Soccer Standout Hogg Engineers Student-Athlete Success
December 21, 2016 | Soccer
BOULDER — When Kahlia Hogg, a redshirt senior on the Colorado soccer team, takes her final steps at the University of Colorado, Boulder and the Dal Ward Athletic Center, the only thing going through her mind will be the amazing experience she gained during her three years in Boulder.
A midfielder, Hogg began her college playing career at Florida State. It was the Seminoles' top-10 national ranking and the opportunity to play in a demanding ACC conference that appealed to the Australian standout.
After living in five different countries throughout her life — Australia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the United States — adjusting to life in Tallahassee, Fla., wasn't too difficult for the Campbell, Australia, native.
"The cultural adjustment wasn't that big," Hogg said. "I love how friendly and outgoing Americans are, especially in the South, and everyone was incredibly welcoming from day one."
But after spending two years and seeing two NCAA Tournament appearances while playing for the Seminoles, she was ready for a change of pace. Prior to committing to FSU, Hogg was heavily recruited by Wyoming — who at the time was coached by current CU head coach Danny Sanchez and CU assistant head coach Jason Green.
When Hogg decided she was transferring, the first person she contacted was Sanchez. As soon as she discovered both Sanchez and Green had made the move to CU, it was an easy decision.
"I really connected with (Danny and Jason's) philosophies and them as coaches," Hogg said. "I had the opportunity to play at a growing program, for coaches I really respected and attend a top ranked engineering school, in an amazing location."
Coming from a soccer program that has seen its fair share of national prominence, Hogg brought great experience with her from FSU.
"Kahlia can play anywhere in the midfield or as a wide back," Sanchez said. "She is a tremendous student that was really drawn to our nationally ranked engineering department."
Besides being a great addition to the soccer program on the field, Hogg proved to be successful in the classroom even before she stepped onto CU's campus. At FSU, she received ACC Academic Honor Roll honors, was placed on the Fall 2012 Dean's list and the Spring 2013 President's list.
The mechanical engineer major didn't falter in her studies at CU. During her time in Boulder she was named twice to Pac-12 Second-team All-Academic, in 2015 and 2016. Being a student-athlete in a competitive Division 1 program can be difficult, but managing that on top of working toward a degree in mechanical engineering may seem impossible to most — but not to Hogg.
"It definitely wasn't easy," Hogg said of competing and studying engineering. "But I love school and soccer, and actually find they complement each other really well."
For Hogg, finding the balance between school and soccer wasn't difficult. She found that soccer was her way to decompress after a long day of studying, and studying was her time away from soccer.
"I couldn't have done it without the support of my academic and athletic advisors," she said. "They had to get super creative with my class structures so I could fit everything in but graduate on time."
While academics came naturally for Hogg, it was battling injuries that made her playing time difficult. During her senior season in 2015, she discovered she had a severe stress fracture in her shin that cut her season short. Because she was under the playing time cutoff to be eligible for a medical redshirt, she was awarded a fifth year to finish out her college soccer eligibility.
Athletes who are devoted to their sport often can struggle in the classroom after learning their injury is season ending, but once again Hogg proved she was different. As she was completing her year-long senior capstone project, she would arrive on campus at 6 a.m. most days and wouldn't get home until 6 p.m.
"Ironically, you'd think I would have more time to focus on my studies but in reality I had less," Hogg said. "On top of training I was spending as much time as possible in the training room, doing additional rehab and strength work."
While difficult for Hogg to sit on the sidelines and watch her team struggle to an upsetting 1-8 conference record, she used that time to find motivation to come back a better, stronger player. In 2016, she started the first 13 matches of the season, leading her team in minutes played.
But a knee injury she suffered on Oct. 6 against Oregon cost her to miss six conference games.
"This last season I knew that I would be able to return in time for conference play so I just focused on that," Hogg said. "I also couldn't have done it without (athletic trainer) Kari (Kebach). She did everything humanly possible to rehab me back in time."
Rather than watching her team go 1-8 like the previous season, she watched them go 4-2 during the time she was out. And this time she was able to return for the final conference game of the season at home against Utah.
"It was definitely tough to sit out a large amount of the conference games," she said. "As a Pac-12 player you live for those big games against top teams like Stanford and UCLA."
CU women's soccer finished their season on a historic note, with Hogg healthy enough to participate in the two NCAA matches against Oklahoma State and South Carolina. The Buffs tied the school record of most wins in a season with a 15-6-1 record and ranked No. 20 in the country.
"The team performed great and were able to get us back into the NCAA tourney," Hogg said. "It was awesome that I was ready to come back for those games."
As Hogg wraps up her college career, she still hopes to continue playing soccer professionally – but back in Australia. Eventually she plans continue her engineering studies with a masters in sports or design engineering.
What will she miss most about CU?
"Everything, really," she said. "I have loved being able to combine my academic and athletic pursuits at CU. I'm definitely going to miss early morning training sessions out at Prentup with the team. The team has literally been my family here for the past three years and I have had the most amazing experience."
