By Fred Kroner
By FRED KRONER
It could be easy to consider the signing of a letter-of-intent to play a sport in college as the end to fulfilling a goal.
Don’t tell that to Mahomet-Seymour senior Nick Tjahjadi. For him, when he put his signature on a piece of paper from McKendree University, in Lebanon (Ill.), it was just the beginning.
“Signing will not be the peak of my career,” Tjahjadi said. “This is where things really get started. I know it will be a tough but rewarding time at McKendree.”
You know the popular saying about things that seem to be too good to be true? Forget the traditional answer.
“The dream of playing college soccer started when I was around 12 years old,” Tjahjadi said. “The idea of getting an education while still playing the sport I love, sounded too good to be true.”
His scholarship says otherwise. Tjahjadi won’t leave behind his sport of choice when he leaves his Mahomet residence for college.
“When I got to high school, that is when I knew I could turn my dreams into reality,” he said. “The feeling soccer gave me, and still gives me, is indescribable.
“It seems like all my worries and stresses are gone. This love for the game is what has kept me with soccer all these years. I’ve wanted to play college soccer since I was about 12, but I made soccer a lifestyle when I got to high school. That’s when I knew I wanted to play in college.”
The easy part was the sport to pursue. It was much tougher to select the university.
“For me, narrowing down the school to attend was a very hard decision,” Tjahjadi said. “I knew I wanted to be part of a highly competitive soccer team, while still getting a great education.
“I was very blessed to have received multiple offers from quality schools. Each school checked off different wants and needs for me, but I felt like McKendree University was the best option.”
The connection to McKendree began through Tjahjadi’s club coach, Gabriel Carreno.
“Coach Gabe helped me so much throughout the recruiting process,” Tjahjadi said. “Without him, none of this would be possible.
“Because of this, I was very fortunate to have many coaches believe in me as a player and as a person.”
Tjahjadi wound up with solid offers from Lasell University (D-3 in Newton, Mass.), Aurora University (D-3 in Aurora, Ill.), Millikin University (D-3 in Decatur, Ill.), Carroll University (D-3 in Waukesha, Wis.), and McKendree University (D-2 in Lebanon, Ill.).
When Tjahjadi analyzed the pros and cons of each college, he came to his final decision.
“I have always wanted to compete at a high level while getting an education,” he said, “and I felt like McKendree best satisfied that desire.”
Tjahjadi initiated the contact with McKendree.
“I first found out about McKendree while trying to find schools to email and reach out to,” he said. “I sent them an email in July (2022), and they told me to come to their ID camp.
“Luckily, my coach held his own ID camp prior to McKendree’s camp, where McKendree’s coach, (assistant Mac Thomalla) would be in attendance. He liked what he saw in the two-day camp and told me to go to their ID camp to play in front of all the staff.”
Once in Lebanon, Tjahjadi impressed the McKendree coaches and they invited him to make an official campus visit.
“This is when I fell in love with the school,” Tjahjadi said. “After this visit, I had to attend one more McKendree ID camp.”
The entire process took about six months, but Tjahjadi was fine with the wait.
“In the end, I was very blessed and grateful to have received a spot on their roster,” he said.
Mahomet-Seymour soccer coach Jeremy Davis was impressed with Tjahjadi even before he first pulled on a Bulldog jersey.
“My first experience with Nick was seeing him in a club training session his eighth-grade year,” Davis said. “He stood out even then by how focused he was at training.
“During the individual drills, he looked to perfect each touch he had on the ball. That focus carried over to his high school career. He holds himself to the highest of standards, which is part of why he was chosen as a junior and senior captain.
“He models what it means to strive for perfection, not only in games, but every day at practice. Each day, Nick was an example for his peers on what we need to do to get better.”
Tjahjadi appreciated the opportunity to be a two-year captain for the Bulldogs.
“This meant a lot to me because this meant Coach Davis trusted me to lead the team,” he said. “I was very lucky to have a coach like him, someone who believed in me to lead the team both on and off the field for two years.”
