Dakota State University Women’s Soccer – Coach Todd Stank

On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Stank from the Dakota State Women’s Program in South Dakota. We talk about the challenges of recruiting and building a newer program, including finding players who are the right fit and want to be part of creating something from the ground up. He describes the close-knit Madison community, Dakota State’s continued investment in athletic facilities, and the school’s strong technology-focused academic programs. Lastly, we discuss his defensive-minded coaching philosophy, how he prepares players to solve problems on the field, and why he believes the game ultimately belongs to the players.

Matt: [00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer. Today I’m lucky enough to be joined by Coach Todd up at Dakota State. Welcome, Coach.

Coach: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Matt: Yeah, thanks for being here. And of course, we’re talking South Dakota, which, uh, because I’m in Florida, everything is up. Uh, but, uh, y- you guys are…

just started the season, right? Uh, you know,

Coach: and- Yeah, we just, uh, we opened last Saturday, uh, against Hastings, so a very, very strong competitor here.

Matt: Yeah, for sure.

Coach: You know?

Matt: Well, it, you know, this being end of August, and you’re in season, what, like, what, what’s the balance of your time in terms of focusing on this season versus, you know, recruiting that never stops, right- Right

and, and trying to do the recruiting stuff for next year, and the year after, et cetera?

Coach: Uh, you know, the, the focus is obviously on the season. So we’re, um, you know, between strength training, uh, which we do 30 minutes before our practice, and practice trying to [00:01:00] get, you know, especially with a new program, while I have 15 returners this year that have, have experienced my way of soccer, let’s call it, uh, we do have five new players that we’re trying to get on board with our way of thinking and our way of playing.

Um, so we, we go usually two and a half to three hours a day practicing every day that we don’t play. Um, so you know, the college season comes hard and fast. Uh, we did our two and a half weeks prep, uh, including a trip out to Wyoming to play two scrimmages. Uh, so balance of time is primarily focused on this season, but you do have to spend, like you said, college recruiting never stops.

Um, you know, so we’re actively recruiting probably I would say 70- at this time of year, 70% on the actual season, 30% on future.

Matt: Okay. All right. Well, that’s, you know, I guess coupled with being a new program, you gotta spend a little bit more, more time on recruiting. You know, you couldn’t just bring in, uh, you know, 25 freshmen and, and, and not be, be doing it.

So with [00:02:00] that being said, you know, are, are… do you right now, especially again, it’s, since you’re year two, are, do you look more at the, let’s call it the non-traditional, you know, not the freshman, incoming freshman, but the, the junior college transfer, or the international kid, or the stuff to, to kind of make y- try to even out those class sizes to, so, so things are a little bit more plannable, I guess?

Coach: Sure. I mean, last year our plan was to go 18. Um, that was where our ideal roster size for the first year. Uh, if I had my wishes, I’d have nine freshmen and nine transfers. We wound up with 17, uh, 10 freshmen, the rest were transfers. Uh, we lost two, uh, one to a season- or career-ending injury, and one went back home to Germany, um, which w- we, we miss Clarissa for sure.

Um, we added, we added two more transfers. One’s a graduate student, um, coming in, and then a two-year transfer from Hutchinson Community College. [00:03:00] Um, so yeah, we look at all of it, right? Uh, you know, we’re in a market where all of the universities around us have been established for years, and we’re the new kid on the block.

Uh, we’re a new program. It takes a unique individual to want to come and join a new program. Uh, so we look for those things. We do a lot of talking to, uh, uh, our recruits to find out if they fit the mold of what we’re trying to build here, and are they gonna come in, um- Well, I guess the easiest way to say it is we’re always telling our recruits that we’re trying to help you find the right fit for you.

Um, and, and so we do a lot of talking to ensure that when they come here, we don’t lose them in a year.

Matt: Yeah. No, I mean, I think that’s great. And looking at your roster, I mean, uh, I’m impressed. Y- you’re covering a lot of different states, a lot of different areas. So when it comes to recruiting the, that traditional freshman, right, the, the incoming, where are you going to see players?

What events are you going to? Kind of what’s your, your focus there?

Coach: Um, you know, one of the unique things in South Dakota [00:04:00] is it’s so spread out. Uh, like when I was in Michigan, you know, you could go see a high-level soccer game, a league game at club pretty much any night of the week. Um, here, you know, the majority of it is showcases and not leagues because y- the talent is so spread out.

