Rock said gaining a following for soccer was extremely difficult for the womens team. BYU was a team on the rise. She is the only coach the school recognizes since the club joined NCAA competition in 1995. Check it out online at speeches.byu.edu. The event starts in Logan and winds through the Wasatch Back to finish in Park City. "It's all of those things and then, they've managed to stay mostly healthy.". Even then you can sit on the wall on a warm summer day and think of the things you are still learning in light of the great experience you had. Far from a program, that's a dynasty, a consistent achievement layered by the individual bricks of three decades of top athletes the majority of which came homegrown from Utah and the surrounding region. "We have had our ups and downs, and just like any team, you battle through the rough times and learn from them and try to play our best soccer at the end of the season. At BYU, Rockwood found herself drawn to the Marriott School, where she did well in accounting and other premanagement courses. One penalty kick. Though her scholastic path presented challenges, she says those experiences enabled her to achieve greater success down the road. After 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven Sweet 16 runs and four Elite Eight finishes, BYU women's soccer coach Jennifer Rockwood finally broke through with the program she helped build. Our reach goes so far, whether in sports, music, dance, research, science, or education. It actually came to a point at which I had to make the decision to ask her to leave the team. Do good anyway. Other crucial figures came to help, as Carolyn Billings and Robyn Smith-Bretzing both joined the program in 1995. He wants us to feel as if there are different paths. [3] Early life [ edit] Jennifer Rockwood delivered a BYU devotional address titled "Drawn to the Light" on 15 March 2016. 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. I can do this. It is called the Ragnar Relay Series, and each team consists of two vans, with six people packed into each van. Im not worthy enough or strong enough. After three years of teaching PE for Meridian, Rockwood went to the headmaster and asked for a chance to try teaching in the classroom. Completing her 21st season in 2015, head coach Jennifer Rockwood has taken the BYU women's soccer team to national prominence and has established herself as one of today's premier coaches of Division I soccer. http://speeches.byu.eduJennifer Rockwood was head coach of the BYU women's soccer team when she gave this devotional on 15 March 2016. Brigham Young Univers. Her mom went on to explain that her daughter loved soccer but was from an area where there werent any members who played, and she was slowly losing interest in attending her Young Women group, seminary, and even church on Sunday. After 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven Sweet 16 runs and four Elite Eight finishes, BYU women's soccer coach Jennifer Rockwood finally broke through with the program she helped build from scratch, culminating in the Cougars' first-ever NCAA College Cup semifinal appearance Friday at a sold-out Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, California (7:30 p.m. MT, ESPNU). I see my players play their best. I remember going up to the Utah High School Activities Association with other athletic directors, she says. Her schedule is busy and almost never-ending. All rights reserved. However, it put me on an unfamiliar course. The best advice I've ever gotten about coaching is. 15 player in the country when she signed with the Bruins. 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I just believe so much in BYU and what it has to offer young students and student athletes. As we follow the example of the Savior, ours will be the opportunity to be a light, as it were, in the lives of those around uswhether they be our own family members, our coworkers, mere acquaintances, or total strangers. She was raised a long way from Provo, Utah, and had never really been around many Latter-day Saint players. I am sure that we all have worked extremely hard and sacrificed much to be a part of this BYU community. Bertoch, a native of Chile, came to the US and went to school at BYU. But we must choose to surround ourselves with light. I took that opportunity to see where it would lead, she says. "We are thrilled to have Ellie coming to BYU," said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. This poem has had a profound impact on my life, and I refer to it often. I loved it. A couple of my players who were coaching her werent sure what to do with her. We didnt know a lot about soccer, it was just getting started in the high schools, it wasnt a big sport in the States.. In 27 years at the helm of the BYU women's soccer program, Rockwood's teams have finished below .500 just twice. And thats led the way for younger players to come through and wanna reach the success.. Facebook gives people the power to. We have more and more forces working against us, and Satan will always give us his best shot. But no amount of club soccer matches could prepare her for what was to come: coaching a fully sanctioned NCAA soccer team. Legends Wally Joyner. To be able to be the assistant to her and to help her in those first few years, coaching players and developing the program, it was a great experience.. Head coach Jennifer Rockwood, known for her focused determination on the sideline and for being emotionally defensive of her players, leaned in to anticipate the shot. In fact, I first met several of the current players on our team at camp when they were only ten or eleven years old. Do you have that light in your eyes? You never know what light you might spark in others just through your kindness and your example. 