MSUB Drops Interim Title, Krakowiak Named Head Coach of Women’s Soccer

BILLINGS, Mont. – After completing a successful season at the helm of the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team as the interim head coach, Wojtek Krakowiak was rewarded for his hard work as interim was dropped from the front of his title Director of Athletics Dr. Gary Gray announced Tuesday.

“After conducting a national search, we are pleased to announce that Coach Krakowiak will be moving from his interim role as head coach to the regular slot,” Dr. Gray stated. “He has worked hard as the interim, and the team's record showed it last year. We are looking forward to meeting his first recruiting class in August. I am confident the student-athletes under his care will work hard not only in the classroom but also on the soccer field to return to the NCAA tournament next fall.”

In his first season at the helm of the program, MSUB went 11-3-4 overall and finished with an 8-2-4 mark in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference that included a 1-0 upset victory over 14^th-ranked Seattle Pacific University on the road. To sweeten the successful season, the Yellowjackets endured the fewest losses in program history, with a .722 winning percentage, the best in the program's 16 year history. The 'Jackets also finished the year ranked ninth in the final NSCAA/Adidas West Region poll.

“First, I would like to thank Dr. Gary Gray, Dr. Stacy Klippenstein and the rest of the MSUB administration and staff for believing in my abilities and entrusting me with the leadership of this very well established women's soccer program,” Krakowiak said. “Even more so, my wife, Maggie and I are excited about what lies ahead in working with the student-athletes, administration, alumni and the community to build upon years of women's soccer tradition in the future.”

Six Yellowjackets earned GNAC all-conference awards this season under his guidance as Jaucelyn Richter earned first team honors after leading the league in scoring with 27 points off 11 goals and five assists. Heidi Greenback and Jennifer Larsen were second team members with Danielle Gordon, Kristen Kastelic and Whitney Siler all earning honorable mention honors.

Richter was also named to the Daktronics All-West Region first team this season, becoming the second first team honoree in Yellowjacket history.

The six honorees are the second most by the Yellowjackets since moving to the GNAC in 2007. The team also placed a program-best, 10 players on the GNAC Academic all-conference team. Adrienne Biglow, Amanda Brusic, Tyshae Davis, Courtney Harvey, Jackie Hill, Janae Remsberg all joined Gordon, Kastelic, Larsen and Richter in that honor. Larsen also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.

Prior to his time with the Yellowjacket soccer program, Krakowiak served as the head coach at Division III institution Rutgers – Newark where he went 15-20-3 and guided them to their only post-season berth in the program's brief ten-year history following the 2008 season. The Scarlet Raiders participated in the ECAC Metro Championship tournament.

During his collegiate playing career, he played at St. John's University and Clemson University. He was honored as the Soccer America Freshman of the Year at St. John's after helping the Red Storm to the 1996 NCAA Championshop. At Clemson, Krakowiak was the 1998 Hermann Trophy recipient, which is the equivalent to football's Heisman Trophy, and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player-of-the-Year after scoring 31 goals and securing eight assists while leading the Tigers to the NCAA quarterfinals.

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