In the first of a series, we check in with Brandeis student-athletes about how they've handled the unique situations presented by the spring and summer of 2020.
Daria Bakhtiari '21 was selected as a captain of the women's soccer team for the 2020 season. She is an All-UAA midfielder, earning second-team honors as a sophomore and honorable mention as a junior. She was third on the team in scoring in 2019 with six goals and three assists for 15 points. She also had three goals and an assist in conference play, tied for third in goals and fourth in points. Her UAA goals came in a 2-0 win over Case Western Reserve, a 3-2 loss at Rochester, and a 1-0 win over NYU, when her goal in the 63rd minute proved to be the game-winner. Bakhtiari is a Health: Science, Society, and Policy major who is a two-time Academic All-UAA selection as well.
How did your classes go last semester? Did you do well with virtual learning?
I spent the first part of the semester studying in Copenhagen, Denmark. Overall, my classes went very well in person and I loved participating in them in Europe. Once I came home, virtual learning was definitely much more difficult than I anticipated and I didn't feel as though I was learning as well.
How did you spend your free time?
During my free time, I wasn't able to do much once coming back to the US. I mostly focused on working out, but that could only take up so much of my time.
How have you kept engaged with your coaches and teammates?
Luckily, my team stayed in touch a lot during quarantine and into this summer. We had weekly movies that we all watched and then we zoomed once a week to talk about movies and update each other on our lives. [Coach Shimko] was also very helpful during this time and the seniors were able to talk to her a lot which we all appreciated.
How have you kept in shape for your sport?
For soccer, it has definitely been harder to stay in shape than I thought. For the first 2-3 months of quarantine, all the soccer fields around my house were closed, so I had to figure out ways to get touches on the ball in my own backyard and house. Also, all summer leagues have been canceled in Massachusetts, which is definitely hard for me because now we are going back into the season without playing a full game at soccer speed for months. I have been able to stay in shape luckily even with gyms being closed, but being fit is much different than being in soccer shape which is unfortunate and causing stress on many of us.
What's the first thing you want to do when you get back onto campus?
The first thing I hope to do when coming back to campus is to see my team and get right on the field, but I know there will be limitations.