I mean, um… And we’re trying to break into it. So high school’s kind of hard because in, in South Dakota high school, uh, girls high school plays the same time we play, and, and we’re an hour away from anything, okay? Uh, so by the time we get done practicing at 6:00, 7:00 at night, it’s pretty tough to go catch a high school game.

Uh, so we, we rely a lot of- on relationships we build, on the showcases. We, we try and pick showcases that make, make a difference. Um, you know, we’ve been very successful out in Las Vegas at the Mayor’s Cup and the Player Showcase. Uh, w- we do whatever local events we can. Uh, Target Cup’s a big one for us up in Blaine, Minnesota.

Um, and then a lot of, you know, the… E- even though [00:05:00] I’m not from the area, um, the people here are great. The coaches around us are great. Um, so having those contacts, uh, and that help from the immediate area helps us recruit, for sure.

Matt: Yeah. Okay. Well, what about ID camps? Do you… Are you planning on hosting them yourself, or do you guys, you or your staff go to external ID camps?

Are they part of your recruiting

Coach: process at all? Well, th- both are, for sure. Um, you know, the, the… Again, the problem logistically, um, because things are so spread out and being the new kid on the block, it’s hard to get attention, and I’m still trying to find that sweet spot. I mean, um, 45 minutes to the north of us is SDSU, Division I, big, strong program.

Uh, they’ve been great in inviting me to everything that they do, so I get exposure and, and can, can see some talent because… But then trying to pick which weekend we’re gonna do that SDSU’s not doing something or the two schools in, in Sioux Falls aren’t doing anything. Um, so we’ve done three ID camps.

Um, you know, [00:06:00] we’d love to get more participation obviously, but every time we run one, just like our youth camp, it grows. It, it’s just part of the process of building a new program. So w- we do both. We- there’s no avenue we don’t, um, look into.

Matt: Okay. Awesome. Well, whether it’s- a showcase, an ID camp, a, the, whatever the case may be, what, what makes up that hierarchy of things you’re looking for in a player both on and off the field?

Coach: You know, e- e- I think every coach tells you they’re, they’re looking at character, and everybody can define what that is, right? Um, but w- you know, you’re looking for, um, you know, what they do on the ball, what they do off the ball. What do they do when they’re called off, or if they’re not a starter, what do they do when they’re sitting on the bench, right?

All of those things play into, you know, what’s their attitude when they’re on the field and they make a mistake, right? All those things matter, ’cause we’re, we’re looking for that. Obviously, talent i- is what everybody’s looking for. Do they have ball skills? Can they pass a ball? Can they distribute? Uh, can they finish in front of the net?

Are they [00:07:00] calm? But it’s all those little intrinsic things after that that, okay, well, yeah, I was wide open in front and I blew the shot. What’s their mental attitude after that, right? Um, and is it what we’re looking for? I mean, it’s okay to be upset, but if your head’s down and you lose the next two minutes, we have a problem with that, so.

Matt: Yeah. Uh, uh, that’s for sure. Um, well, in terms of y- you mentioned 18 being the roster you’re trying to have, you know, first year, totally get that. It’s second year, w- s- what’s your roster size, or do you have a number in mind for next year that you think- Yeah … hey, this is where we wanna be at?

Coach: So our, our ideal, we wanted to go to 22 this year.

Uh, we wound up with 20. Um, but- Because we were, not that they didn’t let us know in time, I was expecting to retain all 17. Um, so, you know, fell short again by two. Uh, next year we’d like to be at 24. Uh, and then eventually, [00:08:00] you know, with a new program, you can want what you want. You alluded to it earlier, you don’t want 25 freshmen ’cause it causes you a problem in four years.

Matt: Yeah.

Coach: Um, you might be really, really strong in that fourth year, but the next year you’re gonna, you know, you’re gonna tank. So, um, ideally I wanna get it to where we’re 24 to 26. 26, I, I always tease everybody, I have 26 lockers, so I can’t go over 26 players. Um, 24 is what we’re shooting for, but then the next step is do I get my rotation right?

You know, ideally you want between six and eight leaving every year, six and eight freshmen coming in, or new people. Uh, and we’re probably in real- realistically three years away from that.

