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117 S arah Mazur isn't sure where the post- collegiate road will take her, but she knows the University of Iowa prepared her for the journey. A senior member of the Hawkeye women's soccer team, Mazur spoke at the Athletics Department All-Staff Meeting on Sept. 16 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. She is president of the Iowa Student- Athlete Advisory Committee (ISAAC), studies computer engineering, and plays defender, where last season she helped the Hawkeyes to a school-record 12 shutouts. Mazur, a three-time letterwinner, is a regular on the Dean's List, has been named Academic All-Conference, and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar nominee. In his introductory remarks, UI director of athletics Gary Barta said Mazur is "what we think of when we think of a student-athlete." Mazur grew up in a Big Ten Conference household. Her parents, she said, "belonged to the elitist (University of Michigan) Wolverines over there in Ann Arbor," and her sister competed in gymnastics at Michigan State. Although she always thought she would attend a Big Ten institution, a 16-year-old Mazur got caught up in the pressure of recruiting and made a premature decision to attend a school in e Mid-American Conference. "en I realized I wasn't ready to get rid of my dream, even if that risked playing time or a scholarship," Mazur said. "I decided to embark on the recruiting process once again. I talked to several Big Ten schools; coaches came and watched me play, my mind was not yet made up." During Christmas break from her senior year at Lyons Township (Illinois) High School, Mazur hopped in a car with former prep teammate Katie Nasenbenny who had completed her redshirt freshman season with the Iowa women's soccer team. ey drove to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and watched the Hawkeyes wrestle Oklahoma State. "In between getting the play-by-play stats from Katie, I was in absolute awe in the pride, heart, and overwhelming sense of community that could be felt in Carver-Hawkeye Arena that night," Mazur said. "In the middle of the match, the assistant (women's soccer) coach at the time, Shane (Meredith), came over to where Katie and I were sitting. We made small talk for a bit, but finally he said to me, almost desperately, 'Just tell me you want to be a Hawkeye.'" Mazur didn't commit on the spot, but she knew she found a "perfect match" at the University of Iowa. "Truth is, I became a Hawkeye because I wanted to go to a Big Ten university where I would have great academics and an opportunity to play the sport I still love," Mazur said. Mazur never looked back on her decision to attend the University of Iowa. She calls the academic and athletic support here "powerful and unwavering." e facilities "remarkable." e resources to win, graduate, and do it right "immense and immeasurable." "I have gained so much since my first day on campus: intellectually, athletically, emotionally," Mazur said. "I have found pride, laughter, sweat — lots of sweat — and passion. But most of all, I have found family. I have been inspired by many and I hope to have enriched others as well."