19 March 2024
EMPORIA (KSNT) – It’s officially a new era for Emporia State women’s soccer.
The Hornets hired new head coach Jane Grimley-Gunn back in February, but officially welcomed her into the position with an introductory press conference Monday. Her hire comes after ESU parted ways with its former head coach in December.
ESU athletics director David Spafford said five players, including ESU soccer’s captains, were involved in on-campus interviews during the hiring process.
“[The players] were able to evaluate, communicate out to the rest of the team members,” Spafford said. “They were able to kind of work through it together to give what their overall rankings together and why. They did a super job. I was really proud of them and excited for them that we were seeing the same things.”
Junior defender Abby Bachman said she and her teammates appreciated being involved in the process. She acknowledged that a head coaching change isn’t easy, but assured the team has adapted well.
“It was really nice to have our administration to come to us and trust us with that and trust our opinions enough to be heard in the hiring process,” Bachman said. “We really liked Jane in that hiring process, and they took our word and went with it.”
The Hornets, coach and players alike, are still in the learning phase as they work to figure each other out before the season starts. Grimley-Gunn says the team’s been very receptive of her.
“My biggest ask of them is patience because we’re still learning a lot,” Grimley-Gunn said. “The way that we’re going to play is different. There’s going to be kind of bumps in the road, and I don’t want it to derail the course basically. I’m being patient with them and understanding they don’t know it all on day one, and they kind of give me the same in return. Once it clicks, I think it’s going to look really good.”
Spafford and Bachman both spoke to the new Hornet coach’s commitment to winning and agreeing with her coaching philosophy.