The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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60 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "It felt like at NC State you were always a part of something. All of us were in together." Hamilton knew there were hurt feelings over her decision. "I felt a little selfish, which I didn't necessarily enjoy either," she added. "I did not lose friendships forever over it, but obviously it took a little bit of time for friendships to get back together. "… I didn't have any resentment to that, I totally got it. It was a hard decision, for sure." In a way, the decision may have paid off. In 1991, Hamilton was in China playing for the U.S. National Team in the first-ever Women's World Cup, which the Americans won. "An absolute holy cow, I can't believe moment," Hamilton recalled. "There is only going to be one first. It was a fantastic, phenomenal, unbelievably fun experience." Hamilton noted that the Chinese embraced the event like no other country would have at the time. Crowds swelled to more than 70,000 for some games and towns were given days off from work to watch. Short drives would take hours to reach the venue. Hamilton got to see just about everything in China, too, with a very notable exception. "Except for the flipping Great Wall," she said. "It's the only thing anyone ever asks you about, too." Eventually, Hamilton saw that Great Wall and had other great experiences with the National Team, including playing in the 1995 World Cup in Sweden, where the Americans took third place. How- ever, she damaged the cartilage in her knee. She already had two ACL surgeries and multiple arthroscopic procedures, which led to her difficult decision to step away from her playing career. "Full disclosure, and I can admit it now, there was a new genera- tion coming up, and I was definitely on my way down," Hamilton said. "I preempted my being cut by maybe a few months as they looked to rejuvenate going from '95 to '99." Still, at 28, she far exceeded the lifespan of women's soccer players prior to her. "I did feel that the decision to transfer paid off the way that I would have wanted, to allow me to play longer with the National Team," she said. "What I can't say is had I stayed could it have been the same thing for me? You don't know. "My 20-year-old self had a pretty single-minded goal and that was to play in a World Cup — how do I ensure the best chance to do that in that moment?" After retirement, Hamilton tried life without soccer briefly, but she quickly knew that was not going to work. "I didn't enjoy it as much as being outside, kicking soccer balls around," she said. "I really do love the sport. I am a soccer geek and can't help it." She helped start the program at Old Dominion, and became a head coach at North Florida (2007-14) and now at Southwestern University, which went 11-6 this past season in Hamilton's third year at the helm. "The most rewarding thing for me is when I have made a positive impact on one of my players' lives," she explained. "I have had lots of former players reach out and express where they are today and how something when I was their club coach or college coach that influenced them. "You don't ever realize that and it's usually a simple story that you would never think." There is the other aspect of coaching, too: "How utterly exhaust- ing it is mentally," she added. But Hamilton admits she cannot imagine her life without soccer, noting she loves watching college and professional women's soccer. She continues to follow NC State from a distance. "They are doing really well nowadays," she said. "I have kept up, and they were ranked. I am happy to see them back in national prominence." Her soccer life began playing with the boys as a little kid and then took her to Raleigh for three memorable years. "For me, I am most proud to be a part of maybe some of the best teams the program has ever had and proud to have been so consistently nationally competitive at a pretty young age of the program," she said. "Honestly I am proud of the friendship and time and memories that were made there." ■ In 1988, Hamilton helped NC State achieve a 19-2-3 record, win the ACC title in the league's first-ever tournament and advance all the way to the NCAA championship game. She is now in her third year as the head coach at Southwestern University. PHOTO COURTESY SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY