Michelle Dalton enters her second year an assistant coach at Utah State in 2024 after being hired in July of 2023. She works primarily with the team's goalkeepers.
During her second season with the Aggies in 2024, Utah State had perhaps the most successful season in program history, winning a program-record 18 games, repeating as conference tournament champions, and hosting an NCAA Tournament game for the first time ever. The Aggies made their first ever appearance in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll and climbed as high as No. 7 during a 12-0-2 start, tied with the 1960 men's basketball team for the highest-ever national ranking by any Utah State program in any sport. USU earned wins over three-straight Big 12 opponents, including reigning Big 12 champion Texas Tech and in-state foes Utah and No. 16 BYU. Utah State finished the season with just a single loss, going 18-1-5 overall and 7-1-3 in league play. In the conference tournament, the Aggies defeated Colorado State 2-0 in the semifinals then took down Boise State 2-1 to repeat as champions. They then earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament to earn the right to host Washington, where they fell in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw.
The Aggies set program records for goals (62), assists (65), points (189) and shutouts (15) in a season, out-scoring opponents by a combined 62-14 on the year to rank fifth nationally in goal differential, sixth in the NCAA in scoring offense and 10th in goals-against average. Defender Kaitlyn Richins was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and became the first All-American in program history as she earned third team recognition from Top Drawer Soccer. Goalkeeper Cora Brendle was named the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year and a program-record seven USU players were named to all-Mountain West teams, including five on the first team and two on the second team. Additionally, four Aggies earned spots on the league's all-newcomer team. A program-record five Utah State players also earned United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region accolades.
In her first season at Utah State in 2023, Dalton helped guide the Aggies to the program's first ever Mountain West Tournament championship and third ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Utah State coaching staff was named the United Soccer Coaches Pacific Region Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the team to a 14-8-1 record and a 9-2 mark in conference play. This marked the most conference wins in program history, and was the second most overall wins in program history.
Dalton helped mentor Diera Walton to one of the best seasons by a goalkeeper in Utah State history as Walton earned second-team all-Mountain West accolades and was a member of the Mountain West All-Tournament Team. Under Dalton's guidance, Walton recorded 74 saves with nine clean sheets, the third most shutouts in a season in program history. Against Mountain West foes, the Aggies allowed just six goals in 13 games with eight shutouts. On the season, just four USU opponents scored two or more goals.
Dalton joined the USU staff after spending the 2022 season as an assistant coach at Kentucky. With the Wildcats, she assisted in student-athlete development while working specifically with the team's goalkeepers. Other primary responsibilities included administering program operations, aiding with fiscal management and video support, and serving as the camp coordinator.
Prior to her stint in Lexington, Dalton spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky. While Dalton primarily focused on the training and development of the team's goalkeepers, the Hilltoppers' defense allowed just 13 goals in each of her two seasons, tied for the second fewest in program history. As a team, the Hilltoppers clinched their first-ever C-USA East Division title with a 4-0-2 conference record in the spring of 2021. They followed that with a 10-5-1 overall record and a 5-2-1 C-USA mark in the 2021 campaign. Dalton's coaching career began with a stint as the volunteer assistant and goalkeeper coach at DePaul in 2019.
As a player, Dalton was a standout goalkeeper at Wisconsin from 2007-11. She was named the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year in 2011 and earned All-Conference First Team and NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team honors. She was twice named the team's MVP, and currently ranks second in saves per game (4.707) and fifth in career shutouts (24) in the Badgers' record book.
Following her collegiate career, Dalton played professionally in Iceland's top division with UMF Selfoss in 2013, followed by a season with Kvarnsvedens IK in Sweden. She then returned to the states to play three years with the Chicago Red Stars, where she was a finalist for the CONCACAF Female Goalkeeper of the Year award during her debut season. In 2018, she signed with the North Carolina Courage, then played with Apollon LFC in Cyprus in 2018-19.