Swarthmore women’s soccer midfielder Celia Kanellakos ’28 has been a dominant presence since the season opener game against Transylvania University on Aug. 29, where she scored one goal and collected one assist for the Garnet. During the next game, against No. 13-ranked Washington and Lee University, Kanellakos found the back of the Generals’ net in the 89th minute after making a run into the box, touching the ball away from the keeper, and slotting it into the goal.
A week later, the sophomore scored a near-perfect penalty kick against Sarah Lawrence College to end the Garnet scoring drought in the first twenty minutes of the game. This past Saturday, after tying 1-1 in the beginning of the second half against The College of New Jersey, the New Jersey native (but Swarthmore star) slotted an assist to Ava Gizzie ’27, who slipped the ball into the goal. The newfound point leader carried Garnet momentum until the final whistle, although the game would end in a 2-2 draw.
A physically and technically sharp player, Kanellakos has clearly cemented herself as a game changer, especially against tightly-matched opponents. Her effort was noted on Sept. 3, when she was selected for Offensive Centennial Player of the Week honors alongside keeper Dahlia Bedward ’26. Previous awards include the 2024 All-Centennial Honorable Mention selection. The No. 14-ranked Garnet hold a 3-1-2 record and face No. 24-ranked Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on Saturday.
Aimee Lee: Congrats on your first Centennial Athlete the Week selection! How does it feel to receive the honor? How did it feel to see your teammate, senior goalkeeper Dahlia Bedward, collect the award alongside you?
Celia Kanellakos: Thank you! It was nice to be recognized after a great week for our team. Dahlia winning the Defensive Player of the Week for us to sweep the weekly awards made it even more exciting for me, though. Dahlia and I talked a lot in the offseason and spring season about “locking in” for this year. I think we achieved that in week one, and we are definitely looking to continue that as we head into conference play this weekend.
AL: Looking back at the games the team has played so far, which one has been the most fun and exciting to play in?
CK: For me, it has to either be our game against Washington and Lee, or, more recently, our game against Rowan. The game against the No. 14-ranked (at the time of the match) Washington and Lee was super competitive, very back and forth. To score the winning goal in the final minutes of the game was amazing. I was so happy to be able to deliver for my team like that in such a big game, where everyone was giving all their effort. Although our game away at Rowan University ended in a loss, it was still a lot of fun. We were playing in front of a pretty big crowd with heckling and all that going on, so it was a great atmosphere. Hopefully we will get a rematch sometime in the future.
AL: It takes years of training, winning, and even losing to come to the success you and the team have found. Who do you look up to, athlete or non-athlete, for inspiration and motivation to keep going?
CK: My family has always been my source of inspiration: specifically, their work ethic. Growing up, I was constantly reminded of the sacrifices my grandparents and parents made so I can live the life I have. I try my best to honor that by putting my full effort into everything I do. For athletic inspiration, it has to be Giannis Antetokounmpo. I really admire his attitude and his dedication to both basketball and his family. Seeing him pretty much carry Greece to a bronze medal at EuroBasket (European Basketball Championships) earlier this week, their first podium finish in sixteen years, was really inspiring.
AL: What are some team or personal goals for the rest of the season?
CK: My personal goal for this season is to just truly enjoy playing with my team. The season can feel long at times, but last year showed me that it goes by in a flash. I’m just taking it one day, one practice, and one game at a time, trying to get 1% better every time.
AL: What is your favorite class that you’ve taken at Swarthmore? What will you be majoring in?
CK: I am pursuing some kind of major in linguistics and sociology/anthropology. It was my Introduction to Linguistics class that I took [in the fall of my first year], which really showed me that this is what I want to study. To no surprise, I am enjoying my Anthropological Linguistics class that I am currently taking with [Associate Provost for Academic Programs and Professor David Harrison] and my sociolinguistics class with [Visiting Assistant Professor Nicté Fuller Medina]. Honorable mention goes to my Elementary Modern Standard Arabic class — it is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun
