MISSOULA — It was a year ago, not long after Princeton ended its season in the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament and a few months before she would earn her degree in economics from the Ivy League school, that Jen Estes entered the transfer portal.

She had one year of eligibility remaining if she chose to use it. She wanted to but only if she could find the right landing spot.

Her playing resume – six goals, six assists, competing in a pair of NCAA tournaments — ensured she would have plenty of suitors. Her experiences with all things college soccer gave her a discerning eye as she navigated the programs that showed interest.

“The goal was to have fun and enjoy playing,” said Estes, who was named second-team All-West Region on Tuesday by the United Soccer Coaches, the only Grizzly to be honored by the organization this season.

That Estes led Montana in both goals (7) and assists (4) this past season, that she was voted the unanimous Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year, the co-Offensive MVP and first-team all-league isn’t what brought her happiness.

Rather, those things emerged naturally, the end result of rediscovering the joy that can come from playing soccer once again.

“We put her in different positions and kind of used her wherever she was needed,” said assistant coach Ashley Herndon, who coaches the team’s forwards and knows that pigeonholing a talented player is the best way to watch those skills go unrealized.

“One of the things her mom told me was that (Jen) just loves playing soccer here. You could tell by the way she was playing that she was enjoying it again. That was the most fun thing for us to watch her do.”

It was tricky arriving in the summer, joining a team with a pair of returning all-region forwards in Skyleigh Thompson and Delaney Lou Schorr. Estes would need to navigate the situation with intentionality.

“When you come in as a grad transfer, you’re one of the oldest on the team but new to the program,” she said. “I was excited to get to know the girls and form relationships with them both on and off the field. That was something I focused on a lot, especially at the beginning of the season.

“Those relationships then translate onto the field. I can’t thank the team enough for accepting me into the team they had built and the senior class for welcoming me in.”

She had a pair of assists through the season’s first four matches but took only eight shots, starting two of those matches, coming off the bench in the other two, a new player finding and making her way.

“She was always the same person, the same leader, but we had a conversation early on that if she wanted it, she could take it and be a starter,” said Herndon.

“It felt like she was holding back a little bit, like she didn’t want to step on any toes. Then she got released and was playing free and it all clicked for her.”

She scored at Fresno State, in the season’s fifth match, then scored the game-winner in Montana’s 1-0 home win over IU Indianapolis in the very next match. And she was off.

That the Grizzlies ended the season on a 14-match unbeaten streak, going 9-0-5 in September, October and November, was no coincidence. It matched up with Estes’s emergence as a playmaking threat.

“She was recruited for that very reason, to be an all-conference, all-region player. She came in and really proved herself,” said coach Chris Citowicki. “She was looking for a place where she could play and impact. If you do that, you tend to get recognition.”

She scored two goals at Wyoming and painted her masterpiece in a Thursday afternoon home match against Idaho, the Big Sky’s top two programs going head-to-head at South Campus Stadium with so much on the line, both for this season and for next.

She opened the scoring against the Vandals in the ninth minute, then added the game-winner in the 15th to help Montana take hold of the conference race.

The Grizzlies would go 6-0-2 in league, unbeaten in the Big Sky for the second consecutive season, the first time that’s ever been accomplished.

Montana came up a play short of advancing to the Big Sky championship match, of Estes getting an opportunity to make her third NCAA tournament appearance, but as the season recedes in the rearview mirror, that matters less and less compared to everything the season as a whole provided.

Given time, the totality of the experience tends to eclipse the particular details.

“It lived up to the expectations I had and exceeded them in the sense I had so much fun with the team,” Estes said. “I’m very happy I was able to come here and that the coaches took a chance on me.

“I can’t say thank you enough to Chris, Ash and (associate head coach J. Landham). I had a great experience throughout the whole season.”

Big Sky

This two-bedroom log cabin stands on 5.38 pine-clad acres along the Gallatin River, 15 minutes from Big Sky Ski and Summer Resort. The renovated 1995 house has a vaulted living area with wide-plank floors, linear gas fireplace, chef’s kitchen with waterfall cooktop island, windowed breakfast nook, and glass accordion door to the riverside deck.

Outside are a hot tub, firepit, and garage topped by a one-bedroom apartment. $5,950,000. Eric Becker, Big Sky Sotheby’s International Realty, (406) 539-6291.

