TOWSON, Md. – Many young athletes try and do their best to emulate an athlete they look up to. For some, it's a professional athlete. Others may look towards Olympians.
But for one Towson University women's soccer student-athlete, that adoration stayed in the family.
Kelsey Ritter, now a senior on the women's soccer team, is a third-generation Division I student-athlete. She followed in the footsteps of her paternal grandfather, Mike Ritter Sr., her father, Mike Ritter Jr., and her older sister Abbey.
"Listening to the stories that my grandfather and dad told about how hard they worked, how they got to where they ended up to play collegiately, it motivated me to become a Division I athlete," said Ritter."
Ritter's grandfather played football as a defensive end and fullback at both Duke and Cincinnati in the late 60s and early 70s. Her father also played football as an offensive lineman in the late 80s and early 90s at Arizona State. Her sister played for three seasons at former Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foe VCU, though the pair never had a chance to meet on the soccer field.
"When you have someone that has this type of lineage, they have an understanding of hard work, they have an understanding of dealing with adversity," said Towson head coach
Greg Paynter. "They know that nothing comes easy. That perseverance has been a trade mark for what Kelsey has been to our program over the years. And she continues to be that."
With a well-connected family in athletics, it can be tough for a young player to forge her own path. Ritter's grandfather and father both had successful scholastic careers in the DC Metro area, roughly 25 miles from her hometown of Davidsonville, Maryland.
But the shadows of her elders' careers did not overshadow the future Tiger or her sister. The Towson Ritter carved her own path as a three-sport athlete at The Severn School, playing basketball in the winter and lacrosse in the spring.
"Basketball was never really in the picture," admitted Ritter with a chuckle. "I just did it in the winter to stay in shape and have fun."
Ritter, who plays as a back for the Tigers, wasn't always along the back line, having some experience playing up top as a forward. But it was the mentality of playing defense that led to the position change.
"I was never really the one to score the goals," Ritter mentioned. "I like being in the back, knowing that I'm the last line of defense before an opponent gets to the goal."
Ritter made the biggest impact of her career last season as she played in all 19 games, including 16 starts along the Tigers' backline. She played full time in eight games, including all 110 minutes in a 0-0 draw with St. John's. More impressive is the control she displayed, logging nearly 1,400 minutes last season without taking a card of any color.
Off the field, Ritter has earned success as well. She is set to graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in sports management, coupled with a 3.166 cumulative grade point average. The classroom showing is backed by a strong spring as Ritter wrapped the second semester of her junior year with a 3.667 GPA.
Every Towson home game is a Ritter family affair; her grandfather and parents attend all the games at the Tiger Soccer Complex, with the previous generation cheering on the current student-athlete.
Ritter and the Tigers have seven more games at the Tiger Soccer Complex this season, including Sunday's nonconference matchup with Saint Joseph's. Opening kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Towson's home field.
- TowsonTigers.com –
