Costello enjoying time as "Jackrabbit Lifer"

Caylee Costello arrived as a freshman on South Dakota State's campus in 2010, and a decade later continues to wear the Jackrabbit brand. GoJacks.com caught up with the assistant soccer coach to discuss leadership, her time as a Jackrabbit and commitment to her team's core values.

You're just wrapping up your third season as a full-time head coach at SDSU, and that's after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant, four as a student-athlete, and many more as a fan. As you think back to the day you committed to SDSU, what made that choice an easy one?
I think, for one, I was born a Jackrabbit fan. My parents are from Brookings, my grandparents live here and attend games regularly. That was an attractive piece of the University to me, and I also knew they were having some success as the Division I era started. Beyond that, I was a homegrown South Dakota kid, and having a chance to contribute to the early stages of a high-level program was intriguing.

What do you remember about those days of recruitment? How does it compare to how you approach recruiting as a coach?
That's interesting because my journey wasn't necessarily like those we recruit now. I didn't really consider college soccer until my sophomore year of high school, and my parents and I had no idea what we were getting into. We talked with my club coach for guidance, and I reached out to Brock (Thompson) and (former head coach) Lang Wedemeyer to let them know I was a local kid, and then attended a lot of camps.

Thinking through your career as a student-athlete, what are some of the lessons you learned that you carry with you today?
The biggest one was understanding that the talent viewed on the field in games comes from a lot of behind the scenes work. You don't get to showcase that talent without commitment to doing the small things, regardless of opinions around you. For me, the biggest part of that was the mental side of the game and putting time into that. I really embraced that part of being an athlete after my first two years, and that did a lot for my confidence.

You wrapped up your career, stayed on board as a graduate assistant and then got into coaching full-time. What went into that decision?
As a student-athlete, you put so much time into the sport and when you're done, there can be a hole in your life you need to fill. I jumped on board as a graduate assistant to fill that void, and found I really enjoyed coaching. Staying on-board full-time was an easy decision for me when Brock was promoted to head coach. I was blessed to have that opportunity, because the program is such a family to me. There are certainly a lot of long hours that go into the job, and sometimes it can seem like a grind, but it's amazing how fast time goes when you're surrounded by good people.

You're among the staff members at SDSU that have earned the nickname, "Jackrabbit lifers." What's that mean to you?
I think it means that I bleed blue and yellow. The town of Brookings and South Dakota State community is so special, and I don't see that anywhere else. I love where I'm at because of the support surrounding South Dakota State. I think it sums it up perfectly that when new people come into our department, it may take a few days to get acquainted, but after that it feels like they're family who we've known forever.

You've been a part of this on-campus community for more than 10 years, now. How have you seen South Dakota State change?
SDSU has changed so much. The residence halls have expanded like crazy and the opportunities provided for students continue to improve. It's amazing. Beyond that, the athletic facilities we have are some of the best in the nation. I think it's impressive how, as a University, we've been able to grow our footprint and continue to adjust and thrive no matter what challenges have been presented.

You mention changes, one of which was the soccer coaching change three years back. Since then you, Brock Thompson and Andy Janssen have instilled a few specific core values into the daily happenings of the program. How do you fit those into your daily life?
Our core values of Growth, Family and TMT aren't just for our players. We as coaches work hard to build those into how we approach everything as well. We value our program and those in the program and know not everything is guaranteed. We have high standards and know that commitment to those values set us up for success.

Family. That's easy. I'm a Jackrabbit lifer and bleed yellow and blue for a group that means the world to me.

Growth. I've really started to understand and value the idea of failure being a good thing. Not being perfect is okay, but what's not okay is refusing to get better, to learn and improve.

TMT, or True Mental Toughness. This one, for me, is probably best described that in the ebb and flow of the day, when things don't go your way, you find the best in every situation and never approach things as "why me?" Most recently, this one has been huge as we sort through the pandemic and adjust to coaching in the current environment. I've established almost better connections with our players during this time, though, because we've all been forced to find different avenues to connect.

-GoJacks.com-

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Costello enjoying time as "Jackrabbit Lifer"

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