Mikki Denney Wright, Camp Director
Head Soccer Coach, University of Minnesota

In just three short seasons as the head coach at Minnesota, Mikki Denney Wright has already had an immense impact on the Golden Gopher soccer program. She has instilled a winning attitude in her players and brought Minnesota back to the upper echelon of the Big Ten Conference. Her enthusiasm and intensity has everyone around the program believing the Gophers could compete for a conference title in the near future. With Denney Wright leading the way, the Gophers have proven they can play with anybody in the country and under her guidance they will continue to make strides toward becoming a Big Ten power again.

Hired on Jan. 8, 2004, Denney Wright became the third coach in the history of the program and was handed the responsibility of turning the program around. A native of Omaha, Neb., Denney Wright was a three-year letterwinner for Minnesota from 1994-96.

Denney Wright owns NSCAA Advanced National Coaching License as well as a USSF ‘B’ License. She also joined the Minnesota ODP (Olympic Development Program) staff in 2007 and hosts multiple coaching clinics each year throughout the region.

Last season, the Golden Gophers began the season with a 7-1-1 non-conference record, the best mark in program history. Denney Wright’s young squad gained a season’s worth of valuable experience en route to an 8-9-2 overall finish. The program’s emphasis on defense paid off again in 2006, as the Gophers posted a 1.18 goals-against-average and allowed just 23 goals, the second-fewest total in program history.

In 2005, Denney Wright led Minnesota to its first winning season since 1999 and guided the Golden Gophers to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2000. Combining a number of talented underclassmen with a group of seniors who were hungry for success, Denney Wright had the Gophers in every game they played. Minnesota finished the season with 13 straight one-goal games, a school record, and the Gophers posted a five-game winning streak during the Big Ten season, their longest in conference play since 1998. In the regular season finale, the Gophers took top-ranked Penn State to the wire before falling in a heartbreaker in double overtime.

In her first season at the helm in 2004, the Gophers posted the most wins for the program since the 2000 season. Utilizing an ultra-competitive practice regimen, Denney Wright fueled a drive for success, and it paid dividends as the team gained confidence and continued to get better as the season progressed, ultimately finishing the year strong with five wins in the final seven matches.

Most rebuilding projects begin with defense and the improvement has been undeniable. Under Denney Wright, Minnesota has cut its goals-against-average from a Big Ten-worst 2.38 in 2003 to 1.43 in 2004, 0.84 in 2005 and 1.18 last year. In 2005, the Gophers set school records for goals-against-average and fewest goals allowed in a season. The Gophers did not allow more than one goal in any of their final 10 matches and shut out seven opponents during the course of the year, the most since 2001.

Denney Wright's instant success at Minnesota can largely be attributed to the time and effort she and her staff put into recruiting. Over the last two seasons, Denney Wright has assembled two of the best recruiting classes in the history of the program. In 2004, the Gophers signed the first national top-100 recruit in school history in Kelsey Hood. Denney Wright also signed four of the top five players from the state of Minnesota, including player of the year Elena Fruci, along with two of the top players from Iowa, including Hood and player of the year Lindsey Schwartz.

This past year, Denney Wright signed the most decorated recruiting class in school history which included five national top-100 recruits and the players of the year from Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Chelsey Turner and Kelly Wepking were ranked in the top 75 in the nation, while Sara Clancy, Dana Tripp and Jenny Green were rated in the top 100.

Denney Wright's emphasis on recruiting, especially in trying to keep the top local talent close to home, has paid dividends, as evidenced by the team's improvement over the last two seasons. With so many talented young players on the roster, and with Denney Wright and her staff working to develop these players and get the most out of their talents, the foundation is set for a successful future.

Prior to being named head coach at Minnesota, Denney Wright spent three years as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Missouri. In 2003, the Tigers advanced to the national tournament for the first time in four years and earned the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament win in the first round against Eastern Illinois. The Tigers also posted the two biggest victories in the history of the program in back-to-back contests in the 2003 Big XII Tournament. The Tigers upset 10th-ranked Nebraska and fourth-ranked Colorado to advance to the league's championship game.

During her tenure at Missouri, Denney Wright was named Mentor of the Year by a vote of players for the Women's Intersport Network in the state of Missouri.

In addition to her duties with the Tigers, Denney Wright also served as a head coach in the Missouri State Olympic Development Program for three years.

Prior to moving to Missouri, Denney Wright was the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The Mavericks claimed the North Central Conference Championship during her one year in Omaha.

Denney Wright began her coaching career as head coach of the Colorado Rush Soccer Club's Under-16 Team from June, 1998 to June, 2000. The Colorado Rush are one of the premier club teams in the entire nation.

During her collegiate playing days, Denney Wright served as team captain of the Golden Gophers in 1995 and '96 as Minnesota earned a Big Ten Championship and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. Denney Wright was a two-time second-team All-Big Ten selection, as well as an All-Central Region second-team honoree in 1996. She still holds the school record for consecutive starts at 63.

Denney Wright transferred to Minnesota after spending two seasons at the University of North Carolina. After redshirting in 1992, she appeared in 10 matches with one start in 1993 as the Tar Heels won their second-straight NCAA Championship.

Denney Wright is married to Shane Wright, a former All-American pitcher at Texas Tech University. She is the daughter of Mike Denney, the head wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha for the last 27 seasons. He has led the Mavericks to four NCAA Division II National Championships, including three straight titles in the last three seasons.

Kate Cortis
Associate Soccer Coach, University of Minnesota

Beginning her fourth season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator is Birmingham, Mich. native Kate Cortis. A former assistant alongside Mikki Denney Wright at Missouri, Cortis was hired at Minnesota on Jan. 13, 2004.

