With the season just around the corner, now is the perfect chance to get to know some of the incoming freshmen who will join the squad in 2018. Next up is San Jose, Calif. native, Hailey Smith.
What made you want to be a Coug?
I wanted to be a Coug because the very first time I visited WSU, I fell in love with Pullman and the overall atmosphere of Washington State. Because I grew up in such a big city, I had never experienced any place that possessed so much love and spirit and pride for a single uniting entity. WSU felt like a welcoming and loving community that I could not wait to be a part of.
What do you love about soccer?
What I love about soccer is that you cannot succeed without your teammates. You win together and lose together which establishes a bond beyond just friendship. The people you play with become your best friends and your sisters, and I believe that the connections you form with those people will be remembered way more than the win/loss record.
What do you hope to get out of your time at Washington State?
I hope to learn who I am at Washington State while surrounded by the supportive Cougar community and establish lifelong connections with the people I meet at WSU.
Who inspired you athletically to pursue your collegiate dreams?
I was inspired by Carly Jones, one of my high school soccer teammates, to pursue my dreams of playing collegiate soccer. She tore both of her ACLs and was no longer able to play the sport that she loved and had wanted to play in college. Since she wasn't able to participate any longer, she would constantly push and motivate me to train and work and run harder because there were people like her who would not be able to play their sports anymore and so I should perform to the best of my abilities at every single training and game as I would never know when it would be my last.
If you weren't playing soccer what would you be doing and why?
If I weren't playing soccer, I would either be playing basketball or running track. I love to be competitive and I love team sports, so I would have to have some aspect of competition in my life.
What is something unique/special that only your closest friends know about you?
I treasure my sleep above most other things.
If you could go anywhere or do anything what would it be and why?
If I could do anything, I would reconstruct the United States prison system because I do not believe that they give ex-felons adequate opportunity to reform themselves nor better their lives directly after they get out of prison, leading to a cycle of reincarceration.
What made you want to be a Coug?
I wanted to be a Coug because the very first time I visited WSU, I fell in love with Pullman and the overall atmosphere of Washington State. Because I grew up in such a big city, I had never experienced any place that possessed so much love and spirit and pride for a single uniting entity. WSU felt like a welcoming and loving community that I could not wait to be a part of.
What do you love about soccer?
What I love about soccer is that you cannot succeed without your teammates. You win together and lose together which establishes a bond beyond just friendship. The people you play with become your best friends and your sisters, and I believe that the connections you form with those people will be remembered way more than the win/loss record.
What do you hope to get out of your time at Washington State?
I hope to learn who I am at Washington State while surrounded by the supportive Cougar community and establish lifelong connections with the people I meet at WSU.
Who inspired you athletically to pursue your collegiate dreams?
I was inspired by Carly Jones, one of my high school soccer teammates, to pursue my dreams of playing collegiate soccer. She tore both of her ACLs and was no longer able to play the sport that she loved and had wanted to play in college. Since she wasn't able to participate any longer, she would constantly push and motivate me to train and work and run harder because there were people like her who would not be able to play their sports anymore and so I should perform to the best of my abilities at every single training and game as I would never know when it would be my last.
If you weren't playing soccer what would you be doing and why?
If I weren't playing soccer, I would either be playing basketball or running track. I love to be competitive and I love team sports, so I would have to have some aspect of competition in my life.
What is something unique/special that only your closest friends know about you?
I treasure my sleep above most other things.
If you could go anywhere or do anything what would it be and why?
If I could do anything, I would reconstruct the United States prison system because I do not believe that they give ex-felons adequate opportunity to reform themselves nor better their lives directly after they get out of prison, leading to a cycle of reincarceration.