Kaylin Olivas steps down as Cheyenne Central girls soccer coach

May 23—CHEYENNE — Text messages and calls started trickling in shortly after Kaylin Olivas told her Cheyenne Central girls soccer team that she had decided to step down as head coach Thursday night.

"I got a lot of messages from past players and parents that were really nice," Olivas said. "They told me they were grateful for the time we had together. Those meant a lot, because it showed me that I had an impact during my time at Central.

"The impact and relationships are what mean the most to me. The wins and losses, Xs and Os, are all second to the teaching and impact we tried to have on the girls."

Olivas spent three seasons as the helm of the Indians. Central went 2-10-3 and missed out on the Class 4A state tournament this past season. It was eliminated from the East Conference tournament with a 4-3 loss to Campbell County. The Indians were 11-26-5 during Olivas' three seasons as head coach.

"We want to thank coach Olivas for all her efforts and wish her the best in her future coaching endeavors," first-year Central athletics director Barry Ward wrote in an email.

Olivas' decision to resign came through the normal process of prayer and contemplation she does near the end of every season she coaches, including as goalkeepers coach for Laramie County Community College, she said.

"I always ask whether I am where He wants me to be," Olivas said. "I always pray until I get an answer. Sometimes, His answers are quick and clear, and sometimes, they take a while. This one took longer.

"When I decided to resign, I felt a peace and calmness that I've experienced a few times before. It's a feeling that only comes from Him. When I felt that after making that decision, it spoke volumes."

Olivas said she doesn't feel called to anything different, but stepping down from Central will give her more time to dedicate to LCCC.

Olivas said her chief objective as Central's coach was to change the culture.

"Through the help of my staff and the help of these girls, we did that," Olivas said. "It was positive. Our senior class really led the younger girls this year. That was huge. As a coach, you want your seniors to lead the underclassmen, and that wasn't the case when we took over.

"I saw those girls grow up quite a bit over the three years, and we changed the culture for girls soccer at Cheyenne Central. It was awesome to see."

The culture is based on work ethic and earning what you get.

"There's nothing handed to anyone, and that helped us focus on mental toughness this year," Olivas said. "These girls are going to be able to take what they learned from us and use it in the future. That's my goal as a coach. I don't want to just teach Xs and Os and how to succeed on the soccer field.

"I want our coaching staff to help prepare girls for what they're going to see in life. We prepared them to face the hardships of life, where you try and fail all the time, but you have to get back up. That's what we talked about when we talked about changing the culture."

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on X at @jjohnke.