Athlete of the Week: Marin McCoy ’19

This past week, Junior Women’s Soccer player Marin McCoy won her third Centennial Conference Player of the Week award after scoring seven points in the Garnet’s two games. She set the program’s record for career points on Wednesday in a loss to Arcadia and tied the program record for goals in a win against Franklin and Marshall. She has 13 goals and nine assists this year. The Garnet have a rivalry matchup this Saturday against Johns Hopkins at 4 p.m.
Jack Corkery: What is your major, and what made you want to pursue it?
Marin McCoy: I am a biology major and have always really enjoyed learning about the way things work. I particularly enjoy learning about how the body works and understanding the various biological adaptations that animals have made over time to survive in their environments. While I enjoy all these aspects about biology, including the intimate relationship with the natural world, I find incorporating social justice into biological studies most compelling. If public health was a major option at Swarthmore, I would love to learn about how science can be used to stop injustices, systematic racism, and discrimination in our society.
JC: What appealed to you about Swarthmore when you were in the recruiting process?
MM: I really liked Swarthmore because it seemed to put a greater emphasis on academics than athletics. I wanted to be able to take advantage of all the things a liberal arts college has to offer, with soccer also being a part of my life. I really liked the emphasis Swarthmore put on social justice and I wanted to meet weird and quirky people.
JC: How did you feel when you set the school points record?
MM: I guess when I found out I was a little embarrassed. While I am sure my ego benefits from the limelight, sometimes I feel like it is unfair that forwards (those often scoring and assisting) get so much more attention over the midfielders and defenders. This record is without a doubt a testament to the opportunities that those teammates have created for me to finish. I am really proud of our team for creating so many scoring opportunities (53 shots in our last game!).
JC: You have a unique background not playing club soccer in high school, unlike most of your teammates, and you were also a three sport athlete in high school. How do you think your unique background prepared you for collegiate success?
MM: I think I avoided playing club soccer in high school for my own sanity. I was already beginning to get burned out of soccer, and I don’t think I would have been in the right place had I continued playing. I think having access to three different sports and all the coaches and teammates that came along with that really helped my enjoyment of the sport and the various aspects of different types of games. I also think that playing different sports might have given me a better field awareness, and it has possibly helped me better understand the sport from an analytical point of view.
JC: The team looks really good this year. What will the biggest key for success be going forward in the season?
MM: I think the key to success this season is continuing to play together as a team. When we play as a unit we are really, really hard to beat (and it’s super fun). I also think that when we score early, we are able to settle into our style of play, and if we can consistently do this we will have a lot more success.
JC: Do you have any goals, personal or team, for the rest of the season?
MM: Our team decided this season that we were going to focus on being present. This means that we don’t look up other teams, and we focus on playing our game regardless of the opponent. Personally, my goal this season has been to not regret the amount of effort I have put forth. It can be really hard to score goals while putting extra pressure on yourself. Instead, I try to focus on giving as much effort as possible and hope that this will help the team succeed.