Winning Chemistry

Jeremy Reinert ’13 has had so much success leading Simpson’s women’s soccer program you might not realize just how far he’s come to reach national prominence. His playing days at Simpson produced only modest results. Following graduation, he had a series of high school and college coaching stints for several years before returning to Simpson in 2018 as women’s head coach.

Reinert says his other assistants, Katie Berglund and Francis Lee, have played important roles, too. The players credit all of their coaches for challenging them to take their games to the next level.

“It took me 17 college soccer seasons, both as a player and as a coach, to get there for the first time last year,” said Reinert. “To go twice in a row, I’m trying to connect just how special that is.”

Returning 10 of 11 starters from last year’s NCAA III tourney team, Reinert was optimistic about the prospects for another strong season in 2024. At the same time, he knew returning to the national tournament would be anything but easy.

“I think it’s easy to forget how much work went into being good previously. You’ve got to do it all over again. I think we learned some resiliency lessons through that. We had to overcome a massive injury and some key players had to make individual sacrifices and give up playing time to do what’s right for the team.”

Winning might not come automatically, but Reinert’s teams have become a perennial American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) power. Since 2021, the Storm have rolled to a 56-18-7 overall record, including a 26-6 conference mark.

Building Something Special — Together

Reinert says coaching staff longevity and chemistry have been paramount to building a consistent winning culture.

“Coach Joe [Waithanji], Coach Mac [Mackenzie (Stump) Dicken ’17] and I are the longest tenured staff in the league. No other program has three coaches that have been together for seven years. That continuity really matters. We know who we are, we’re comfortable with each other and we know our roles well.”

Reinert says his other assistants, Katie Berglund and Francis Lee, have played important roles, too. The players credit all of their coaches for challenging them to take their games to the next level.

“Each year I’ve been in this program, I feel like we have taken steps forward,” said Hailey Kowzan ’25. “That’s because of how hard Jeremy and the coaching staff push us. We set ourselves to a higher standard that makes all of us push each other and want to do better.”

Maddie Hays ’25 is especially proud to be part of the winning tradition Simpson is building.

“Simpson is the only jersey I would ever want to wear,” said Hays. “Our coaching staff believes in us, and we’ve bought into their belief. They think we are one of the best teams in the country, which has helped our program develop and grow.”

Reaching back-to-back NCAA III national tournaments is a great story to share on the recruiting trail. The Storm has the attention and interest of the region’s top players. While the quality of players coming to Simpson keeps getting stronger, Reinert will always have a special place in his heart for those who bought into his program from the very beginning.

“I have a real affinity for the players that chose us when we were four and 12,” said Reinert. “They believed in me and wanted to turn this thing around. Now we’re getting players who want to play at a higher level, and they choose to be here because they feel something special here. It’s not the same player we would have gotten six years ago.”