Occasionally I would see in the distance a small red light with an arrow and run in that direction. Entering the 1995 school year, the talk around BYUs campus could have been split between many different things. "This means a lot," Rockwood said. Jennifer Rockwood and the origins of the BYU women's soccer team Story and cover art by Alex Dotson This story is part of the March 2022 issue of The Daily Universe Magazine and magazine show (below). Class of 1989. I leave you with my testimony that I know we have a loving Heavenly Father who knows us by our names, by our thoughts, and by our hearts. 2021 Women's College Cup preview, ahead of semifinals, Marriott Center He wants us to give up, and he places opportunities for missteps along our way. Postseason invitational champion I remember going up to the Utah High School Activities Association with other athletic directors, she says. I hope I can bring [players] in to where they have an amazing experience whether they play a lot or not, she says. During the entire run I was scanning for any sign of a light, a marker, or even a blinking reflector from someone. [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. - Sat 2/25 8:00 pm. (The Light in Their Eyes, Ensign, November 2005.). Im here to see how good we can be.. 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. history.lds.org/article/lost-sermons-wilford-woodruff-january-1864?lang=eng. Information in the story may be outdated This story is part of the March 2022 issue of TheDaily Universe Magazine and magazine show (below). During the run it was important to stay strong, positive, and confident, even though there were continual doubts. New episode and podcast released each week, focused on the team the Cougars play. National champion If Santa Clara wins, the final will be played Sunday at 6 p.m. MT but moved to Monday at 6 p.m. MT if BYU wins because of the Cougars' no-Sunday play policy. 801-422-7696 Jennifer Rockwood is BYU women's soccer, they say. She was raised a long way from Provo, Utah, and had never really been around many Latter-day Saint players. A long list of All-American soccer players has emerged from BYU's program and Rockwood's influence. These were great womenincluding Lu Wallace, Elaine Michealis, and Ann Valentinewho in 1995 took a chance on a young coach who had no real NCAA coaching, recruiting, or managerial experience but who had a dream and a vision of what BYU soccer could someday be. Other crucial figures came to help, as Carolyn Billings and Robyn Smith-Bretzing both joined the program in 1995. Evidently they had been following my light all the way in. "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. Other members of the athletic department helped mentor the young coach, including legendary former coaches Elaine Michaelis, Lu Wallace and Anne Valentine. Some have had big roles, some small, and some have made all the difference. We must search the scriptures and the words of our prophets and leaders and seek after the truth. Wemust always seek for the light, and we must light the way for otherstoday more than ever. Rockwood has an impressive 407-118-45overall record for her career. We cant do it unless we walk in the light of the Lord. After three years of teaching PE for Meridian, Rockwood went to the headmaster and asked for a chance to try teaching in the classroom. It is important to remember that at no time do we accomplish things on our own. She won her 300th game over San Francisco 2-0 on Oct. 10, 2013. I used to panic in my finance classes when they would be looking to call on someone to do a presentation or share a thought. BYU regularly maintains a consistent Top 25 ranking. 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. She had considered getting a degree in education when she first came to BYU, and she had taken a slew of humanities classes as an undergradI probably had enough for a minor, except I didnt speak another language, she says. 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. I would like each of you to think about some of the individuals who have helped you get to where you are today. 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. What an adventure! And head coach Jennifer Rockwood's side is set to bring back all but one player from that team and now add Walbruch for a season that will undoubtedly contain sky-high expectations in BYU's. 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. He wants so badly to help us reach our potential, and He will, if only we will let Him. To this day, the only sport I really watch is BYU womens 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. We get scared of failure, we fear the unknown, and we are burdened with losses, sickness, and pain. Give the world the best you have anyway. archived form does not constitute a republication of the story. In a world thats weak Unfortunately, it was not to be. More success followed Rockwood. We want to walk in the light. It is our responsibility. With the Big 12 on the immediate horizon, dont be surprised if success happens rather quickly. As the leader of the firm's Global Power & Utilities Practice and Co-Head of the Private Capital Infrastructure Practice, she works across . Im pretty sure in todays world my scenario would not happen, Rockwood says. My thought was I was going to get this club team to the point of where and if we do transition to an NCAA status that we will be ready and be prepared so that BYU isnt just starting at ground zero, Rockwood said. We must intentionally use our voices that say, I am strong. This battle was not fought alone. We are in a battle between the light and the darkness each and every day. [4], Rockwood coached high school soccer for the Waterford School girls' team and the Meridian School's boys' and girls' teams prior to gradating from BYU. . Some may have been talking about Michael Jordans recent un-retirement and his upcoming return to the powerhouse Chicago Bulls. In that time she amassed an overall record of 128-25-9. 218 University Press Building She is the only coach the school recognizes since the club joined NCAA competition in 1995. The three-time West Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year has plenty of help, though, including ace scorer Cameron Tucker, who's 16 goals and five game-winning goals on the year led to her own first-team All-America nod; and sophomore midfielder Jamie Shepherd, the two-time All-West Regional honoree. In the October 19, 2013 match vs. the San Francisco Dons, Rockwood would amass her 300th win. 