My Words: Legacy is an honor, a privilege

I was born with Badger blood in my veins. It runs through me physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s who I am. It’s who I’ll always be. It’s something that makes me very proud.

Being a student-athlete at Wisconsin is a tradition in my family. My uncle, Kelly Meuer, played men’s soccer. My father, Rob, played baseball and men’s hockey. My uncle, Jeff, and cousin, Keegan Meuer, played men’s hockey. My cousins, Molly, Katy and McKenna Meuer all played women’s soccer.

One of our biggest supporters is our grandfather, Dr. Connie Andringa, a UW graduate and pediatrician whose work with the men’s hockey program, USA Hockey and high schools in the area earned him a place in the Madison Sports Hall of Fame.

As you can see, there are a lot of familiar footsteps on the path that led me here, but no one in my family ever pushed me to play for the Badgers. I had a choice. I chose Wisconsin and have absolutely no regrets. The support I’ve gotten from them during my four years at UW has been amazing and I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t have that.

Someone asked me if my family legacy at Wisconsin is heavy. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever thought of it like that. No one has ever put a burden of expectations on me. I never thought I needed to be better than anyone but myself. I’m very individually motivated. I put more pressure on myself than any of my family members.

All of us – including my cousins Jesse and Casey Andringa, who are world-class skiers – have the same standard: Always give your best effort. I will never lower my effort because my uncles, my cousins and my dad never did.

A character trait that I’ve heard from the people I’ve talked to about my older family members is “gritty.” I think that’s something to be really proud of, the toughness that I’ve seen from all my cousins. You can’t teach grit. I’m thankful I was born with it.

Having three of my cousins play women’s soccer at UW has been an absolute inspiration, something that led me to love and appreciate the game more and more as I grew up.

I never got to watch Molly play for the Badgers from 2001 to ’04 because I wasn’t born yet and I was too young to appreciate Katy, who played from 2004 to ’07. But I know they were really smart players and had natural instincts for the game.

I was all in when McKenna played for Wisconsin from 2012 to ’15. I was a ball girl at home matches and remember being so proud of the fact I had a relative on the team. I wear No. 5 because she did. She’s inspired me as a player and I think I try and emulate things that I’ve seen her do, especially her toughness. My coach, Paula Wilkins, would always say that McKenna was this tough, gritty, competitive player and I’d like to think I’ve followed in her footsteps.

I’ve spent a lot of time talking with Molly and Katy about their soccer careers – the highs, the lows and the lessons – and tried to incorporate their ideas into my play as well. Knowing they all went through it is really comforting.

When did I first become aware of our family legacy at UW? I’d like to say it was as soon as I was born. Seeing all the memorabilia at our house from dad and hearing the many, many stories from my grandparents, Connie and Phyllis – they lived five doors down from the legendary Bob Johnson and became close friends with the iconic Wisconsin men’s hockey coach and his family – gave me an early understanding of the passion my family has for the Badgers.

One of the most emotional moments of my life came when I learned that my teammates had voted to make me captain for this season. It brought tears to my eyes to know they felt this way. It’s such a humbling honor.

This is the most talented, most competitive UW team I’ve been a part of in my four years and I can’t wait to see how far our skills will take us. It’s really fun to practice because everyone is making each other better.

One of my first thoughts after being named captain was about my dad, who was an assistant captain for the men’s hockey team when he was a senior in 1991. One big lesson I learned from him is that your teammates are your best friends. Your teammates are the people you most look forward to seeing every day. Creating a culture where everyone feels welcome, where everyone is able to express their thoughts without being judged, and where we all have each other’s backs is easier said than done, but it starts with the captain and the ability to communicate effectively.

Everyone wants to play and everyone has the idea in their head that they want to be in the starting 11 and it’s going to go as good as possible throughout their four years.

Yet I’ve had experiences at UW where I have sat on the bench and I have missed games and I haven’t played in a lot of games. I’ve cheered from the sidelines while, at the same time, been frustrated with the decisions or my play.

At the end of the day, I think it’s given me a really good perspective on soccer, winning as a team and putting the team before yourself. I think that’s allowed me to be a better leader. As Coach Wilkins always says, “We before me.”

My dad, who passed away three years ago, was good at cutting out the drama in life and everyone who knew him said he never talked bad about a person, which I think is a very upstanding characteristic. I’ve really tried to live that out in my experience as a soccer player and teammate on and off the field.

One of my favorite memories of growing up in Madison was going to hockey games at the Kohl Center with my dad. He started as the color analyst for Badgers games on radio and TV and later worked for the Big Ten Network. I would proudly sit in the stands next to him with two hot dogs, watching the game, wishing I could be on-air with him, loving every minute of it. On the ride home, he’d have BTN on the car radio. I loved to watch him listen. I’ll take that with me forever.

About a year ago I got the idea that I want to be a sportscaster after I graduate from UW. I changed my major and obtained a certificate in sports communication. I like to talk, I love sports and it’s a way for me to walk in my dad’s footsteps while doing something I love. Everyone who knew him has told me about his natural ability to read the game, but also how he did it in a personable, entertaining way. That inspires me every day.

What they warn about regarding your time in college is true: It goes by so fast, so appreciate every moment. I think back to all the times over the last four years when school work and practice and travel seemed overwhelming. The best advice I got came from my mom, Christi.

“Be grateful,” she’d say.

Those two words are simple, but so powerful. Being able to compete in a sport at a place like Wisconsin, get a degree and travel the country with my best friends is a privilege, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It’s an honor my family knows well.

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