Matt: Yeah. No, that makes sense. All right. Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the school itself. Uh, you know, you, you, you’ve been there a year now.

You, you, you’ve got to start up a program. Something must have drawn you, uh, besides the challenge of starting a new program. So tell us a little about the school, maybe some things we wouldn’t even know about going through the website.

Coach: Um, you know, thing, thing, I think the biggest thing, and what I [00:09:00] tell recruits the biggest thing is, is after being at a couple schools, um, the community around here, it, it is definitely small town, uh, center of the United States, right?

Midwest. Uh, but the involvement of the community and the community with the school and, and vice versa is, is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, you know? Um, you can go to a game and you’re not just gonna see parents there, you’re gonna see half the community out. Um, in fact, we just finished, there’s, there’s an event here in the summer called Mad Town.

Uh, Madison’s about 7,000 people, okay? Um, Anyhow, uh, eight, eight, I think it’s eight weeks, eight Tuesdays in the summer, they shut down three blocks of Main Street and basically just have a giant block party for three hours out there, right? And it’s, it’s amazing to see how many people in the community come and, you know, interact and, and converse.

Um, so it’s, it- that, that community sense [00:10:00] is, is really rewarding. On the collegiate side, uh, the college itself, I mean, one of the things that impressed my wife and I when we came here is, you know, they have a plan, they have a vision, and they’re actively reaching that vision every year, right? So there’s growth, there’s visible growth, there’s success in completing…

You know, the, the year before I got here, they built the soccer and track stadium. Um, and they built that so football’s had a place to play that year while they built their stadium. Um, the stadium’s complete. That’s what I’m sitting in now, uh, including, you know, the Beacon Premier Center, which is state-of-the-art for sure.

Uh, I think we have a weight room that, you know, a lot of Division II and Division Is would be jealous of. Um, so we have two full turf fields. The next in our growth is going to be, uh, a permanent dome that’s gonna go right next to our soccer field, uh, be another full-size field that will be under a dome all year, so giving us other advantages.

So that vision, um, as to [00:11:00] where they’re going and the ability to, uh, be successful in the fundraising to accomplish those goals, right? Um, on the academic side, you know, um, we offer over 30 different degree programs, um, and, and strong in, in many of them, but the school over the last 10 years has really become known for the technical side, okay?

So, uh, we are the lead- one of the leaders in cybersecurity, computer sciences, digital animation, that type of thing. Um, and everyone has to take two technology classes because the, the school’s philosophy is technology’s gonna drive the future, and we’re trying to prepare our kids, uh, even at a base level, uh, to be successful when they leave here.

Matt: No, that, that’s awesome. Um, well, I, I mean, one of the challenges for a lot of student athletes when they’re coming in is really balancing the demands of the, the athletic component as well as the academic component. K- what support systems [00:12:00] does the school have to help them be successful in both of those endeavors?

Coach: Well, you know, we have this discussion with everybody coming in new every year. Uh, the advantage of being a fall sport is right away you’ve got, depending on the size of the roster, right, you’ve got 20 people that help you that you know before even school starts, that we can put you in touch. And I, I found over the years that my players, um, are the ba- the greatest resource for new people coming in to help them navigate the academic side, right, and the balance side, as you call it.

So right away, you have people who have either taken the class you’ve had or hopefully taken the class with the professor you’ve had. So if you have problems, we, we try and, uh, use the team to help modify that first. You know, after that, they have several mentoring places on school and, and study areas and places to get help.

Um, uh, we have a counseling center, um, where you can go in and request, uh, [00:13:00] academic support, uh, all kinds of support, but on the academic side, where they’ll pair you up with a student volunteer, uh, they’ll get you with one of the counselors, uh, anything we need to get you the help you need to be successful.

Matt: Okay. Well, in terms of the season, right, I know it’s, it’s August, so let’s fast-forward to October, right? Sure. Just kind of the heart of that season. Walk me through, what’s a typical week look like for the players in terms of winter classes, meals, practices, game cadence, all that kind of thing?

Coach: Um, so you know, w- we’ll pick on game cadence first because we’re in a kind of a ne- unique situation.

I was in it before with Rochester, where we’re in a, like an independent conference. We were in the CAC last year, um, which means you seed by more of a modified RPI than a win-loss record. Um, so your strength of schedule really matters. Uh, but that also means you don’t get a conference schedule, so it’s very, very hard for me to get October [00:14:00] games, um, because everyone else is in their conference and they don’t wanna play you.

