Growing up, sports were always a large part of my life. My love of athletics comes from my parents and from watching my older sister excel in the sports she played. Wanting to be just like my big sister, I aspired to play soccer and basketball through high school and college like she did.
I stood out in high school on my freshman basketball and soccer teams and was elected captain of my soccer team. I always considered basketball to be my primary sport, but during my sophomore and junior years of high school I had to learn how to be an effective member of the team when I wasn’t seeing many minutes on the court. Although it wasn’t my ideal role, I loved the game too much to give it up. I worked hard and helped my team make it to the state tournament for the first time in school history. We ended up winning state and to this day, it is one of the best memories of my life.
I played club soccer since third grade and competed all four years of high school. Two years were spent at the JV level because I wanted to play every minute of every game. I missed the first portion of my senior season due to a family illness and I had a difficult time adjusting after.
I was not heavily recruited and was unsure if I even wanted to keep playing. I had no education from organizations such as NCSA and no guidance from my coaches; my family and I were left to our own devices to find a college where I could possibly continue to play sports. After meeting with several Division III and NAIA coaches, I became more optimistic. I ultimately decided that academically, Lake Forest College would be the best fit for me and I knew I had the chance to play sports there if I wanted to.
I decided to try-out for soccer just a couple of weeks before tryouts and ended up making the team. As a freshman, I played in 14 games and was playing vital minutes; something I never thought would happen, especially my freshman year. I started at the position of stopper and occasionally fullback for the next three years and was elected captain my senior year. We made it to the conference tournament every year and had the program’s first ever NCAA bid my freshman year. I chose not to pursue basketball at the varsity level at Lake Forest, but worked with the team all four years and played intramurals every year as well.
My recruiting story isn’t as exciting as most and it would have been much different had I known what I was doing and if I had believed in myself more. It’s very important to me to give student-athletes the support and education they need to play at the college level because I came so close to missing out on it. The one thing that I have learned from playing sports in high school and college is to never be afraid of not being good enough. Just because you can’t play at the Division I level or aren’t being heavily recruited, does not mean that there isn’t a place for you in college athletics. Organizations like NCSA can help you attain your dream and find a college or university that will be a perfect match for you in every way.
