The Mentor-Mentee Relationship at WPU

William Penn University Athletics

Oskaloosa–In a healthy family dynamic, members lean on one another for support and advice. The non-traditional family of the William Penn athletics department incorporates those same values every day as each member seeks success in and out of competition.

The University is proud to have such a “senior-laden” staff with numerous individuals enjoying over a decade or more of experience in their chosen field, highlighted by Head Baseball Coach Mike Laird who is in his 32nd campaign. With that said, there are a few “freshmen” in the mix as well—young coaches who have recently earned their first head coaching nods.

Jennifer Carlson is the elder of WPU’s youngest trio as she signed her first skipper contract last summer and now has a year of volleyball under her belt. Her 2013 squad was 15-30 overall and enjoyed a few winning streaks. Raphael Martinez is right behind her, though, serving last fall as the Interim Head Men’s Soccer Coach before receiving the reins in November after going 10-8-2, one victory shy of the program’s single-season win record. Sean Gosewisch, Head Cross Country Coach, is the newest navy and gold associate, coming back to WPU in January.

Martinez, who will finish his Master’s of Business Leadership degree from the University in May, and Gosewisch, who already has his graduate diploma, actually had a leg up on Carlson as they served as graduate assistant coaches in Oskaloosa prior to their head appointments.

Carlson and Martinez took over their respective programs just weeks–or in Martinez’s case, days– before the 2013 season, so both had to go at it a bit blind. Both tried to find some firm ground as their worlds spun around them. That is when colleagues came to their aid.

“(Head Women’s Soccer Coach) Willie McGowan has been a great mentor for me as a new coach,” Martinez said. “Also, I needed to learn NAIA and university rules/regulations for recruiting and (Football Recruiting Coordinator) Chris Stutzriem was able to provide all of the necessary insight in that department.”

“Honestly, the entire football staff has always been willing to give advice and that has made me feel very comfortable and welcomed at WPU,” Martinez added. “With such a successful program and close-knit staff, I value their guidance greatly.”

“I have a lot of common beliefs with Willie and Chris, but I really look to them for their kindness,” Martinez said. “I have gotten to know them outside the workplace and that has made me more comfortable in asking for advice.”

The move for Gosewisch might have been the easiest as the same man who hired him as a graduate assistant then re-hired him to run the Statesmen harrier program.

“(Head Track and Field) Coach (Allen) Friesen is by far the most influential person to me at WPU, but not just here, though,” Gosewisch said. “He allows me to use my knowledge and experience in distance running to create my own vision for the program, while helping me gain understanding of things I have never been in contact with such as recruiting and administrative issues.”

Gosewisch, like Martinez with McGowan and Stutzriem, feels his relationship with Friesen transcends practice and meets.

“We took to each other quickly and share many of the same values and philosophies,” Gosewisch said. “It also helps that we both have an odd sense of humor!”

Carlson has sought out the most diverse duo of sounding boards with Former Head Cheerleading Coach and Compliance Officer Jill Thompson and Head Men’s Basketball Coach John Henry.

“Since Jill is one of the few females on staff and just down the hall, I clearly gravitate to her, but she also coached a women’s sport,” Carlson said. “There were things that happened to me this past season that she has also had happen. With Henry, he has been so successful here so I knew he was someone I wanted to follow. He is funny and has witnessed a lot of things that helped me through the season. Henry is very respected and so is his program; they have the fans in the stands to prove it. People know about William Penn men’s basketball and that is where I want to take the volleyball program.”

“I feel they both want me to succeed and will help me through anything,” Carlson added.

The mentor-mentee relationship is rarely a one-sided affair, and in these three situations, the giver of the advice has also received much in return.

“Working with and mentoring Coach Carlson has been inspirational,” Thompson said. “She has goals for herself and the volleyball program that she will see through. Any time a person has the opportunity to surround themselves with someone like Jenny, they end up learning and growing just as much, if not more.”

“It has been an honor to mentor the new and young coaches here at William Penn,” Friesen said. “I believe by helping out the new coaches, it creates a sense of family within the athletic department. It also has given me the chance to hear fresh ideas on coaching philosophy and how they view their particular sport.”

“It is an honor that Raphy thinks of me as a mentor,” Stutzriem said. “We talked about the head coaching vacancy last fall and he asked me how he should approach it. He was already thinking on the same page as I was so it was nice that we thought the same things were important.”

McGowan reiterated Martinez’s importance within the WPU staff.

“Sometimes seeing things from a different point of view opens my eyes and prevents my style of coaching from becoming too stale,” McGowan said. “Rapha works hard at what he does and if I can help him in any way my door already is, and always will be, open for a chat.”

As these rising stars continue in their coaching careers, they will undoubtedly always remember those that helped them at the start.

“Coach Friesen bringing me aboard and opening the door to the coaching profession means the world to me,” Gosewisch said. “I had tried, quite desperately, to break in on my own for many months and was honestly ready to move on, and had reluctantly begun preparations to do so. Coach, though, reached out and pulled me back into the sport I had defined myself by for so many years. I am eternally grateful to be given the opportunity, and I know the University will not regret taking the chance.”