University of Minnesota Athletics
Senior Kaitlin Neary: Leading by Example
9/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Neary grew up in Tacoma, Wash., and had never been to the Midwest previous to coming to the University of Minnesota. It obviously makes you wonder what brought her to Minnesota. “Honestly I was ready for a change. I came on my recruiting trip and thought it was an awesome atmosphere and a good fit for me,” Neary said.
Minnesota wasn’t the only school that Neary was looking at. She was also interested in the University of San Diego, DePaul, Yale and Gonzaga. But with all of those other school, there was always something lacking. Looking at Minnesota, she couldn’t find anything wrong. “The program had dedication to both athletics and academics, along with amazing facilities. I knew I wouldn’t be coming just to be an athlete or just to be a student, I wanted to have both. It was the best of both worlds,” said Neary.
But it hasn’t all been glam and glory. “She’s been through so much over the four years that she’s been here. She’s had a major injury…you name it, Kaitlin’s been through it. She has just persevered,” said head coach Mikki Denney Wright.
During her sophomore season at Minnesota, Neary was biking on campus and was hit by a car. She collected about 300 stitches in her leg, a broken collarbone, and several hair-line facial fractures, along with some other minor injuries. Her finger still will not straighten.
It was the first time in her life that she had to sit out for a long period of time and the doctors told her that she probably wouldn’t be back for the rest of the season. Neary was denied a medical red-shirt because she had participated in too many games, so she was driven to recover quickly. The first game she played was exactly one month after the accident. “I think it gave me a lot of perspective on how fortunate I am to actually be playing. It made that much more grateful for being able to play and be a part of the program,” Neary explained.
“She’s very mentally tough. But if you meet Kaitlin, she’ll act nonchalant, but underneath she has determination and a real will to succeed,” said Denney Wright. “Everything she’s done, she’s overachieved. That’s not surprising for Kaitlin. She mirrors it by her intensity on the field.”
Now in her fourth season of her soccer career at the University of Minnesota, Kaitlin Neary knows her role as a senior. Lots of things have changed with the program, including the addition of 14 true freshmen. “I think that the addition of the freshmen this year is great. There are some really good players in this class and they’ve added a lot of depth and a lot of talent to our program,” Neary commented. “I think the team has changed a lot since our freshman year, and I think the group of girls we have now is the first where everyone on the is dedicated and has the same ultimate vision of the program.”
But soccer isn’t the only thing that is important in her life. She came to Minnesota for another reason, academics. Neary is a psychology/pre-med major who has aspirations to become a trauma/E.R. doctor. “I just didn’t want to go the typical way of the Biology or Chemistry route. I wanted to do something that interested me a little more. I think that a psychology degree could help me in a lot of ways with something like that, especially since they say that a lot of people come into an emergency room with a lot more than just a physical problem,” she said.
Neary’s plans are to attend the University of Colorado, Denver for medical school and possibly finish up there after the soccer season this year. Medical school is a big step for any person, but we’re not talking about just any person.
This is a student-athlete who knows how to make the best of what she has and accredits her grandfather, John Siemens, for this. “He has lived life the way it should be lived in my opinion. Everything he’s done is the reason that I want to be a doctor. His interactions with people, his integrity, just everything about him is the way I feel every person should live,” she explained. “I don’t like having regrets and I like to have fun with everything I do.” Neary lives by a quote that her Grandfather once told her when she was 10 years old:
“The secret of happiness in life is not to do what you like, but learn to like what you have to do.”
She has realized that soccer isn’t always going to be fun, school isn’t always going to be fun and interacting with people isn’t always fun. But if you make the best out of everything that you do, it makes life that much better. “I just try to get the best out of everything,” said Neary.
Denney Wright said “We’ve really enjoyed having her and she’s brought a great personality to our group. I think our team looks a lot to Kaitlin and we appreciate her being loyal and persevering through the last four years.”
story by Cathy Behr, athletic communications graduate assistant With the addition of 14 new freshmen to the University of Minnesota women’s soccer team, leadership is something that is much needed. Senior forward/midfielder Kaitlin Neary is someone that the Golden Gophers will look to this year and she’s just the person for the job.
