club player she led her team, the Eclipse Select, to a state and regional championship and they finished as national runners-up.

A native of Batavia, Ill., she graduated from Illinois with a communications degree with a concentration of course work in African Studies. She has participated in missions trips to Kenya, Tanzania and Brazil.

In the spring of 2012 Julie served as an assistant coach at Mahomet-Seymour High School and helped lead the team to the winningest season in school history and a regional tournament berth.

She was married this past December to Josh Parr, a fellow Illini and current professional baseball player in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system.