Following the opening of the Warhawk Women’s Soccer head coaching position, Athletic Director Ryan Callahan and the Intercollegiate Athletics have selected Dan Montanye, 34, to fill the role. As a former student-athlete at UW-Whitewater, Montanye is familiar with the program and culture that surrounds the illustrious athletics powerhouse. 

Montanye has spent a large portion of his life with various soccer programs of different levels. The UW-Whitewater alumnus has tallied almost a decade of collegiate coaching experience, including assistant to the Warhawk Men’s and Women’s soccer programs from 2011-2015. In the college realm Montanye has served as the head coach at Olivet College and Iowa-Wesleyan University. In his most recent endeavor he has led the Mukwonago high school Boy’s and Girl’s soccer programs.

“It is a really desirable position to me for a lot of reasons,” Montanye said. “I have a lot of history with the school. UW-Whitewater has a beautiful campus, and the people that attend Whitewater as well as work at Whitewater make it a really special place. You can have all of the great facilities that you want, which we do, but you also need fantastic people on campus to make it run and make it desirable for people to come.” 

Jordyn Czarapata is a sophomore midfielder for the Warhawks on a skilled team loaded with freshman and sophomore athletes. Czarapata reflected the team’s mindset and optimism about the coaching hire. She expects Montanye to bring a spark to the team, and believes that the new coach’s already formed passion for the program will be beneficial to the team’s success. 

“Coach Montanye has shown through our spring season that he values intense practices to set us up for gameday success,” Czarapata said. “As a team, we’re looking towards a successful fall season and have high hopes for this team.”

Montanye expressed similar feelings about the Warhawk Women’s Soccer roster, and the potential this team could have under his new regime. 

“I’m excited to share my soccer knowledge and enthusiasm for the position with the players,” he said. “I have been able to work with them for two weeks and there is some really good talent to work with. They seem to be immensely committed to each other and the team and it’s just really exciting to work with a group that is so dedicated to their craft.”

Warhawk sports teams are nationally recognized as an annually prevalent competitor at the Division III level. Many of UW-Whitewater’s sports teams can find themselves ranked top 25 in the country throughout the season, and WIAC Championships have come to be a standard in the department. For some new faces it can be intimidating to take on the reputation, but not in this circumstance. As a witness to this culture during his time as a player and assistant coach, Montanye is fully aware of the expectations laden on him and his players. He is prepared to take on the challenge. 

“Athletically the university has a long-standing tradition in all sports of conducting high level of play,” he said. “That’s the place that I want to be a part of. A place with high level goals and achievements, so Whitewater for me is a perfect fit.”

Aside from the impressive playing and coaching experience Montanye has racked up through the years, it may be his recent time spent as a College Soccer Scout that could prove to be one of his most valuable assets. The Division III level recruiting can be the differentiator between a good program and a great one. Montanye’s scouting experience and affection for the university will give the program an upperhand in the process of putting high quality athletes on the field. 

“I know how to speak the language to recruits about what it is like to be a student here,” Montanye said. “I have played here myself as a student-athlete, but also spent several years as an assistant coach so it just makes for such an easy transition.”

Ryan Quamme, 43, held the Warhawk Women’s Soccer head coaching position for 11 years before announcing his resignation this past winter. With the evolving landscape of college sports and a roster of young talented athletes, Quamme thought the program could benefit from a fresh perspective and new insights. 

“I had the privilege of being an assistant coach for the men’s team for Dan’s last three years as a student-athlete, as well as working with him over the years as a coach,” Quamme said. “Dan has an understanding of the tradition and expectations of Warhawk Soccer along with the desire and commitment to lead the program forward.”

Montanye brings not only a fresh perspective to the Warhawk Women’s Soccer program, but touts a wealth of soccer experience and knowledge, multiple connections to UW-Whitewater and a driven mindset that knows the sacrifice it takes to win. 

Warhawk sports fans will be eager to see what coach Montanye is able to accomplish with the young roster of talented athletes. The team is working to bolster their skills during their spring practice sessions and will use the summer to gear up for their first season under the highly anticipated new leadership. Coach Montanye’s first order of business as head coach will be to get accustomed to the athletes and build on the already positive team atmosphere. 

“Dan is a great soccer mind, but more importantly, he has great character. He is passionate about the university and will provide a great experience for our student-athletes,” Callahan said. “I wanted to bring someone in that has the knowledge and work ethic to move our women’s soccer program forward.”