Katelyn Meyer of UC San Diego Women's Soccer has made her face on the team a recognizable one thanks in part to her engagement on the pitch for every minute of the 2021 season, a trend that has continued throughout 2022 as well.
 
No matter the number of matches, Katelyn's coaches can count on her defense for the entirety of the soccer season. Meyer prides herself in being a reliable player, reflecting on her time on the team as genuinely "rewarding."
 
The epic force of No. 2 on the field can't be denied, still Katelyn shared that her greatest power lies in her mental strength. Vulnerability and strength go hand in hand, according to Katelyn, who revealed that, "Being dependent on myself to achieve my own goals... I think that can be a hard thing sometimes. But it's almost equally important to be able to lean on people in your corner."
 
Meyer emphasized the importance of balancing physical robustness with mental vigor, particularly in being a Division I scholar-athlete. Named to The Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll for 2021, Katelyn articulated some of her struggles with upholding that mental toughness in the past. "There were times when I didn't feel my best athletically. But those performances that I didn't feel so great about then, taught me that when your mind is strong, you can definitely perform at a higher level, which is a really cool thing," she said. 
 
Katelyn credits her father for encouraging her to maintain her grit and determination through the ups and downs. One of the most important values he taught her is that failure precedes success. "I have this little crumpled up piece of paper with a special quote that my dad gave me when I was in high school." Katelyn shared. Whether it's just an off day or a bad practice, this paper serves as a reminder for Katelyn, that no matter where she is in life, to hold true to the values that have been instilled in her.

 

These days, Katelyn calls the field home – but not just Triton Soccer Stadium. Her second home is in the field, discovering answers for algae sustainability and coral resilience. 
 
A marine biology major with a minor in climate change studies, Katelyn shared that while it may sound cliche, she'd always grown up with an unconditional love of the sea. Reflecting on the delight her family has had living by the water, she remarked, "The ocean is a really cool place that has a lot of answers."
 
While Katelyn's first childhood encounter with algae at the beach wasn't necessarily a memorable moment, she said that she's always been compelled to make the world a better place. Her passion comes from her care for the environment and awareness of her instinct that "we can change the world to go in a better direction than where we're heading right now."
 
Meyer currently volunteers for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the Smith Lab, working on a project with Asparagopsis taxiformis, a species of red algae. "Sorry to get scientific on you," she laughed. 
 
Katelyn deemed the lab she takes part in to be her "dream lab, basically," given the way the Smith Lab closely correlates with her research interests. The lab looks into how this particular species of red algae can be used in a sustainable way. Katelyn disclosed, "Basically, there's a chemical in there (the algae). We feed it to the cattle, and it actually reduces their methane production."
 
Cattle are an astronomical agricultural source of greenhouse gasses worldwide, producing loads of potent methane that contributes to climate change by warming the atmosphere.
 
According to the scholar-athlete, algae can be grouped with primary producers as a main source of food. Elaborating on this, Katelyn said that "Algae is a very important part of our oceans. It's not only the main foundation of a lot of food webs, but there are also a lot of perks and things we can use algae for in the future – like biofuels, and kind of what my lab is doing right now."
 
Katelyn voiced that "educating the future about climate change, how we can bend the curve and put an end to it… it's just so important." Pursuing her minor in climate change studies, the marine biology major expressed her feelings that "Climate change studies at UCSD should be advertised more, and also as something that the university is proud of." Katelyn's suggestion that UC San Diego should more frequently offer and encourage these kinds of courses supports her feeling that despite limited numbers of seats in such classes, "we definitely need to get more people into this discussion."
 
She reflected, "In some of my lower division classes like with general biology and chemistry, I was often the only girl in my lab group," continuing that this phenomena was something that happened often enough for her to notice it, but moreover served as a reminder that she's "here for a reason and capable of doing this, too." 
 
For all that, Meyer communicated that with marine biology, specifically, she sees a lot of women in the field. She shared that she's "actually been working with one of the girls on the UC San Diego Track and Cross Country team, just sort of helping out and doing some microscope work," later revealing that this connection with a fellow Triton athlete is actually how Katelyn made her way into the lab at Scripps. 
 
It's no secret that securing a spot to assist with research in these demanding labs is both difficult and limited. Katelyn advised undergraduates with similar interests as her to "do something to make yourself stand out, make friends with classmates, or honestly have a good connection, like I did." 
 
The future marine scientist considered the imminent question of what the community can do to help further bend the curve. There are so many different answers, she said. Yet the most important answer is simple. "Just making conscious efforts to live a more sustainable life. It's the little things that make a difference, and no one thing is ever too small. If people are just making that one effort each day and trying something new sustainably, that sure is a step in the right direction," she declared. 
 
Reflecting on a recent conversation with her teammates, Meyer explained how fast fashion is "one of the absolute worst things that we can do." This sped up process of mass-producing cheap, trendy clothing constitutes a pressure to reduce costs and accelerate production time, therefore neglecting environmental needs. 
 
Katelyn's teammates are not only those who she can chat with about topics ranging from fast fashion to favorite pasta dishes, but also those who understand her best, outside of being center back. 
 
Team co-captain Keara Fitzgerald reflected on her bond with Katelyn. "Personally, Katelyn has taken to me like an older sister," revealing how the pair have embarked on many adventures together outside of the excursion to the field for practice. No matter where they are nor what adventure they're taking, she said that Katelyn is "the purest soul who is in love with the nature around her." Between morning surf sessions and late night ice cream runs, Keara remarked that "it's impossible to pick just one favorite memory with her. Both on and off the field, Katelyn has always been my right-hand girl."
 


Between good friends and gnarly waves, Meyer expressed her fulfillment in choosing to move to SoCal and attend UC San Diego. "If I have a free day, I'm gonna spend it at the beach. I really love just hanging out, spending time with friends, relaxing with a book, and exploring." Katelyn has found San Diego to be the perfect home for her personal vibe. "I'm so happy I ended up here. I think I picked a pretty good spot for college and I don't really see myself leaving here… ever. It's been amazing, honestly."
 
Under the La Jolla sun, Meyer speculated about her high school persona and recognized how not only her passion for the ocean has swelled, but also how she has grown immensely since then, largely attributing the positive internal changes to her environment. "Now I'm just very much able to express myself and I feel like that's the byproduct of where I am," she said. 
 
Diving several years deeper into her future, Katelyn confessed that she could definitely be found living along the coast. She expressed interest in possibly pursuing her PhD, but remarked, "I don't really know for sure yet. But I know that I definitely want to discover more on how we can genetically modify coral reefs in order to make them more resilient to climate change and just to accelerate that process to eliminate mass coral bleach events." 
 
Devoted to the field, Katelyn's words of wisdom included "You have to be passionate about what you are doing, or you're simply not going to do it well. For me, I'd rather be happy doing something that I am truly passionate about, over being really wealthy but miserable with my job. I really didn't see myself pursuing anything other than this." 


 
Though almost everything in life is uncertain, one thing is for sure: this center back is bringing algae back.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.