BACK IN MY DAY: Maxine Goynes '11 Looks Back As Part of the 50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics

BACK IN MY DAY: Maxine Goynes '11 Looks Back As Part of the 50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics

Written by Michelle Schmitt

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Santa Clara is catching up with many of the women celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics.  Today we look back with Bronco women's soccer player Maxine Goynes '11 (MG), who played for the Broncos from 2007-10.  The Modesto, Calif. native led the Broncos to the NCAA tournament three times and was twice named to the All-WCC honorable mention team. 

SCU: What does 50 Years of Bronco Women's Athletics mean to you? What does it mean to you to have played in the first 50 years? What was it like for you to play at Santa Clara?

MG: Playing at Santa Clara was like playing for family. The University itself is such a tight knit community of people. I was proud to wear my jersey with the embroidered words SANTA CLARA across my jersey. To be able to say that I contributed and participated in the legacy that is Santa Clara makes me proud, makes my family proud and makes my hometown of Modesto proud. There are only so many women that get that opportunity to tell their children, granchildren, neighbors, and friends, " Ya, back in my day, I was able to play NCAA Division I Soccer for one of the top 15 schools in the country!"  

SCU: What was special about being a college student-athlete as a woman?

MG: The most special aspect of being a female student-athlete was the respect and recognition from people within the community, classmates and other student- athletes. We spent SO many hours preparing for this opportunity our entire life and it was so refreshing to see people at games cheering you on, or stopping you to have a conversation about your ability to not only play a sport but to play at the highest level in the country representing one of the most prestigious University's in the country.

SCU: What do you see in the future for college athletics?

MG: I hope that playing collegiate athletics is something that future youth aspire to do. I believe that being a student-athlete has made me a more well-rounded individual on and off the field. I would imagine that future college athletics would be a continued platform for students to not only have a healthy outlet to express themself but also give them a platform to make meaningful relationships that will help them in their career. I would be happy if I can be or will be a former student athlete running my own company, and then moving on to hiring other student-athletes and really finding a way to transition and take advantage of the characteristics that we learned as collegiate athletes such as dedication, responsibility, loyalty and commitment.