Betsy Duerksen (2023) - Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame

Betsy Duerksen

Induction:
2023

In 1994 Duerksen was hired to build Montana's fledgling soccer program from the ground up and served as head coach for 10 years until stepping away in 2003. Since then, the program she founded has gone on to be one of UM's most successful, having advanced to six NCAA tournaments, won nine Big Sky championships, and finished as the league's runner-up four times as of 2023.

In her decade as a Grizzly, Duerksen led Montana to a Big Sky title the first season the league sponsored the sport (1997) and went on to win at least a share of the first four championships in conference history. In 1999, she was voted the Big Sky Coach of the Year.

The Edina, Minnesota, native amassed a 117-69-7 (.624) overall record as the Grizzlies' head coach, going 33-9-2 (.773) in Big Sky play during her tenure in Missoula.

One of the biggest wins in program history came in the 2000 NCAA tournament, a 1-0 victory at Washington State that remained the only outright NCAA tournament victory in Big Sky history at the time of her induction.

UM's first female varsity head coach, Duerksen mentored the Grizzlies to success on the field and in the classroom. She coached six players to seven all-region honors, coached three Big Sky Offensive MVPs, three Big Sky Defensive MVPs, and three Golden Boot Award winners, with 27 first-team All-Big Sky selections. She also coached four NSCAA Scholar-Athlete All-Americans, one NSCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and two Big Sky Scholar Athletes.