Tjahjadi, who was a defensive cog for the Bulldogs, also played baseball and basketball in his younger years, but he got a feeling from soccer that didn’t exist for him in the other sports.
“For me, soccer removes all worries from my life and replaces them with joy,” he said. “The connection I have with soccer is stronger than the wifi connection I get at home.”
Tjahjadi regards his strengths as the quest to master the fundamentals.
“I think a strong point in my game is my simplicity,” he said. “I try my best to do the simple things right.”
He understands he’ll need more attention to detail to make the transition to the college game.
“I need to work on many things to refine my game and get prepared for the collegiate level,” Tjahjadi said. “The biggest improvement I will have to make is getting used to the speed of play in college.
“It will be much faster. I will try my best to make a name for myself.”
To try and accomplish that goal, he will use the same practice he did in high school: Paying attention to his coaches.
“I feel like I can grow and improve lots when I get to college by being coachable,” Tjahjadi said. “Being coachable will allow me to play the way the coaches want me to play.”
Another key, he added, will be, “working with my teammates each and every day, so we can push each other and ultimately win games.”
Defensive players don’t produce the eye-opening performances that are associated with the top goal-scorers.
“Personally, I don’t think stats matter,” Tjahjadi said. “On paper, I don’t look like a standout player, but at the end of the day, if I can get my teammates involved and do my job to get three points, then I did my part and that’s all that matters.”
Tjahjadi was part of M-S’ Apollo Conference championship team his sophomore season, which he described as “my favorite moment from my high school soccer career.”
He added: “There was so much going on during the pandemic, but in the end, we accomplished our end goal, even through all the outside factors.”
In his four years at M-S, the Bulldogs had a combined record of 41-4-5 in Apollo Conference matches with three league championships to go along with a runner-up finish in Tjahjadi’s junior year.
He was aware of the Bulldogs’ tradition in the sport early in his prep career.
“Coming in as a freshman, I heard many good things about the program at Mahomet,” Tjahjadi said. “It wasn’t until my freshman year I realized the high standard Mahomet soccer had compared to other schools.
“I watched them compete against quality teams and beat them and go on and win regionals. This made me feel very grateful to put on my jersey to compete and represent Mahomet.”
In Tjahjadi’s senior year, M-S finished with an 18-6-2 record. Fourteen of the wins were by shutout.
Multiple people are responsible for the steady progression Tjahjadi has made in soccer as a three-year varsity starter. He was an all-conference first-team pick last fall as well as an all-sectional selection.
“I would like to thank Coach (Chris) Ryan, Coach (Tim) Payne, Coach (Jeremy) Davis and Coach Gabe (Carreno),” he said. “These coaches were the reason I am the person and player I am today.
“I would also like to thank my teammates for pushing me each and every day. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for supporting me throughout this whole journey.”
Even during the months that COVID-19 shut down sporting activities starting the spring of Tjahjadi’s freshman year, he didn’t take a break from soccer.
“This gave me a lot of time to develop on my own,” he said. “All of the quarantine was spent in my basement developing my game.
“It was during these times I knew I wanted to play soccer in college.”
Tjahjadi plans to major in exercise science, but won’t stress about starting a career.
“Within the next 10 years, I see myself becoming a physical therapist,” he said. “However, I know God already has my plans sorted out, so I just need to trust in him.”
Tjahjadi wants to succeed, but not just for himself.
“I am very blessed to have parents (mother Agustina Tjahjadi and father Janto Tjahjadi) that care a lot about me,” he said. “They work too hard for me not to be great. Knowing I am only about three hours away from them is very comforting.
“Staying relatively close to home will definitely make my transition a lot easier.”
Davis believes Tjahjadi will continue to make an impact at the next level.
“His internal drive and his ability to stay focused on his goals is going to undoubtedly lead him to success both on and off the field in the future,” Davis said. “Nick has an extremely bright future ahead of himself.”
