MISSOULA — The Griz soccer team is back in the NCAA Tournament, as Montana broke through again to become the jewel of the Big Sky Conference.
It continues what's been a torrid run of success in the program, as the Grizzlies won their third straight regular season championship and capped it off with the tournament title after beating Weber State on Sunday.
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Senior captains Ally Henrikson, Maddie Ditta and Chloe Seelhoff have been catalysts in that success.
"Senior season has been the best by far," Ditta said. "Just the friendships I've made, the team, the culture, the atmosphere, and just the connections. I mean, it's truly the best experience I've had as an athlete. And to be able to wrap it up going to the tournament is everything I could have asked for."
The program has been no stranger to success, but since Henrikson and Ditta arrived as true freshmen and Seelhoff transferred in last season from Washington, they've lifted UM to new heights together.
"I can't even put into words. It was a blessing. From every person on this team, it truly almost like brings me to tears because it was something I would have never guessed it would have been," Henrikson said. "I left all my class behind kind of thing. They all graduated and I was kind of the last one of that original senior class. So I was scared going into this season, but honestly it's been the most rewarding season of my life and I'm just so grateful."
"I kind of experienced a little bit of regret (transferring) just because I was not performing my best," Seelhoff added. "And I should have never tied it to my performance. I should have just leaned into the people here. And as soon as I did that, I was like, all right, this is the place for me. It's so much bigger than soccer.
"And so once I started leaning into my class, and Maddie (Seelhoff, her sister who played at UM as well) and her friends and who I lived with, and the town, I immediately fell in love with Montana. And then I started performing better."
Since 2021, the Griz soccer team has won 58 games.
That has come as the program has been leveled with adversity seemingly each season, with injuries taking their toll, but the team finds a way to bounce back and find more success.
"It's been hard. A lot of people have been injured. A lot of tears have been shed," Henrikson said. "But I mean, the journey, honestly, I think is what makes this so special. Like there's no one moment. Obviously, winning the title, I think is amazing. But it's just been the journey, I think."
"We have an awesome dynamic," Ditta added. "(Ally) being captain last year, she takes lead which is awesome because she's able to show Chloe and I kind of what to do as well and just the dynamic we have of talking to the coaches and leading the team and we have a great connection together and doing this together is awesome."
There's been a lot of wins, accolades and milestones thanks to this trio suiting up at Montana. All three were named first-team All-Big Sky players in their final campaigns.
For Ditta, it was her third all-conference mark from the Big Sky and second on the first team. A native of Riverside, California, she is second on the team in goals with six and has 14 for her career to go with four assists. Having appeared in 77 career games and starting in 55 of them, the midfielder has racked up 5,492 career minutes with the Grizzlies as a steady presence ever since she arrived.
Henrikson is a two-time captain and she was named the league's defensive MVP for her work. The Pueblo, Colorado native battled injuries after a promising freshman season in 2021 — the last time the Griz went to the NCAA Tournament — but in the past two seasons has become a stalwart in the middle and backend for UM and even has one career goal. She's played in 60 games and started 39 of them and has played in 3,487 minutes for the Griz.
Seelhoff has spent two seasons at UM and made the most of it as a two-time all-conference performer. She was on a tear in her final campaign with seven goals and six assists before a collarbone injury halted her season a few weeks back. But against Weber State, Seelhoff was called upon for a penalty kick and she made the most of it in a cinematic display. For her career, she's played in 36 games at UM and started in 29 with 13 goals and seven assists in 2,156 minutes of work.
From different backgrounds to various challenges, all three have left their mark on the program with their play and leadership, so as the final postseason run approaches, it's about enjoying the final ride together as they keep taking the program to new heights.
"We've had that happen. And it just shows the character of Montana tough because we have gotten trophy after trophy with so many hardships," Seelhoff said. "So it's amazing how this team is so collective and just gets things done."
