Athlete Spotlight
Hometown
Tumwater, Wash. |
High
School
Black Hills |
Year
Senior |
Major
Mathematics |
Kyle Haag set the PLU single-game record for
three-point field goal shooting percentage when she made all six
of her attempts in a Feb. 10, 2007 home game against Whitworth.
Haag is in her third year in the PLU women's basketball program
and figures to be a major contributor on offense this season.
Describe
your family. How have they helped you in your athletic career?
My family consists of my parents, Steve and Aileen, and
my brother, Jake, who is three years older than me. My parents
have always been very supportive and have encouraged my brother
and me to follow our heart and dreams. They have always been there
for me, whether it was in sports and I wanted a rebounder to practice
my shooting, or needed to get to a 6 o'clock practice north of
Seattle on a Friday night, or in important decisions I have had
to make like transferring schools after my freshman year of college.
My parents are really great and I am very thankful for all they
have done for me. My brother has also been very supportive and
encouraging. Since Jake is older than me, growing up I always
wanted to do everything that he did, especially when it came to
sports and playing basketball. He has always been a role model
of mine and even though he currently lives in Chicago and can’t
really make any games he is still very supportive and keeps up
on how the season is going.
What made you decide to come to PLU?
I spent my freshman year at Colorado State University-Pueblo.
However, after my freshman year, I decided to transfer to a school
in the Northwest. The summer following my freshman year, my mom
and I took college visits to pretty much every school in Washington
and Oregon. When I visited PLU, I instantly felt at home walking
around the campus and I really liked the community atmosphere
PLU has. I also chose to come to PLU because of its strong academic
and athletic reputation and because it is close enough to home
so my parents can attend a lot of my games.
What
has been your favorite class at PLU?
It is really hard to pick just one class and so I will pick two.
The first was Differential Equations with Professor Mei Zhu, which
I took last spring. I enjoyed this class because of the course
content and the professor. Professor Zhu always has a smile on
her face and makes learning fun in her classroom. I also really
liked this class because we were able to use differential equations
to construct models for the real world which made the math seem
more real rather than so abstract. The other class is Math in
Secondary School with Professor Celine Dorner. Again, I enjoyed
this class because of the course content and the professor. Porfessor
Dorner is just so passionate about math education and how to be
a good, effective teacher that you can’t help but become
interested in math education. I also really liked this class because
it was interesting to view math education from the teacher's point
of view and to learn different ways to effectively teach high
school math concepts.
Have you had any trouble balancing athletics
with academics?
It has been difficult at times, but I think that any college student,
not just athletes, face the challenge of balancing academics with
their other activities and responsibilities. I think sometimes
being in basketball has helped me to get things done because I
know that I don’t have time to procrastinate and forces
me to manage my time better.
What are you plans after college?
I am still trying to figure out what I want to do after I graduate,
but right now I am kind of leaning toward getting my Masters in
Teaching and then pursuing a career as a math teacher.
When your athletic career is all said
and done, what is it that you would want people to say about you?
I hope people will say that I am someone who has a lot of heart
and passion for the game of basketball and someone who always
worked hard, gave 110 percent, and left it all out on the court.
I hope my teammates will say that I was a good teammate and team
player who even though I was not the most vocal on the team was
a leader by example with my strong work ethic.
Describe your hometown and what you miss
about it the most.
I am from Tumwater, which is only about 30 miles south of PLU.
What I miss most about Tumwater is just being home, having family
dinners, and hanging out with my family, such as watching Gonzaga
basketball games together. I also miss The Valley, an athletic
club that is my home away from home in Tumwater. I spend a lot
of time there playing basketball with my dad rebounding for me
when I am home on break.
What's your favorite spot on campus?
Olson Auditorium and Names Fitness Center
What is your favorite restaurant in Tacoma?
The Harmon
What music is playing in your ipod right
now?
I little bit of everything.
