Athletes can stand out for many reasons. Some may be faster than others or play a smarter game, but for junior soccer player Allie Prigge, the thing that makes her stand out is her adaptability.

Going into her first year here, Prigge was faced with a COVID year. Last year, she finally got to have her first season and was playing as an outside back. She played a solid amount of time, but when this season came around, a change had been made.

“After our season was over last year, my coach actually asked if I wanted to play outside forward and I was so excited because when I was super young I played forward. I knew that I had those abilities and those skills to play and excel as a forward, but I also knew they were very rusty,” Prigge said. “So I knew at the beginning of the season, there was a little bit of an adjustment and learning how to work with different people on the top and just working in a different mindset.”

Despite having to adjust to a new position, Prigge has been solid so far with 13 goals and two assists, with significantly increased playing time.

“I absolutely love being able to put some goals in the back of the net for my team and help win some of our games. At the beginning of the year I set certain goals for myself, because I’m a person that just likes to have a vision board and see what I can accomplish through the season, such as scoring,” Prigge said. “I knew as the season was going on, I was scoring more and more goals, which was good for myself and the team. It was so awesome to be able to help other people achieve their goals as well but as the season has gone on, I knew that I needed to adjust my goals to have higher hopes for the rest of the season. So hopefully with this postseason, we can add more to that as a team and not just individually.”

That awareness of not just herself but the team comes from playing soccer since she was just 4 years old and other sports as she got older.

“Growing up, I played 14 different sports throughout my life, which is so crazy. But soccer has always been something that I wouldn’t say I was best at but I was most passionate about,” Prigge said. “I finally convinced my dad to let me join a travel team when I was a freshman in high school. That was when I truly fell in love with soccer and knew that I wanted to play at the college level.”

So, when it came time to start looking at colleges, Prigge had soccer on her mind.

“Especially when COVID hit my senior year and I lost my senior soccer season, I knew that I wanted to keep playing, I couldn’t just end soccer there,” Prigge said. “I was looking at other schools in Wisconsin, mainly just because I liked this state, but when I was looking at those other schools, Whitewater just stood out to me more because of the culture at the school and I loved the players and the coaches too.”

The culture Prigge loved when looking at schools can be seen in simply just the stands of the soccer games or even in the team environment itself.

“I think this year especially there has been a lot more fans in our game and especially on homecoming weekend, like more students are showing up to support other students,” Prigge said. “Our team has really done more to support other teams and I think that’s awesome in the Whitewater community that each sports team supports each other and uplifts them to want to win. To me, to be a Warhawk is supporting your teammates, making sure you’re always there for them, like showing up to other sports games. And it’s being a leader on the team, not necessarily by being the most outspoken person on the team, but just leading by example and showing your positivity for yourself, for your teammates and for the school.”

The main season is coming to a close, but for the post season Prigge hopes to continue reflecting her definition of being a Warhawk, while also improving herself.

“I have one last season next year, my senior year, and I think continuing on the goals I have is important and to just to find more success in those and be a better teammate,” Prigge said. “I definitely hope to help us win more games and hopefully make it even farther at the end of the year. We will see what happens but regardless I’m looking forward to it.”

So I was about four years old when I started playing soccer. Growing up, I played 14 different sports throughout my life, which is so dang crazy. But soccer has always been something that I wouldn’t say I was best at but I was most passionate about. So I grew up playing Housley until I was a freshman in high school. And then I finally convinced my dad to let me join a traveling. So that was when I truly fell in love was soccer and knew that I wanted to play at the college level.

Yeah, so when I was in high school, I knew that if I could go play in college, I would love to do so. And then especially when COVID hit my senior year and I lost my senior soccer season. I knew that. I couldn’t just end soccer there. And I was looking at other schools in Wisconsin, mainly just because I liked this state. And when I was looking at other schools, whitewater just stood out to me more because just the culture at the school and I love the players and the coaches. Well, so that’s why I chose Bywater.

Yeah. So actually last year was a lot different from the seasons because last season I actually was an outside defense or outside back. And after our season was over last year, my coach actually asked if I wanted to play outside forward and I was so excited because when I was super young I played forward to this year I have played a completely different position and I absolutely love it is being able to put some goals in the back in that for my team and help win a lot of our games has been so much fun and so rewarding. Yeah,

Oh, yeah. So I knew that I had those abilities and those skills, like play Ford and excel at Ford, but I know they were very rusty. Yeah. Five years prior, I was mainly on defense. So you adapt yourself to like those skills and just getting the ball out of our box and not letting the other team score. So I know at the beginning of the season, there was a little bit of an adjustment and learning how to work with different people on the top and just working in like a different mindset.

Oh, absolutely. So at the beginning of the season, I set certain goals for myself, because I’m a person that just like, likes to have like a vision board and see what I can accomplish through the season and I knew like as season was going on, I was scoring more and more goals. And it was so awesome to like, be able to help other people that goals as well with ESS but as the season has gone on, I knew that I needed to adjust my goals to have like higher hopes for the rest of the season. So hopefully with this postseason, we can add more to that and once more games definitely.

It’s a good question. I think as you come into college is always an adjustment. Especially here at Whitewater we have practices super early in the morning, CSC just to like getting more sleep and most people like to do their homework late at night, but like, when we wake up this early, we have to make sure we’re getting the right amount of rest of our bodies as college athletes. So making sure that I get my work done early in the week because game days are super important, important and you don’t want those deadlines to be on those game days. Making sure that you’re just getting your work done prior to those important days and being all caught up.

Um I think my biggest accomplishment would be going into this new role on this college team as afford and finding success in that not only to better my team, but also like better myself and I have one season last next year, my senior year and I think continuing on that goal is just to find more success in that and be a better teammate. To help us win more games and hopefully make it far at the end of the year. I’m looking forward to next year, like we can see what happens but I’m excited.

I would say to me to be a war hawk. is supporting your teammates, making sure you’re always there for them. And being a leader on the team, whether that’s being the most outspoken person team but just leading by example, showing your positivity for yourself, for your teammates and for the school. Definitely.

I think this year especially there has been a lot more fans in our game and especially on homecoming weekend, like more students are showing up to support other students. Our team has really done more to like support other teams and I think that’s awesome in lightwater community that each sports team supports each other and uplifts them to like want to win.