Caleigh Christensen, senior captain of the women’s soccer team, was introduced to soccer at a young age. With both of her parents being collegiate soccer players, it was almost inevitable that Christensen would follow in their footsteps.
“Both of my parents played soccer in college,” she explained. “My dad was an All-American and inducted into the hall of fame at the University of Bridgeport, so he has kind of been my inspiration since day one.”
During Christensen’s recruitment process, there were three key components that led the Massachusetts native to select Merrimack College. The first was her passion for graphic design.
On her official visit, Head Coach Gabe Mejail made sure to let Christensen know that graphic design classes were conveniently held right next to the Merrimack Athletics Complex.
“I’ve always been an artistic person,” said Christensen. “One day in high school, my friend suggested I make a media post for our game, and that’s where I got into graphic design.”
In addition to playing for the Warriors, Christensen designs all kinds of graphics for the official women’s soccer Instagram account, from game-day posts to stats to signing announcements. This spring she will bring those skills to Merrimack Athletics’ strength and conditioning department as a social media manager intern.
The second component is Christensen’s friend and former club teammate, Caroline Howland, was on the women’s soccer team. “I saw how she was enjoying her time here and the friendships she made,” Christensen said. “It made me want to come here too and do the same.”
Lastly, like so many women’s soccer players before her, Mejail was a major factor in the decision.
“Gabe was extremely kind and welcoming,” she said, “which made me feel safe here.”
Christensen dreams of doing graphic design for a Major League Soccer team and feels well prepared to achieve that dream thanks to her Division I experiences.
