Badgering: Noah Leibold
November 06, 2019 | Men's Soccer, Varsity Magazine
Hailing from Germany, senior midfielder shares his path to Wisconsin
"It's been a struggle, but through adversity you build your mental character. I think we have been through so much that we are mentally stronger than other teams at the moment. Maybe we weren't weeks ago, but we've been through so much that we know how to stay calm in certain situations. It will definitely help down the stretch."
Who is your favorite teammate and why?
"Michael Hong. We are very similar and share the same personality pretty much."
Big Ten tournament coming 🔜
— Wisconsin Soccer (@BadgerMSoccer) November 3, 2019
Why Wisconsin soccer?
"It's the complete mix of everything. Good academics, good athletics, good teammates, good coaches."
How do fans in The Colony at McClimon help the team?
"It's like the twelfth man so to speak. In Europe, you speak about the twelfth person behind you. Giving you the extra motivation, the extra kick to do well.
What is your favorite class and why?
"Probably organic ... actually never mind that sounds weird, they're going to be like 'Who is this kid?' Yeah, why not organic chemistry. It's sort of like a puzzle. You are puzzling pieces together. It's all mental, imagining shapes and stuff."
What is your favorite place on campus and why?
"I would say the library ... nah. Probably the stadium, just because I'm in here all the time. I've got everything I need here. I've got my friends here, so this is the place to be at for me."
You have the best GPA on the team. Why do you think you've been so successful academically?
"It just comes down to hard work and determination. I like to envision things and see what I could be down the stretch. I kind of just go for it as hard as I can until I finally get there."
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey from your home in Germany to Wisconsin?
"I was playing in Germany at a pretty decent level and I didn't sign professionally. I wanted to combine sports and academics, so this was the perfect opportunity for me. Luckily enough the coaches here at Wisconsin emailed me back and I kind of just went from there and the rest is history."
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What does soccer look like for you in your future?
"Well soccer is always going to be a big part of my life. Even if I say I'm not going to play anymore, doesn't mean that soccer is gone. It will always be my passion."
Do you think there is anything you have learned in your training through soccer that you can translate into your professional career?
"I think the mindset of just not giving up. Not giving up with your patients or just the determination to help people do well. Also I think going through adversity is huge in sports. It's an up and down all the time. I think in the professional world it's the exact same thing."
What grabbed your interest in Neurobiology?
"The fact that there's so much to be discovered. It's such a fascinating field. The things you learn about the brain is just mind-blowing because you can't envision what's going on in your head, but learning about it is crazy. Just knowing that there's so much to be discovered made me want to be a part of that field."
What are your plans for after graduation?
"I'm going to go back home to Germany and then see if I can find a way into medicine somehow."
