Fisish Strong

Courtney Harvey, Sophmore, Billings, MT.
Finishing the 2011 Spring season 6-0-1 has left our team with an abundance of confidence and high expectations for the 2011 Fall season.

As most know the past year has consisted of many changes to the woman's soccer program here at MSU-Billings. The loss of six seniors along with their leadership and experience will most definitely be difficult to replace. A new head coach has also brought it's fair share of adjustments and difficulties.

With all this being said I have the utmost confidence in the future of our program. The intensity of games and practices this spring has shown the heart and dedication each girl is willing to put forth to accomplish our common goals. Wojtek has handled the new coaching position very well and positively encourages each one of us to be the best we can be for each other, for him and for the program. It's reassuring to know we have a coach that stands behind our team on and off the field and is willing to put in the amount of work required to be a successful program.

Many people would look at our team with an attitude that the 2011 Fall season is a season to re-build the team and adjust to all the changes. Expectations may be low from an outsiders point of view but as a team and a family we hold each other to high standards. We know next year is another shining opportunity to come one step closer to achieving our ultimate goal... winning a national championship!!

I hope everyone has a WONderful summer and I already can't wait to see what the future holds for our team. Goodluck on finals and see you all in early August!

Looking Toward the Future

Danielle Gordon, Senior from Atkins, IA

As we enter the last week of spring, we plan to keep our momentum going into our final three games.

We are now 4-0 and looking to finish strong this spring season.

This spring has flown by and is bitter sweet. For many of us summer is a time to spend time with our family for a couple months, but at the same time we are leaving our second family and trusting in them to put in the work during our time away.

Knowing that though, I have the utmost confidence in our girls. I love knowing these girls will put in the work necessary for us to be successful next fall. It is always hard to leave the group for months at a time, but I know when we see each other again in August it will be like we have never left.

These girls mean the world to me and I would do anything for them... Thank you girls for everything.

Finish Strong.

Spring Check In

Kristen Kastellic, Sophmore from Phoneix AZ

This week, the team spent most of our time focusing on our next game against Rocky. We came out to practice hard everyday preparing for the game. Unfortunately, on Friday we found out because of the weather we would postpone the game from Sunday to next Wednesday, April 6 at 4pm. We were pretty disappointed the game got moved because all of us we really pumped up and ready to play! On the bright side, it gives us a few extra days to get ready for the game! I know all of us are very excited and can’t wait get Rocky back for our loss against them in preseason.

On our off day from practice, Friday, we had a busy but fun day! First we went and cheered on our Yellowjacket tennis team in their matches against CSU – Pueblo. It was the first competitive tennis match I’ve personally ever watched so that was a lot of fun to see and support our fellow athletes! [Note: When entering the tennis bubble to watch don’t come in with 20 people while they are in the middle of the match and try to walk behind the courts. Apparently your not suppose to do that :)]

Next, we surprised Don at his going away party! We all signed a ball and a framed jersey and presented that to Don at the party. There was a nice video there to celebrate Don’s time as a coach at MSUB. It is very sad to see him go, he will be missed. But we all wish him luck at University of Wyoming and thank him for all the years of hard work he has put into this program!

After Don’s going away party, our team went to volunteer at Eaglefest. Eaglefest is an annual event to raise money for Eagle Mount, an organization that provides opportunities in recreation for children and adults with disabilities. We were in charge of running carnival booths for children and it was a lot of fun! I was in charge of the face painting station and had a blast attempting to paint Spiderman faces and the cartoon character Diego from Nick Jr. Our team looks forward to this event every year because it is always nice to give back to community!

It is weird we only have 3 full weeks left of spring soccer! I would be nice if the weather would warm up for these last weeks so it actually feels like spring :)!

A New Chapter

The Yellowjacket lady soccer team hasn’t missed a beat from the recent resignation of head coach Donald Trentham and the promotion of new head coach Wojtek Krakowiak. In fact, things could not look better. Coach Krakowiak, a huge contributor to our success this last season, has even more to offer than his coaching abilities-- his experience. We opened the succession with his very own words. “I know how to win a NCAA tournament, and I can take you there”. With Krakowiak’s own history of a NCAA division I championship in college and a heavy duty experience in the MLS, his words came without denial.

Practice kicked off with everyone proving themselves. For the most part, we have stuck to the regimen of last season, with some occasional changes. Every day is a new day for growth and development, competition and challenge, and character building and unity.

Practice in the snow made for an interesting afternoon, but it is just another factor that our team must overcome. We continue to prove our dedication as a family to the next chapter of the Yellowjacket history book; a continuum of the past 15 years of hard work.

In the past few weeks, we have had our jump-start into our spring season with a little inside competition from Billings’ own U16 and U18 club teams also coached by Wojtek and assistant coach and alumni, Kari Foreman. The games turned out to be a success, with all of our players stiff and sore on Sunday morning, and a 2:0 winning record to kick off the spring season. We look forward to a promising, civil game this upcoming Wednesday against rival team Rocky Mountain College.