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. That was until 2009, when I was running channels and came across a BYU womens soccer game just as someone did a flip throw. Her dream was to play on the womens basketball team, but she knew reality was unlikely to cooperate. We have done everything that most coaches could ever want, she says. . You can mark this day Photos by Bradley Slade, Marriott Alumni Magazine These are questions we must ask ourselves on a daily basis. 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. Division regular season and conference tournament champion Having grown up in and around competitive soccer, which included teams with men on the field as well, Rockwood had overcome many obstacles to that point as a player and coach. web browser that Her 200th win happened on Sept. 24, 2007 when BYU beat Washington 2-1 at home. As I take my place, I will stand I loved those guys, and we had a great time. I have been blessed to work with so many inspiring student athletes. . To this day, the only sport I really watch is BYU womens soccer. Soon after, a couple of runners came in behind me and thanked me for leading them to the end. As a child in Chile, she watched soccer every day. 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. ", "BYU women's soccer: Coach Rockwood learns to loosen up", "Reaching 300, one win at a time for BYU's Rockwood", UNC womens soccer upsets BYU to advance to Final Four, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jennifer_Rockwood&oldid=1138996076, High school soccer coaches in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Women's association footballers not categorized by position, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, *Club domestic league appearances and goals, This page was last edited on 12 February 2023, at 20:38. When you seek after the light by surrounding yourself with positive and great individuals, you provide yourself with more opportunities to learn and grow. There were all these older guys and me, and I was, like, twenty-three. Both (Colohan and Tucker) were leaders and both were phenomenal players. We are aware that people are watching us, and you never know which lives can be touched, which doors can be opened, and what inspiration can be provided. [Stand Ye in Holy Places: Selected Sermons and Writings of President HaroldB. Lee (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1974), 115]. Player of the Year: Mikayla Colohan, BYU Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Loera, Santa Clara Goalkeeper of the Year: Amber Michel, San Diego Freshman of the Year: Izzy D'Aquila, Santa Clara Coach of the Year: Jennifer Rockwood, BYU 2019 ALL-WCC WOMEN'S SOCCER FIRST TEAM I will not fall Colohan buried the shootout's first kick officially marking the end of her brilliant BYU career. After the initial shock of having a team, being tabbed as head coach of a new program, and having to ride the difficulty of her first two NCAA seasons, the training wheels were off. In 2019, Rockwood and her staff were recognized as the United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year. [I Will, Every Step (Shadow Mountain Records: 2011)]. Unfortunately, it was not to be. I wore a headlamp and a blinking red reflector. Like Burleigh, Rockwood started the women's soccer program at BYU and is the 11th active Division I coach in wins. The search didnt go on long. We have been sent to this earth as part of a remarkable plan to prove ourselvesto learn, to grow, and to develop into our best selves. I thought they were a good program, Bertoch said of the program at the time, recounting how the club team had to charter their own buses and often slept when traveling in the homes of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1996 and 2012, Rockwood was also Region Coach of the Year. In a world thats weak Are we doing everything we can to build the kingdom of God? Always give everything your best effort. This battle was not fought alone. A visit to the basketball tryouts for Ricks College landed her a spot on the team there as well as a scholarship offer. Over the last 25seasons at the helm of the BYU women's soccer program, Rockwood has accumulated a .714winning percentage. Im pretty sure in todays world my scenario would not happen, Rockwood says. And again, they gave me a lot of freedom in doing what I did, cause I was learning a lot myself. 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. I mentioned that maybe they should just spend a little more time with her, get to know her, and sit with her at lunch or dinner. Which voices do we let in? We are in a battle between the light and the darkness each and every day. To many in South America, soccer was akin to a religion. 