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. BYU, in part due to Title IX legislation, began its search to field another competitive womens team to add to its growing collection that already featured the likes of basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. Conference tournament champion. I just had the chance to be in a leadership position at a very young age, having no experience and learning as I went.. A couple of my players who were coaching her werent sure what to do with her. When I think about light and the many different meanings it has, Ireflect on an experience Ihad last June. Soccer as a sport was fighting for prominence in the United Statesespecially womens soccer. Although the initial group of players, coaches, trainers and managers in comparison to todays staff and roster were small to start, the voices that this small group carried were loud and supportive. Jennifer Rockwood delivered a BYU devotional address titled "Drawn to the Light" on 15 March 2016. While it seems risky to turn down a great job offer or leave graduate school early, Brian Hill's journey led him to start his own company that helps give others a second chance. Those decisions can emotionally drain Rockwood as she sometimes sees her players begin to question their ability and confidence. Rockwood led the BYU Womens Soccer club team for six years, achieving an overall record of 128-25-9. Studied Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. no time to be drawn away from the things of the kingdom of God. Like Burleigh, Rockwood started the women's soccer program at BYU and is the 11th active Division I coach in wins. He challenged me in every way toget better and always expected success. The search didnt go on long. Always ready for a challenge, Rockwood has seen a pattern in her life of receiving unexpected opportunities, growing to meet them, and then receiving more. It was a slow process, we didnt get a bunch of fans, Norma Bertoch said, the first sports information director for the program. Jennifer Rockwood delivered a BYU devotional address titled Drawn to the Light on 15 March 2016. The Cougars were interested in Swensen-Haslam, who during her time with the Bingham Miners was an all-state forward. She happily accepted both offers. 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. Yes, life is hard and we are all challenged, and at certain times we are challenged more than at other times. To many outside of the program, this immediate success may have come as a surprise. . After one year at Rick's College on a basketball scholarship, she transferred to BYU where she became a four-year starter at center midfield on the Cougars' club soccer team and graduated in finance, business management. I love to share it at every possible opportunity. Rock said gaining a following for soccer was extremely difficult for the womens team. Which voices do we let in? What have I gotten myself into? she recalls thinking. As a coach, I am in a position in which difficult decisions have to be made that can significantly impact young peoples lives. 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. 2 and received a No. Each team member runs three different routes, and the whole team runs a total of more than 180 miles. We didnt know a lot about soccer, it was just getting started in the high schools, it wasnt a big sport in the States.. There are so many times throughout our lives when we have experiences that shake our commitments and cause us to doubt our abilities. overrideTextColor= One penalty kick. only for your personal, non-commercial use. 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 also coached youth club programs, high school teams and the Utah Olympic Development Program. The team won 22 games the following season, losing only once, and won the Western Athletic Conference title. Colohan buried the shootout's first kick officially marking the end of her brilliant BYU career. Legends: Season 2. . 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. [The BYU Experience, BYU devotional address, 4November 1997]. It goes to show you that we never know what God has in store for us in the present or in the future. Are they motivating and inspiring us, or are they bringing us down? Are we doing everything we can to build the kingdom of God? "Right now, I feel we are playing our best soccer.". Join Facebook to connect with Jennifer Hill and others you may know. Follow the light, seek after the light, and bethelight. 1 seed in the NCAA College Cup, the first women's program at BYU to ever be awarded a 1-seed. Several years ago President Gordon B. Hinckley said at a BYU devotional: You came because you wanted the BYU experience, although perhaps you could not define it. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that I would be right here, right now. Itis for the entire team. or superseded by additional information. marriottmag@byu.edu, 16wSOC vs Long Beach State 832 (DONE).jpg. Our society is trending away from the spiritual and becoming more secular than ever. 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. [BYU] came to me because I had kind of been the boss, in a sense, of the team before that, she says. They play with heart, for the love of the game, and just for fun and enjoyment. When you seek after the light by surrounding yourself with positive and great individuals, you provide yourself with more opportunities to learn and grow. So many amazing people have crossed my path over the years, as I am sure many have crossed yours. 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. We knew that we had the athletes to compete at the collegiate level, we just needed to give it a shot.. I will It is very hard to describe. Article written by Rachel Evensen As you can imagine, it was a bit disconcerting, and it was very challenging to stay on the path. The Cougars have reached the Elite Eight in 2003, 2012, 2019 and 2021. Which voices can drown out the darkness and fill our minds and souls with the light? This often leads us to complain, blame, talk badly of others, and make excuses, and the light gets smaller and smaller and smaller. [5][6] After graduating, she became the club team's head coach in 1989 and led them to two Western National Collegiate Club soccer Association (NCCSA) Championships in 1993 and 1994. I think the seniors realize how much effort she's put into the program, the time to get us the right gear and everything else. 1 Stanford. I can do this. Division regular season champion The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. 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