General of the Week: Katie Clemmons, ‘17
On Nov. 6, the W&L Women’s Soccer defeated Virginia Wesleyan 2-1 for the program’s first ODAC title since 2009. In the decisive championship match, defender Katie Clemmons, ‘17, contributed with a key assist to a goal that put the Generals up 2-0 and iced the game. After the match, the Phi sat down with Katie to talk about the season and her career as a General.
November 14, 2016
Phi: What, or who, has had the biggest influence on you as a soccer player over the past four years?
KC: Pretty much all of my coaches. I’ve been really lucky to have had so many supportive coaches over the years, especially in high school, club, and now at W&L. They’ve always encouraged me, made me a good soccer player, and also encouraged me to focus on school.
Phi: How have you personally approached this season as a whole?
KC: I’ve focused on helping the team. One way to do that is to become a better player yourself, so I’ve tried to become a better player as an individual, but it also involves encouraging other players, pushing players I know can be better. The past three years we had been super close to winning ODACs, but we had never done it; this year we had all the right pieces, so we just needed to push everybody a little bit harder.
Phi: What do you think will be the most important factors the team needs to focus on to succeed in the NCAA tournament?
KC: It’s something that we’ve focused on the past few weeks especially – mainly just taking every game one at a time, because there’s no tomorrow if you don’t win today. If we focus on getting ready for the next game and don’t look too far ahead, I think we can be successful.
Phi: Looking back, are there any lessons you’ve learned or advice you’d like to pass on to younger student-athletes?
KC: I think that probably the most important thing for me was finding a balance between school, other activities, and soccer. W&L offers so many opportunities for that. One thing I would like to pass on is to get involved on campus, because there aren’t very many schools that allow you to be so involved in such a variety of different things. For example, in addition to soccer I’m co-president of 24, I was a state chair for Mock Convention, and I’m also a Spanish tutor here.
Phi:What are your plans after you graduate from W&L?
KC: I’m currently applying for law school – I’ve actually finished all my applications, so I’m waiting to hear back. I’m planning on going straight in.
Phi: Other than soccer, what is your favorite activity or hobby?
KC: I like doing outdoorsy things – hiking, canoeing, stuff like that.
