The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1285691
10 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK L eon Krapf started in all 18 matches of NC State's 2017 season as a true freshman, but the high level of competition in the ACC was nothing new for the German goalkeeper. Prior to his debut between the pipes for the Wolfpack, Krapf spent the previous eight seasons training with FC Nürnberg, a professional German soccer club, and made multiple appearances on the U15 and U16 German National Teams. Thanks to that high-level experience, his biggest challenge was adjusting to life as a college student in the United States. Now a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll se- lection and the 2020-21 president of the NC State Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), calling his time in the U.S. a suc- cess would be an under- statement. After playing every minute in goal and posting 14 shutouts during his first two years on campus, his latest challenge came in the 54th minute of the Wolfpack's 2019 opener, when he suffered a season-ending injury. Krapf has continued to thrive off the field and was recently se- lected to the 20-member ACC Search Advisory Committee to find the league's next commissioner. He is one of five student-ath- letes, and one of two NC State representatives, on the committee. The redshirt junior spoke with The Wolfpacker to discuss his role in selecting the next ACC commissioner and how he has worked to come back from injury: Take me back to the beginning of last year. How disappoint- ing was it to suffer a season-ending injury in the first game on the schedule and what has the recovery process been like? "Injuries are always difficult, but it was my first major injury in my entire career. Up to this point I was pretty lucky, but then I got it all at the same time. I tore everything in my left knee — my ACL, MCL, PCL, both meniscus and my patella. I immedi- ately knew that it was pretty bad once it happened. "I have a mindset that has served me well in other areas of my life and I applied it to the injuries. It is simply focusing on the things you can control and not worrying so much about the things you cannot control, and most importantly, having the intelligence and wisdom to differentiate between both. "In my head, I just switched from playing soccer to focusing on being the best possible rehab athlete I could be." GETTING TO KNOW: REDSHIRT JUNIOR MEN'S SOCCER PLAYER LEON KRAPF Krapf was one of five student-athletes selected to serve on the 20-member ACC Search Advisory Committee responsible for providing guidance and collecting information and feedback while the league looks to hire its next commissioner. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS " Going into it, my main focus will be to represent the interests of student-athletes. Krapf on his selection to the Search Advisory Committee for the next ACC commissioner