Michelle Lynn Lomnicki (néeWenino; born May 3, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender.
Early life
Born in Aurora, Colorado, to parents Pat and Sherri Wenino, Michelle attended Smoky Hill High School and played all four seasons for the girls soccer team. A four-sport, and 15-time letterwinner, she received the school's Athlete of the Year with Honors award in 2005. Wenino was a Tulsa All-Tournament team member in 2004 and received the Fair Play Award in 2000 State Cup play. She was first-team Centennial league as a senior and second-team as a junior and was named MVP for Smoky Hill as a senior. In 2003, the team were the 2003 Centennial League Champions. Wenino also ran track (200-800m distances) and cross country as a member of the 2002, 2003 and 2004 5A state championship teams that finished second at nationals in 2004 in Portland, Oregon. She was also a point guard on the school's basketball team that won the 2002 Centennial League Championship.[1]
In 2010, Wenino played for SC Freiburg.[4] She played seven games with five starts for a total of 476 minutes, scoring one goal.[3]
Sky Blue FC, 2011
In January 2011, Wenino signed with Sky Blue FC.[5][6] She made three appearances and scored one goal.[3]
Chicago Red Stars (NWSL), 2013–2015
In February 2013, Wenino joined Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League.[7] Wenino started 17 games and appeared in 18 games in the 22-game season, usually playing defender on the right wing. She scored one goal and had one assist.[8]
Lomnicki returned to the Chicago Red Stars in 2020 as the Director of Camps and Clinics.
[10] In January 2022 she was named associate general manager of the Red Stars, and in January 2023 the Red Stars promoted her to general manager.
[11]
On May 5, 2023, the Red Stars announced that the team had fired Lomnicki on May 4 due to a "lapse in judgment to not share important information with club leadership".[12][13]