Women's Soccer Columns
Simonin reaps the rewards of doing the right thing
Let this be a lesson for every soccer player or every athlete that is asked to move to another position. Prior to the University of Memphis women’s 2010 soccer season, Lizzy Simonin was asked to move from forward to backline. Many players would balk. Simonin, on the other hand, has thrived and has been just rewarded It should not be surprising that Simonin was named the winner of the Lowe’s CLASS award for women’s soccer for 2011 because she exemplified the award’s ideals—community,… Continue Reading
Student-athlete advisory committees are a great way for Senior CLASS Award candidates to be involved
Being involved on campus when you are a student-athlete can be a bit tricky. With precious little free time after classes, practices, travel and games, today’s college athletes have to be choosy when they select the extracurricular activities in which they want to be involved. Since the inception of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at the NCAA level and later at the campus and conference levels, involvement on this committee allows student-athletes to combine their interest in… Continue Reading
Back to school! The new academic year means a whole new look at what’s right about college sports
Freshmen are arriving on campuses across the country over the next few weeks, ready to begin a new chapter in their young lives. And seniors are moving back into familiar dorm rooms or apartments and falling back in to the same routines they have developed during their collegiate careers all the while knowing that a new chapter in their lives will soon begin. There’s comfort in knowing that while some things change, other things stay the same. As a Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award staff member, the… Continue Reading
Former soccer winner finds new ways to impact her community after graduation
The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is a portrait of a well-rounded student-athlete, who is not only successful on the field and in the classroom, but demonstrates compassion and service in their community. After winning this award my senior year at the University of Portland, I realized that the four pillars of the award - Community, Classroom, Character and Competition - were something I should strive to pursue in my professional and personal life. Though, these areas weren’t so easily… Continue Reading
Early obstacles become springboards to career paths for soccer standouts
Katherine Sheeleigh turned the most frustrating time of her adult life into a career path. A soccer player at Harvard and one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, Sheeleigh is familiar with success. But she faced a great deal of adversity to get to that point, and in that respect, she has a lot in common with fellow finalist Rachel Shipley of Texas A&M. The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award honors senior student-athletes who exemplify the four Cs — community, classroom, character… Continue Reading
The sky is the limit for women’s soccer candidates with championship experience
Every time Amanda DaCosta takes the field for Florida State, the same message is written on the underside of her wrist: “The sky’s the limit.” “It just reminds me that you can go as far as you want to go if you let yourself,” DaCosta said. It’s a sentiment shared by all 30 of the candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, specifically those whose teams have reached the ultimate stage in women’s soccer. Five of this year’s candidates have been on teams that played in the… Continue Reading
Peterson and Yeisley represent “all the good kids” in winning the Senior CLASS Award
The student athletes who least expect recognition often deserve it most. They are the ones who excel in the classroom and at athletics. The ones who give up their free time to volunteer in their communities. The ones teammates look to for leadership. The ones who stay positive in the face of adversity – whether it’s on the playing field or in life. Such is a fitting description for Texas A&M’s Emily Peterson and Penn State’s Jason Yeisley, the 2009 recipients of the Lowe’s Senior… Continue Reading
Army women’s soccer standout Elizabeth Betterbed believes in character first
Elizabeth Betterbed seems to be the living embodiment of the old Army recruiting slogan: Be all you can be. As a senior at the United States Military Academy, Betterbed is ranked No. 1 in her class, is a Deputy Brigade Commander and an important member of the Army women’s soccer team. For her achievements, Betterbed has been selected one of 10 women’s finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. She loves it at West Point. “After school every day, I get to play soccer,” she said. “It… Continue Reading
Statistics don’t tell the whole story of Dartmouth’s Myra Sack
Angie Hind knows a good soccer player when she sees one. She played at the game’s top level in her native Scotland, spending 17 years with FC Kilmarnock and three years with the Scottish national team. She also has an A-level coaching license from the Scottish Football Association and was a coach in the national team program for five years before coming to the U.S. to join the coaching staff at Dartmouth College. But one thing has bothered Hind, who’s now in her fifth season as the Big… Continue Reading
Juvenile diabetes hasn’t slowed men’s and women’s soccer standouts
It is difficult enough to be a successful student-athlete these days. Add a disease such as diabetes and the challenge becomes even greater. Two college soccer players have managed not only to survive, but have thrived on every front. That’s a big reason why University of North Carolina-Greensboro defender Lauren Lopez and George Mason midfielder Richard Edgar are candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. They don’t feel sorry for themselves one bit. They go out and live life to the… Continue Reading
