Conqu'ring Heroes: Crumpton's Leadership at U-M Resounding Theme Through Her Life
12/1/2022 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer, Features
By Erin O'Hara
Playing sports at the University of Michigan with a storied tradition of athletic excellence makes it difficult to be the first at anything, but women's soccer standout Abby Crumpton was able to accomplish that feat.
Crumpton was a member of the Wolverine women's soccer team from 1999-2002 and during that time was able to rack up a number of accolades, including becoming the 2002 Big Ten Player of the Year, Michigan's progam career points leader (116) and was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist. She made history again this year by becoming the first member of the women's soccer program to be inducted into the Michigan Athletics Hall of Honor.
When asked about what the induction meant to her on the latest edition of the Conqu'ring Heroes podcast, she replied, "my time at Michigan was not only meaningful to me, but it made an impact."
Making an impact beyond just her own personal valor was something that Crumpton indeed did. She was voted a team tri-captain in 2002 and led the team to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
"We really wanted it," said Crumpton. "That desire and motivation set the tone for the team."
Being on a winning team made it easy to play her own game. The level of play on the pitch by her teammates made it easy for her to shine, resulting in a number of individual accolades, but in the fashion of a true captain, Crumpton took the spotlight off of herself and put it on her teammates.
"It was never something I expected or was driving towards," she said. "It was a byproduct of having a great team," Crumpton said.
She has taken this leadership attitude with her, having progressed from being a player to developing her skills as a coach. Crumpton has been able to lead her own programs at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and Anderson University. After these stints, Crumpton served as an assistant coach at her alma mater as well as at Liberty, Clemson, and Syracuse.
Her love for the game of soccer lived long past her days as a player at Michigan.
"I loved the game and if I wasn't going to be playing it, I wanted to be coaching it," said Crumpton when asked about decision to coach after her playing career had ended.
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