MISSOULA – After four months of searching, the Montana Grizzlies have found a new leader on the pitch. Chris Citowicki will be the head coach of the Griz soccer team in 2018. He comes from North Dakota where he served as an assistant last year.
Citowicki visited Missoula with the Fighting Hawks for the first time in October and never looked back. He immediately called his wife and told her about his dream to one day live and coach at Montana, and soon those dreams became reality.
Citowicki is still getting settled in his new home and said there is a lot of work to do before the season kicks off, but he has already set his long-term goals for the Grizzlies.
“Broadly, I just want to run one of the most efficient (Division I) programs in the nation, so doing things the right way,” Citowicki said. “When people look at us, they say, ‘I have a choice of this place or this place, but where do I want to send my daughter? I want to send her to a place like the University of Montana where she is taken care of in the education aspect and with the soccer program, so she’s getting an absolutely amazing four-year experience. She’s going to leave there as a better human being and be ready to be more successful in life.'”
While Citowicki does have plans to develop the program how he wants over the next few seasons, he said there are some key things to focus on in the first season.
“For me, it’s just creating the right culture first and foremost — just making sure that everyone has the experience that I want them to have, that we are competing the right way, that we are doing things the right way,” he said. “And that itself will lead to results in Year 1 and lead to results in the long term, as well.”
