Tai Nortz '25 Recruiting Profile

Hardworking, perseverant, tenacious, driven. These adjectives exemplify my personality and identity not only as an athlete, but who I am holistically as well. I've been an avid soccer player since the age of three but it wasn't until 4th grade that I truly discovered my passion for the sport. I remember the exact moment that I fell in love with soccer; during my first LCU game (which is a local travel team for kids) I remember having this unexplainable feeling. The only thing that mattered was the action taking place around me; everything else seemed to fade into the background. With each instruction given by my coach from the sidelines, I was always one step ahead. He would start to instruct me to cross the ball, take someone on, or do a move and release a shot; only to stop because I was already doing what he had in mind. I feel that I have a very high soccer IQ, to the point where I don't have to worry about knowing what to do next, I'm super aware of my options and let muscle memory take over. When I'm playing soccer I feel at home; there's just this overwhelming sense that this is what I'm supposed to be doing, a notion that the soccer field is where I belong. It's definitely the place where I feel most comfortable, and is the highlight of each and every day. I love anything and everything soccer related; I know that I hold an unpopular opinion but preseason is one of my favorite parts of soccer. It's where I really have to dig deep and focus on giving it all I've got. It forces me to work on my mental toughness and push through every thought telling me that I can't do it. It's where I realize just how much I'm truly capable of and directly showcases how hard work reaps so many benefits. 

I would love to play soccer at the collegiate level. I'm different from other recruits because I truly care, not only about the sport but also about my teammates. I love my high school team and would drop everything I have to give them a hand with anything that they might need. I'm the type of teammate who will drive an extra 45 minutes to pick up teammates to ensure that they are able to make it to our game, lifting session, practice, whatever it may be so that they are provided with the same opportunity to better themselves as everyone else. I'm the type of player who leads by example and speaks when needed; I offer instruction by pairing it with encouragement; not solely focusing on the 'bad' but instead acknowledging the room for improvement. After all, I recognize that while I might have more experience than most on my team, there are always areas that I can improve upon and better myself in. At my school, the term student-athlete is heavily stressed. Our athletic director puts much emphasis on the fact that 'the student part comes first' symbolizing how as an athlete, our academic life must be our top priority. I definitely carry this belief and am set on attending a college that will challenge me both academically as well as athletically. The mantra 'nothing worth having comes easy' really resonates with me. I'm a hard worker both academically as well as athletically and have experienced the benefits of putting in time and work. During my freshman and sophomore years of high school I wasn't performing as well as I wanted to. I decided that if I wanted to be the leading scorer, I was going to have to put in some work. Junior year I was the top scorer on our team, was awarded frontier league all-star, Section 3 All-Star, All North first team, and a member of the All-State team. Academic wise I was named to high honor roll for each quarter throughout my 3 years as a high schooler. I was also inducted into our National Honor Society chapter and was voted President of our chapter. If you take a chance on me, I guarantee you won't regret it. I'll bring more to our team than my athletic abilities. I'll bring a smile and positive attitude to practice each day; working just as hard to positively impact our team morale as our team strength.