24:58 mins Follow Jennifer Rockwood, a four-year starter for BYU women's soccer, through her illustrious career as a player and coach. "She's done so much for this program, and even for me personally," senior forward Makaylie Moore told BYUtv. Ill be true, I was young, I was cheap, and I had been here, so I knew a little bit about the soccer community.. This was her program now. We did not see eye to eye on many things early on. Iamliable to find fault with this, that, and the other. So I took the shorter run. As part of my job, I have the opportunity almost every week to tell young people, their coaches, and their parents what an amazing place this is: a university where students can reach their highest potential athletically, academically, socially, and spiritually and where everyone understands that they are not perfect but where they are committed to being their best. It is our responsibility. 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. 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. Thats all it would take. She decided to pursue a bachelors degree in business management with an emphasis in finance, in part because few women were in the program, and she wanted to see if she could rise to the challenge. Despite a new office filled with awards, Rockwood cant help but feel grateful. Sara Sparhawk and Lyn Johnson find joy in bringing entrepreneurial opportunities to women everywhere through their company West Tenth. . At Waterford, Rockwood taught seventh- and eighth-grade PE classes and coached the high school girls soccer team. Soon after, our van was starting to get ready for our second leg of runs when my friend Greg mentioned that maybe I should run a shorter leg that was half the length of what I was supposed to run. There was a handwritten note on top, and part of it read: I am an inmate of the Utah State Prison. We are here to build the kingdom of God and to help our family and friends reach their highest potential. Hopefully, when I deal with these campers, Im bringing a love for the game, a love for getting better, a love for training on their own, and a love for being kids and being a real teammate and what that means, she says. 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. But if anyone is up to the challenge, it's Rockwood. By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's. - Sat 2/25 8:00 pm. On the national scene, her teams have made 22 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and reached the Sweet Sixteen in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2012, 2016, 2019 and 2021. It was one of the few runs that took place on a trail in the middle of nowhere at 2:00 a.m. Those decisions can emotionally drain Rockwood as she sometimes sees her players begin to question their ability and confidence. We have all been blessed with the Light of Christto know right from wrong and good from evil and to have a knowledge of our Heavenly Fathers and our Saviors love. . Legends Brandon Doman. American Fork's Ellie Walbruch, who helped UCLA win a Women's College Cup national championship last year, joins the show to talk about her decision to transfer home and play for BYU women's soccer, her relationship with longtime head coach Jennifer Rockwood, and the Cougars' first season in the Big 12 Conference. I was super excited that we could get to do this. Just so you know, I was the oldest on the team and by far the slowest runner. Rockwood started the women's soccer program at BYU and recently picked up her 400th college soccer win as a coach. Meridian made her a full-time teaching offer, and BYU asked her to coach the club soccer team she had so recently left. They worked hard, too; they're so gifted, their formation and tactics from the coaching staff it all plays into it. Think big anyway. But the Division I Womens Soccer team was only nine years from its formation, and Rockwood had unknowingly started on a path that would position her to take the lead. Can I really do this?. Others may have had their radios cranked up, listening to Kiss from a Rose by Seal or Only Wanna Be With You by Hootie and the Blowfish. It was a slow process, we didnt get a bunch of fans, Norma Bertoch said, the first sports information director for the program. 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. However, to several of those inside of the program, including Smith-Bretzing, it wasnt a big shock. 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. Itis for the entire team. In one of BYU's most successful seasons, 2012, the Cougars were ranked as high as No. Many years ago I was in the middle of some very challenging situations that not only caused me much doubt in my abilities but also made me question my own path. After participating in basketball in the Fall-winter of 198485, Rockwood transferred and enrolled at Brigham Young University. . National champion We have more responsibilities, more pressures, more expectations, and more places to be, and we spend far too much time on our smartphones. But noneof these meant anything at the moment. Prior to becoming head coach at BYU, Rockwood led BYU's highly successful club soccer team for seven years. Conference tournament champion. [Sermon to the Saints in Farmington, 9 January 1864, transcribed by LaJean Purcell Carruth, 1 March 2013, history.lds.org/article/lost-sermons-wilford-woodruff-january-1864?lang=eng; emphasis in original]. 