Scholar Tales: Transfer Thompson Selected U-M to ‘Compete Against the Best’
Continuing the sequence that commenced in 2016-17, every Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their educational pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, introduced by Absopure.
By Jonah Wolf
Transferring to a new faculty is no effortless task. Combining a new academic curriculum with a new athletics plan can be mind-boggling and consider time.
For University of Michigan women’s lacrosse player Kaley Thompson, transferring in the yr 2020 definitely had its share of troubles.
Sports have often been a key element of Thompson’s lifetime. Her favourite activity was soccer rising up in Bel Air, Md., but she turned her target in the direction of lacrosse ahead of starting up substantial faculty. Thompson continued to participate in soccer and basketball along with lacrosse throughout higher faculty, top Patterson Mill to point out championships in all 3 sports.
“Playing a sport each working day just after college for the full calendar year absolutely retained me fast paced,” Thompson said.
She was so pushed to contend that soon after acquiring to overlook a time of lacrosse because of to knee accidents, she determined to join the golfing team.
Mainly because of injuries, Thompson was not remarkably recruited when in substantial college. Elon was a person of the few Division I universities that gave her the likelihood to contend at a superior level. In her very first calendar year at Elon, Thompson started off in 16 of 17 matches, scoring 33 plans and totaling 40 details. Thompson was named CAA Rookie of the Yr after her superb year irrespective of Elon finishing with a 6-12 record.
When requested why she pursued a transfer, Thompson said, “Just after viewing how we matched up in opposition to the prime faculties in the region, I needed a much better probability to contend from the very best there is.”
She turned intrigued in transferring to Michigan right after studying extra about the system from current teammate and hometown friend Julia Henry.
“I linked with Julia during our freshman time and questioned her about the college and campus,” she reported. “Following listening to only great points, I realized Michigan checked all of the bins I was searching for in a faculty I wished to attend. I could not refuse the possibility to visit.”
In her initially semester, Thompson struggled to regulate to new plans and scheduling.
“I was no longer a significant fish in a small pond, but a fish swimming in an ocean,” she claimed. “I was heading from a faculty with 7,000 folks to the large campus of the University of Michigan.
“It was difficult to stability academics and tactics. Prioritizing was necessary to me and creating positive to not exhaust myself in both category. Just after that very first semester when I proved to myself that I was able of doing properly, I realized it was only going up from there.”
In her to start with calendar year at Michigan, Thompson gained the U-M Athletic Achievement Award, an honor that involves a 3. quality-point regular.
Thompson just lately declared Biology, Health, and Culture (BHS) as her important, with latest aspirations to use for dental school post-graduation. Transferring has slowed this system down for Thompson, demanding her to acquire courses in the summer time that include physics and organic chemistry.
“The intention to access the dental faculty will be really hard, but I will proceed to force myself to get there,” she explained. “Recognizing that I can form connections with the broad alumni network of U-M is great and not a thing that every university has to supply.”
Not only was Thompson capable to change to the new university scene, but she also manufactured an speedy effects in her very first period for U-M lacrosse.
“I was equipped to master how to ideal balance academics, so arrive spring year I was functioning as challenging as I potentially could to get actively playing time.”
Thompson saw action in all 6 video games of the COVID-19 shortened 2020 time, netting six goals.
“I did not transfer to sit on the bench,” she claimed. “I was established to offer as a lot as I could towards this program’s accomplishment.”
Even with the shortened time, Thompson still was equipped to make improvements to as a participant and as a teammate.
“I was continue to figuring out chemistry with my teammates and the new Michigan method, so participating in six games was regrettable in direction of that development, she said. “I created positive to learn and expand as a player with the assistance of my aggressive teammates and coaches. Playing in the initial six online games was important for me, as I was still acquiring my feet underneath me at a new school. My initial calendar year was a wonderful phase in the ideal route, but there is however so substantially to find out to get to the upcoming level as a lacrosse participant.”
Now a junior, Thompson is certainly satisfied with the final decision she designed.
“It is such a satisfying emotion to have made it below,” she explained. “Many athletes at this faculty can concur about the delight we carry with the block M. The sum of gratitude I have to be a Michigan lacrosse participant is genuinely one thing specific.”
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