Amanda Ryder completed her 10th season with the UW-River Falls women's hockey coaching staff in 2024-25, leading the defenders.
In 2008, Ryder joined UWRF athletics and competed as a two-sport athlete. She played four years of women's hockey as a defenseman from 2008-13 and played centerfield on the softball team from 2011-12.
As a defenseman, she collected 56 career points and was named NCHA First Team All-Conference all four seasons. Her dedication on the ice and in the classroom also earned her Scholastic-Honor Roll and NCHA All-Academic honors. During her senior year, she was voted team captain and ACHA First Team All-American, and she ended the season with a plus/minus of +48, which remains a team record. In 114 career games, Amanda helped lead the Falcons to a trio of NCHA regular season and playoff championship titles and four NCAA tournament appearances, including the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four.
During her two softball seasons, she helped the Falcons win back-to-back WIAC tournament titles and the team secured NCAA tournament appearances in 2011 and 2012. As a two-time, All-WIAC and All-NFCA Great Lakes Region award winner, she led the 2012 Falcons with a .431 batting average, which ranks ninth all-time in the UWRF single-season records.
Ryder graduated from UWRF in 2013 with a B.S in Exercise Sport Science and Minor in Coaching and Health Education. Her contributions to UWRF athletics were further recognized in 2023 when she was inducted into the UW-River Falls Athletics Hall of Fame.
