Since joining the Utah soccer team in 2003, Amanda Feigt has fought to make her mark. Despite all the success the junior forward has had during her career, she never allows herself to let up.
"You have to give it your all and earn your spot every day," said Feigt. Although Feigt has started for the Utes since her freshman season, she knows that nothing is guaranteed. "If I see someone in my same position playing better, I will fight," Feigt said. "It's kind of my territory, but I have earned it, and I want to keep it,"she said.
It is this attitude and work ethic that has helped Feigt end up where she is today. This year, she led the Utes to a 6-0-1 conference record and a second regular-season Mountain West title. Although Utah fell 1-0 to Arizona in the first round of the NCAA College Cup, the team ended the season with a 14-7-1 overall record.
Feigt ranked first in the league in goals (5) and points (11) in conference games, and tied for first in game-winning goals (2). She was also named the 2005 Offensive Player of the Year and received first team all-conference honors for a third consecutive year.
Feigt has been posting these kinds of stats from the first day she put on a Utah jersey. As a freshman, she started all 20 games and was named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. Feigt also scored the game-winning goal in an overtime win over in-state rival BYU, which she describes as one of her "greatest thrills."
Although Feigt's numbers and awards are impressive, it is her balancing act that makes her stand out from other athletes.
She has also competed for the Utah track-and-field team for two years. Last year, she finished third in the long jump, fourth in the 400 hurdles and sixth in the heptathlon at the 2005 MWC Outdoor Championships.
According to Feigt, the secret to training for two sports is to only focus on one at a time. "I just concentrate on a sport each season,"said Feigt. "I will start track when soccer is over and vice versa," she said.
Since both sports require a lot of running, Feigt has no problem staying in shape all yearlong. Besides running, soccer and track don't have too many similarities. However, Feigt enjoys the variety that comes from competing in an individual and team sport.
"In soccer, you have 10 other players that can cover for you," said Feigt. "Individually if you mess up, there is nothing you can do about it. But at the same time, you don't have to worry about what other players are doing," she said.
In high school, the Sandy native was a multisport athlete at Jordan High. When Utah soccer coach Rich Manning began recruiting Feigt, she expressed hopes of continuing both soccer and track in college. Manny helped make that dream a reality.
"Through him, I showed interest in both and he talked to the track coaches,"said Feigt. At just five years of age, Feigt began getting involved in sports. Aside from the many opportunities that athletics offer, Feigt feels that as a female, competition has brought something else to her life.
"It made me focus on things other than just boys and partying,"she said. "Sports gives girls confidence and an assertiveness that not a lot of women have," she said. "It has always helped me keep all of my priorities straight."