Senior defender Kevin McGrath has had a significant impact on the Geneseo men’s soccer program. After he leaves Geneseo, McGrath intends on pursuing a career in actuarial science. (Annalee Bainnson/photo editor)
Playing a sport in college seems to have been fated for senior defender Kevin McGrath.
Emulating not only his father, who played soccer at Washington College, but also his siblings, who were high school athletes as well, McGrath follows in a long line of athletic talent.
“My brother played baseball all through high school, and my sister ran track for all four years too,” McGrath said. “We are a pretty athletic family.”
McGrath gives his father the credit for introducing him to soccer.
“I played a bunch of different sports when I was younger, but soccer was the one I was best at, and my favorite,” he said. “My dad got me really into soccer.”
McGrath added that his father is one of his biggest role models, talking of how he comes to every game all the way from Bayport, Long Island.
“That’s a six-and-a-half-hour car ride, but somehow my dad makes it up every weekend to watch every game,” McGrath said. “[He’s] always there for support and constructive criticism since I have been playing.”
Off the field, McGrath is known to fellow mathematics majors as the president of the Geneseo actuarial club. Actuaries compile and analyze statistics to calculate insurance risks and premiums. The club aims to connect current students interested in actuarial sciences with faculty and alumni. McGrath described his duties as “holding meetings, [networking] with alumni, and [trying] to help underclassmen find internships and jobs.”
McGrath wants to be an actuary after graduating, and believes being president of the actuarial club is a beneficial step toward obtaining this goal.
McGrath has started 58 of the 63 games he has played in and started all 19 games this season. In the first game of the season against Baldwin Wallace University, McGrath scored a goal, something seldom done by a back. He has had five in his collegiate career.
To help him prepare for games, McGrath said that he always listens to his favorite music and focuses his mind on the game. He is not superstitious, so McGrath said he does not have a pregame routine.
“I have found that whether academics or athletics, truly working hard will make you see results,” McGrath said of the most important thing he has learned from Geneseo.
This mentality has helped McGrath’s game.
“I worked harder [in the off season] than I did the previous year,” he said. “I feel as though I improved as a player over the last four years.”
Aside from sports, clubs and academics, McGrath is a huge hockey fan. He plays the latest National Hockey League video games and always follows his team, the New York Rangers.
As his time with the Geneseo men’s soccer team comes to a close, McGrath is excited to finish a strong season with the team and a career in the actuarial science field post-graduation.