Central College Athletics

Senior
Eagan, Minn.

Why did you chose Central?

It was the first school I visited actually. My mom is an ’88 graduate so it was an easy first choice for a visit. As soon as I got here, I knew it kind of felt right I guess. As I got to meet more students, athletes, coaches, and teachers it just kind of locked it up for me.

Favorite professor and why?

Shelli Green. In the athletic training program, we get to be pretty close being that we spend at least two if not three classes a semester together with a class size of 12. This does not change in regards to the athletic training faculty and professors. She is invested in our lives and futures and really wants us all to be successful. She is a no-nonsense professor which is very needed for a kick in the butt from time to time.

You’re majoring in __________ because? 

Athletic Training. I guess you could sum up a lot of my athletic career in two words: injury prone. In 7th grade, I messed up my elbow pretty badly. I went in to get it looked at, and within minutes the guy was working on it and already had a plan of action. I knew at that point I wanted to do something similar.

Besides athletics, what else are you involved in on campus?

Honestly not much. Athletic training keeps me pretty busy along with football. Especially in the fall it is pretty much school, athletic training, football, sleep.

Who are your go-to musical artists?

Bryce Vine, and Chris Stapleton. Bryce Vine is my easy number 1 though. He is way too under appreciated. He ended up on a spotify radio I listened to a couple years ago with his song Sour Patch Kids, and ever since I’ve been listening to him pretty much every day. A good 45 minutes in a row of my pregame music is just him. And Chris Stapleton’s voice is second to none, I will not even listen to an argument about it.

What did you do for work and for fun in the summer of 2019?

For work, I was helping out with a race company that put on mostly 5Ks and 10Ks, but also half marathons, bike races, roller-skate races, and some other pretty obscure things. For fun, I spent some time on the water at my cabin with some of the guys from school.

What do you value most in life and why?

Family. 100%. I always have been close with my family, but when the reality of college and being away for long periods of time hit, I realized the full importance of it. Almost my entire family lives in Minnesota, Iowa, or Wisconsin which has been incredibly nice to be able to still see them for holidays and any other breaks.

Which superpower would you choose to have for yourself?

Teleportation. Do you understand how much time and money you could save if you could teleport. Instead of taking a ten hour flight across the ocean for a bunch of money, you could just be there in an instant. And when you wanna go back, you can just teleport back. Teleportation solves way too many problems to not choose it.

What was the coldest football game you ever had in Minnesota during high school?
 
Halloween night junior year. I don’t remember the exact temperature but I’m almost certain the windchill was in the single digits. I had winter gloves on the side line to put my hands into at any point I wasn’t on the field. You couldn’t feel your hands at all.

What are your thoughts about your sister, Jacie, coming to Central to play soccer?

I’m pumped. I always felt like there would be a chance that she might end up here. It’s pretty cool to have my sister see how special Central is after I have been calling it home for the past few years. It may be the older brother in me talking, but she's a stud. She’s always been one of the hardest workers. I’m extremely excited to see what the future has in store for her.

Favorite TV Show

Game of Thrones probably. It is a boring answer, but there is a reason everybody loved it. (Other than season 8, but that’s a different story.)

What’s it like to play for Coach Mercer?

Coach Paulsen and Mercer are phenomenal. They are pretty different to be coached by, but both help a ton. Everyone knows Paulsen as the guy you never wanted to line up against in college. It is cool to be able to take coaching from a guy like that. It was Mercer’s first year last year, and we didn’t exactly know what to expect with a non-Central grad coaching us being that the year prior only one coach on our staff was not a Central grad. He came in and immediately made a pretty positive impact on the group.

What’s your favorite part about being a member of Central football?

It’s the cliche´ answer, but it has to be how close the entire team is. This includes the coaches. We do everything together. Coaches do everything with us. Seniors hang out with freshmen. My position group even had a pizza and movie night in the coaches office just so Paulson could show a single movie reference that he kept saying in camp.

What do you hope to be doing 10 years from now?

Is I really don’t know a good answer? I never really know how to answer this question because so much can change in 10 years, but I guess I would like to be probably working in a college or university somewhere in the midwest. I would love to go back to the twin cities to work, but I really like all of the midwest.

Favorite food from Central Market

Fresh cookies. Easy. Because what else could possibly be better?

Bucket list

I love national/state parks so it’s mostly just different parks I want to see. Banff National Park up in Canada is one of the top ones, as well as Glacier National Park and Yosemite. Anywhere that can make you feel small in the world is the kind of place that I love.