Uh, so that’s the reason we go… Like this year, we go to Columbia for eight days, Columbia, Missouri, uh, to find three games. Um, you know, it’ll get better over time, but this year we’re, we joined the Cal PAC, um, which is a group of California schools. A whole lot of nonsense behind that, that nobody really wants to, wants to hear.

It was advantageous for both of us to do, but it’s still, we have a schedule that I have to build. I have to schedule all 18 games. So we have no rhythm, okay? It’s wherever I can get a game, wherever I can beg a game, uh, we take it. Uh, I try and stay away from three games a week. I don’t like that, but there’s a couple weeks where, you know, we have to play three to get our, our games in.

Um, but a cadence is, you know, um, I think breakfast is, I don’t eat breakfast with them, so I think it’s 7:00 to 9:00. Uh, lunch is 11:00 to 1:30, and then [00:15:00] dinner is 5:00 to 8:00, I believe. Um, so most classes end at 2:50. They’re in the weight room at 3:00, uh, hopefully on the practice field at 3:30. Uh, we usually go 3:30, um, 3:30 to 5:30 or 6:00, uh, and then the rest of the night is theirs, okay?

Um, even in, even in pre-season I don’t do two-a-days, I don’t do three-a-days. I don’t… I, I, I’ve, I’ve never found where it’s been advantageous. Um, we do a, we do a big training block, and we try and accomplish what we need to accomplish. And if we have to stay extra, we stay extra to get what we need out of it.

Uh, if they get it right away instead of going on to the next topic, you know, h- hey, they got it, they worked hard, the reward is you get to go, right? Um, so we go that way pretty much six days a week. Um, the only difference is on Saturday, uh, to give them maximum time off, we go in the morning from 8:30 [00:16:00] to 11:30 so that when they’re done, they have basically a day and a half off where, um, I’m not controlling what they do, let’s say.

Um, and we, we practice every day, uh, six days a week other than game days. Usually there’s two games a week. So…

Matt: Okay. Well, let’s talk a little bit more, uh, about the team. We, we talked about roster size. Talk to me about the rest of the roster though. What kind of other staff are there helping you out, or maybe some folks that are just supporting the team, in, in what way?

What role def- does everybody play there?

Coach: Um, so I have an assistant, Alec Rathke. Um, he’s my assistant coach. He’s a full- it’s a full-time position. Um, we have, uh, athletic training staff that consists of three people, all full-time. We have a strength and conditioning staff, um, which is, this is the first time I’ve had the luxury of working with them, so that’s, uh, paying some dividends for sure.

Uh, that’s three, three full-time strength and conditioning coaches. Um, and then, you know, our foundation, our fundraising [00:17:00] foundation is, is a separate entity, but they do great, great job of raising money for, excuse me, all the, all the programs in the school, but sports especially. Um, and then on our athletic side, uh, our athletic director and, uh, his administrative as- He has two administrative assistants, and all of that works together to help not only put on our program, but all the sports programs here at DSU.

Matt: Okay. Well, talk to us about you, your coaching style, and the, the style of play you look to play there.

Coach: Oh, me. Let’s see. Um, I think we built programs on a couple different philosophies, right? Um, we try and take things down to the simplest base level and then teach from there. Um, I, I believe that the practice is mine and the game is the players’.

Okay, so, uh, what I tell the recruits is, [00:18:00] “Practice, you’ll probably wish I would shut up, and I won’t. Uh, and in the game, I’ve been told I w- some people wish I would talk more.” Um, but we, we run from a philosophy of our job is to give our players two to three, um, solutions to any problem they might find on the field, and then give them the autonomy in the game to decide which one they’re gonna use.

Um, I approach everything from a defensive perspective, right? We start, 35 years I’ve been coaching either club or college, we start every first day of practice one v. one defending in a 10 by 20 grid. ‘Cause when you break the gri- break the field down in thirds and thirds again and thirds again, you wind up with 10 by 20s all over the field.

And I tell my players, “If you can win that one v. one battle, we’ll never lose a game. We might not win, but we’re surely not gonna lose.” So we start from there. Defending, uh, defending is huge in my world. Uh, defending, uh, one v. one, defending in pairs, defending in small groups, and finally defending to attack [00:19:00]

Matt: Awesome.

