Another way to search for the light is to surround ourselves with individuals who inspire us and lift us to great places. I hope I can bring [players] in to where they have an amazing experience whether they play a lot or not, she says. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. coach to your personality. [Matthew 5:14, 16], Our opportunities to shine are limitless. Give the world the best you have anyway. I remember thinking we had such great success those first few years, that the expectation got pretty high, Rockwood said. 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. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. After finishing 12-4-1 on the season with a share of the West Coast Conference crown, they beat top-seeded Virginia in the third round and previous national champion Santa Clara in the semifinal. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a It goes to show you that we never know what God has in store for us in the present or in the future. 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. 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 They will spend countless hours together at practices, in the weight room, and on the road throughout almost every weekend during the season and the summer. 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After my first run of nearly six miles, I was okay, but it had been really hard and I had gone pretty slow. "The head coach has to lay down the law, but she still has the ability to give players confidence. In a world where so many will not To many outside of the program, this immediate success may have come as a surprise. "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. Clinging to the light is a choice, and often that choice is challenging. As you can imagine, it was a bit disconcerting, and it was very challenging to stay on the path. It is important to remember that at no time do we accomplish things on our own. I had to intently search for the light of others to help me find the way and point me in the right direction. 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. In 2019, the Cougars entered the NCAA Tournament as the only undefeated team in the country with an 18-0-1 overall record at the close of the regular season. National champion Rockwood started the women's soccer program at BYU and recently picked up her 400th college soccer win as a coach. I loved it. In addition to launching the high school sports program at Meridian and coaching both the boys and girls soccer teams there, she became the athletic director for the junior high. web browser that However, to several of those inside of the program, including Smith-Bretzing, it wasnt a big shock. 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. But no amount of club soccer matches could prepare her for what was to come: coaching a fully sanctioned NCAA soccer team. The Cougars scored 25 goals in the next five matches, sparking a six-match winning streak and 12 of their next 13. Olivia Wade is so good on the wing. So it was good that I had room to build, and do what I did, and they kind of left me to my own.. This story is part of the March 2022 issue of TheDaily Universe Magazine and magazine show (below). This often leads us to complain, blame, talk badly of others, and make excuses, and the light gets smaller and smaller and smaller. Her parents thought maybe it would be good for her to be around some members of the Church who also loved soccer. Turning the Key: Kelsey Turnbow has 11 goals to lead a Santa Clara offense that averages 1.8 goals on 16.5 shots per game. This month, the longtime BYU head coach picked up her 400th win in college soccer. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. She lived her life to the fullest, fulfilled her mission on this earth, and was taken home to her Heavenly Father after a car accident in 2012. A long list of All-American soccer players has emerged from BYU's program and Rockwood's influence. I remember Ken Marshall, a high school soccer coach who taught me to push myself, work harder, and achieve more than I thought was possible. The day I pledge Rockwood previously earned the honor in 2012, 2014 and 2018. I will During Kate Toronto's first day of classes at BYU Marriott, she watched in awe as Marcy Fetzer taught a class on human resources. Her years of experience playing and coaching soccerincluding six years at the helm of the BYU Womens Soccer club teamsuddenly seemed insignificant beside the challenge that lay ahead. The milestone came in Rockwood's 26th season with the Cougars, putting No. 218 University Press Building 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. . 