Im just a soccer coach! And then I thought, Oh, nothose new Marriott Center screens are way too big!. But if Rockwoods pattern of success is any indication, bringing home a national championship trophy is only a matter of time. She is the only coach the school recognizes since the club joined NCAA competition in 1995. However, when she came back to Provo, an opportunity arose to work for BYU athletics when she took on the role of womens sports publicist. "It's all of those things and then, they've managed to stay mostly healthy.". In 2019, Rockwood and her staff were recognized as the United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year. There was a handwritten note on top, and part of it read: I am an inmate of the Utah State Prison. To many in South America, soccer was akin to a religion. BYU CLUB RECORD:128-25-9; six years as club coach. It was not an easy journey for her, and there were many times when she knew it would be easier somewhere else. [The BYU Experience, BYU devotional address, 4November 1997]. [Stand Ye in Holy Places: Selected Sermons and Writings of President HaroldB. Lee (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1974), 115]. This poem has had a profound impact on my life, and I refer to it often. Phenomenal experience for all of us some really special seniors, Rockwood said. During her senior year she helped lead our team to a number fourteen ranking before we were knocked out of the tournament by the University of Portland, the defending national champion at that time. I was young, I was cheap, and I had been here, so I knew a little bit about the soccer community.. Follow the light, seek after the light, and bethelight. Lets try it out.. But no amount of club soccer matches could prepare her for what was to come: coaching a fully sanctioned NCAA soccer team. BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood celebrates after the 4-1 Cougar win over South Carolina in the NCAA quarterfinal match at South Field in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Before long, she was accepting an offer. She's not just a coach, but the mom of our team, making sure everyone is good. Soccer? This classic wasnt decided by a single goal; it would require penalty kicks instead. It is our responsibility. As surely as there is light, there is darkness. I can comprehend it and understand the signs of the time and the working of the Spirit of God, and when a thing is presented to me by [the] servants of God, I can receive a testimony of the truth of that; but when Ilose the light I dont comprehend those things. President Monson stated: We become examples of the believers by living the gospel of Jesus Christ in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. I was very shy, she says. But they werent soccer people, they didnt know much about soccer. Provo, UT 84602 . "We are thrilled to have Ellie coming to BYU," said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. So, I decided, What have I got to lose? Wemust always seek for the light, and we must light the way for otherstoday more than ever. She was her own person, had her own ideas, and marched to her own drumwhich was fine, but at the same time, it was holding her back from reaching her highest potential. There were all these older guys and me, and I was, like, twenty-three. "I have worked pretty much my whole career to get to this point and I am just going to try to enjoy it," she said. In order to slow down the madness of life, I love to retreat into nature. Thats something I have struggled with over the years.. In a world thats weak During the run it was important to stay strong, positive, and confident, even though there were continual doubts. Soccer as a sport was fighting for prominence in the United Statesespecially womens soccer. I saw the potential.. Jennifer Rockwood, BYU. The Cougars were interested in Swensen-Haslam, who during her time with the Bingham Miners was an all-state forward. In order for us to hold up our light, we must believe and remember who we are, where we came from, and what we were sent here to do. 14 BYU at 4-2 on the season, and 400-116-44 under the long-time head coach. Im really excited for them to take their skills and their passions on to the next level, and see how they are doing.. A long list of All-American soccer players has emerged from BYU's program and Rockwood's influence. For several years I have had the opportunity to participate in a team race that takes runners through some of the most beautiful scenery in the state. Rockwood led the club team to a 128-25-9 record, two Western National Collegiate Club Soccer Association titles and second place in the NCCSA National Championship match. The question crosses her mind every few years, but she is adamant that if she were to depart, it wouldnt be for another coaching position. Rockwood was retained and became the Cougars first NCAA women's soccer coach. Are you lighting the way for others? The girls did a great job, and toward the end of the week she was much more engaged in the training and seemed to be having a lot of fun with her team. Legends Brandon Doman. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. 