Saxon Palmer '24 Recruiting Profile

If I had to describe my soccer career so far in one word, that word would be, "Adversity". Through my soccer career I have faced and overcome many struggles, some of which have almost made me quit, some of which could have killed me. I started playing soccer my freshman year of high school as a scrawny little kid that had never played a competitive sport before. I skipped a grade in primary school so I was a year younger and smaller than even the freshman on my team. Through the first season I barely played any minutes, and one of my coaches even suggested that soccer wasn't the right sport for me, as I had no talent and very little muscle. I persevered, and promised myself I would get more minutes my sophomore year of high school. Then, in march of my freshman year, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes out of the blue, just 14 days after my 14th birthday. My weight dropped from 131lbs to 104lbs, and I was weak and struggling with managing this new disease, as nobody in my family had it or could help me with this struggle. Still, I persevered and trained my best, and by the sophomore year of high school I had gained the weight back and was in a wing rotation on my soccer team. Then, midway through my sophomore season, I got covid-19. I was devastated, and I was out for about 3 weeks of the season trying to recover. After my sophomore season, I promised myself that my junior year I would start on the field. I trained all year, and I did end up starting as a wing my junior year, and then scored my first goal for the team a couple games into the season. My junior year went decently, and after that year I made up my mind to take my game to the next level. I trained all throughout the winter, and joined 2 different soccer leagues on top of track in the spring. While practicing high jump for track and field, I fractured my tibia on my right leg and was unable to compete or play at a meaningful level for any of the teams I was playing for for about 2 months. Finally recovering from the injury mid may, I dedicated myself to improving my game and learning the ins and outs of soccer to improve to a collegiate, and hopefully one day, professional level. I am dedicated to my goals, and once I set them, I stop at nothing to achieve them. My schoolwork never lags behind either, as I currently sit at number 2 in my class with an overall GPA of 4.03, even after skipping a grade. I am going to graduate high school just having turned 17, and I am eager to prove myself academically and physically through my senior year of high school.