Don Trentham enters his second year as head women’s soccer coach
at MSU Billings. He guided the Yellowjackets to a 2-14 record in his
first season as he took over a program in the midst of rebuilding. The
2003 squad should be indicative of Trentham’s style of coaching as 11 of
the 19 players on the roster were recruited by him.
"Although we went
2-14 last year," said Trentham, "it was a great year for me and the
seven players who are returning this season. We learned a lot about
ourselves as a team, but most importantly the players showed a
tremendous amount of dedication and hard work in the spring to make sure
we don’t have a repeat of last year’s results."
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Trentham played for Scott Gallagher,
a top club in the United States, and was an All-State selection his
senior year leading his team to a fourth place finish in the highly
competitive Missouri State High School Association large school state
tournament.
Out of high school, Trentham attended Columbia College (Missouri) and
played for head coach Dan Hogan, who is now head coach at University of
Southern Indiana. At Columbia he was part of an NAIA program that was
consistently ranked in the top-20, won two conference tournament
championships and twice advanced to the regional tournament. In his
senior year, the team finished 17-5 and was ranked ninth in the nation.
It was during his playing days at Columbia when Trentham began
coaching. He was head coach of two teams for the Columbia Pride Soccer
Club and was assistant camp director for Columbia College Soccer Camps
during the summer. In 1998 the Missouri Youth Soccer Association honored
Trentham as the Boys’ Coach of the Year.
Trentham began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at
Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida where he had the
chance to work two seasons with one of the finest soccer tacticians in
the country – David Gregson. At Embry-Riddle he assisted in guiding the
team to a #16 NAIA National Ranking in the final poll of 1999 season,
two NAIA Regional Tournament appearances and a Florida Sun Conference
regular season championship.
While in Florida, Trentham was also involved at the local level as
the Director of Coaching for the Ormond Beach Soccer Club where he was
responsible for the overall development for both recreational and
competitive players.
"I've been very fortunate to have played for and coached with two
great people," says Trentham. "Much of what I learned about the game
came from Coach Hogan and David Gregson. Had it not been for those guys
I don't know if I'd be coaching today."
Trentham hopes to build the Yellowjackets’ soccer program into one of
the best in NCAA II. He plans on doing that by bringing in
student-athletes who are committed to achieving a "Quest for Excellence"
as a student, person and player.
"The players in this program have a real sense of family" said
Trentham, who believes team unity is the most important characteristic
of a successful program. "My job will be to continue bringing in
top-notch people, so the program can continue to get better on the
field, in the classroom, and off the field."
Trentham earned his bachelor of arts in education from Columbia
College and will complete his master's of education in sport management
this year from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania. Furthermore,
he is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and
holds an "A" license from the United States Soccer Federation. |
