Mira Gollnick ‘26 is a senior at City High that is committed to Lawrence University to continue her career in both soccer and fencing. Mira has known these sports for a large majority of her life, beginning at soccer at around age seven, and fencing at ten. When the time came to choose which sport she wanted to pursue, she couldn’t say no to either.
“I feel like both soccer and fencing are such huge parts of my life,” Gollnick said. “I really couldn’t imagine giving one up to pursue the other. There was a time where I may have had the opportunity to fence at a higher collegiate level, but I think I would have felt like a part of my life was missing without the opportunity to also play soccer. I’m super grateful for the ability to continue playing both sports. It’s a dream come true.”
Being committed to both sports means being committed to two schedules, with school on top of that. This hasn’t been a problem for the Lawrence commit as Gollnick has been able to adjust well to both sports.
“Over the years I’ve gotten a lot better at balancing my schedule between sports and school,” Gollnick said. “Specifically between sports I feel like I try to prioritize what sport is currently in season, right now soccer with high school. In the summer I’ll switch my focus back to fencing before nationals. There is some overlap between the two in the fall with games for club soccer and more regional tournaments for fencing but overall it falls pretty [evenly] between the two.”
In her junior season of soccer, Gollnick racked up 138 saves at an 82.6% rate. Through the first six games of her senior season, she has corralled 52 saves, boasting an 86.7%. After losing numerous seniors from the previous season, Gollnick steps up to the responsibility of being a team leader.
“My goals are really to develop more team culture and build an atmosphere of determination and positivity,” Mira said. “I feel like being a competitive high school team doesn’t just come from having the most talented players, it comes from our approach and mentality and what we want out of our season. At the end of the day it comes down to us.”
The team has had a rough 1-5 start to the season. But even though the results haven’t been going the way of the Little Hawks, Gollnick knows how important it is to get the younger players on the team prepared for the future, so they are able to bring success to the program.
“For the younger players I hope to give them every opportunity to show and develop their skills as well as feel a part of the team,” Gollnick said. “We have a lot of really good young players at the moment and they are really the future of soccer here at City so giving them confidence in their own abilities is something that I really want to strive for.”
Being constantly involved in two sports means the importance of developing the characteristics to stay mentally capable to compete is even more critical, to which Gollnick has accomplished a mindset for her future.
“I think the most important characteristic for any athlete is determination,” Gollnick said. “Finding ways to push through doubt and criticism and all the ups and downs that come with playing sport is crucial. Sports are such an important part of my life but it’s not always easy and learning how to keep pushing yourself to be better everyday is a vital part of any sport.”
The girls soccer season is close to halfway complete, as Gollnick looks to finish the season strong and complete her legacy as a Little Hawk.
