Come back every Thursday for Athlete Interviews on college recruiting and advice.

Ellie Rappole is a rising sophomore in the attack on the Yale University women's soccer team. She's majoring in chemical engineering and hails from Winchester, Massachusetts. Despite a tough first season full of adversity, Ellie speaks very highly of the school and of her team. 

Related: Rate Yale University

“We struggled a bit as a team [last season] but the team vibes were good,” she said when asked about her debut year “The program has been through a lot and a new coach [is] getting adjusted but it's heading in a good direction which is exciting! Especially in the spring it felt like we were all moving past what happened in the fall and everyone on the team was really awesome, supportive, and committed. Yale's a great school.” 

Ellie's  favorite part about Yale so far has been the team and creating relationships with the excellent people surrounding her. When asked what advice she would give incoming first-year athletes, she said “Don't be afraid to lean on your teammates. That's what they're there for and it helps make the transition [into college] much easier.” But she emphasized that doesn't make it easy, per se. “Not everyone at the school you go to is a student athlete, it's a unique type of being a student. Leaning on people, either on your team or on other student-athletes, is really helpful.” Clearly, being a part of a team throughout her first year at Yale has helped Ellie to find success on and off of the field.

Related: Rate your Coaches, Facilities, and Campus Visits

Further, Ellie has fantastic advice on becoming a leader on your team. In high school, Ellie was a captain on her club soccer team and has learned a lot about leadership through her experience. “One of the biggest things I have learned over this past year is that there are multiple different facets of being a leader,” Ellie said. “That's something that [our former captain] Kristen Enriquez showed very well. She was loud on the field and supportive of everyone, but she was also just incredibly kind which was something that everyone looked up to.”

But Ellie added that there's more than one way to lead. “In the past, I was a captain of my club team for four years,” she explained. “My friend and I, who were captains, led in different ways. She was quieter and led with her hard work and I was a lot louder and that type of thing. I would just say to focus on being a multi-faceted leader and not just being someone who is the only person who is willing to speak up.” Ellie is sure to define that leaders all look different; you don't have to be the loudest person to be a leader. 

No matter what sport you play, we can all take a lesson from Ellie's advice on leadership into our everyday interactions with our teams and with our coaches.

Image Credit: Yale Athletics
Have a story idea or know an awesome athlete/coach we should interview? Email us at [email protected]

* Originally published on July 21, 2022, by Annie Welch