Glue girl

July 24, 2015

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Media Relations

Lehigh women's soccer rising senior Katie Centeno has a tremendous relationship with every single one of her teammates. Every team needs people like her. Centeno has made her mark on the soccer field, but she's making an even bigger impact off the field as a teammate, role model and friend.

"I'm a Student-Athlete Mentor, so it's probably fitting that I tend to really focus on relationships with people," said Centeno. "What I enjoy most is having those close bonds, being there for people to answer questions and making them feel comfortable. I've reached out to the freshmen and let them know that I'm here to help. I was nervous coming into Lehigh and Jordan Goodwin checked in with me throughout the summer before my freshman year, which made me feel much more at ease."

The Coronado, California native is playing a lead role for her team this summer, all while completing a worthwhile internship with Pratt & Whitney in Hartford, Connecticut.

"Our team is so close that it really hasn't been hard to keep in touch with everyone," said Centeno. "I casually check in as friends; I don't force it."

Lehigh women's soccer created a vision this past spring and individuals like Centeno help bring out the best in each other.

"Everyone had an input (in the vision) and was able to say what was on their minds. Everyone's voices were heard," she said. "When you hear your voice, you can hold yourself and your teammates accountable. Everyone is on board and on the same page."

One of seven seniors on the 2015 Mountain Hawks, Centeno has great admiration for Lehigh's former captains, including the likes of Ashley Blanks '14, Jordan Goodwin '14 and Murphee Greeley '13.

"It's definitely not easy to emulate what they did, but it helps to have a guideline," said Centeno. "We have some good leaders within our rising senior class. I think we've all stepped up and have realized that wow, we're seniors. We don't have these people to look up to anymore, but we can definitely take what they did and make it our own moving forward."

As a program, the Mountain Hawks know they're ready to take the next step towards perennial championship contention. To do that, they need to focus on the little things. Wins are a byproduct of the process. One example is last weekend (July 17-19) when the team returned to campus for a weekend of camaraderie and bonding, staying at the upperclassmen's houses off campus.

"It is vitally important that the team continues to connect throughout the summer," said Eric Lambinus, who is entering his sixth season as Lehigh head coach. "Fall sports, especially soccer, have such a quick turnaround from the time they return for preseason to their first official game. Without these types of connections, the athletes would be on their own trying to prepare. Together, they can be accountable to each other and work together to help achieve our goal. We pride ourselves on self and team accountability; these connections throughout the summer are proof."

The idea emulated last summer from Blanks and Goodwin, who set up and coordinated the reunion weekend.

"Ashley and Jordan set the culture for the team and really made it important that we're as close off the field as we are on the field," said Centeno. "That's something we're trying to continue. They've left such a great legacy with the close connections we've all made with each other. Getting to play against each other a little bit last weekend, playing some pickup and just hanging out with each other so casually, helped get out the jitters and ease nerves coming into the first day of preseason."

Centeno actually couldn't make the "reunion" weekend last summer living so far away in California, but she could this summer since she's residing in Hartford, Connecticut for her internship. The Supply Chain Management major is interning at the same company as recently-graduated Darby Dustman, Pratt & Whitney, an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. After her internship last summer, Dustman recently started working full-time at the company.

"It's a huge change for me, totally different from home and school, but it's been a super fun adventure being completely independent," said Centeno. "I am doing supply chain management for them and working in materials management. Everyone is super knowledgeable in the company, so it's been such a good learning experience."

Centeno is working on three specific projects.
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"I work with my supervisor (and his supervisor) on what's called schedule stability as well as other projects and tasks," she said. "It's just day-to-day things that you go through to get parts of the engines made and shipped. Every day is a little bit different because you're working with different parts and different suppliers. It keeps things interesting. At the same time, I'm still an intern so I'm still doing some of the nitty gritty things."

Centeno came into the internship one step ahead, considering Lehigh offers a supply chain management major, a relatively new and emerging field which features management of the flow of goods and services.

"Supply chain is such a new major," said Centeno. "Most of the older employees never even took a supply chain class until they were educated by Pratt & Whitney on the subject. It was nice to come in with a little bit of a background, even if just from a textbook.

"The other interns and employees are all from totally different backgrounds, which is also great to have the opportunity to meet and interact with a very diverse group of people," she continued.

An added bonus for Centeno is having a familiar face in the company.

"Pratt & Whitney recruiters actually came up to me at the Lehigh career fair very casually and just started talking," said Centeno. "Then I mentioned that I played soccer with Darby (Dustman). They asked for an interview and it went from there. Darby spoke well of the company.

