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Jim Stone
Jim Stone, entering his 22nd season as head coach in 2023, is the winningest coach in Bemidji State University soccer history. Prior to his arrival in 2002, BSU had an overall record of 13-80-3. In the 20 seasons since, his BSU teams have accounted for over 94 percent (235) of the program's total victories (248), which includes a program-record 19 wins (19-2-3) in 2021. Stone led the Beavers to their first national ranking and NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in 2017 and first win in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2018. The Beavers have missed the NSIC Tournament just one time in the last 18 seasons and guided Bemidji State to its first-ever NSIC Tournament Championship and NCAA Central Region Tournament Championship in 2022.
Stone inherited a 4-12-1 squad in 2002 and quickly put the building blocks in place for success. Stone's 2004 team assembled the program's first double-digit win total, with an overall record of 11-12-0, and made a run to the NSIC Tournament semifinals in the Beavers' first appearance in the postseason event. BSU's 12-4-7 record in 2005 left the team above the .500 mark for the first time and since has assembled a string of 17 consecutive seasons at .500 or above and an overall record of 219-126-35 (.622).
A five-time NSIC Coach of the Year (2005, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021), Stone has the highest win percentage of any head coach in BSU history, along with the most wins (235). He is also the only coach in BSU soccer history with a winning record in conference play at 157-74-27 (.661) and has just four conference losses over the past six seasons. The Beavers moved into the national forefront with a program-best No. 3 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II poll Oct. 16, 2018.
Under Stone’s guidance, BSU has garnered 93 All-NSIC selections, including 42 first-team picks and 2010 NSIC Player of the Year Ashlee Ellefsen, back-to-back Offensive Player of the Year Rachel Norton (2017 and 2018), back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Megan Dahl (2021 and 2022) and 54 student-athletes have been selected for all-region honors. In addition, Stone's program has produced four All-Americans to total five honors. BSU garnered its first-ever All-American honor in 2005 when the NSCAA recognized goalkeeper Kari Torgerson. Ellefsen became its second in 2008, while the Division II Conference Commissioners Association selected Miranda Famestad to its All-America First Team to cap the 2017 season. In 2018 Norton became the first Beaver in program history to earn two All-America honors after being selected to the United Soccer Coaches and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-American Teams. Dahl followed in the footsteps of Norton as a two-time All-American in 2021, selected to the United Soccer Coaches and D2CCA teams. Dahl added the honor again in 2022 to become the first player to be named an All-American in back-to-back seasons.
The Beavers took another leap forward in 2021 with a trip to the NCAA Division II Postseason Tournament Third Round, the furthest the program has advanced in the national tournament at that time. With a 19-2-3 record, Stone's 2021 squad tallied the most wins in program history to earn the United Soccer Coaches Staff of the Year award. He led BSU to its second NSIC Regular Season Championship with an undefeated conference record of 13-0-2, the third undefeated conference season in program history, as part of 20 straight unbeaten matches to start the season. The Beavers set a program record with 14 shutouts and allowed the fourth-fewest goals per game in program history. BSU ended its season No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll to cap a nine-week run among the top 25 teams in the nation.
Stone coached a program-record eight all-conference selections, seven all-region picks and two-time All-American First Team recipient Megan Dahl in 2021. Dahl was also tabbed as the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year while Mason Schilling earned NSIC Freshman of the Year. The Beavers totaled seven NSIC Player of the Week honors, the most for BSU in a single season. Stone's focus on the classroom came through with United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American honors by Dahl and Sara Wendt, along with a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region award for Allyson Smith.
The success from 2021 carried right into the 2022 season that saw the Beavers continue to reach new heights. BSU made program history winning their first-ever NSIC Tournament title and then hosted the NCAA Regionals at Chet Anderson Stadium. Three more wins followed defeating Central Oklahoma, Minnesota State-Mankato and Emporia State to help vault the Beavers into their first-ever NCAA Quarterfinal appearance and first-ever NCAA Central Regional Championship. Coach Stone and his staff were named the United Soccer Coaches Central Region Staff of the Year for the second straight season and finished the year ranked No. 9 in the national polls for the second consecutive season.
Stone coached a program-tying record of eight all-conference selections that included Dahl being named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season. Five Beavers were named all-region and Dahl was a two-time All-American. BSU tallied four NSIC Player of the Week honors and the accolades weren't just on the field. It was another strong showing in the classroom for the Beavers in 2022 with 17 student-athletes being named NSIC All-Academic and 15 earning All-Academic Team of Excellence. Six were named Academic All-District and Dahl, Alyssa Stumbaugh, Halle Peterson, Allyson Smith and Sara Wendt were named Scholar All-Americans.
In 2017 the Beavers had seven players named to the All-NSIC Team and swept the league's individual awards as Norton was named Offensive Player of the Year, Famestad was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year, Catherine Arneson earned Goaltender of the Year, Allyson Smith got the Freshman of the Year nod and Jim Stone was named Coach of the Year. The Beavers again placed seven players on the All-NSIC Team in 2018 with three individual awards as Norton took Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, Anna Fobbe was named Goalkeeper of the Year and Stone became the first coach in league history to be named Coach of the Year in three consecutive seasons.
Stone's teams have also excelled in the classroom, several times being recognized with the NSCAA College Team Academic Award, while individually, his student-athletes earned multiple CoSIDA Academic All-District honors including Anna Fobbe, Dani Nelson, Tia Neuharth, Raquel Thelen, Brianna Duff, Erin Foss, Megan Wallner, Alysha Domiano, Tiffany VanHaaften, and Cristina Egnell. In addition, three athletes have been named CoSIDA Academic All-America: Cristina Egnell in 2005, Sarah Stram in 2016, Arneson in 2017, and Fobbe in 2018. In addition, Fobbe was selected for the NSIC's prestigious Elite 18 award in 2017.
Before his arrival at BSU, Stone served as head girl’s varsity soccer coach at Spring Lake Park High School during fall 2001. He also coached in the Wings Soccer Club, which is now the Minnesota Thunder Academy.
In the college ranks, Stone spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons as an assistant coach with both the men’s and women’s programs at Augsburg College. Stone has also been involved with the Fargo Shanley High School boys’ team (1998), Red River High School girls’ team (1997), and Fargo North High School junior varsity squad (1997).
Stone, a 1998 graduate of Concordia (Minn.) College, captained the Concordia men’s soccer team in 1997. He earned Honorable Mention All-MIAC honors in 1997 and helped lead Concordia to MIAC Championships in 1995 and 1996. In 1996, Stone and the Cobbers reached the round of 16 at the NCAA Division III national tournament.
Additionally, Stone holds a Premier Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, a National “B” License, and a national youth license from the United States Soccer Federation. Stone also holds a Level I goalkeeper diploma from the NSCAA, that instructs coaches on the nuances of training the goalkeeper position.
He has also spent time working with the Bemidji Youth Soccer Association for 15 years.
The St. Paul, Minn., native resides in Bemidji with his wife Heather. They have two daughters, Alyse and Miah, and one son Isaac.
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