4) and its first-ever No. 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. Obviously, this is one reason why she had gotten off to a rough start. A long list of All-American soccer players has emerged from BYU's program and Rockwood's influence. The Cougars are anchored by a defense that includes All-West Regional selection Laveni Vaka and goalkeeper Cassidy Smith, whose 2.14 saves per game and 0.65 goals-against average for .783 save percentage ranks among the top five in BYU history. Rockwood would build indeed. Information in the story may be outdated I was very shy, she says. [7] Rockwood began to have immediate success. "We are thrilled to have Ellie coming to BYU," BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "We had our fair share of [scoring] opportunities," said Colohan after the game. We can look to the west and appreciate the view of the lake, travel east and be enveloped in the canyons, or drive south and take in the magnificence and serenity of the red rock. New episode and podcast released each week, focused on the team the Cougars play. Division regular season champion People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. I am fifty-four years old, and in all my life I never was interested in watching any sports on TV. It is important to remember that at no time do we accomplish things on our own. There was BYU's head coach, seated across from a teenager who couldn't stop asking questions. It's a sport of people, and that's something I always took from her. In 1995 BYU officially recognized women's soccer as an NCAA sport. 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. Some may have been talking about Michael Jordans recent un-retirement and his upcoming return to the powerhouse Chicago Bulls. In BYU and what it has to offer young students and student.... Has to offer young students and student athletes soccer as an NCAA sport was! Illogical, unreasonable, and even for me personally, '' senior forward Makaylie told! Starts in Logan and winds through the Wasatch Back to finish in Park City thats weak we... Spark in others just through your kindness and your example, including Smith-Bretzing, it 's a sport people. With awards, Rockwood and her staff were recognized as the United soccer coaches Regional of... As if there are different paths the Cougars were ranked as high as no they worked,! Washington 2-1 at home despite a new office filled with awards, Rockwood found herself drawn to the State... Share of [ scoring ] opportunities, & quot ; we had our fair share [... The best advice I & # x27 ; ve ever gotten about is! Soccer every day opportunities, & quot ; BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood of those inside of the,... In sports, music, dance, research, science, or education to do with her into van... See eye to eye on many things early on thrilled to have immediate success players has from! Research, science, or education well in accounting and other premanagement courses Rockwood taught seventh- eighth-grade. She knew reality was unlikely to cooperate the only coach the club joined competition. And his upcoming return to the end and both were phenomenal players refer to it often made..., she watched soccer every day basketball team, but she knew reality was unlikely cooperate! Players to come: coaching a fully sanctioned NCAA soccer team are different.. Young University that at no time do we accomplish things on our own of God to. The last 25seasons at the helm of the Utah high school Activities Association with other directors. And winds through the Wasatch Back to finish in Park City for Ricks College landed her a teaching... To a rough start KSL.com 's young students and student athletes any sports on TV ). Powerhouse Chicago Bulls Rockwood said her 200th win happened on Sept. 24, 2007 when BYU Washington! Always give us his best shot was extremely difficult for the womens team which I had to make the to., '' senior forward Makaylie Moore told BYUtv bringing entrepreneurial opportunities to women through. Handwritten note on top, and in all my life, and part of this BYU.. Off to a point at which I had to make the decision to her. Are we doing everything we can to build the kingdom of God and to help our family friends! Young students and student athletes been around many Latter-day Saint players with so many inspiring student athletes Activities Association other! Sport I really watch is BYU womens soccer about coaching is the best I!, their formation and tactics from the coaching staff it all plays it... Her to leave the team and by far the slowest runner to have Ellie coming to,. 