"It definitely made things easier to go somewhere completely new, knowing she had completed the internship and knowing she'd be there for part of the summer as well," Centeno continued. "I get to see her at lunch and kick the soccer ball around, which is nice."

Perhaps it was fitting that Centeno would end up at an aerospace organization. Katie's brother, father and grandfather are all pilots. The internship has been eye-opening for Centeno, who would consider Pratt & Whitney for a career, but she wants to keep all options open.

"Right now, it seems like if I was given the opportunity to work at Pratt & Whitney, I would definitely consider it and probably love it," said Centeno. "At the same time, I'd also like to explore other areas. It's a huge company and so much different than I would imagine a smaller company would be.

"The company is very old, so a lot of the people have worked there for 25+ years," she continued. "They have so much knowledge they can pass down. Everyone is so welcoming and open, which is all I can ask for, because I'm asking a lot of questions."

As her coach, Lambinus is proud of the way Centeno is utilizing her summer.

"In our program and Lehigh Athletics, we pride ourselves on balance and developing the entire person," he said. "We want our upperclassmen to get experiences that will help them prepare for their life after graduation. But they still need to be committed to their athletic lives by preparing for the season. I know Katie is getting a great experience at Pratt & Whitney and still fitting in the soccer, too. She has a great role model in Darby Dustman right there to help."

While Centeno is receiving the tremendous professional experience, she knows the importance of staying sharp on the soccer field, both personally and for the rest of her team.

"It's very hard to work all day then come home and work out," she said. "I honestly struggled for the first few weeks. I'd come home, change into workout clothes then lay in bed for an hour and think, 'you have to get up and go.' Now, I've made it more mental so when I come home, I can't lay down. I put on my workout clothes and go."

On an individual level, Centeno is keeping herself motivated this summer while she's also helping the members of her Lehigh team stay on the same page, despite being scattered across the United States. Even if your teammates aren't physically beside you, knowing everyone is together and on the same page keeps you motivated.

"A huge aspect of mental toughness is being able to push yourself when no one is watching," said Centeno.

Most importantly, creating that level of accountability will pay dividends during the season. As often stressed within the group, the Mountain Hawks are focused on the process.
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"When we're around each other, we're going to be that much better if we can push ourselves on our own," said Centeno. "We're playing for the girl next to us. I think we can push ourselves twice as hard when we're next to someone trying to beat you and make you better."

The California native had never heard of Lehigh until her aunt mentioned the school. Katie's cousin played volleyball at Lafayette, so Centeno became interested in a strong academic Patriot League school like Lehigh. She took a chance committing to Lehigh, but it's paid off for her, and the Mountain Hawks' program.

"Lehigh was the only East Coast school I looked into," said Centeno. "It was a huge leap of faith, but I fell in love with the campus and thought the coaches were awesome. I put myself out there and was willing to get out of Southern California. I knew that I wanted to experience something different. Not to mention, I am a huge fan of the seasons (fall, winter, spring, summer)."

Even though Centeno moved away from her biological family, she instantly came into a family, a sisterhood.

"Lehigh has made me the person I am today, a completely stronger individual and so much more independent," she said. "My parents come out to a lot of games. Since my dad is a pilot, it's easy for them to visit. It makes home not seem so far away. At the same time, this group of girls is a family. I really have not been homesick yet. I am so happy I got out of my comfort zone and committed to Lehigh."

With her final season quickly approaching in early August, Centeno is as excited as ever.

"I have been nervous for preseason the past few years, but this year, I'm just excited," she said. "I'm excited to get out there and show the Patriot League what we have because I think we have a really special team. I'm not scared for the difficulty of preseason, but excited to see what the team brings. We're going through the process with our best friends."

Centeno is that glue who keeps her team together and because of people like her, the team camaraderie is increasing by the day.

"Throughout our Leadership program, we try to identify the strengths of each one of our student-athletes," said Lambinus. "Beyond her soccer ability, Katie's strengths have always been her high work ethic and ability to connect to everyone on the team. All teams need a "glue girl" and that is exactly what she is. She values our team culture and will do whatever she needs to keep it positively moving."

"Creating a clear vision this past spring was important and the way people are responding is awesome," said Centeno. "We showed last year that we can match up with top teams, like Patriot League Champion Boston University. We tied them, but those kinds of ties show we can play with the best. Then there were other ties when we needed to step it up and win those games. We know we're capable of winning and capable of beating any team in the league. We just need to show it and put our words into action."