Nicole Sipfle, co-captain and midfielder of the Grinnell women’s soccer team, talks soccer, Disco Pogo and medical schools.
What’s your first memory of playing soccer?
My first memories are from playing on a co-ed team when I was younger just because I thought the girls didn’t play hard enough. So I played on a co-ed team for the first two or three years.
And you came to Grinnell to play soccer?
Yeah, I was recruited by Coach Benning [’96].
How do you prepare before a game?
I usually listen to pump-up music before a game. We always do pre-game as a team.
What’s your favorite song?
Disco Pogo.
I love Disco Pogo! It played a lot when I was in Europe. Have you gotten a chance to go abroad?
Yeah, I went to Denmark last semester.
Have you played other sports?
In high school I played basketball, cross-country, track. But I quit all of them for soccer.
If you could be a superstar in any of those other sports, which would it be?
Basketball. I really liked basketball.
Who is your sports hero?
Right now, Abby Wambach, but before that Michelle Akers.
What’s your major at Grinnell?
Biochem.
Why biochem?
I really like science and I wanted to not just focus on biology, and I’m also pre-med.
So are you applying to med school right now?
No, I’m going to take a year off. So hopefully I’ll take the MCAT this spring and then apply in the fall.
Have you started looking at schools?
A little bit. Mostly just Iowa, because I did research there this past summer, and I really liked it.
What kind of research did you do?
Biochem research. It’s hard to explain. I did a lot of x-ray crystallography and determining structures of different proteins.
It sounds like you do a good job balancing sports and academics. Has that been a challenge for you?
I find that I get stuff done better during season than out of season because it forces me to manage my time better. All the road trips [can be hard]—it’s really challenging to get your stuff done when you’re on the road and you either need a computer or to go into lab to do something.
Who has been your biggest fan?
My parents. They’ve come to most of the games because they’re only an hour away.
-compiled by Eliza-Eve Leas
