The Prospector (Helena, Mont.) 1916-2015, March 29, 2007, Image 8

Page 8 Coach Hiemenz keeps it real on the soccer field By NIKKI SKAGGS Prospector S taff Writer Soccer isn’t the only thing on Mark Hiemenz’s mind. As students prepare for finals at the end of this semester, the Saint’s head soccer coach will tie the knot on April 28. “We’re trying to get our classes out of the way so we are just done with it all,” said Hiemenz when asked about his marriage classes. Hiemenz plans to marry Katie Lang in Omaha, Neb. Lang is the former women’s head soccer coach from Hastings College. After all the planning, that day is all about the bride and no one else, said Hiemenz. Hiemenz was bom in Greencas- tle, Ind., along with his sister and two brothers. Playing soccer has been a part of his life since he was five years old. Ending his career as a collegiate athlete, Hiemenz transitioned into coaching the sport. Hiemenz graduated from De- Pauw University and became an assistant coach there for a year. He moved to Gustavus Adolphus Col­ lege for two years as an assistant and goal keeper coach. “The location, its concepts, and ideals of a small liberal arts school was why I came to Carroll,” Hie­ menz said. Carroll’s athletic program only provides soccer for women. Hie­ menz was asked if he had a prefer­ ence over coaching men or wom­ en’s soccer. “If you had asked me five years ago I would have said no. Now, I prefer to coach women,” Hiemenz said. Since 2002, Hiemenz has drasti­ cally improved the soccer program from a 4-7-4 record to making it to the national tournament this past season. As for future plans, Hiemenz plans on staying at Carroll College. “When you consider a change you have to think about your lifestyle, spouse, the needs and wants of your spouse, and whether the professional move is right,” Hiemenz said. “Right now there is nothing out there to consider changing for.” Head soccer coach Mark Hiemenz practices with his team. By NIKKI SKAGGS Prospector StaffWriter The Saint’s soccer team kicked off their spring season by attend­ ing the Rocky Mountain College’s indoor tournament the weekend of Feb. 23-25. “This is really intense. The pace is so much faster than a regular soccer game, and the teams are going at it!” said Kendall Selle, a Carroll College alumni and spec­ tator from the weekend. However, frustration and con­ fusion was high after the cham­ pionship game. The Saints took second place after the rules wdre changed, said head coach Mark Hiemenz. “The rules say that the cham­ pionship game is two 20 minute halves instead of the regular 28 minute game,” said April Wicker- sham, a player on the upperclass­ men’s team. “No one told us they changed that back to a 28 minute game, so we all thought we had another half to play,” said Wickersham. The Saint’s original team was divided into two smaller teams for the weekend. The younger girls were on one team and the juniors and seniors on the other. The teams consist of six play­ ers, including the goalkeeper, with smaller goals held in the gymna­ sium. This tournament is different from the regular soccer game with 11 players on a team. Nelson Stadium hosts the Saint’s home games. The older girls struggled the first day with half the team strand­ ed in Bozeman, with car troubles, said Cailin Gilreath, another player on the upperclassmen’s team. They managed to make it to the end of their second game. After the confusion and lack of communication, the girls returned home in disappointment. This tournament is annual for the soccer team to keep fit and get training while the winter season passes. The Saint’s soccer team gets back to training for upcoming tournaments that are scheduled this April. Why Pay Retail for Diamonds or JewelryP Their Price: $3200 • Our Price: $995 v 4 f* - , *v t c : '. . _ » \ \ » . \ '• ’ ' * * •• ‘ By Appointment • 449-GOLD 14653) Diamond Dream Wholesale * Great Northern Town Center S p r i n g s o c c e r k i c k s o f f Thursday, March 29,2007 Volume 90, No 6