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A native of St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, senior midfielder Tori Martyn is in the final season of her soccer career at UTEP.
Martyn’s perspective is simple–this season for her is about playing well and soaking it all in.
“Trying to hold onto the moment, enjoying it and playing to the best of your abilities and knowing this is the last time on the field,” Martyn said. “I’m a kinesiology major and I will be applying for the master’s program in occupational therapy.”
Her teammate, senior forward Jade Babcock, admires Martyn’s dedication to her education and to the team.
“If our apartments were on fire, the thing she would grab would be her textbooks,” Babcock said. “She carries a 4.0 GPA. Tory is one of the most respected players on the team by far. When she says something, everyone shuts up and listens. She succeeds at everything she does.”
A member of the Canadian Women’s National Soccer team, Kelly Parker recruited Martyn to UTEP. In the western portion of Canada during the summer time, the National Training Center for the Prairies (NTCP) hosts soccer games for all the best soccer players from the area. This is where Parker first caught a glimpse of Martyn.
Parker is a former standout soccer player for UTEP and graduated in 2004. She’s been on the Canadian National Team since 2003. She played in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany in 2011 and London Olympics football tournament. In her brief stint as an assistant coach, she did heavy recruiting in her native country, particularly in her hometown of Saskatchewan. She spotted Martyn and convinced head coach Kevin Cross that she deserved a full scholarship to play soccer at UTEP. If Martyn was going to play soccer 1,651 miles from home, she wanted to be all in.
“I always had an agreement with my mom,” Martyn said. “If I was going to get a scholarship, it was going to be all or nothing.”
Upon entering as a freshman, it was Martyn’s humility that helped her create the mindset for her career at UTEP.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I convinced myself that it’s going to be hard for me to prove myself on the field,” Martyn said. “That was the biggest thing I wanted to do was prove myself and set myself into a rhythm.”
She wanted to use her scholarship to play sports and make the most of her education. She described her character in one word–consistency. She has been consistent in her academics along with her soccer skills.
Last season, she earned All-Conference USA Second Team honors and maintained her high GPA. The team has an 8-3-1 record and they are tied with UAB for most wins in C-USA, 2-1-1 in conference, which has the Miners currently fourth in the West Division of Conference USA.
Senior midfielder Gina Soto, Martyn and Babcock all said that the biggest improvement the soccer team has accomplished was achieving the strong team chemistry, which the players said they have not felt before.
“The team is completely different from last year. We’re a lot more connected in ways than ever before in the past,” Martyn said. “Off the field, we’ve always been great teammates, but on the field, we’ve always been missing that extra something and this year we have it.”
Luis Barrio may be reached at [email protected].
