At every stage of her soccer career, Katie Larkin has found ways to elevate her game to higher and higher levels.
During her time at Alta, Larkin powered the Hawks to a pair of state titles and left her mark as one of the state's most prolific scorers ever. She did not miss a beat in four years at BYU, where she was named an All-American three times and earned Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors as a senior.
Now Larkin's talent has taken her to the summit of higher levels — a professional career.
The ex-Cougar forward was selected 19th overall in the inaugural Women's Professional Soccer Draft by the Los Angeles Sol on Jan. 16. Larkin was Sol's third round selection and the fifth player taken in that round.
She ended up being the lone player drafted from either BYU or the MWC and it took a while for the new direction her life had taken to sink in.
"I don't think it had really hit me yet until someone said, 'Man, you're a professional athlete,"' Larkin said. "Soccer has always been fun and a game to me. To all the sudden know you've taken it to the next level is definitely exciting."
For Larkin, it represents a chance to mingle with some of the world's best players. The Sol have filled out their roster with a virtual who's who in women's soccer. She will train and play alongside the likes of Shannon Boxx, Aly Wagner and three-time FIFA player of the year Marta.
Larkin feels thrilled with the opportunity just to be a part of what is already shaping up to be an elite WPS team.
"It's really exciting to be able to play with some of the players I grew up watching and idolizing," Larkin said. "It's just going to be crazy to be their teammate now."
Being in the mix may feel a little surreal to Larkin. But Sol head coach Abner Rogers harbors no doubt she fits right in with that highly talented group.
Rogers witnessed Larkin's abilities firsthand while coaching on the national and Olympic Development Program levels. In his opinion, she brings plenty of desirable qualities to the table for Los Angeles.
"Technically, she's a very good player," Rogers said. "Her work rate is tremendous. I think she can play more than one position well."
On a team filled with players sporting a wide range of skills, Larkin is quite versatile. She is a natural midfielder and can distribute the ball with ease. But Larkin can also score at will when the need arises.
Her senior season at Alta offers a good look at how Larkin can evolve to fill different roles. The Hawks looked to her to fill a scoring void after losing their top striker to a broken leg about halfway through the season.
Larkin responded by scoring 34 goals and dishing out 24 assists. Her ability to dominate served Alta well in a successful state title run.
Longtime Hawks coach Lee Mitchell has no doubt she will also excel as a pro.
"There's nobody that deserves it more than Katie," Mitchell said. "She always works hard. She always has. From the time I first knew her until now, I've never seen her take a day off."
That drive to succeed was first sowed in Larkin early in her club soccer days. She was not a starter and often got lost in the shuffle. When Larkin came home discouraged after not playing in a game at all, her dad encouraged her to outwork her competition so she could earn more playing time. Larkin followed his advice and her skills quickly blossomed.
If she is to carve out an important role with the Sol, Larkin will rely on the same brand of persistence and determination to get there.
"That's one of the biggest keys — having faith in yourself that you deserve to be here and you're good enough and you can do this," Larkin said.
Training camp for Larkin begins in March. Los Angeles will kick start the initial WPS season when it hosts the Washington Freedom on March 29th at the Home Depot Center.
E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com