Maddi Claybrooke has decided to follow in her mom’s footsteps.
The 5’10” midfielder signed her letter of intent to play soccer for D3 Franklin College earlier this month.
“My mom (Kristen) went to Franklin College and once I narrowed down that I wanted to go to a small school, Franklin seemed like a good fit,” Claybrooke said. “I went to their soccer ID camps and really enjoyed the environment there as well as their women’s soccer coach which was a double bonus! I also chose Franklin because of their strong science program, and I will be majoring in biology on a pre-vet track.”
Claybrooke began as most soccer players in Mahomet do, as part of the Mahomet Parks and Recreation program at the age of six. From there, she joined the Mahomet-Seymour Soccer Club program where she played forward.
Coming into high school, she transitioned to center back where she was part of the 2018 and 2019 that captured the IESA Regional title.
Of course, the Lady Bulldogs were not able to compete in the spring of 2020 as COVID-19 mitigations canceled their season, but Claybrooke said that growth still remained the team’s focus.
“Coach (Jeremy) Davis has also been a huge influence on me as a student-athlete,” she said. “Even though he has only been the girl’s high school soccer coach for two years, he has been able to push our team as individual players but also as a unit in order for us to improve the program.
“I think it was hard for all of us when we realized there would no longer be a season last year so we are all super eager to start up again, but I want to make sure that we come in more prepared and focused, especially since our schedule consists of some tougher teams this year. With that in mind, a main goal for our team has been to keep our streak of conference and regional champs, as well as making it further in the postseason than previous years.”
Claybrooke hopes to build off the 2019 spring season where she, with the help of her defensive teammates, held 13 opponents scoreless in a 19 game regular season.
“Coming into senior season, I want to be a strong leader for this team that is able to spread positivity and have fun, but still be able to focus and work for the goals that we want to accomplish this year,” she said.
The adversity the senior has felt over the last 12 months was something she felt she was prepared to handle.
“I have had to overcome a number of injuries and through that I have learned that I am a resilient person,” she said. “I have also learned through soccer that being able to effectively work as a team is a key factor in the success of a program.”
Claybrooke also sees the success of the team through the hours coaches, parents and community members have poured into the Mahomet-Seymour program.
She attributes the foundation of her accomplishments on coaches that have taken the time to prepare her for the next level: Coach Biegler, Coach Isaac, Coach Penick, Coach Watson, Coach Ryan, Coach Newman, Coach Menke, Coach Gruner, and Coach Briggs.
Claybrooke has also already seen how Head Coach Jeremy Davis has influenced her.
“ Davis has helped me step out of my comfort zone in order to become a leader and someone the underclassman can come to on the team,” she said.
But most of all, her parents, Kristen and Duane, and her grandparents have been a rock throughout her soccer career.
“(They) have always been my main support system in anything I do. They have helped me make tough decisions throughout my athletic career and always give me the best advice!”
