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One of LU’s newer hires is a super soccer sensation home after a stint in Sweden, but she’ll never tell you that. Neither will Tara Austin share that she recently qualified for the Boston Marathon or that she raised $5,000 for local organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the accomplished athlete does get animated when talking about LU athletics, her role as an academic specialist for the Lamar Cardinals and what she looks forward to when the pandemic is over. Tara, a Beaumont native, graduated from Kelly Catholic High School where she was an award-winning soccer player. She attended Belmont University in Nashville, playing soccer for the Bruins.

After college, Tara continued playing soccer as a professional in Sweden. In 2018 she moved home, became an assistant soccer coach for her high school alma mater and in June of 2019 accepted a position in LU Athletics. “When I first talked to Marco Born, we instinctively bonded over the student athletic experience,” said Tara. “He expects a lot out of us and knows we have a lot of potential and can do great things. I appreciate the strides he’s made and can’t wait to see what the future holds.” Day to day, Tara works with student athlete members of the women’s soccer team, softball team and men’s baseball team. She meets with them individually to assist with registration of classes, class schedules, advising and even career development and job placement. “I love working with each student athlete and developing a relationship with them. As a former athlete I know what they struggle with and know what they want and what they are working toward. The fact that I can relate and we can bond is the best part.”

"I hope they find the positives in this situation. Maybe there are some things they weren’t able to do but could because of the pandemic. Or maybe some things they were better off with because of the situation. Just stay positive and we’ll get through this together."

In all honesty, however, as much as Tara enjoys building relationships with her athletes, she’s the first to admit the pinnacle of her LU job is seeing her athletes perform. “I just sit and watch and take it all in. I love going out to all of the games that my student athletes are playing in. Seeing them on the field and watching them do what they love and represent the university at the same time is really rewarding.” One of Tara’s “many” favorite ‘LU moments’ happened this year at one of the women’s soccer games. LU was playing Abilene Christian and it was a high scoring game, intense and fast-paced. “It was really awesome to watch because they were giving it everything they had; you can really appreciate that as a student athlete…giving everything they had. We won 6 to 4.”

Occasionally, like that night LU crushed Abilene, Tara wants to jump from the stands and enter the game but she’s satisfied watching athletes work hard to achieve victory on and off the field. “I do definitely miss it. I get a little jealous they get to go out and play, but I also know that time has come and gone for me and I now enjoy what I do in a different aspect. I always enjoyed athletics but now I’m putting it all together and helping others succeed.” It wasn’t that long ago that Tara was on the field herself succeeding. She was an all-state TAPPS soccer player for Kelly High School. She then played for Belmont where she started the second-most games – 73 - in the school’s program history.

Afterwards she had the opportunity to play for the Swedish professional women’s football team, Sunnanå in Skellefteå, Sweden. Tara played for Sunnanå for a season. The team came in second in its division, which made Tara proud but win or lose she enjoyed the experience and wouldn’t trade what she learned. “It was definitely an interesting experience and a huge learning experience, certainly a worthwhile one. I got to meet really cool people and play the sport I love.”

Although not playing professionally, Tara is playing soccer. In normal, non-pandemic times, Tara plays on a co-ed soccer team at the Chris Quinn Soccer Complex and looks forward to getting back to league play. “When this is all over (the pandemic) I look forward to enjoying the company of my friends again. I haven’t been able to see any of them and I’m missing dribbling the soccer ball with some of my friends.” In the meantime, Tara continues to work at LU contacting her athletes weekly.

She has hosted ZOOM meetings and study halls for entire teams whose members are spread out across the country, and she calls them and texts them individually to make sure they are safe and staying in the right frame of mind. "I hope they find the positives in this situation. Maybe there are some things they weren’t able to do but could because of the pandemic. Or maybe some things they were better off with because of the situation. Just stay positive and we’ll get through this together."

Tara is not only positive and encouraging positivity but she’s making a positive impact on Southeast Texas. Although she didn’t mention her running pursuits during the interview for this profile, Tara was recently profiled in the Beaumont Enterprise for qualifying for the Boston Marathon. As reported in the article, when the Boston Marathon was postponed due to COVID-19, Tara, disappointed about the turn of events and not wanting to lose her training momentum running 50 to 60 miles a week, she organized a charity event. Tara created a Go Fund me account proposing to run a 14-mile course on May 4, 14 days after the date of the original date of the marathon. She set a goal to raise $1,400 to donate to 14 local small businesses and nonprofit organizations impacted by the pandemic. Tara ran and raised more than $5,000.