A fresh perspective is never a bad thing. Over the last 11 months or so, we have seen stories about current college athletes at Penn State Behrend. While these stories are important, there are stories about former Behrend athletes that extend to other parts of the Penn State community.

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Imagine having to give up two years of a college sport for your major or vice versa. It is a decision that not a large group of college athletes are faced with, but there is a small group that have experienced this dilemma during their college years. In 2017, it was a decision that former Behrend women’s soccer player Caitlin Caldwell was faced with.

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Caldwell was a Civil Engineering major who was encountered with the decision to give up soccer, being with the teammates and being on the field she loves. It was a decision she would not face alone, but would gain help from her parents and Behrend women’s soccer coach Patrick O’Driscoll.

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“I sat down with my parents, and my dad (Jamey) in particular and we weighed the options after my sophomore season at Behrend concluded. My dad is always very detailed in everything he does, and he laid out the options in front of me. He said I could change my major to something I was not passionate in and something I would be miserable studying for the next two years, or I could stick to my original plan and major in Civil Engineering,” Caldwell stated. The decision to head to University Park was pretty clear for her, but not without first speaking with O’Driscoll to make sure this was something she would be content with.

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Caldwell and O’Driscoll sat down and again weighed the options much like the Caldwells did together. While it is certain O’Driscoll would have loved to have Caldwell for two more seasons playing defense, he was fully supportive of the future career Caldwell was hoping to achieve. Caldwell touched on the fact that O’Driscoll’s is more than a coach in the lives of his players, that he is also someone all of them can come to when they face tough decisions that will impact their future.

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Caldwell left Behrend behind her in May of 2017, but Penn State Behrend will always have a special place in her heart. Caldwell was a member of two AMCC Championships and won two letters for the Lady Lions. However, she admits to not being a major contributor in her Freshman season. She commented “My freshman season was tough. I did not play as much as I hoped, but I was able to still gain some experience and learn the game more from that season.” Heading into her Sophomore season, Caldwell saw an opportunity to change positions. In doing so, she became a starter on defense, which helped fuel the Lions to their sixth straight AMCC Championship.

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For many around her, it was not a surprise she prospered athletically at the collegiate level; it was just a matter of when. A four year letterwinner at Belle Vernon Area HIgh School, Caldwell was named All-WPIAL as a senior and chose Penn State Behrend over a few other schools. While high school soccer in the WPIAL had some great competition, Caldwell admits that her travel soccer days are what gave her a competitive advantage in collegiate soccer.

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Caldwell spoke about AAU soccer preparing her for the travel and disciplined schedule of collegiate soccer. In addition, facing competition who was strictly focused just on soccer was a big advantage for her. The game of soccer has allowed Caldwell to experience a lot of unique opportunities, but two of her favorite experiences were her AMCC Title in her sophomore season and Behrend’s trip to Europe.

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“I enjoyed the trip to Europe because it was a time to just focus on playing the game of soccer, touring and being with some of my greatest friends. I also mention the AMCC Championship because it felt great to contribute a lot to a conference title and it was also a bittersweet note to end my college career on,” Caldwell noted. While Caldwell’s college career has extended beyond Behrend, she will always remember Behrend as the place she was able to live out her dream.

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Lastly, Caldwell requested that a piece of this article be dedicated to her late high school soccer coach Paul Sasko. She said of Sasko “Coach Sasko was a fantastic man who was extremely influential in soccer, but better yet in my life as a whole. He got the best out of the players despite not being the most knowledgeable soccer mind. He was truly an outstanding man who I owe a lot too. He is truly missed.”

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The former Scholar Athlete of the Year for women’s soccer misses playing the game of soccer more than most things, but she is still active in intramurals to this day. She hopes to become a youth soccer coach to give back to the next generations of great soccer players. Looking back on the decision she faced, Caldwell is content with it and would not change a single thing about her decision. She is excited to continue her career in Civil Engineering, and hopes the city of bridges in Pittsburgh can remain home to her upon graduation.