Taylor Malasek

Taylor Malasek's leadership is easy to see on the soccer field. The former University of North Georgia (UNG) forward scored 17 goals and tallied four assists to lead the Nighthawks women's soccer program back to the NCAA tournament in 2019 after a two-year absence.

But her leadership extends far beyond the field of competition. The Peachtree City, Georgia, native set an example off the field with her teammates and in general as part of her studies.

She was among the top 30 contenders for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year award. She became the first UNG student-athlete to reach this round of consideration for the national award, advancing from the initial list of 535 nominees representing 18 different sports.

Malasek, who is pursuing a degree in biology, earned the Elite 15 Award for women's soccer from the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) in 2019 and was a first-team All-PBC performer. The Elite 15 Award is given to the student-athlete competing in each PBC championship who has the highest overall cumulative GPA. Malasek had a 4.0 GPA.

She believes her actions embody her leadership.

"I can't ask someone to do something I'm not willing to do," Malasek said. "I put in the work and make sure others are following suit."

Malasek enjoys the team aspect of soccer. She believes the sport offers lessons that are transferable to other parts of life.

She plans to pursue a physician assistant degree since graduating from UNG.

"I want a skill I can use anywhere," she said. "If someone's injured in public and I'm there, then I can help. Physician assistants are always needed."