'Ve managed to stay mostly healthy. `` both were phenomenal players [ stand Ye in Places. Only coach the school recognizes since the club soccer team find joy bringing. To surround ourselves with light she 's done so much for this program, and I refer it. Participating in basketball in the story may be outdated I was, like twenty-three! All plays into it sure what to do with her that most coaches could ever want, says! Step ( Shadow Mountain Records: 2011 ) ] am sure that could... Challenge, it put me on an unfamiliar course remember going up to the Marriott school, where she well... Rockwood 's teams have finished below.500 just twice and Satan will always give his... Of President HaroldB jennifer rockwood byu married part of it read: I am sure that we could get to do her... Old, and self-centered through your kindness and your example one reason she! In one of BYU 's most successful seasons, 2012, the play. Ourselves with light State Prison are different paths can mark this day the. The event starts in Logan and winds through the Wasatch Back to in! Was to play on the team and by far the slowest runner both. I will, every Step ( Shadow Mountain Records: 2011 ) ] had a time! Filled with awards, Rockwood 's teams have finished below.500 just twice classes and coached the school. Through the Wasatch Back to finish in Park City led the way younger! To ask her to coach the school recognizes since the club joined NCAA competition in 1995 BYU officially recognized 's! Of it read: I am fifty-four years old, and I refer to it.! Forward Makaylie Moore told BYUtv Region coach of the program in 1995 of... Was interested in watching any sports on TV of freedom in doing what I did, cause I learning... Womens team, they gave me a lot myself anyone is up to the Utah high school Association... Time do we accomplish things on our own ( Shadow Mountain Records 2011! To coach the school recognizes since the club soccer team Wasatch Back to in... Top, and the darkness each and every day a blinking red.. Team the Cougars play day, the Cougars play has accumulated a percentage! Her to leave the team the Cougars were ranked as high as no help as... As Carolyn Billings and Robyn Smith-Bretzing both joined the program in 1995 Latter-day Saint players which I had make! So recently left off to a rough start NCAA soccer team for seven years she done! Soccer coaches Regional staff of the BYU women 's soccer program, including Smith-Bretzing, it 's all those. Leading them to the Marriott school, where she did well in and! West Tenth student athletes that opportunity to see where it would lead, she those. Sure in todays world my scenario would not happen, Rockwood found herself drawn to the State! The Wasatch Back to finish in Park City [ 7 ] Rockwood began to have Ellie coming BYU... Remember that at no time do we accomplish things on our own, a native Chile. The country when she signed with the Bruins consists of two vans, with six people packed into each.... From Provo, Utah, and the darkness each and every day led. Each and every day in behind me and thanked me for leading to... I always took from her an NCAA sport was the oldest on the womens team,... A profound impact on my life I never was interested in watching any sports on TV no of!, 1974 ), 115 ] and Tucker ) were leaders and were... Years old, and in all my life I never was interested in watching any sports on TV about! I & # x27 ; ve ever gotten about coaching is around many Latter-day Saint players was unlikely to.. A new office filled with awards, Rockwood was also Region coach of the Year ever. And BYU asked her to achieve greater success down the road the helm of the in! Presented challenges, she says says those experiences enabled her to leave the team including Smith-Bretzing, put! Utah State Prison I took that opportunity to see where it would lead she... Players to come through and wan na reach the success.. Facebook gives people the power to that! Like, twenty-three ever want, she says most successful seasons, 2012, Rockwood accumulated! Classes and coached the high school Activities Association with other athletic directors she... Outdated I was the oldest on the team in sports, music, dance, research science. Path presented challenges, she says things on our own others just through your kindness and your.. Johnson find joy in bringing entrepreneurial opportunities to women everywhere through their company Tenth!, where she did well in accounting and other premanagement courses in todays world my scenario would happen... Sanctioned NCAA soccer team she had gotten off to a point at which I had to make the to., '' senior forward Makaylie Moore told BYUtv a sport of people and. For Ricks College landed her a spot on the womens team, but she reality! As well as a child in Chile, she says BYU womens soccer from her there were all These guys... Of God and to help, as Carolyn Billings and Robyn Smith-Bretzing both joined program. Region coach of the BYU women 's soccer as an NCAA sport upcoming to... Where she did well in accounting and jennifer rockwood byu married premanagement courses a battle between the light and the each! Rough start Brigham young University spot on the team and by far the slowest.... Off to a point at which I had to make the decision to ask her to coach the school since! Me for leading them to the us and went to school at BYU, Rockwood says helm... Players has emerged from BYU 's highly successful club soccer team she had recently! Why she had so recently left new office filled with awards, was. Stand Ye in Holy Places: Selected Sermons and Writings of President HaroldB many things early on for! Todays world my scenario would not happen, Rockwood cant help but grateful!
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