300 Wins and Counting for Todd Ditmar

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State women's soccer head coach Todd Ditmar won his 300^th career collegiate game last week, when the Owls defeated Plymouth State, 5-0 in a non-conference game in Plymouth, N.H.

Ditmar and his Owls team continued their success this weekend, defeating Salem State for win number 301 as Westfield wrapped up an unbeaten season in conference play to win the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title. The Owls are the top seed in this week's conference tournament, where Westfield has a first round bye and will host a semifinal round game on Friday night at Alumni Field.

"300 wins – that's crazy," said Westfield State graduate-student forward Jenn Rennich. "I have been here four years, and played in what, 75 games?  So to get win number 300 is mind-blowing."

Ditmar coached at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Mass., for 12 years before coming to Westfield.

"Man, I was so young," said Ditmar, of his first-ever coaching win.   "I won the first game I coached, and that was the only game we won that whole year."

"2005 was a challenging year," (his first season at Westfield when the Owls finished 4-11) said Ditmar. "Everybody was very welcoming in the MASCAC, but I realized how tough it would be to compete year in and year out, but since we got that first championship in 2008 and the NCAA Tournament appearance we have been on a pretty good run."

Ditmar is coaching his 16^th season at Westfield State.  (The team did not compete in the fall of 2020 as NCAA sports were shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.) In his tenure, the Owls have won eight MASCAC regular-season titles, eight conference tournament titles, and made eight NCAA Tournament appearances. Twelve times in the last 14 seasons the Owls have won 10 or more games.

"I think it shows how long he has been committed to his team, and committed to winning," said senior midfielder Marissa Jacob.  "He has found many talented players, and he utilizes them well."

"He's made the team into a perennial contender in the league and New England," said Westfield State Athletics director Dick Lenfest.  "He has the ability to recruit tremendous student athletes and develop their skills, and his student-athletes have a good experience and have fun playing for him."

"What stood out for me is how he includes current players in the recruiting process, not just with overnight visits to campus, but in watching them play in person and on film," said Jacob.  "He's very interactive in recruiting, and he values his current players' opinions and where they see talent.   It helps incorporate the new recruits into the team right away."

"When I first came to Westfield State, the Woodward Center had just been built," said Ditmar, a native of Pittfield, Mass. who now lives in Longmeadow.  "It's a great school, and a great value in education. I've always thought it's been easy to get players to come, and once they come see the campus it's rare that they don't love it."

The list of standout players who have played for Ditmar at Westfield is beginning to be a long roll call, including Rennich, an Academic All-American in 2021, who has set the school's career points and assists record and is now just two goals shy of the school's career scoring record.

Rennich's reign at the top may not last long, as sophomore Delaney Parker led the NCAA Division 3 in goals with 31 as a freshman, and already has more than 100 career points through her sophomore season.

"I think of all the great players I have had the chance to coach, going back to 2008 with Kate McClellan and Meg Gearin, then Kayley Miller, Sarah Sypek and more," said Ditmar. "Now it's Jenn Rennich and Delaney Parker. It's the players that have carried it through and it seems like there has been each generation of new stars."

"Because of the talented players he recruits, we have a lot of depth, and it's easier to move players around into different positions, and also the chance to get time by working hard in practices," said Jacob.

"He has always given me the opportunity to succeed, both on and off the field," said Rennich. "And it's not just me but all of us.  He has a positive attitude about everything, whether we win or lose.   When we lost to USM earlier this year, he wasn't looking at the score but our effort as a team."

"You can tell how happy he is -  for us -  when we win," said Jacob.