Winthrop freshman Anna Kate Highsmith was named Big South Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday, Sept. 27, marking her first collegiate recognition for soccer.
“It was super nice. The games before, I was getting so discouraged, but the past three games, I’ve just been in the right spot at the right time, and our team has been working really well together, so it’s been really nice and exciting,” Highsmith said.
Through 10 games, Highsmith has already scored four goals this season. In a victory over Gardner-Webb, Highsmith scored the game-winning goal with a minute and 47 seconds left to play. Three days later, Highsmith scored two goals within minutes of each other late in the game against USC Upstate, leading to a 2-0 win for the Eagles.
“I am a superstitious person. I wear the same color pre-wrap in my hair; it’s either light blue or dark gray, every single game, that’s just something random I have always done,” Highsmith said.
Most recently, Highsmith scored the opening goal against High Point on Wednesday, Sept. 29, but the tough battle ended in favor of High Point with a final score of 3-2.
Originally from Greenville, SC, Highsmith began playing soccer at just three years old and has stuck with it ever since. She first discovered Winthrop while attending soccer camps as an incoming high schooler.
“I just went to a couple of their soccer camps, and I just really enjoyed the school. Then I came to tour the school, and I got to meet some of the players, so everything with the campus and the team was awesome,” Highsmith said.
Highsmith said she was able to enjoy a somewhat normal senior year before graduating and moving to Rock Hill.
“We had a couple games and practices get canceled, of course, but for the most part, it was pretty normal, and we got a full season in,” Highsmith said.
For inspiration in some of the more challenging times, Highsmith looks up to Alex Morgan from the United States women’s national soccer team.
“She’s definitely my favorite of the US women’s team. She’s a forward; she’s a strong player and a leader for the team. She’s one of their main goal scores, too,” Highsmith said.
An exercise science major, Highsmith is working diligently her first semester at Winthrop to balance her time on the field and assignments in the classroom.
“[It’s] been crazy having to go from practice straight to class, so that’s been a big adjustment. A lot of learning time management, but for the most part, it’s been pretty smooth,” Highsmith said.
Although she only recently started her collegiate career, Highsmith is already thinking about her career path after her time at Winthrop.
“I actually want to do physical therapy and go to PT school. I think [working with] adults, either physical therapy or occupational therapy, like helping people grab things with their hands or walk, I think that would be really cool,” Highsmith said.
Even though spare time can be limited as a student-athlete, Highsmith and her teammates are often checking places off a hypothetical Rock Hill bucket list.
“Me and my friends love finding new restaurants around here because none of us are from this area — all the freshmen aren’t — so usually we’ll just look for a new restaurant or new area to explore, and it’s really fun. We loved the Roasting Company; it was really good,” Highsmith said.
The Eagles are currently 5-3-2 this season with five regular–season games left. Next up is a home game against Presbyterian on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m.
“We play Campbell our senior night, and that’s going to be a really tough game for us. Especially because of senior night, there are going to be tons of fans out there,” Highsmith said.
“I’ve always gotten butterflies in my stomach before each game, but every game, we just seem to get better as a team. Coming into this season, we were considered the underdog, so I think we have shocked a lot of teams.”
