Kelly Denk (’15)
Sport: Soccer (2011-14)
Why did you choose UWL?
I actually attended a different university my freshman year of college and was really missing playing soccer. I asked a high school friend, who was playing at UWL at the time, if I could come stay with her and if she could give me the soccer coach at the time's email address. After watching a practice and spending time with some of the girls on the team, I remember being amazed by their intensity at practice and sense of camaraderie when they spent time together. After that visit I decided to transfer to UWL and try out for the soccer team.
Who influenced you the most during your time at UWL?
Academically, I had two professors who were incredibly influential - Dr. Heidi Jones and Dr. Virginia Crank. Athletically, Coach Murphy had a huge huge impact on how much I still loved the game when I graduated and how badly I wanted to pursue coaching. He was really a coach who valued, in addition to winning, having strong and lasting relationships with his players which is a major pillar of my own coaching philosophy today.
How did your undergraduate experience at UWL impact what you are doing in your career now?
My undergraduate experience has directly impacted my current career. UWL offers several secondary education courses, such as "Intro to Teaching Writing" that are really unique to the secondary education program at UWL, or at least they were unique to UWL, during the time I was moving through the program. I had professors who encouraged us to adopt very student-centered and cooperative-style teaching practices, and I use those in my day-to-day plans as a high school English Teacher. I know that a huge part of why I was lucky enough to be hired right out of undergrad was because the Education Department equipped me with a really authentic educational pedagogy and really effective instructional practices that schools are looking for teachers to have in this era of teaching and learning.
What is your most fond memory while being at UWL as a student?
The time I spent with my teammates, on the soccer field and off of it is undoubtedly what I miss most about being at UWL. Being able to walk down the hall or down the block and be in the company of a handful of your best friends is something I really miss about being a college student-athlete.
What are you most proud of about your undergrad years now that you have graduated?
I think I am most proud of the fact that I took advantage of the D3 experience without even really knowing I was doing so. I feel like I was as invested as I could have possibly been in our team and in the soccer program in general, but I also pursued internships and resume-building side jobs while doing well in school. What I now realize is that the best part about being a D3 athlete is that you can have a really legitimate athletic experience while also really taking advantage of academic and career opportunities that will set you up to be successful later in life.
What advice would you give current UWL student-athletes?
My advice would be to try and cherish your experiences as you are experiencing them. Try to slow down and just, from time to time, take mental photos of the amazing memories you're in the process of making, whether it's in pre-game of a huge conference rivalry game, or a team dinner when someone is doing something ridiculous. Try to appreciate the day-to-day experiences you are having, and know in the back of your mind that you'll deeply miss this lifestyle someday.
Any fun facts or stories you would like to add?
One of my favorite stories from my time as an Eagle, and one my friend group still talks about to this day, was about a time shortly after Coach Murphy had just become our new head coach. He was telling all of us to make sure we cleaned our cleats off outside of our concrete dugout, and one of my best friends on the team responded with "yeah, yeah, got it, Mom." I remember everyone froze and was really terrified of what he was going to do. He just silently handed her a broom and she had to sweep out the team dugout every day for the rest of that spring.
