By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Kari Naerdemann is a long way from home, but is thriving in a new land.
Sure, the culture is different and there might be some words and phrases that get lost in translation from time to time.
But there is one language that she can communicate in quite fluently – one that the rest of the Ohio Valley Conference is quickly starting to understand: she knows how to win.
In just two years, Naerdemann has become a force for the Tech women's soccer team and has helped the program soar to new heights.
Naerdemann, a native of Herne, Germany, was an easy selection by the awards committee, becoming the second winner of Tennessee Tech's Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year Award from the Golden Eagle women's soccer program since its inception in 1994, joining Ellie Iaciofano in 2014.
She beat out a talented group of nominees – Allyson Dunn, a junior on the women's golf team who had three top-five finishes and was named to the All-OVC team; Abi Gearing, another member of the Golden Eagle soccer team who was one of the conference's top scorers with six goals and two assists; Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson, a member of the women's basketball team who averaged 16.9 points and four rebounds per game; D'Airrien Jackson, a runner for the outdoor track and field team who was the OVC's medalist in the 800m and the conference's Outdoor Track Female Freshman of the Year while setting five Tennessee Tech records in her first season; Micayla Rennick, a versatile student-athlete who excelled in both cross country and indoor track and field; and Na'Asha Robinson, who was dominant in her sophomore season with the indoor track and field team with team-best times in five events.
And when Naerdemann heard her name announced as the winner in May at the annual Golden Wings Awards event, she was taken aback.
"It is a great award and I'm really honored to receive it," Naerdemann said. "When my name was called, I was a little bit surprised. While I was standing on stage and getting the award, I was happy, but also a little surprised to be selected. I know that the other candidates are really good athletes too, so everybody else would have made a great winner. I appreciate being recognized for what I have done."
But there was a reason the committee selected her. As the Golden Eagles' goalkeeper, she played every single minute of competition, compiling a conference-best 0.59 goals-allowed average and .869 save percentage as she stopped 86 shots.
As the Tech women's soccer team went 11-6-4 on the season, Naerdemann also posted 11 shutouts, including seven in OVC competition. She also kept the team alive in several games as the team faced a combined 13 overtime periods with four of the six overtime games leading to ties.
Before the season started, Naerdemann was set in her goals.
"As an athlete, you always want to get better every game and to improve in every practice," she said. "So my goal was to improve my weaknesses and be better than my first season here at Tech. I wanted to help the team to have a great season. My improvement was also caused by the improvement of the whole team, so I was able to reach my goals. In team sports, the basis for personal success is a well-playing team."
She certainly had that behind her. With the help of her defensive teammates in front of her, Naerdemann was one of the vital pieces of the best team defense in program history, allowing just 13 goals. For her efforts, she was named the OVC's Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year.
And Naerdemann understands the difficulty of her role.
Standing in goal is perhaps one of the most nerve-wracking tasks in all of sports, standing ready as the last line of defense as attackers swarm down and try to drive the ball through. But the sophomore has stood in and performed remarkably, shutting down many assaults through the course of the season.
"As a goalkeeper, you are constantly in a tough place," Naerdemann said, "because if I make only one mistake, the whole team loses. The field player can make mistakes, but others are able to absorb it. Not everybody notices those mistakes, and it's different for goalkeepers.
"Personally, I just try to focus on my strength during the games and I think I just try to shut off the pressure. Especially during close or k.o. games, the excitement provides the right adrenaline to help me play confident."
And it was a successful year for the team, setting the stage for even greater accomplishments in 2017 – and it also shows how far the team has come in just a short amount of time.
"During my first year at Tech, we already had a good season," Naerdemann said, "and, last season, we even topped the records again. This is a huge step for the program, because now we know we are one of the top teams. The team goal for my first year was to lose less games than the season before and to improve the system.
"Now, with those fantastic two seasons, our goal is to win the OVC championship and we are capable of doing it."
Naerdemann has travelled a long way from Germany to Cookeville, but it's for a sport she loves and has been a part of her life ever since she was young.
"My family is a big soccer family," she said. "My grandpa, my father and my two older brothers all played soccer, so when I was about to crawl, I already had a ball with me – so I guess I really didn't stand a chance. I did try other sports like volleyball, tennis and even track, but none of those had my deep love. So I've been playing soccer since I took my first step and I still love it."
And coming over to play collegiately in America is a bit of a departure in style, but Naerdemann has embraced the transition and has worked hard to adapt and combine the two styles.
"Soccer is played differently here in America as in Europe," she said. "American soccer is based on athleticism, which is my big obstacle and their style is to play a long ball and run it down, while in Europe, the focus is on the technique and tactic. I think coming here and playing in a foreign country where soccer isn't the main sport showed me different things. To see the different type of style helped me to adjust and improve my soccer skills, so my favorite thing about the experience is that I am learning so much not just even as an athlete, but also as a person."
This approaching season, Naerdemann won't be the only player away from her native land as the 2017 Golden Eagle roster features plenty of international flavor in its mix, touting players from Canada, Mexico, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, and, of course, Germany.
With that, the team, like America itself, will be a melting pot of different styles of play, tactics and mindsets. Naerdemann couldn't be more excited.
"We all grew up with different soccer styles, but that combination of American athleticism and the European style is a really good one, and the whole team profits from it. We learn from them and they learn from us. I think that's one of the reasons we are so good and continue to improve every season."
Now the sights are set on 2017 as the Golden Eagles look to spread their wings and bring an OVC championship back to Cookeville.
And Naerdemann is ready.
"My goal is to improve my weaknesses and my strengths," she said. "We want to win the championship."
1994 – Beth Keylon (Softball)
1995 – Taunya Lovelace (Basketball)
1996 – Stacy Hughes (Softball)
1997 – Diane Seng (Basketball)
1998 – Diane Seng (Basketball/Volleyball/Track)
1999 – Diane Seng (Basketball/Volleyball)
2000 – Diane Seng (Basketball/Volleyball)
2001 – Janet Holt (Basketball)
2002 – Janet Holt (Basketball) / Lupita Hernandez (Tennis)
2003 – Stephanie Dallmann (Softball)
2004 – Lori Bayless (Softball)
2005 – Emily Christian (Basketball)
2006 – Bonnie Bynum (Softball) / Emily Christian (Basketball)
2007 – Bonnie Bynum (Softball) / Beth Boden (Softball)
2008 – Stephanie Fischer (Softball)
2009 – Stephanie Place (Cross Country/Track)
2010 – Tacarra Hayes (Basketball)
2011 – Tacarra Hayes (Basketball)
2012 – Tacarra Hayes (Basketball)
2013 – Diamond Henderson (Basketball)
2014 – Ellie Iaciofano (Basketball/Soccer)
2015 – Danielle Liberatore (Softball)
2016 – Cody Dodd (Volleyball)
2017 – Kari Naerdemann (Soccer)
