Making an Impact Beyond Traditional Statistics

With the constant balance of academics and athletics, student-athletes lead busy lives. Certain times are even busier than others, and Kristi Leonard understands that as well as anyone following the 2014-15 school year. Leonard certainly made the most of her junior campaign at Texas A&M.

Needless to say, the 2014 soccer season was one to remember for the Aggies. Texas A&M secured both the SEC regular season and tournament championships and finished the year with the program's first-ever trip to the College Cup. That experience was extra special to Leonard. When you learn about her early love of the Aggies, it's easy to see why.  

"I think the coolest thing that I took away from last year was the amount of pride we brought to all the former players," says Leonard. "I always wanted to be an Aggie. I always wanted to play soccer at A&M. When I was eight years old, I came to camp. When I went home, I told my mom that it was what I wanted to do. My mom painted my bedroom maroon. I wanted to be here because when I came to camp here, those girls were so awesome. They were so nice to me and were such an incredible group of ladies. I looked up to them so much. For them to contact us and tell us how proud of us they are is just crazy. We always looked up to them, and we just wanted to carry on the tradition of excellence they established. For them to recognize us is pretty cool."
 

The soccer success was just the beginning last year for Leonard. She was also selected to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum. The forum was a tremendous opportunity to learn about the athletics field and to make connections, as Kristi dreams of being an Athletics Director or Athletics CFO in the future.

"They had a lot of great advice on taking the next step in careers," notes Leonard. "They spoke a lot about the importance of building your network. Then I learned how important the Aggie Network is through the forum, as well. That was great to hear, especially at an event like that."
 

Leonard has laid out some career goals for the future, but she is currently undecided on what she will do immediately following her A&M career. Despite that uncertainty, head coach G Guerrieri was quick to share his thoughts and prediction on Leonard's future.

"I think that whoever is going to hire her coming out of college is truly a blessed organization," states Guerrieri. "She is someone who goes beyond traditional statistics. She's a real champion. We always talk about building champions for life. Kristi Leonard is a really good example of that."

Coach G also spoke at length about Leonard's personality, a personality that tends to stand out. If you have met Kristi, you know she is one of the friendliest and funniest people around. Leonard can't help but smile when she talks about her personality and how it's evolved during her time at Texas A&M. 

"The personality has always been there, and I've always been the class clown," admits Leonard. "I think my record shows that I was at the principal's office every year from second grade through the end of high school. I always joked around and pushed the limits. The last four years taught me where the line is, how not to cross that line but still have the sense of humor. I just think I've learned when and how to bring it out."

That personality has helped Leonard earn some tremendous opportunities. Along with being selected to attend the Career in Sports Forum, Leonard was also chosen to co-host last year's Building Champions Awards, an annual event honoring student-athlete achievement at A&M. It was the first year student-athletes hosted the BCA's, and Leonard's personality made her a perfect choice. Coach G was not at all surprised at Leonard's success in the event. In fact, the head coach has become quite comfortable with Leonard taking control in various situations.
 

"Her personality is unbelievable," remarks Guerrieri. "Often times, (radio announcer) David (Ellis) will turn entire halftime shows over to Kristi and her comedic background. When she stood up on the stage in the BCA's last year, it wasn't any surprise to us as to how she would handle it. She does the same thing with us during our summer camps. I have no problem handing her a microphone in front of a thousand people to kind of carry the mood and carry the evening. She's just a really dynamic person."

Leonard will joke around. She will entertain. She will videobomb interviews, doing cartwheels and playing leap frog in the background while her teammates speak. All laughing and joking aside, though, she is very sincere when talking about her love for Texas A&M and Aggie Soccer.  

"It's a blessing to be able to play for the team I idolized when I was younger," acknowledges Leonard. "We are the select few who were chosen to represent this university and athletic department. That's a tremendous honor to be able to represent such a great university on that kind of level. The soccer team is known for tradition of excellence and service to the community. To be able to help carry on that tradition and reputation is something we take a lot of pride in."

Whether you talk to Coach G or her teammates, it's clear that Leonard has left her mark on Aggie Soccer and Texas A&M University. Leonard was nominated for the "Spirit of Aggieland" award in each of the past three years, winning the award the past two. It hasn't been about goals or assists. It's been about leadership, something Coach G sums up well. "She's not just on the bus," says Guerrieri. "She's driving it and is a driving force in terms of what we do."
 

Leonard has made an impact on and off the field, and her busy and very successful junior year shows the type of versatile person she is. What kind of legacy does she hope to leave? Leonard gives some great advice for current and future players.  

"I think it's cool that as a student-athlete, I'm being remembered more for my personality," states Leonard. "It's great to have the athletic abilities, but those fade away. To have people compliment me on my personality and who I am as a person is an incredible legacy to leave. Plus, as a bench player, the coaches thought enough of me to make me one of the leaders of the team. That's a huge honor, but I really want to leave a mark for those girls who come in here and don't start every game—for those girls who have to fight to get off the bench. The legacy you leave doesn't have to depend on how many minutes you play. You can make your mark on this team on and off the field. It doesn't matter how many goals you score. What matters is how you affect and impact the team."  

Without question, 2015-16 promises to be another busy year for Leonard as she wraps up her Texas A&M career. That seems to be just the way she likes it. If last year is a sign of things to come, Leonard is sure to have plenty more success coming her way.