KATIE LUTZ … GRADES AND GOALS ALL WRAPPED INTO ONE

Our community is packed with a ton of talented soccer players.  Leading the pack this season is Weddington High School Senior Katie Lutz.  The 17 year old soccer dynamo is set to begin her final season of high school soccer next month.  Following the year, Katie, the daughter of Brent and Jane Lutz, will head to Chapel Hill on a soccer scholarship to play for legendary coach Anson Dorrance.  Katie will become a part of the most successful ladies soccer program of all-time, UNC-Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have won 18 National Soccer Championships and Katie aims to help add to the total.

Following in the footsteps of household soccer names like Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Carla Overbeck, Katie is eager to begin her career in Carolina Blue.  But first, her attention is set on helping Weddington compete for the Conference Title.  The Warriors were knocked out of the playoffs last season in the second round. Katie was named to the All-State team following the season.

“I am excited about going to Carolina, but I have a few goals I want to accomplish at Weddington first. We only lost two seniors from last year and everyone has been working hard.  We are going to have to play really well to beat Providence and Myers Park.  Our goal is to win the conference and advance in the State Tournament.”

With the help of fellow Warriors Elizabeth Hanna, Mary Kate Richardson and Lee Page Weddington will be very tough to beat this spring.

Away from Weddington High School, Katie is a member of the Greensboro Twisters Premier Team and plays midfield and defense.  She has also been a part of the North Carolina Olympic Development Team and the Southeast Olympic Development Team. Playing on these high level teams has provided exposure to the top college programs in the country.  Before choosing the Tar Heels, Katie narrowed her college choices to Duke, Oklahoma State, Texas A & M, TCU and UNC. 

One may ask, Why all the Midwestern schools?  Katie and her family moved from Shelby, NC  to Tulsa, OK at age 13 before returning to North Carolina last year.  Fortunately for Katie, Oklahoma also has a strong youth soccer program and she was able to continue her soccer development.

Amazingly, all of this success came to a young lady that at age 5 cried when her parents signed her up for to play soccer with a bunch of boys.

“I cried so much and wanted to quit, but I played and really began to enjoy the sport. I am so thankful my parents didn’t let me quit the team.”

Away from the soccer field, Katie has worked hard to obtain a 4.7 GPA. She hopes to major in Pre-Med at UNC. In the past, Katie has volunteered at Presbyterian Hospital in the Emergency Room. Shadowing the nurses has led to her desire to study for a career in medicine.

Katie’s mother Jane is very proud of her daughter.

“Katie has been a wonderful daughter, she has made us so proud with everything she has done.  We are so excited about the choice she made for college and we can’t wait to watch her play.”

Katie is very thankful of the support given to her by her parent.

“My parents have taken me everywhere. They have sacrificed so much for me to be able to have the best coaches in the area.  Without them, I would never have this opportunity.”

The next few months will be very exciting for Katie.  The Weddington soccer season will begin, she will sign her National Letter of Intent with UNC, graduation will be here in June and then comes the two hour drive over to Chapel Hill.  The South Charlotte Sports Report will keep you updated on Katie’s progress as she enters this exciting time of her life.