A champion both on and off the field, Texas A&M senior Macie Kolb is a living reminder to others that success in academics and athletics is achievable.
Inside of the players’ lounge at Ellis Field you’ll see the many reminders of the success of the Texas A&M Women’s Soccer Team. On one wall, one of the team’s core values for that success can be seen: Building Champions.
A champion both on and off the field, Texas A&M senior Macie Kolb is a living reminder to others that success in academics and athletics is achievable.
Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window “One of the greatest strengths that she has is just her intellect,” Aggie head coach G Guerrieri said. “She’s one of the most intelligent, brilliant young women that we’ve ever had in the program, which is saying quite a bit.”
As a biomedical sciences major, Kolb’s course load is one of the hardest on campus, requiring a large time commitment that she also has to juggle with the obligations of being a collegiate athlete.
“We miss a lot of classes to travel during the season,” Kolb said. “By using all my resources, I was able to overcome that. I have a good support system that helped me get through it.”
Despite balancing being a collegiate athlete and a student, Kolb has maintained a perfect 4.0 and is continuing to look ahead at her future.
“I want to do something like get another degree, whether that’s professional school or a master’s starting out,” Kolb said. “I am looking at PA [physician’s assistant] school, maybe some kind of sports medicine.”
Kolb kicked off her freshman season as a midfielder appearing in sixteen games off the bench. The following sophomore season where she transitioned to right back showed improvement with three goals and three assists in 22 matches, also receiving the team’s Most Improved Player award as voted by her teammates.
“Macie is a very consistent player,” senior teammate and childhood friend Karlina Sample said. “She has just improved skillfully, as a person you can see that her confidence has gone up; you can tell.”
Kolb continued to improve and started every match of the 2020-21 season for the Aggies, appearing in all nine shutouts of the year and leading the team to its 18th conference title, allowing only six shots from the Auburn Tigers in the clinching match.
“She learns from past issues and improves and it’s evident by just the confidence that she’s been able to gain over the years,” Guerrieri said. “She was arguably our most consistent and dangerous player, setting up attack after attack on the right side.”
As one of only five seniors on the team, Kolb has become a more prominent leader and someone her teammates can count on for advice and encouragement.
“I didn’t play as much freshman year, and then I had one regular year as a sophomore, so I try to use that experience to help guide the younger girls and encourage them,” Kolb said. “I want to be seen as someone that’s positive and encourages their teammates and just wants everyone to work hard for each other.”
“She has a very bright future,” Sample said. “I think I speak for everyone when I say Macie has a big role on the team, bigger than she might think.”
With Texas A&M anticipated to do well this season, Kolb has high expectations for herself and her team to win another conference title and advance further in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
“How we get there is just continuing to practice hard and work together,” Kolb said. “That’s what matters most I think, leaving it all on the field.”
With this being her final season, it is a bittersweet moment for Kolb.
“Enjoy every moment because it goes by really quickly and you don’t realize it until you’re a senior like I am now,” Kolb said. “Just enjoy every second of it.”
Kolb’s hard work in the classroom has offered her many different opportunities for her future; something that has taught her a valuable lesson as she enters a new chapter.
“My life has changed a lot since I came here,” Kolb said. “Just knowing you take a lot of twists and turns to find your path and that’s okay. Don’t compare yourself to others either because you’re on the path you’re meant to be.”
No matter which path she decides to take, Kolb will continue to be what she always has been: a champion.