DULUTH, Minn. -- In the midst of helping the University of Wisconsin women 's hockey team build a mini-dynasty, Tracey Cornell has taken time for a couple of other pursuits.

She finished UW grad school, getting her MBA in 2007.

She trained for and finished her first Ironman Triathlon, with another on deck later this year.

She began teaching a class in the UW kinesiology department.

She got engaged to Darren DeKeyser and is planning a wedding for later this spring.

All that in addition to her role as a full-time assistant coach for the Badgers, who are seeking their third straight NCAA title in part because of their remarkable ability to recruit and restock talent.

Fourth-ranked UW (28-8-3 overall) will face top-ranked Harvard (32-1) in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals Thursday at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.

"We have to reload every year," Cornell said matter-of-factly. "We lose a talented group every year and we have to bring in another."

Cornell and fellow assistant Dan Koch work closely with UW coach Mark Johnson to identify and pursue a vast array of talented prospects from across North America.

In the last five years, the Badgers have found their all-time leading scorer in Ontario (center Sara Bauer), their all-time leading goal scorer in northern Wisconsin (winger Jinelle Zaugg from Eagle River), their all-world goaltender in the suburbs (Jessie Vetter from Cottage Grove) and two All-America defensemen from western Canada (Meaghan Mikkelson from Alberta and Bobbi-Jo Slusar from Saskatchewan).

The current roster includes Zaugg, a senior who has 87 career goals; Vetter, a junior who has never lost a NCAA assignment; junior center Erika Lawler, one of four 100-point scorers to come to UW since 2003 and sophomore winger Meghan Duggan, whose career has begun with back-to-back 20-goal seasons.

Also making major contributions are freshman winger Hilary Knight (20 goals, 18 assists and 38 points) and freshman center Mallory Deluce (12-18-30). They came to Madison billed by some as the top prospect in the United States (Knight is from Hanover, N.H.) and Canada (Deluce is from London, Ontario).

That Cornell helped bring in such talent, all while studying for her master's degree and training for elite-level triathlons, left an impression.

"She put a lot of us student-athletes to shame with what she was able to do with recruiting and coaching and school," said senior defenseman and captain Emily Morris said. "Somehow she manages to put all that into one day."

Cornell and Koch do the heavy lifting when it comes to recruiting for UW. She is a former standout at -- where else, Cornell -- and has been with the UW program since its inception in 1999. He is a former high school teacher and coach -- with stops in La Crosse, Monona Grove and Madison La Follette -- who came onboard in 2001.

"We see the big picture and we're very team-oriented people," Koch said. "We both complement each other because we both like what we do."

Morris, from Massena, N.Y., said her recruitment to UW was unique because of the "genuineness" of the coaching staff.

"It's not all about hockey," she said. "It's about family and friends and where you went to school and other sports you play.

"Other places do it, but I, personally, didn't get the same feel at other schools as I visited as I did here."

Knight, regarded as a prime candidate to play for Team USA in the 2010 Winter Olympics, said UW coaches made their pitch and gave her space to make a decision. She found a measure of comfort in that approach.

"They just gave you the feeling that, 'This is where we stand and if you want it you can be a part of it. If not, that's fine with us,' " Knight said. "I think that's the greatest appeal -- that they weren't putting any pressure on."

The long line of talent coming into UW belies some of the negative recruiting that apparently goes on behind the scenes.

Johnson, whose iconic career includes great moments at UW, the Olympics and the NHL, took over in 2002 amid whispers he was just hovering in wait for a college men 's job.

Johnson built a new house and continues to raise a young family in Madison, but the whispers continue that he might go to the NHL and coach.

"When I hear that from parents, I say, 'Where am I going?' " he said. "Somebody tell me where I'm going to go."

Cornell and Koch continue to find elite prospects that want to develop under Johnson and do so in an uncommon setting.

"The school speaks for itself," Morris said. "The city of Madison is just an unbelievable place. I think they've got the whole package here."

Cornell said her Ironman training and MBA studies come in very handy on the recruiting front. One demands persistence, patience and discipline. The other calls for a business plan and a message.

"I'm in sales every day," she said.