Elizabeth Lenart had one older brother and two older sisters who played soccer at Seymour High School.
All three of them also happened to be chosen captains for the Owls, so when Elizabeth received that honor the past two seasons, that was a special feeling for her.
“It’s a really inspiring thing. It keeps me motivated,” Lenart said. “My oldest sister (Clare) was kind of a superstar and got captain two years. My brother (Adam) got captain for a year and my other sister (Marie) a year or two, and I got it for two years.”
Lenart became involved in the sport at an early age.
“I got started with my siblings getting into soccer,” she said. “When I was in about second grade, my older siblings got in rec soccer, and my dad started coaching rec teams, so I just kind of got shoved in with my older siblings, and I always played up a couple years. So my siblings got me into it, and I just kept going. They were all really good at it, so I had big shoes to fill.
“It’s been one of my favorite things about high school. When I first came, it was the one place I knew people, and it got me involved. It has really kept me involved with the school.”
Lenart said she began playing club soccer in seventh grade.
“Coach (Greg) Musser said I could play up two years with (Marie) on a travel team,” Lenart said. “This past spring, I played on the Columbus Express team, and we won our division, so that was pretty cool.
“I think being exposed to a lot of different types of players — obviously, I know all the players from Seymour — but I met a lot of girls from (Columbus) East and Madison and a lot of different places, and they all have their own way of looking at the game and how they practice, and I think being exposed to a lot of different types of players really opens you up to being able to adjust to other players.”
She was a four-year starter for the Owls. She played outside back her freshman season before taking on the center of the defense her sophomore season.
“I tried to not let the other team score,” Lenart said. “I worked it out of the back to try and get a counterattack. I love the physical part of soccer. It hypes me up, and it lets me get out some of my anger on things and other people, so I love it. One game this season, I was called for a construction call, so for the rest of the game, you have to pick and choose your moments and keep it really clean.”
In the back, Lenart helped direct the defense.
“Communication is what keeps the team structured,” she said. “If you don’t have any communication, you better be a superstar, otherwise, nothing is going to work. You play like you practice, so it’s really important. If you have a bad practice, you better be ready to bounce back for a game.”
She has enjoyed attending Seymour High School.
“I love the environment at sporting events,” Lenart said. “I think those are great because we’ll get a lot of different kids from different sports come together and go to sporting events. At football games, the cheer blocks have been great, and at girls basketball, we have a really good crowd, too. I love getting together and getting excited for sporting events.”
Lenart also is getting it done in the classroom.
“I’m on track to be a Seymour scholar, so I’m in a lot of AP and dual-credit classes, and I’m in work-based learning,” she said. “I have an internship at Schneck Primary Care. That is something I really enjoy.”
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Name: Elizabeth Lenart
High school: Seymour
Parents: David and Karen Lenart
Siblings: Clare, Adam, Marie, Anne and Rachel
Sports: Soccer, four years; track and field, one year
Athletic highlights: All-District, All-Hoosier Hills Conference, The Tribune’s Jackson County Girls Soccer Player of the Year, winning the Hoosier Cup, tying the school record for shutouts in a season, captain two years, advancing to the sectional finals twice
Organizations: National Honor Society, DARE role model, St. Ambrose youth ministry, student athletic board, pep club
Plans after high school: Attend college and study nursing
Favorite food: Macaroni and cheese
Favorite TV show: "Reba"
Favorite musicians: Thomas Rhett, Tim McGraw
Favorite movie: "Napoleon Dynamite"
Favorite team: U.S. national women’s soccer team
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