Summer Check In

Posted by Kristen Kastelic, Sophomore

We are almost a month into summer and I’m sure everyone is enjoying the break. While it is nice have some time off and relax, we all have to remember our goal in the fall to win the GNAC (eyes on the prize!!!). It’s important that while we are all apart, we work as hard as we can for each other so we can come back better and ready to win!

I just finished my freshman year at MSUB and I had such a great time. I love being a student-athlete, and I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to be part of an amazing team! We had a great fall and great spring season, and I feel like every time our team plays together we get better and better. I can’t wait for next season because I know we can accomplish all our goals, and I know that everyone is going to put everything they have into this summer and next fall so we can win the GNAC.

Summer has been good for me so far, it is nice and hot here in Arizona and I’m loving it! I just got a job as a summer camp counselor. I’m excited that I will get to play with kids all day! We get to play games, swim, and rock climb; it should be a lot of fun. I hope we get to play soccer too :)!

Most of the team is going to Mexico in a few days! I hope everyone has a safe trip and lots of FUN!!! I wish I could be there! Enjoy the rest of summer everyone!!!

Summer Check In

Posted by Andrea Baytaluke, Sophomore

Summer time is a time for self reflection. It gives you the opportunity to focus on the things that you as an individual know you need to improve on. Knowing my teammates as well as I do, I know everyone is at home working hard, striving to become the best they can be for next year. We all work well together and are all great friends, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t all fight and battle for a place on the team. Whether it’s for a starting spot or to keep a starting spot, everyone has a goal they need to accomplish.

This past year as a freshman at MSUB has brought many changes for me, especially being from another country. Each change has brought out a new side of me and I am grateful for the opportunity to grow as a person, student and athlete. As a young adult, I have had to push myself as an individual on and off the soccer field. I have also been pushed by my coaches and teammates, as well as by my professors in the classroom. I have found that everyone is extremely supportive of each other and more than willing to help each other with any problems on and off the field.

With that being said, I can't wait to see the team again and miss them a ton! THUMBS UP FOR BEING REUNITED IN MEXICO in 15 DAYS YEEEEHAAAAAWW!!!

Summer Check In

Posted by Danielle Gordon, Junior

Summer has finally arrived in Billings and it was sad say goodbye for the summer, but the break will be well utilized! We will all be using the time we have to clear our minds from school and put focus toward one goal: soccer. We will make steps towards accomplishing that goal through the work we are about to put in this summer. Something I have really enjoyed about transferring to MSUB from a junior college is the change in pace and work ethic; a pace that continues year round from the girls and the coaching staff.

Transferring from a junior college has been not only a change in pace on the pitch, but also in the classroom, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. By being pushed farther in the classroom and outside in soccer, I had to make a few adjustments in my study habits to make sure I would be able to accomplish the goals that I have set for myself in school. Unfortunately, I had to cut out the late night street soccer games that my old men’s and women’s teams enjoyed on a regular basis at Iowa Western, but in the end it has made me a better all around student-athlete. It has also given me a lot of appreciation for the girls who have been here before me and put in the time and effort to make this program what it is today.

I was fortunate to play for a very good junior college program for the two years prior and have them to thank for where I am today. Now I am at MSUB with a great bunch of friends and teammates, along with a supportive yet demanding coaching staff that I know will help me keep moving forward. One thing I was nervous for was the transition, meeting a new team and fitting into a new family; but in the end everything was very easily made as all of the girls were very welcoming and made me feel right at home, especially the three girls who took me in the middle of the summer as a last minute roommate :-)

I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to work for this summer. I cannot wait to return back to my family away from home and put together the work we have completed over the summer into an atmosphere that is set up for success. I miss all of you girls!!! And over the next couple of months let’s keep our “Eyes on the Prize!”

Summer Check In

Posted by Sami Sandau, Senior

It is finally summer!!! Finals were tough, as they usually are. Everyone on the team who is going home for summer has already left and they are already enjoying their families’ home cooked meals. This summer will be a good break for everyone, but by the end of it everyone will be ready to come back and play. For us seniors, it is the summer before our last season here at MSUB; I think I speak for everyone when I say we hope it will be the best season yet!

This summer the team needs to keep up with the fitness status that we ended the year with so that there is no time wasted next fall. The team had a perfect record of everyone finishing the YBMI at the end of the spring (never has that happened)!

My summer is going to be relaxed, as I hope everyone else's will be, too. My son, Koby, will be turning two years old on the 15th of this month and I plan on having anyone who stayed this summer over to help celebrate. Working out will be good, as Koby likes to yell at me to go fast while I am running. He obviously enjoys the stroller runs. I am looking forward to a nice summer and I hope that everyone else enjoys it as much as me. HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, BE SAFE, and I will see some of you in MEXICOOOO!!! :)