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 biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. She was also someone who was so good that she had never really been held accountable to some of our athletic standards, such as fitness tests, work rate, and being on timeor even things such as what to wear to soccer clinics and service projects. Itis for the entire team. The team was expected to struggle out of the gate, but that would not last long. With the Big 12 on the immediate horizon, dont be surprised if success happens rather quickly. Check it out online at speeches.byu.edu. Never let fear hold you back. We must always stay on the lighted path and search for those things that we know to be true. Those decisions can emotionally drain Rockwood as she sometimes sees her players begin to question their ability and confidence. Fight for a few underdogs anyway. Rockwood was retained and became the Cougars first NCAA women's soccer coach. The team won 22 games the following season, losing only once, and won the Western Athletic Conference title. The poem reminded me that we always have the ability to make positive choices and see the light, even in the midst of darkness. I personally feel I was in the right place at the right time, she says. I had to stop a few times to shine my headlamp around for fear that I was off of the course. "It is a huge milestone and I think anyone who goes into the coaching profession is trying to get to the final four and win a national championship. What a blessing and unbelievable inspiration Jenavieve was to me, my staff, her teammates, and all those who knew her. Other crucial figures came to help, as Carolyn Billings and Robyn Smith-Bretzing both joined the program in 1995. I think the least we could do for her was put together a good performance and take her to some place she's never been before.". I just believe so much in BYU and what it has to offer young students and student athletes. With so much that has been provided for us by a loving Heavenly Father, much is expected. In her 27 years as head coach, Rockwood's Cougars have made the NCAA tournament 21 times. As the leader of the firm's Global Power & Utilities Practice and Co-Head of the Private Capital Infrastructure Practice, she works across . PROVO, Utah BYU women's soccer will welcome national-champion UCLA transfer Ellie Walbruch to the Cougars for the 2023 season. history.lds.org/article/lost-sermons-wilford-woodruff-january-1864?lang=eng. The event starts in Logan and winds through the Wasatch Back to finish in Park City. But the word was out. Bertoch fell in love with the game and now she had an opportunity to change her view on soccer forever, as something more than just a mans sport. Life is too hard!. 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. I wore a headlamp and a blinking red reflector. Im here to see how good we can be.. But not even the 400-plus career wins, 14 conference championships and seven conference coach of the year honors can adequately describe the impact Rockwood has had at BYU since foregoing a basketball scholarship to Ricks College in 1984 and transferring to the club soccer program in Provo. One of the most rewarding and proud moments of my coaching career was to give Jenavieve Phillips a big hug on the field after her last game as a Cougar and congratulate her on an amazing journey. Dream big dreams and find your passionitis never too late. An alumna of BYU, she's led the program to six Sweet 16 appearances and the Elite Eight three times, including back in 2019. But through the struggles, the fight, the dedication, and the choices, she was able to develop, mature, and grow. They want nothing more than for us to find happiness and peace and to return home to Them someday. 24:58 mins Follow Jennifer Rockwood, a four-year starter for BYU women's soccer, through her illustrious career as a player and coach. Since then, she's become a local legend in Provo; she even has her own flavor of ice cream at the BYU Creamery, Cherry Rockwood a status symbol reserved for legendary BYU football coach LaVell Edwards (LaVell's Vanilla) and former men's basketball coach Dave Rose (Rose's Sneakerdoodle). What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. . Entering the 1995 school year, the talk around BYUs campus could have been split between many different things. As I take my place, I will stand 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. 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. When she became the head coach of a club-turned-NCAA-sanctioned team in 1995, nothing was ever promised. BYU finished the season after falling in the Elite 8 to No. Though her scholastic path presented challenges, she says those experiences enabled her to achieve greater success down the road. It was not an easy journey for her, and there were many times when she knew it would be easier somewhere else. Jennifer Rockwood delivered a BYU devotional address titled Drawn to the Light on 15 March 2016. Then, in 1995, the university officially sanctioned Division I Womens Soccer and began searching for someone to head up its new team. "In many ways, losing to Utah State may have saved their season," Smith said. I have had the opportunity to coach amazing athletes over the years and we really have had some fantastic teams, some teams who have been really close, and we haven't quite been there. Im just a soccer coach! And then I thought, Oh, nothose new Marriott Center screens are way too big!. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Do they help us see what is great about the world, or do they cast a shadow of negativity? We mostly have a choice of who we spend our time with. I pray that I will be able to share a few thoughts and stories today that might inspire you to realize your significance and importance here on earth. Our prophet recently challenged all of us to be an example and a light to the world. 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