In addition to her position with the Golden Gophers, Cortis is active in the Minnesota soccer community as a Minnesota ODP state coach and has been a club coach with the Woodbury Soccer Club and Bangu FC. She recently coached the MN ’91 team to the Region II ODP Tournament Championship. Her team will represent the region at the ODP National Championships to be held in Frisco, Texas in 2008.

Among her many duties at Minnesota, Cortis leads the Golden Gopher recruiting efforts and in three consecutive years has helped assemble the best recruiting classes in school history. In 2004, Minnesota signed the first national top-100 recruit in the history of the program in Kelsey Hood, as well as the players of the year from the states of Minnesota and Iowa. In 2005, Cortis' efforts were even more impressive as the Gophers signed the most decorated recruiting class in school history which included five national top-100 recruits and the players of the year from Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The 2007 incoming freshmen class is no exception to the standard of recruiting excellence established by Denney Wright and Cortis. The 2007 signing class marked the third straight year that Gopher Soccer inked a class ranked in the top 10 in the region. Minnesota’s 2007 class features two NSCAA/adidas High School All-Americans (Angela Olson and Julie Rezac), two NSCAA All-Region selections (Kylie Kallman and Rezac), Minnesota’s Ms. Soccer and NSCAA High School Player of the Year (Olson) and the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year (Rezac). For the second straight year, Minnesota also signed the two players widely considered to be the top prospects in Wisconsin and Iowa (Katie Bethke and Jennie Clark).

Prior to joining the Minnesota staff, Cortis spent the 2003 season at Missouri under head coach Bryan Blitz and helped lead the Tigers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999. Cortis spent the 2002 season as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator at Colorado College, under now-U.S. National Team Head Coach Greg Ryan. Prior to joining the staff at Colorado College, Cortis was given her first coaching opportunity at the NCAA Division I level as Director of Soccer Operations for Coach Blitz at Missouri in 2001.

Cortis entered the coaching ranks as an assistant at the University of Chicago under head coach Amy Reifert, one of the top coaches in NCAA Division III history, during the 2000 season. Cortis spent her collegiate playing days at Chicago from 1996-99. The two-year captain helped lead the Maroons to conference championships in 1996 and 1999. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Chicago in 2000.

An NSCAA advanced national coaching licensee, Cortis is the daughter of Susan Peabody and Scott Wortman, who reside in Michigan. Susan has been a restaurant owner in Birmingham, Mich. for the last 32 years and taught her daughter the “It’s not about me, it’s about you,” customer service philosophy that has helped land Minnesota three consecutive top-ranked recruiting classes.

Jerrod Roh
Assistant Soccer Coach, University of Minnesota

Jerrod Roh joins the Golden Gopher soccer program as an assistant coach in 2007. Roh has spent the last three seasons at the University of Kentucky coaching the UK goalkeepers and serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator.

While Roh’s primary responsibilities will be coaching Minnesota’s goalkeepers, he possesses a comprehensive understanding of the game and brings a resume of success to the Golden Gopher soccer program, having won championships at each of his last three coaching stops. This past season at the University of Kentucky, he helped guide the Wildcats to the best regular season finish in the history of the program (2nd in the SEC) and the SEC Tournament title.

Prior to his stint at UK, Roh spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. He was also part of the best conference season in the history of that program, helping the Catamounts capture the Southern Conference regular season championship in just their third year of existence in 2001.

Roh’s success as a coach can largely be attributed to his ability to recruit and develop top talent. Last season, Roh coached Kentucky senior goalkeeper Anne Ogundele to first-team all-region and all-conference honors, as well as multiple All-America accolades. The 2006 Wildcat freshmen class, which Roh had a major hand in recruiting, also scored more points than any other class on the team and provided two starters on defense. During his tenure at Western Carolina, Roh coached goalkeeper Mandi Tinsley to first team all-conference accolades in 2002.

At each of his coaching stops, Roh’s teams have displayed marked defensive improvement. In 2003, the season prior to Roh’s arrival in Lexington, the Wildcat defensive unit had a 1.66 goals-against-average and a .700 save percentage. Last season, the Wildcats posted numbers of 0.60 and .882 in those respective categories while posting an SEC record-tying 14 shutouts, led by Ogundele and a back line which consisted of two freshmen and two sophomores. In 2000, the season before Roh arrived at WCU, Tinsley recorded a 1.70 goals-against-average and a .770 save percentage. Two years later in 2002, she had improved those numbers to 0.86 and 0.890, respectively.

Prior to his arrival at Western Carolina, Roh coached the boys’ varsity soccer team at Papillion LaVista H.S. in Papillion, Neb. to perennial state top-10 status from 1995-2001. He also coached the West Omaha/Gladiator U16 Girls’ Santos club team from 1999-2001, leading the club’s “B” team to the state cup championship in 1999. Roh served as the head coach for the Nebraska Olympic Development Program for under-13 boys from 2000-01, while also spending time as a volunteer assistant and goalkeeper trainer for the Dana College men’s program in Blair, Neb.

Roh earned a bachelor’s of science degree in secondary education from Kansas State University in 1995. He was a three-year starter at various positions for the Wildcats from 1989-91. He completed work on a master of business administration degree at Western Carolina in May of 2004. Roh holds a United States Soccer Federation “B” Coaching License, a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Advanced National Diploma, and an NSCAA Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma. He also currently serves on the goalkeeper staff of the USYSA Region 2 Olympic Development Program where he helps train and identify the top youth players from the 13-state central region.

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