Senior Spotlight: #19 Marisa Oleksiak
10/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
By Cassi White, MSU Athletic Communications Student Assistant
EAST LANSING, MICH. - Senior defender Marisa Oleksiak kicked her first soccer ball at age four, and hasn't stopped kicking since. She has her family to thank for that.
"They've made this all possible," said Oleksiak. "If I didn't have my parents there for me from the beginning, college soccer would have never been a thought. It wouldn't have been a thought in my head if my parents didn't push me to be better than what I was."
Cheering loud and proud from the stands at DeMartin Stadium, her parents have always been there. Her sisters and extended family are also nothing shy but consistent members of her fan club.
The number she wears on her back every game day, number 19, was influenced by her mom.
"I told her, `you just pick,' and she said, `I think you should go with two numbers, go with 1 or 9," said Oleksiak. "So I picked 19 and to this day it will forever be my favorite number. It's been part of me through all of my accomplishments."
The number she wears on her back does not compare to the significance of what she wears on the front of her jersey: Spartans.
"I like that I put on a Spartan jersey, walk through an airport and someone says, `go green' you say, `go white' and that just means that someone recognizes you for being something bigger than yourself," she said, smiling.
The Chesterfield, Michigan native had aspirations of leaving the state to play soccer elsewhere, but then she came to campus.
"Just being around the coaches for the entire day, seeing how awesome it is to have people who not only want you to come to their school, but are there for you in all aspects of soccer too," said Oleksiak. "So I think after meeting (head coach) Tom (Saxton), and the rest of the coaching staff, that was my 100% deciding factor."
Working her way up the ladder throughout her career, from varied playing time in her younger years to starting and playing every game, Oleksiak was honored with being named team captain her final season.
"I'm here for them whether it's on the field or off the field," said Oleksiak. "Captain to me is just being there for my teammates, it's nothing more than that. So I mean it's been great, I've enjoyed it, and I'm honored to be it, but at the end of the day it's just me being there for them."
Not only has she made an impact on her teammates with her craft and leadership ability, Oleksiak has been impacted by them as well.
"I feel like there's never really been someone that I haven't found a connection with or have some sort of bond with," she said. "I have some of my best friends that I have known for close to five or six years, but then again I have people who I have met this year who have been some of my best friends and who I will have for the rest of my life."
Oleksiak and her teammates have been through the blood, sweat and tears together and she wouldn't have it any other way.
"Through the times where maybe I didn't play as much as I wanted to or after a tough loss it was always so much easier when you have some of your best friends feeling the same thing," Oleksiak said. "That's just how it works. No single person can win games or lose games, and it's not anyone's fault if there's a loss. As a team you win and lose together."
Not only does she show gratitude towards her family, teammates and coaches, Oleksiak has the same amount of pride towards being a part of the Spartan Nation as anyone else.
"You're a part of all of it when you're here so I think that's the coolest part," said Oleksiak with a huge grin on her face. "You are in it with everyone else who is a Spartan as well. Being a Spartan is just, there are just no words, you just know you are one. You've branded yourself to be a Spartan."