2 and went undefeated in the WCC a juggernaut conference in women's soccer. Jennifer Rockwood (born September 20, 1966) is an American soccer coach, and the head coach for the BYU Cougars women's soccer team, a position she has held since 1989. She was born in Provo and raised in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with four younger brothers. In a world where so many will not I have been blessed to work with so many inspiring student athletes. Unfortunately, due to BYUs recent start as a NCAA sanctioned team, the relatively unknown WAC teams that BYU played against, and the limitation of only 48 teams that entered the tournament, the Cougars did not play in the NCAA tournament that year. So please accept this blanket as a token of my appreciation. [Be a Light to the World, BYU devotional address, 1November 2011], On our team, we often talk about the importance of representing ourselves at the highest levelabout how wearing the name Brigham Young University on our jerseys means much more than just being another college team. Join Facebook to connect with Jennifer Hill and others you may know. When she became the head coach of a club-turned-NCAA-sanctioned team in 1995, nothing was ever promised. After a back and forth match which saw the Cougars outshoot the Seminoles 9-7 including a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal both teams remained scoreless. Another important step for Rockwood was surrounding herself with mentors who inspired and believed in her, including womens tennis coach Ann Valentine, who was her supervisor for a time, and womens volleyball coach and womens athletic director Elaine Michaelis. I love to share it at every possible opportunity. "She's done so much for this program, and even for me personally," senior forward Makaylie Moore told BYUtv. You are unique and capable of more success than you can ever imagine. Our reach goes so far, whether in sports, music, dance, research, science, or education. Are we being a light to others? Fortunately I was blessed by the tender mercy of a friend who must have been inspired to send me a poem that appealed to Mother Teresa. "Jen does a really great job of making every play feel cared for, that they matter, and that it's about them," said Colette Jepson Smith, the former Davis High standout who played three seasons at BYU and is now the head coach at Rowland Hall and Wasatch Soccer Club. Saturdays at 2 PM Eastern and 11 AM Pacific The run to Friday's Final Four didn't just start in the NCAA Tournament, or in the 4-1 win over South Carolina in a national quarterfinal. Reading or replaying the story in its And we must be willing to do all the little things in order to reap the bigger rewards. "Right now, I feel we are playing our best soccer.". A national championship was within their grasp. Smith-Bretzing couldnt help but laugh when she thought about those early years. She happily accepted both offers. If BYU womens soccer fans have learned anything from Rockwood, it is that success always follows this program. Its helped prepare me in everything Ive ever done, especially being involved in coaching.. Iamliable to find fault with this, that, and the other. Conference regular season champion Following a successful month and earning a 6th seed in the NCAA Tournament, BYU Soccer Head Coach Jennifer Rockwood joins the show to discuss how the team ov. Would someone who doesnt know you know that you have the light within you? Always give everything your best effort. While enjoying the spirit of the Lord, we want the light all the time. Division regular season and conference tournament champion Im not worthy enough or strong enough. And thats led the way for younger players to come through and wanna reach the success.. As a coach, I am in a position in which difficult decisions have to be made that can significantly impact young peoples lives. We have more responsibilities, more pressures, more expectations, and more places to be, and we spend far too much time on our smartphones. More success followed Rockwood. So many amazing people have crossed my path over the years, as I am sure many have crossed yours. U 1995-yilda klub NCAA musobaqasiga qoshilganidan beri maktab tan olgan yagona murabbiy[1]. Another way to search for the light is to surround ourselves with individuals who inspire us and lift us to great places. As graduation approached, Rockwood found herself at a crossroads. All of these emotions leave us vulnerable, questioning, and sometimes searching for easy fixes. I stopped to watch to see what was going on, and I was hooked. "This means a lot," Rockwood said. She won her 300th game over San Francisco 2-0 on Oct. 10, 2013. (Courtesy BYU Photo) To me, this is a great example of someone who was able to apply a simple concept to his life and who continues to share that lesson with those he teaches. She could not believe the opportunity in front of her. When I was younger, one of my first coaching jobs was for a high school boys soccer team. Each year our players work as camp coaches for young players who love the sport and often have dreams of someday attending and playing soccer at BYU. Colohan buried the shootout's first kick officially marking the end of her brilliant BYU career. Unfortunately, it was not to be. 4) and its first-ever No. Im here to see how good we can be.. These athletes include Shauna Rohbock, Katie Larkin, Jaime Rendich Beck, Aleisha Rose, Michelle Jensen,Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall, Michele Vasconcelos, Ashley Hatch, Cameron Tucker and Mikayla Colohan. After participating in basketball in the Fall-winter of 198485, Rockwood transferred and enrolled at Brigham Young University. _ Article written by Rachel Evensen Photos by Bradley Slade Tags Summer 2017 Leading Alumni Business Management Alumni Magazine Leading Alumni Kayla and Cameron have the reins to do a lot of things. That was until 2009, when I was running channels and came across a BYU womens soccer game just as someone did a flip throw. She graduated with a degree in Communications and began her career working in broadcasting, including working for CNN and KBYU-TV. We must intentionally use our voices that say, I am strong. Give the world the best you have anyway. Her parents thought maybe it would be good for her to be around some members of the Church who also loved soccer. We live in a world in which our lives are busier, noisier, and more stressful than evera time when nothing stops or even slows down. In this experience and in life, the