A lot of students at Wesleyan assume that their small college in the middle of Buckhannon, W.Va. is just that: small and easily forgotten by anyone not from around the state. What many tend to forget, however, is the presence that Wesleyan has all over the United States and, as senior English major Tom Ingall from Corsham, England shows, all over other continents as well.
“While playing soccer at home for my County, Wiltshire, I was scouted and asked if I had ever considered playing abroad,” Ingall says. “I went on a couple of trials and then signed for an agency called Pass4Soccer. They represented me and put me in contact with the Head Coach of West Virginia Wesleyan, and here I am.”
Since coming to Wesleyan, Ingall has been a part of some huge team highs and has proved himself to be an essential and integral part of the team. He notes that scoring the game winner against Wesleyan’s rivals, and arguably the best team in Conference, Charleston, was a real career high for him in college.
Although Ingall has experienced extreme success throughout his collegiate career, he has also had times of deep lows and disappointment, the biggest of which came with an injury he suffered during his junior year at Wesleyan.
“My time through college was plagued with injury,” Ingall says. “My all time low was tearing my ACL last year against D&E, as I honestly felt my career was over.”
Luckily, Ingall was able to play for his senior year, and the fond memories that he has made with the team more than make up for the injuries he has endured.
“I think that the biggest perk of being on the team is the friendships I have made,” he says. “I also like how everyone seems to know you are on a sports team even though you may not have spoken to them before. It also keeps me busy and in shape. I get to do something I love!”
For someone so passionate about the sport he has perfected, it seems natural that Ingall will continue his work with soccer, if not by playing then in other ways. Ingall, who has a minor in business, will be staying at Wesleyan next year to get his MBA. While doing so, he hopes to keep the activity that he loves an integral part of his life by giving back to the team.
“I’d like to coach,” says Ingall. “Due to having so many injuries, I am no longer in a position to play. I have to think about my future, and that means looking after my body, too.”
Although his collegiate career may be at an end, it is easy to say that Ingall made a huge impact while playing at Wesleyan—an impact that he will continue to make on the lives of those he will coach and anyone else who loves the sport as much as he does.