University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Mallie McKenzie
October 16, 2023 | Soccer, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Back in October 2019, when Mallie McKenzie was a bright-eyed freshman on the Georgia soccer team, she sat down for her first Quick Chat. The most memorable part was when she talked about taking an 8 a.m. anatomy and physiology lab class that included a cadaver. "It gives me an uneasy feeling, but it's not terrible. It's actually really cool seeing the inside of an actual body," she said four years ago.
A lot has happened since then, from a pandemic to a coaching change to the Bulldogs advancing to second round of the NCAA tournament last season. So far this season, McKenzie has a goal and three assists in 14 games. Georgia (7-3-4, 3-2-2 SEC) hosts Kentucky (8-1-5, 2-1-4) at the Turner Soccer Complex on Thursday.
On morning last week, after the Bulldogs wrapped up practice, McKenzie, who graduated last December and is working on her Master's, said that lab class her freshman year informed her decision to change majors. She also talked about where she'd like to be in 10 years, if she's thought about coaching one day, and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: I remember the last time we did one of these, you talked about seeing a cadaver in your freshman lab.
McKenzie: Changed my major [laughs] after that. After that experience with cadavers, the science realm was not for me. I took a coding class and I liked it, so I changed to management and information systems, so it's kind of mixing business with data analytics and a few coding languages.
I graduated last fall, but I wanted to take my fifth year, which would allow me to get my Master's. I'm currently doing that in consumer analytics.
Frierson: So, in a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years? Or two years, whichever way you want to go?
McKenzie: In two years? I'm playing soccer abroad and just getting to explore but also getting to play the game that I love while I still can. In 10 years? Living in a city with a group of friends that I love and feeling fulfilled with the career that I have. I also hope that I've found a new athletic passion that's not exactly as competitive (as soccer) but still gives me something to look forward to.
Frierson: Do you already that something in mind as far as a new athletic passion?
McKenzie: I did cross country in high school my senior year, and it piqued my running interest. I think I would want to do a marathon, which is a pretty common pipeline for girls soccer players. You see a lot of them transitioning to more running and then doing a marathon.
I feel like the community around marathons is so cool. Watching the New York marathon and the one in Chicago, you see the environment that people bring, and it just looks cool. And it would be something to be able to say that I did.
Frierson: Is soccer enjoyable in a different way now versus when you first got to Georgia?
McKenzie: Yes! My freshman year was so frantic and chaotic, and I was a walk-on, so I was trying to go in there and do whatever I could to prove that I deserved to be there. Every time I got on the field, adrenaline was spraying through me because I was like, oh, my gosh, what is this? It was a really cool experience.
I really did enjoy that time because it was all so new and I was getting to play and it was really fun, but now, I love it so much more because I'm much more confident in what I'm doing. The coaching staff here — both coaching staffs, but especially now — has given me such good tips on ways to grow my game. I'm much more calm on the ball now. Freshman year, I'd get the ball and be happy I connected a pass, and now it's more thoughtful and a lot more about our game plan.
I also enjoy all of the nitty-gritty behind it, and I understand why we're doing what we're doing. Being about to show that on the field is something that's really cool to me.
Frierson: Does that make you think about coaching at all, whether it's at this level or working with girls that are just starting out?
McKenzie: I think about it. I don't think I would ever want to do it at this competitive of a level, but I don't think I could completely let soccer go out of my life. I was a camp counselor growing up, so I love little kids, and I think I definitely would want to have a little league team or something like that.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