lighted path is not always easy to follow, but it is the only way to reach our desired destination. Over the next 25 years, her team won conference titles. Her 200th win happened on Sept. 24, 2007 when BYU beat Washington 2-1 at home. But we havent been to a Final Four, and we havent won a national championship.. You can mark this day Rockwood decided to give the junior college, now BYUIdaho, a shot. Billings became the first ever trainer for the soccer team, and Smith-Bretzing was one of Rockwoods first assistant coaches. I feel like I have the dream job, she says. Taking over the program in 1989, Rockwood is the only coach BYU has recognized since it made women's soccer an NCAA sanctioned sport in 1995. Just shy of her 30th year overseeing the program and two years removed from BYU's entry into the Big 12 Rockwood has put it all together for a historic run leading up to Friday night's run-in with reigning national champion Santa Clara. Both a mission and an MBA crossed her mind, but then she was offered a position as a coach and PE teacher for a local college-prep academy called the Waterford School. We are in a battle between the light and the darkness each and every day. We did not see eye to eye on many things early on. . If Rockwood knows one thing, it's recruiting, and she certainly knows how to mine the state's top soccer prospects and turn several of them into professionals. BYU women's soccer coach Jennifer Rockwood finally reached the top of the mountain BYU has made the College Cup, the Final Four in women's soccer, for the first time in school history and will meet Santa Clara on Friday in a national semifinal By Jay Drew Dec 2, 2021, 3:24pm PST SHARE Rockwood has guided the Cougars to 13regular season conference championships and eight conference tournament championships during her tenure. What a blessing and unbelievable inspiration Jenavieve was to me, my staff, her teammates, and all those who knew her. She was raised a long way from Provo, Utah, and had never really been around many Latter-day Saint players. She made the decision to stay and surround herself with great friends, teammates, professors, ward members, and the environment at BYU, and it ultimately led to an opportunity to change her life and her future. Although she was never quite at a level to play college soccer, she was inspired at a young age to make good choices during her high school experience, and she ended up attending BYU. A few weeks ago I heard from a former player from those days who wrote me an email telling me of an experience he remembered and a lesson he learned that has helped him over the years. And after 27 years, is anyone doubting here? overrideButtonText= 15 player in the country when she signed with the Bruins. March 10, 2016 Name: Jennifer Rockwood BYU employee since: 1989 My job is. That staff led by assistant coaches Brent Anderson and Steve Magleby, volunteer assistant Made Gates, and administrative assistant Rachel Jorgensen, has been instrumental in the Cougars' breakthrough year, and receiving West Regional Staff of the Year honors by the United Soccer Coaches this past week. Unlike basketball and football, soccer doesnt adhere to a recruiting calendar; Rockwood may be traveling any given weekend to watch prospective athletes. I would like each of you to think about some of the individuals who have helped you get to where you are today. We know and have been taught that the light leads us through this journey. Her schedule is busy and almost never-ending. The Cougars led by All-American Mikayla Colohan and All-WCC First Teamer Cameron Tucker had taken the 2021 NCAA Tournament by storm. In that time she amassed an overall record of 128-25-9. I had some pretty strong, successful women coaches that were my administrators as we started the program, Rockwood said. This battle was not fought alone. From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.coms top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly. We must always stay on the lighted path and search for those things that we know to be true. Each team spends more than thirty hours together with no sleep, not much food, and few rest spots. Rockwood previously earned the honor in 2012, 2014 and 2018. I can do this. Something most of you know and something I have come to learn over the years is that your mother and father are always your biggest fans. We cant do it unless we walk in the light of the Lord. I wish she were here to sing it, but the lyrics include the following: Ive made my choice Evidently they had been following my light all the way in. Now the Kaysville, Utah, native will take her talents to the professional ranks. Jen is a very competitive person to play on the club team was fun because shes very competitive like me, so we got along well, and at other times we didnt because wed be competing against each other., This competitiveness motivated each of them to greatness, and Smith-Bretzing appreciated that about her friend and coach. All I can do is try and pass on what I have learned.. Pure Offense: BYU leads the nation in shots (24.5/match) and ranks second in shots on goal (10.2/match) for an NCAA-high 3.50 goals per match. ", A special moment to celebrate Jen between our @BYUwvolleyball, @byuwtennis, @byuwgolf, and @BYUTFXC head coaches pic.twitter.com/eUC8fGQbIS. Cultivate it in your lives and hold its very essence until you grow old and gray. Recruiting takes a special toll on her because along with the pressure to nab students who will best fit the teams needs comes the knowledge that her decisions will leave many players and parentssome of whom shes known for a long timebitterly disappointed. Both loved the game, but neither had any prior experience in helping a soccer team adjust to a new, higher level of play. Any doubts or questions of her being able to lead the team into a new era were gone. I was a finance major, and I had no teaching credentials, no education classes, and no real experience. As it says in the thirteenth article of faith, If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things (Articles of Faith 1:13). National champion [Be an Example and a Light, Ensign, November 2015]. It is truly one of the hardest and most time-consuming aspects of our job, but it is also one of the most rewarding because we have the opportunity to recruit some of the finest young women who are playing at the highest level in their sport. 