Yellow Jacket Nation

Jen Larsen, Sophmore from Mesa, AZ.

Two weeks into practicing and the competitive atmosphere is back in action. Practices are jam packed with energy and filled with excitement for our upcoming games this weekend against the U-16 and U-18 Magic City teams. The last time we played a full field game was back in November at the NCAA tournament. Talk about an anxious group of girls. We are more than ready to start our spring season and bring that competitive atmosphere into actual games!
This past week was a busy one. In between practices and school, we found time to watch our Yellowjacket Golf Team come away with a victory. Unfortunately, we only were able to watch an hour of the match, but in that hour, we did learn something. We learned that golf is definitely NOT a yelling sport. All we wanted to do was yell and cheer for our amazing golf team, but we had to contain ourselves and resort to clapping. We also had the privilege of attending a softball game! Our vocal chords were much more useful at the softball complex, just ask Heidi Greenback:). I think all of the cheering helped because the team crushed the opponent and came away with a victory. Our team attended two games and came out with two victories. Coincidence? I think not. We look forward to going to many more Yellowjacket sporting events this spring!
Overall, this weekend was a success. We look forward to the upcoming week and wait in anticipation for next weekend! I know that our practices will be very focused as we get ready for our games! The competitive atmosphere will continue to flourish and get stronger as the games grow nearer.

Starting Anew

Posted by Amanda Brusic, Junior from Yakima, WA



As we all took our much needed spring breaks,we came back to some
bittersweet news: Don was resigning to take an assistant coaching
position at the University of Wyoming. It was hard to hear and most of
us shed a few tears when he told us of his resignation. This past year
was a challenging yet successful year and Don’s commitment to the team,
program, and sport was a huge contributor to our striving season, which
will not soon be forgotten. We are all happy for Don as he takes his
next step in coaching and wish him all the best in his future
endeavors.

We turn now to what lies ahead. I’m excited to have Wojtek, our new
head coach, take on the role and help continue our success. I trust he
will do a good job as the Spring/Fall seasons emerge. As we started
our first Spring practice outside this past Wednesday, we came out with
flying colors, ready to get after it. Everyone has a lot of energy and
I think we are excited to be outside again on the turf. I believe if we
keep our competitive spirits alive in practice, they will carry over
into our Spring games.

I look forward to what this team will accomplish amidst the changes. We
have each other, we are a family,and I think something as special as
that can turn any transition or adjustment into an easier one. It just
takes the right attitude and the willingness to work hard, on and off
the field.

"FINISH STRONG"

A New Challenge

Posted by Don Trentham
Former MSUB Women's Soccer Head Coach

Players, alumnae, fans and boosters of the Montana State University Billings Women’s Soccer program, as well as all of my great colleagues on campus, I announce today that I will be resigning as head women’s soccer coach of this university to accept the assistant women’s soccer coach position at the University of Wyoming. It is time for me begin a new challenge and pursue my goal of being a head coach at the DI level, and I believe this is a necessary step for me to get there.

First off, I want to thank all of you who made my time here in Billings and at MSUB so special. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with and meet all of you over the past 9 years. So many of you have helped me grow as a person and a coach, and I cannot thank you enough. Jenn and I will leave Billings with a heavy heart, as this community, the campus and all of the wonderful people we have met here mean so much to us.

I have seen this program grow immensely over the past nine seasons, and am very proud of everything we have accomplished here. While this was a difficult decision, it was made a little easier by the fact that the program is in a fantastic place right now. We are coming off a 2nd round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, we have 18 very good players returning for 2011, we have a solid recruiting class coming in and most of all we have a truly special family atmosphere that makes Yellowjacket women’s soccer so unique.

In addition, I have great confidence that my former assistant coach, Wojtek Krakowiak, will take this program to the next level in the upcoming years. It is my hope all of you will give him the same support you have given me over the past nine years, as I know great things lie ahead for the program with him in charge.

As for me, I look forward to the new challenge that lies ahead and while I will no longer be on the sidelines to coach the team, I will now become one of the biggest fans of Yellowjacket women’s soccer. I will anxiously await the final scores of each and every game, and will follow the news of the program intently.

I also want to sincerely thank former chancellor, Dr. Ron Sexton, and current athletic director, Dr. Gary Gray, for giving a young coach his first opportunity to be a head college coach. Not only did you give me the opportunity, but your mentorship and your support through the years was awesome. Both of you deserve major credit for the success of the program.

Lastly and most of all, I want to thank all of the great assistant coaches and student-athletes who I have had the pleasure to be around the past nine years. Your commitment to this program and to me as your coach was appreciated more than you will ever know. I have always felt selfish through the years, as I know I learned way more from all of you than you could have possibly learned from me. Thank you so much...it will be all of you who I will miss the most.

Privileged to be a member of the Yellowjacket family!!!

Sincerely,

Don Trentham