Bozeman

From its cul-de-sac in the Bridger Range, this 2005 contemporary farmhouse has direct access to the Crosscut Mountain Sports Center and national-forest trails. The four-bedroom home features heated Brazilian cherry floors throughout, double-height ceilings, balconies with mountain views, open living and dining rooms and gourmet kitchen, and a lower level with gym, game room, theater, and wine cellar.

The 5.22-acre wooded property, 20 minutes from downtown, has a firepit, a creek, and a bunkhouse. $4,895,000. Jeremy Seglem, The Agency Bozeman, (406) 404-9404.

Whitefish

On the Rocks Ranch Treehouse anchors a 20-acre property between two national forests, in a gated enclave 25 minutes from downtown. The four-bedroom double A-frame, built in 2023 and fully furnished, has hemlock paneling, exposed beams and trusses, a rustic-modern kitchen, a living room with walls of windows, decks, and mountain views.

The parcel has infrastructure for two more homes; community amenities include a lake, golf, a gym, and stables. $7,500,000. Sean Averill, PureWest Real Estate/Christie’s International Real Estate, (406) 253-3010.

Livingston

Angler’s Retreat on the Shields comes with more than 39 acres along the Shields River. The restored 1904 four-bedroom farmhouse features new systems, a chef’s kitchen with French limestone flooring and marble counters, a living room with a woodstove, a primary bath with a claw-foot soaker tub, and a wraparound covered porch.

The property includes a hot tub, heirloom gardens, guest cabin, greenhouse, barn, sheds, trail access, trout fishing, and wildlife; town is 15 minutes’ drive. $3,250,000. Carlos Ordoñez, Hall and Hall, (307) 690-6375.

Missoula

Abutting conservation land, this four-bedroom Grant Creek home is also 15 minutes from downtown. Built in 1977 and updated in 2018, the organic-modern house has clerestory and picture windows, wood floors and ceilings, an open main floor with a freestanding concrete-finish fireplace and maple-clad minimalist kitchen, and an extensive back deck.

The 1.89-acre landscaped lot has front and back yards, patio, hot tub, outdoor shower, lawn, and mature trees. $1,650,000. Danni Moore, Engel & Völkers Western Frontier, (406) 396-2442.

Lolo

This three-bedroom ranch home sits in a quiet Bitterroot Valley suburb 15 minutes from Missoula. The 2006 house features an open kitchen with pale wood cabinets and stainless appliances, a dining nook, a bright living room with big windows, an en suite primary bedroom, and a laundry room.

Outside are lawns, garden beds, and a fenced backyard with a patio; local amenities include shopping, dining, fishing, and the walkable new Lolo K-8 school. $515,000. Nate Christianson, Glacier Sotheby’s International Realty, (406) 945-0880.

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.

Montana’s general hunting season wrapped up over the weekend and, according to numbers reported at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) check stations, hunters in this corner of the state had increased success in the field when compared to last year.   

More than 10,800 hunters stopped at northwest Montana check stations this season, and about 10 percent of them had successfully harvested game, compared to 9 percent a year ago. A total of 954 white-tailed deer, including 745 bucks, were reported at the four weekend check stations. Last year hunters checked 761 white-tailed deer, including 567 bucks. Check station results showed a slightly smaller mule deer harvest, ­92 deer checked this year compared to 97 a year ago. And the elk harvest was slightly above last year, 62 harvested this year compared to 51 a year ago.

This season, check stations were open on weekends during the general hunting season from 10 a.m. to approximately 1.5 hours past sunset. The regional stations were located at U.S. Highway 2 west of Kalispell, Montana Highway 83 north of Swan Lake, Highway 200 west of Thompson Falls, and Highway 93 near Olney.

Hunters are required to stop at any check station they encounter whether they harvested an animal or not. The counts at the stations represent a sampling of the harvest and do not represent the complete number of animals taken.

There are still opportunities to hunt this winter. Certain areas have continued elk hunting opportunities, and there is also Montana’s Muzzleloader Heritage season for deer and elk from Dec. 14 through Dec. 22.

As the season wraps up, Montana hunters can thank landowners for access and share stories through an online portal. FWP is offering this opportunity to say thank you to landowners who have provided access and helped to make it a successful hunting season. FWP will collect these expressions of gratitude and share them with the specific landowners at the end of the season. Notes can be submitted online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/thank-a-landowner-2024.

2024 General Hunting Season Numbers for Northwest Montana