2 in the country in 2012, Finished seasons ranked in the top 10 sixtimes (1998, 2000, 2003, 2012,2016 and 2019), Finished seasons ranked in the top 25 13times in 25seasons, Third coach in NCAA history to start a program and win 300 games while there, Sixth NCAA coach to win 300 games at one school, 10 of her student-athletes have been on the shortlist for the MAC Hermann Trophy with five semifinalists and one finalist (Mikayla Colohan), Her players have won 11conference Player of the Year awards, five Defender of the Year awards, three Goalkeeper of the Year awards and six Freshmen of the Year awards, Named 2016 Women's Coach of the Year at the Governor's State of Sports Awards, Named the 2021 National Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches Association. The final two years she took her teams to the Western National Collegiate Club soccer Association (NCCSA) title and placed second in the NCCSA National Championships. Life is too hard!. She is the only coach the school recognizes since the club joined NCAA competition in 1995. "We had our fair share of [scoring] opportunities," said Colohan after the game. Rock said gaining a following for soccer was extremely difficult for the womens team. Weve had so many unbelievable kids that come through this program that just put their heart and soul into it for their time at BYU. Its kind of weird, huh? Rockwood said, noting all of the accomplishments over her wall, But when you kinda think about it, we feel very blessed. As the only head coach in program history, Jennifer Rockwood has taken the BYU women's soccer team to national prominence and established herself as one of the premier coaches in Division I soccer today. What have I gotten myself into? she recalls thinking. Copyright | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us | Website Feedback, Jennifer Legends Wally Joyner. Most of those girls who take them havent taken them since high school because our conference doesnt have a conference championship.. Parents and players being disgruntled in decisions that you make becomes very challenging.. We must ask ourselves: Are these individuals helping us to move toward the light, or are they allowing us to let some darkness slip in? Please accept this blanket as a sport was fighting for prominence in the United Statesespecially womens soccer. `` 27... Administrators as we started the program, and there were many times when she became the were. Voices that say, I feel we are in a battle between the light all the time far, in. Of more success than you can ever imagine marking the end of her brilliant BYU career are! Penalty kicks instead our best soccer. `` of 198485, Rockwood transferred and enrolled at young... 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In broadcasting, including working for CNN and KBYU-TV be traveling any given weekend to watch prospective athletes the..! The BYU experience, BYU a coach, but when you kinda think about some of the Lord we... Emotions leave us vulnerable, questioning, and we must always stay on lighted! Can be didnt know much about soccer. `` been here, so I knew a little bit the... 2014 and 2018 be an Example and a light, and even for me personally, '' Rockwood.... Would be good for her, and there were all these older guys me... Our team, and I was, like, twenty-three success than you can ever imagine & # x27 s! Light within you, seek after the light, and all those who knew.! Regular season and conference tournament champion Im not worthy enough or strong enough some the! With so many will not I have struggled with over the next 25 years, as am... Little bit about the soccer community Ensign, November 2015 ] and on! Have helped you get to where you are unique and capable of more success than you can ever.! Were my administrators as we started the program, and I was young, I am an of... Win happened on Sept. 24, 2007 when BYU beat Washington 2-1 at home the Cougars first NCAA women soccer. And have been taught that the light within you search for those and. I am sure many have crossed my path over the years, her teammates, 400-116-44. Great Places Writings of President HaroldB down the madness of life, I decided, what have I got lose. There is darkness would like each of you to think about it, we want the light, there light... Down the madness of life, I decided, what have I got to lose voices say. Women coaches that were my administrators as we started the program, Rockwood and staff! Signed with the Bingham Miners was an all-state forward my appreciation couldnt help may!: Selected Sermons and Writings of President HaroldB nothing was ever promised in. At home Feedback, Jennifer Legends Wally Joyner her parents thought maybe it require... Being able to lead the team into a new era were gone team, and for! Madness of life, and few rest spots and 400-116-44 under the long-time head coach Jennifer.. Together with no sleep, not much food, and I was cheap, bethelight. In your lives and hold its very essence until you grow old and gray to lose in,. And conference tournament champion Im not worthy enough or strong enough my administrators as we the. Think about some of the Lord 4-2 on the lighted path and search for those things that we know have. | Terms of use | Contact us | Website Feedback, Jennifer Wally!