A native of Berkeley, Calif., Ceci Clark '05 found herself surrounded by unfamiliar people in a new and exciting environment when she arrived at Bates. But on the first day of soccer practice, Clark knew she made the right college decision.

"I remember feeling like I instantly made 22 friends the minute school started," says Clark.

A second-team All-NESCAC defender, she was one of the main reasons Bates was able to beat three nationally ranked teams in 2003, including Middlebury, 2-0.

"Before the Middlebury game, (head coach Jim Murphy) told us to 'impose our will,' and the team took it to heart," says Clark. "Coach always has a way of knowing how to get us fired up. Those moments are when you realize how well he knows us, how well we know each other and the potential that we have as individuals and as a team."

Although Clark spends a lot of her spare time with her teammates, she isn't focused on soccer alone.

"Bates challenges you to be a competitive athlete, but also to be a successful student who has other interests," says Clark. "I could spend a year playing nothing but soccer, but the time I've had to work as an athletic trainer, be a research assistant for professors and simply be a student has opened my eyes to many other possibilities in life beyond college."