Women’s soccer coaches earn SC ESPY for historic fall season

INDIANOLA, Iowa – After leading the Storm back to the national tournament for the first time in 24 years, the Simpson College women's soccer coaches have been tabbed the 2023-24 SC ESPY Staff of the Year.

This past fall, head coach Jeremy Reinert along with assistant coaches Katie Berglund, Mackenzie Dicken, Joe Waithanji and Francis Lee piloted the Storm to a 16-3-2 season which culminated with the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1999. Simpson picked up a 2-1 victory over St. Catherine before falling to No. 11 Wis.-La Crosse in the Round of 32.

Among many milestones and accomplishments, Reinert and company coached Simpson to its first national ranking in program history after a 7-1 start to the season. The Storm finished the regular season with a 15-2-2 record, going 7-1 against American Rivers Conference opponents to earn their highest seeding in the league playoffs since winning the regular season title in 2006.

After a first round bye, Simpson defeated third-seeded Luther 2-0 in the A-R-C Semifinals to advance to the championship match for the second year in a row. Top-seeded Loras edged Simpson 3-2 in a penalty-kick shootout to win the tournament title and the conference's automatic qualifying bid, but the Storm still obtained an at-large bid to the national tournament and ultimately reached 16 wins, tied for the second-most in school history.

Leading the charge for the Storm all season was two-time All-American, three-time all-region and four-time all-conference performer Cassie Nash. She dished out 10 assists and scored 22 of the team's 50 goals, including five game-winning goals and all six postseason scores. Julia Wagoner also played a key role for Simpson, becoming the first player in program history to earn A-R-C Defensive MVP honors while anchoring a defense that notched 10 shutouts.

Joining Nash and Wagoner on the first team all-conference ballot were Hailey Kowzan, Lani Mears and Brissa Valadez. Jordyn Foelske was an honorable mention selection, while Maddie Hays was tabbed third team all-region.

2023-24 SC ESPYS
Reed Worth - Male Record-Breaking Performer of the Year
Lara Kallem - Female Record-Breaking Performer of the Year
Zach Kline - Male Newcomer of the Year
Emily Williams - Female Newcomer of the Year
Women's Soccer - Coaching Staff of the Year