Neary grew up in Tacoma, Wash., and had never been to the Midwest previous to coming to the University of Minnesota. It obviously makes you wonder what brought her to Minnesota. “Honestly I was ready for a change. I came on my recruiting trip and thought it was an awesome atmosphere and a good fit for me,” Neary said.
Minnesota wasn’t the only school that Neary was looking at. She was also interested in the University of San Diego, DePaul, Yale and Gonzaga. But with all of those other school, there was always something lacking. Looking at Minnesota, she couldn’t find anything wrong. “The program had dedication to both athletics and academics, along with amazing facilities. I knew I wouldn’t be coming just to be an athlete or just to be a student, I wanted to have both. It was the best of both worlds,” said Neary.
But it hasn’t all been glam and glory. “She’s been through so much over the four years that she’s been here. She’s had a major injury…you name it, Kaitlin’s been through it. She has just persevered,” said head coach Mikki Denney Wright.
During her sophomore season at Minnesota, Neary was biking on campus and was hit by a car. She collected about 300 stitches in her leg, a broken collarbone, and several hair-line facial fractures, along with some other minor injuries. Her finger still will not straighten.
It was the first time in her life that she had to sit out for a long period of time and the doctors told her that she probably wouldn’t be back for the rest of the season. Neary was denied a medical red-shirt because she had participated in too many games, so she was driven to recover quickly. The first game she played was exactly one month after the accident. “I think it gave me a lot of perspective on how fortunate I am to actually be playing. It made that much more grateful for being able to play and be a part of the program,” Neary explained.
“She’s very mentally tough. But if you meet Kaitlin, she’ll act nonchalant, but underneath she has determination and a real will to succeed,” said Denney Wright. “Everything she’s done, she’s overachieved. That’s not surprising for Kaitlin. She mirrors it by her intensity on the field.”
Now in her fourth season of her soccer career at the University of Minnesota, Kaitlin Neary knows her role as a senior. Lots of things have changed with the program, including the addition of 14 true freshmen. “I think that the addition of the freshmen this year is great. There are some really good players in this class and they’ve added a lot of depth and a lot of talent to our program,” Neary commented. “I think the team has changed a lot since our freshman year, and I think the group of girls we have now is the first where everyone on the is dedicated and has the same ultimate vision of the program.”
But soccer isn’t the only thing that is important in her life. She came to Minnesota for another reason, academics. Neary is a psychology/pre-med major who has aspirations to become a trauma/E.R. doctor. “I just didn’t want to go the typical way of the Biology or Chemistry route. I wanted to do something that interested me a little more. I think that a psychology degree could help me in a lot of ways with something like that, especially since they say that a lot of people come into an emergency room with a lot more than just a physical problem,” she said.
Neary’s plans are to attend the University of Colorado, Denver for medical school and possibly finish up there after the soccer season this year. Medical school is a big step for any person, but we’re not talking about just any person.
This is a student-athlete who knows how to make the best of what she has and accredits her grandfather, John Siemens, for this. “He has lived life the way it should be lived in my opinion. Everything he’s done is the reason that I want to be a doctor. His interactions with people, his integrity, just everything about him is the way I feel every person should live,” she explained. “I don’t like having regrets and I like to have fun with everything I do.” Neary lives by a quote that her Grandfather once told her when she was 10 years old:
“The secret of happiness in life is not to do what you like, but learn to like what you have to do.”
She has realized that soccer isn’t always going to be fun, school isn’t always going to be fun and interacting with people isn’t always fun. But if you make the best out of everything that you do, it makes life that much better. “I just try to get the best out of everything,” said Neary.
Denney Wright said “We’ve really enjoyed having her and she’s brought a great personality to our group. I think our team looks a lot to Kaitlin and we appreciate her being loyal and persevering through the last four years.”
story by Cathy Behr, athletic communications graduate assistant