Well, let’s talk about the non-traditional season. Spring, you just had… You know, you got, you’ve got one under your belt. How do you, how do you see this, this upcoming spring doing? W- you know, being what do you guys do during that time?

Coach: Um, yeah, so spring, as soon as the South Dakota winter decides to let us back out on outside, uh, which varies for sure, um, we go y- we go five days a week.

It’s a little less intense in the spring. We’re allowed under NAIA rules three competition dates, uh, so we fully, uh, do our best to max- maximize those. Last year, uh, just due to numbers and availability of other colleges close, because I try and keep that travel in the spring closer for budget reasons, um, we actually played two local club teams, um, both of them high level, and then we, uh, went down to Dort and played in their dome and played two games there.

So, [00:20:00] um, but practice-wise, it’s five days a week, two hours a day. We want to keep their edge, we want to keep learning, we want to keep building on what we did in the fall. Um, and then May, when school’s over, when we send them home, we actually send them home with a fitness pro- plan that we can track through our app, um, which our philosophy is, is, uh, it’s much easier to stay fit than it is to get fit, so let’s go home and just do the work.

You know, I ask, you know, the first six weeks you give me 30 to 45 minutes every day, uh, and then closer we get to August, I’m wanting an hour to hour and a half for you to contribute to your team. Um, so that way when they come in on first weekend in August, I don’t have to work on fitness.

Matt: All right.

Awesome. Well, I really appreciate all the insight you’ve given us. Uh, I’m gonna leave you with one last question, and that is, if you had one piece of advice for anybody going through this college recruiting process right now, what would that be? [00:21:00]

Coach: From a player perspective or a coach perspective?

Matt: P- player perspective.

Coach: Okay. Um, don’t be afraid to reach out, okay? Uh, every level has different rules, but you can always reach out to the coach. What the coach can do is up to the level that they’re playing, but don’t be afraid to reach out. Reach out personally, and make it personal, okay? Uh, it takes more time than standing, sending out a bulk letter and just putting a different address on it.

Um, but I, I think every coach will agree, we get tons of emails every year that… I, I’ll give you an example. I c- I, I would say I had a dozen emails the first year here. I was here trying to build the program, saying what a great record we had last year. Okay. Um, you know, do, do your homework, find out. Um, I would say go to campus, okay?

You can see a lot on the internet, you can learn a lot by word of mouth, [00:22:00] but, you know, we have a couple philosophies for our girls. One, it’s education first. Find a place that has the degree program that you’re o- that you’re looking for, and if you’re undecided, find somewhere where there’s the diversity of degree programs, right?

Second, the reason I like you to come to campus is 90% of your time once you commit to a school is gonna be spent on that campus, and your chances of success are much higher if you like where you’re at, okay? Soccer aside, if you don’t like the environment, that’s not the right fit for you. After that, if you can, if you can add the game, perfect, right?

And if you have a clear winner there, that’s where you belong. If you don’t, then go where you’re gonna play, right? We, we get hung up on levels, we get hung up on all sorts of things. The joy is in playing the game. I, I always tell my recruits, I’m entertaining on the sideline. I am, but you’d rather be out on the field for 90 minutes than sitting next to me on the bench for 90 minutes, right?

So the final caveat [00:23:00] for me is always go where you’re gonna play, because that’s where the joy is. So do your homework, reach out, and then my final, I won’t say it’s a bit of advice, but a request, is be respectful of the coach’s time, right? If, if you’ve made the decision that that school’s out, let that coach know.

Don’t just ghost them, don’t, you know, don’t just cut off communication. You’re not gonna hurt anybody’s feeling, right? I work with 300 to 400 girls a year to get five or six, okay? I know I’m not gonna win every battle, and I don’t want to, but be respectful of the coach’s time.

Matt: Absolutely. Well, Coach, wish you luck here in year two, and, uh, if, uh, if you do get to any, any of the recruiting events down in, uh, Bradenton, Florida, make sure you give me a shout, all right?

Coach: Perfect. I appreciate the opportunity, and, um, um, hope we, hope somebody found that insightful.

Matt: I’m sure they did. I appreciate it. Thank you. Take care. All right. [00:24:00]

Coach: Thank you.