Putting The Team Above Herself
Alyssa Muir, Staff Writer
9/28/2022
The age of Maryland women’s soccer under first-year head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer has been dubbed “A New Era.” With a total of 19 newcomers on the team (10 transfers and nine freshmen) plus a completely-new coaching staff with a brand new mentality and outlook for the program, that phrase is more than appropriate.
However, even with all the fresh faces around College Park, there are still a few program veterans who stuck around to help usher in the new era.
Brooke Weston is one of those key returners. With an infectious personality and constant smile, Weston has been a steadying presence for the Terps and their culture for four seasons through all the turnover.
“I think my role is important because I find myself forming relationships with everyone on the team,” Weston said. “Being someone who's been here for four years, and now in my senior year having a new coaching staff, I just went into this season trying to make the most of any situation and trying to find the positives of everything. With all the newcomers, I’m just trying to be a person they can count on and be that friendly face so everyone feels welcome.”
Weston’s positive outlook left an impression on the coaching staff from the moment they first met her.
“Brooke Weston has embodied what it means to be a Terp since I arrived at College Park,” Nemzer said.
Nemzer refers to Weston as a “model citizen and teammate” who sets a prime example for the rest of the team to follow.
“That means a lot,” Weston said of the referring phrase. “I take pride in my character and how people see me. If people are viewing me as someone they want to be around, it means the world to me. That means I’m leaving the right impression on them.”
Weston’s positivity is even more impressive when you consider where a lot of it stems from.
At just 10 years old, Weston suffered an agony no child should have to endure when she lost her mom, Denise, to breast cancer. Instead of hanging onto that pain, however, Weston uses her mom as a continuous source of motivation for how to live her life both on and off the field.
“My mom is my role model and true inspiration,” Weston said. “Everyone I meet that knew her will tell me she worked really, really hard and was serious when it was time to be serious, but she was also that person who loved to laugh and loved to have a good time. Whether I’m in the corporate environment or the soccer environment, I want people to know that I’ll do the hard work necessary and exceed expectations, but I also want to have a good time and be a positive influence for the people around me just like she was.”
On Sunday, when the Terps host Michigan State, the match will also serve as the annual Breast Cancer Awareness game, something that Weston is extremely proud to be a part of.
“A lot of people have women in their lives who have experienced breast cancer so it’s important to recognize that a lot of people also have a story with this cancer,” Weston said. “It really means the world to me to have this game because I want everyone to feel cared for and supported.”
A Chagrin Falls, Ohio native, Weston is now winding down her playing days as Maryland enters the home stretch of the season. She isn’t approaching the end with sadness, however. Instead, she’s chosen to embrace the last month like she has everything else—with lots of optimism and excitement.
“Personally, I’ve learned to find the fun in everything,” Weston said. “I try to focus on just being happy and knowing that I’m in control of my own happiness. If I try to find the positives in everything and try to make the most memories with all my teammates on and off the field, it’s just the most satisfying thing. It allows me to look back at my four years and know that I didn’t waste any time because I made the best of every situation.”
Part of Weston’s excitement about the future stems from her impressive new job. After graduating in May, Weston will head to Washington, DC where she will join Amazon in a full-time capacity in a business intelligence engineering role.
Weston interned in a similar role at Amazon over the summer and loved her time there, even though some of the internship and the 40-hour work weeks that came with it overlapped with two-a-day soccer workouts.
“It was an amazing experience,” she said. “I learned so much in that corporate environment and I got to reflect on everything I learned in soccer. It’s all really helped me be able to push myself and perform within that corporate environment in a way that exceeds expectations.”
The whole team will be cheering Weston on in her future endeavors.
“She’s an incredible person and teammate and someone I know the team looks up to,” Nemzer said. “She always puts the team above herself and, no matter what her role is, she is all in. We are so lucky to have Brooke on this team and we are so excited to see the amazing things she’s going to do in the next stage of her life.”
And just as those around her have only positive things to say about her contributions to the program and the team culture, Weston has nothing but fond memories about her time as Terp.
“Not a lot of people can say they’re part of a Power Five program,” Weston said. “Being able to be part of this experience, having the opportunities that I have, and being set up for the future, there’s nothing bad I could say about it.”
“It’s been a dream,” she added. “I didn’t come to college with all these goals to be some all-star player. I went through a lot of injuries in high school, so just the fact that I’m on a Big Ten team and that I’ve been part of this program through the ups and downs with it now moving in a positive direction, it’s been so fun. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. I’m just so grateful to be here and for all my experiences.”
