Up on top of Ferguson Field, head women’s soccer coach Danny Krispinsky readies his team for the upcoming 2016 season. 

Under a cloudy sky, the girls conduct passing drills at a hurried pace, while fighting off the afternoon heat and humidity. 

Ask anyone who has played any kind of scholastic sport, the preseason practices and conditioning can be less than pleasant for everyone involved.  It is miserable for players, coaches, and staff alike.

It is times like these that makes a person want to give up and throw in the towel, but there are the exceptional few who push on and persevere in the face of adversity. 

It takes fight and determination to be a collegiate athlete, and that is something that Coach Krispinsky is quite familiar with.

The former Ashland Arrow and Ashland Eagle knows all too well about what it takes to make a champion.  Krispinsky was a member of the first men’s team to win Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship.  He knows what it takes to succeed as a player and as a coach because he knows how to face adversity. 

Sometimes life presents obstacles in which we all must face, and we are judged by how we face difficult times.  For Krispinsky, life gave him an obstacle in the form of cancer.

In 2015 Krispinsky was diagnosed with colon, liver and lung cancer.

His diagnosis was shocking to him and his family, although he wasted no time and started to begin aggressive treatment.

Since learning of his diagnosis, Krispinsky has gone through 12 rounds of chemotherapy and two surgeries. 

He is currently on the mend from his recent surgery, but that still doesn’t keep him away from his duty as head coach of the women’s soccer team.

“It won’t affect our season one bit,” said Krispinsky.  “Just like last year I was up front and honest with the girls and keep them in the loop about what’s going on.  They are fully aware that I may be there or I may be missing. The good thing is that this program is more than about just one person. We have just great leadership on this team and whether I’m there or not, we just expect the same standards to apply every single day.  That’s what got us through last year, and I know that’s what will get us through this season and beyond.”

The Women’s soccer team takes their show on the road for the first two games of the season at Truman on Sept 1 and Quincy on Sept 3.

The ladies home opener will be Sept 6 at 6 p.m. versus West Liberty.