Scholar Stories: Women's Soccer Captain Martin Studying Mind, Athletic Performance
10/16/2019 12:18:00 PM | Women's Soccer, Features
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Prairie Farms.
By Emma Levine
What does it mean to have a winning mindset?
Many student-athletes will say that it takes intense focus, unwavering confidence and a steady sense of calm. But what they probably will not mention concerns the theories and science behind how the human mind achieves that perfect balance.
Alia Martin is not most student-athletes.
A junior captain of the University of Michigan women's soccer team, Martin is a double-major in cognitive science and psychology with a minor in religion in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Martin said that the human mind was something she became interested in growing up in Carmel, Indiana, long before she ever considered studying it in college.
"It's something I've always been drawn to in movies and books," she said, "I was very interested in anything that had to do with personality and the mind."
Her curiosity ramped up when she arrived in Ann Arbor in 2017.
"I took COGSCI 200 (Introduction to Cognitive Science) during my freshman year for no other reason than it fit my schedule," Martin said with a smile, "and it was very illuminating for me. There were so many concepts that left me thinking, 'It's crazy that our brains do that.' I had a really great professor named Richard Lewis (who) really sparked me going down the psych and cognitive science avenue."
One of the most fascinating topics Martin said she has studied in her classes is the Bayes Theorem, which she said explains how humans make decisions and, throughout their lifetime, continuously update their prior knowledge to further guide their decisions.
Martin, who was named Academic All-Big Ten last season, said that there are many ways to study decision-making, including athletic performance, which is of interest to her. Furthering her studies in these areas is one of Martin's long-term goals, as is playing professional soccer.
"I really do want to play professionally after college, whether that be within the United States or overseas," she said, "I think that's a really unique opportunity to go do, but I can definitely see myself coming back and going to graduate school after that."
No matter what Martin's plans become after her graduation next year, there is no doubt that her study of human decision-making has already been beneficial to her on the soccer pitch.
"One thing that my courses here at Michigan have taught me is just that if your mind is not in the right place, you're not going to perform well."
She continued to explain how the entire team is trying to establish a routine that will lead them to success.
"You go to class all day and you're really tired, and you have to step out here and perform or get better. A big thing is re-collecting yourself. It's about developing a routine to make sure that come game time, come practice time, you can perform to the best of your ability."
So far, so good for the Wolverines, who have posted a 9-3-1 record to date this season with Martin at the helm as captain. She has started 33 career matches for the Wolverines, with two goals and four assists. Even with her vast experience on the field, Martin said that being named captain for her junior season came as a bit of a surprise.
"It was a humbling thing to hear that the people who you train with every day want you to lead them into the season. It has been a very different role than what I've done in the past two years, but it's also been super rewarding to put in the work and see what we're doing this season."
In addition to stepping into her new role, Martin also has been adjusting to a new position. After coming to Michigan as a center midfielder, Martin moved to center back, then center forward, attacking midfielder and holding midfielder throughout her freshman and sophomore seasons. This time around, the coaches have been transitioning her from midfield to center back.
"I've basically gone up (the field) and then back down. Just nowhere wide," she said laughing, "Apparently, I'm not a wide player. Just the center."
Martin also said that her knowledge about decision-making and the human mind have influenced how she has embraced the many changes, though noted that it has definitely been a challenge.
"I have a lot of work to do as far as learning the ins and outs of that position," she said, "A big part of it for me has been watching and learning from players who have played there longer than me, asking a lot of questions and being open to the change."
That's a mature answer from a player who has truly tried to take advantage of everything that Michigan has to offer.
Martin originally came to Michigan following in the footsteps of her older sister, Reilly, who played soccer for the Wolverines from 2015-18. Martin said her sister was a contributing factor that led her to Ann Arbor, but that she found her own connection to the university as well.
"You just get a different vibe from Michigan when you come and visit. The people are super friendly, Ann Arbor is a really cool city, and it's a great school academically. This is where I found myself wanting to be."
As she finishes out her last two seasons as a Wolverine, Martin said she could not have imagined being anywhere else.
"It has been all I could've expected and probably more," she said of her experience at U-M, "They give you so many resources here to be successful and to become who you feel like you can become."
Although she has many possible paths awaiting her in the future, Martin is focusing on the now and enjoying the rest of her time in Ann Arbor.
"The people here are great, the teammates here are great, the classes are really hard, but I've found something I'm passionate about off the field." she said. "It doesn't get much better than that."
