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Torrie Welch, a rising senior on the University of Rochester's women's soccer team, would describe her recruiting process as a bit of a nightmare for her. Although the center back is now majoring in Psychology and is on the pre-med track, she was initially deferred from the school she was told she would get into before winding up at Rochester.
“With the D3 [recruiting] process, it's a bit different because they can only give you so much help getting in,” Torrie explained. “I did a pre-read with admissions officers and got a green, good to go.” So far, so good. But Torrie ended up having to had to rush the admissions process after her surprising deferral from the school she had verbally committed to. “That gave me two weeks to complete the entire college search, soccer and academics, all over again,” she recalled. “[I had to] write all of my essays and get all of my applications in.”
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Despite her rocky start, Torrie speaks positively about the result. She claims that she believes it happened for a reason and she couldn't be happier with the school she ended up at and the team she plays for. Torrie's recruiting advice to those in the process themselves: have a back-up plan. You never know what is going to happen during admissions and the result may not end up looking how you imagine it will. The last thing you want is to be rushing to submit new applications and discover schools that could be right for you. While Torrie got lucky in her happy ending, others may not.
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Today, Torrie is a captain on the women's soccer team and has had countless past leadership experiences in academics and athletics. “I think the hardest part about being a team captain, at least in college, is that there is never going to be a time where all 35 girls unanimously agree about everything you are doing and all of your decisions,” Torrie said when asked what advice she would give to the growing leader. “It takes a lot of individual confidence to be able to make these decisions and stay firm with your beliefs and morals regarding how you want to lead. It still is a work in progress. I think just finding people who will support you no matter what and allowing your teammates to have a voice will help them trust you when you make decisions. When you listen to people, they will then trust you to make decisions even if you do not do what they want.” Torrie's advice speaks volumes of her leadership capabilities. Listening to others and considering their opinions is most important when leading a team of developing student-athletes, especially when trying to make the best decision for all parties involved. Being a captain is no easy task and Torrie takes it on with grace.
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* Originally published on August 11, 2022, by Annie Welch
