A staple in the UCF women's soccer lineup, Madison Murnin has earned minutes in 57 of the Knights 62 games over the last four seasons. A rising fifth-year senior from Jacksonville, Fla., Murnin led the Knights this past season as one of two team captains, and was named to the American Athletic Conference Second Team All-Conference. Since the Black & Gold's spring season, Madison has had some time to reflect on the past year and answer some questions about what she's up to today. Hear what she had to say below:
How has your summer been and what have you been up to?
"It's been a really good summer, I had a couple nice family vacations, so it's been fun seeing everyone! At the start of the summer, my family and I went to a resort in Miami, and a few weeks ago we went to New Jersey to see my mom's side of the family! Other than that, I've been hanging out in Orlando, working with our strength coaches and playing in a summer league to get more touches over the break."
This past season was unlike any other, do you have a favorite memory from this past season, despite playing a season during a pandemic?
"It was difficult to have our fall season canceled so after waiting so long, just having the game day feeling again was amazing. Our first game was against Temple in Philadelphia, so it was SO cold but going through the game day traditions and having that game day feeling again was my favorite memory."
With the women's soccer fall season starting soon, what are you most excited about for the 2021 campaign?
"I think I am most excited about our schedule; Tiff always says if you want to be in the top 25, you have to play the top 25. We have a lot of really good games on our schedule – North Carolina, Penn State, Texas, LSU, the list goes on. I'm also really excited to be back with the team, over the summer the whole team wasn't here, so it's going to be great to have everyone together to take advantage of our new facilities that just opened. And of course, can't wait to be back on our own game field."
How does it feel to be able to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility to come back and play for a final season?
"I've always say being able to take advantage of the extra eligibility is the best decision of my life. Not only am I able to use this time to work towards a master's degree, but it's a blessing to be able to continue to play and make memories with this team."
Do you have a favorite class that you're taking or plan to take this semester?
"One of my favorite classes currently is Anatomy, as an athlete it's interesting to understand why coaches are structuring training a certain way or strength trainers are putting us through certain workouts."
