Kaylee Tadych '17 experienced one of the more unique careers of a Ripon College student-athlete during her time with the Red Hawks' women's soccer program. After beginning her career at UW-Stevens Point, where she appeared in just seven games as a freshman, Tadych transferred to Ripon prior to her sophomore campaign. While at Ripon, Tadych grew into an All-Region selection and three-time All-Conference performer who still holds the school record for career assists with 46 in just three seasons, which is 13 more than the next-highest total. Her 46 assists are tied for the most in the 100-year history of the Midwest Conference.
"Playing soccer at Ripon really allowed me to form relationships with people that I still have today, while also giving me an outlet and a foundation to build on," Tadych said. "Athletics at Ripon really provided me with experiences that I wouldn't have had otherwise by traveling and forming close friendships with my teammates."
In her first season with the Red Hawks, Tadych played all 18 games, recording six goals, 10 assists, and 40 points. She followed that up with 10 goals and a single season school and conference record of 20 assists, which ranked second in all of NCAA Division-III. That helped Ripon qualify for the MWC Tournament for the first time in program history.
"The memory that sticks out in my mind is when we defeated Monmouth that season, which helped us qualify for the MWC Tournament. It was an overtime scenario and after I scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime period, the entire team rushed onto the field," Tadych said. "It was pure happiness with the people I had built the best connections with. It's a memory I'll never forget because we knew we had accomplished something big for the program and what we had just accomplished was going to be the new standard."
After that season, Tadych's career was put on hold due to the birth of her son Carson, which caused her to sit out the entire 2015 season and return the following year as a fifth-year senior.
"Part of me wondered if having a baby prior to her senior season would be the end of her playing career," former Ripon Head Women's Soccer Coach Sam Schroeder said. "She returned to the team as a full-time mom and student, while working part-time as an EMT, only to lead all of Division-III in assists with 16. Tadych just epitomizes what it means to be resilient."
After going 13-7, including 8-2 in the MWC during her junior season, Ripon fell to 7-10-1 (3-7 MWC) during her one year hiatus. Upon her return, Tadych again helped make the team successful, as they went 14-3-1 (5-3-1 MWC) during her senior season of 2016, which saw the program become regionally ranked for the first time in school history. The team didn't lose a game until the 15th game of that season, marking the best start in program history. In addition to her gaudy assist numbers, Tadych also ranked 15th in D-III for points per game (2.47) that season, while scoring 13 goals, en route to Third Team All-Region honors.
"Tadych has a different type of personality where she's one of the most passionate competitors I've ever been around," Schroeder said. "That made her a little volatile at times, but I'd like to think I was able to connect with her and help her manage because I had a really similar mentality as a player. Her teammates knew she just wanted to win and once you understood that part of Tadych, then she's one of the best teammates you'll ever have because you knew she would fight for the team and do everything she could to put in a quality performance and get a winning result."
That competitiveness was on full display from the moment Schroeder first saw Tadych in action.
"Former Ripon men's soccer coach Lance Gordon saw her playing in an indoor Tuesday night men's league and she was just kicking the crap out of the guys she was playing against," Schroeder recalled. "He called me and said, 'you need to get here right now.' Knowing her now, nothing about that is surprising because she just loved to play and compete."
After going 4-5-1 in the MWC the year before she arrived, Ripon never had a losing conference record in the three years that Tadych was on the field. In addition to her 46 career assists, she also finished her career with 29 goals and 104 total points, which still rank eighth and fifth, respectively, in program history.
"Tadych was a very different type of player in that most high-end women's soccer players are exceptionally mobile while running fast and creating scoring chances by beating people for speed. Instead, Tadych would beat her opponent with the pass. She could receive just about any ball, bring it under control, and find a way to slip a teammate into a dangerous area or create a shot for herself," Schroeder said. "I've never found another player who could match her skill set in that area, and when you had two fast players on either side of her, the opposition didn't stand much of a chance. You could try to limit her passing options but then she'd score herself. The only way to deal with Tadych was to never let her get the ball. If she received it, you were in trouble."
As much as Tadych helped Schroeder become a successful coach, he helped her just as much as a player.
"Coach Schroeder was my most influential coach," Tadych said. "He and I had a mutual understanding on what the goal was for the team, which I appreciated, but he wasn't just a coach. He took it upon himself to not only lead on the field but also make sure we as people were doing well, mentally, personally, and physically."
Originally from Kaukauna, Wis., Tadych majored in Biology at Ripon College. She and her husband Brent currently reside in Oshkosh, Wis. with their son. She currently serves as an investigator for the Ripon Police Department.
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