Hailey Kepner '22 Recruiting Profile

      *COMMITTED*
 A major goal for my collegiate career is to make a positive impact on the soccer program at whatever school I choose to attend. Everyone wants to be a part of a successful team in college, but how do you measure success? I would consider myself a successful college athlete if my future team grew over the course of my four years as a part of the program as a result of my hard work and dedication. Obviously, I can’t do that by myself, but I want to be that teammate that pushes others to do their best every time they step onto the pitch, into the weight room, or even into the classroom. I believe that iron sharpens iron, so my competitive, hardworking nature, when combined with others of the same attitude, would create an atmosphere capable of transcending the limits of the team. I may not be the tallest, strongest, or fastest person on your team, but you can guarantee that I will consistently give the task at hand everything that I’ve got.

       On the field, I have become a natural leader who would much rather lift others up than tear them down. I take pride in helping out my teammates who are younger or struggling. I think this mindset has contributed greatly to my success as a goalkeeper. When in the net, you can see everything that is about to unfold, so it is crucial that you communicate with your teammates, and they respect you enough to listen. Both of these pieces ring true when I am directing my team on the field. Another major piece of success as a goalkeeper is positioning. It is through positioning that you can make hard saves look easy, and impossible saves are made possible.

       Soccer will be a big piece of my life in college, but I am a student-athlete, not an athlete-student. Studies come first, as I am going to college not only to continue my soccer career, but to get an education. In college, I believe I will be successful as a student-athlete because time management is a strong suit of mine. I take pride in turning good-quality assignments in on time. After high school, I aspire to pursue a career in athletic training, with a career goal to become an athletic trainer for a college or professional team.