Deacon Sports Xtra: Culture, Relationships Drove Kasold to New Heights at Wake Forest and Beyond
10/28/2021 12:00:00 PM | Field Hockey
“I’m really thankful. She’s been more than a coach. She’s been a mentor, friend and support system.”
This piece is a member of a series of stories to celebrate 50 Years of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics at Wake Forest, presented by Blue Cross NC.
As an alternate for the United States Field Hockey team as they were preparing for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Michelle Kasold was confident she'd be part of the team competing.
But an opening never materialized and she wasn't selected, meaning her Olympic dreams were dashed.
"I was crushed," Kasold said. "I hadn't faced that much adversity, so not making that team was really hard on me."
The Demon Deacons had advanced to the NCAA Final Four each of Kasold's first three seasons, but the rising senior was seriously considering not returning for her final year of eligibility. Kasold credits Wake Forest coach Jennifer Averill with helping inspire her to return to reach greater heights and enjoy the game of field hockey once again.
"How badly do you want to go to the Olympics?," Averill asked Kasold. "You have to be so good that they have no reason not to take you."
"You have to be so good that they have no reason not to take you."
That comment really stuck with Kasold, who instead of quitting redoubled her efforts to be as technically sound and physically fit as she could as she continued to chase her dream.
"She knew I don't quit," Kasold explained. "If you give me a little seed of hope, I will fight until I get it. I'm extremely competitive, and she lit a fire under me.
"I had a renewed enjoyment of field hockey."
The Kasold family moved to Chapel Hill when Michelle was just 4-years old and they immediately became entwined with UNC Athletics.
"We went to Carolina everything," she reflects. "My parents were ushers for the basketball games ever since I can remember. We always followed Carolina basketball and went to all the soccer games. As I got older and started playing field hockey, we started following their field hockey team. I grew up in Chapel Hill, which is very UNC-oriented."
But then Kasold was coached in an U16 team and was impressed with her presence.
"I was maybe a rising ninth grader," Kasold said. "So I knew who Jen was and that was when she coached me first. I enjoyed having her as a coach and her coaching style."
Her final three college choices were Wake Forest, UNC and Maryland.
"I honestly wanted to stay in North Carolina," she said. "As much as I loved UNC, I love Jen, the team and the school here. It's a smaller school with smaller classes. I just wanted to get out of Chapel Hill and do something different. Wake was where I wanted to be.
"I'm really thankful I made that decision. I felt like Wake Forest was a perfect place for me. I had to learn on my own and be a little more independent. I felt like it was an amazing experience. I'm thankful for all the people and for going there and playing for Jen."
The Demon Deacons ended up in the Final Four every season Kasold was on the team (2005-08). Wake Forest went a combined 81-14 those four seasons.
"The team environment and culture, we really fought for each other," Kasold said. "That got us really far. We wanted it badly, even in those years where we weren't quite as good. We stuck to the game plan and trusted Jen. It turned out well for us. Even though we didn't bring home a national championship, we were still quite successful."
Wake Forest claimed the 2006 ACC Championship, grabbing a 1-0 title game victory over Maryland on a goal scored by Kasold.
"That was a fun memory," she said. "It was a crazy goal. To this day I still don't know what happened. There were 10 seconds to go and I intercepted the ball in the circle while going toward the baseline. I dove and hit it and a defender fell on top of me. I never saw it, but apparently I roofed it. I've still never seen a video of it."
Several of Kasold's teammates remarked about what a spectacular goal it was while she was slow to get up after having a Maryland player fall on top of her.
"Get up," Averill told her. "You're fine. We have five seconds left."
The celebration turned somber as the team then gathered together at Duke for Maria Whitehead's memorial service. Whitehead, a former Wake Forest player and assistant coach for the Blue Devils, had lost her battle with cancer and passed away at just 25-years old.
"We were super happy we won, but we just felt like she was with us in that game," Kasold said. "We went from crying tears of happiness, to crying tears in celebration of her life. That game and day stick out a lot to me, because they will always be tied together and be very important moments in my life."
Kasold has dabbled in coaching of late, living back in North Carolina where she's the first-year head coach at Cary Christian. She has a one-year old son and plans to have a larger family, which may dictate whether she explores a career in coaching field hockey or just conducts individual lessons moving forward.
She credits her time at Wake Forest and the relationships she made there for the success she's had both on and off the field.
"The culture at Wake Forest is what drew me there," Kassold said. "Everybody plays a role, whether you're playing the whole game or are on the bench. I still stay in contact with my teammates. None of us live in the same state, but we still stay in touch. We had such great times together. I'm just appreciative for the friendships I made and the people at Wake Forest."
She continued to train following her senior season at Wake Forest and was named to the 2012 United States Olympic Team, which also competed a couple years later in the World Cup. Her hard work and devotion paid off, as she fulfilled that dream.
"I was on the verge of wanting to quit, and Jen helped get my mindset right to achieve a lot," Kasold said. "I'm really thankful. She's been more than a coach. She's been a mentor, friend and support system."
