Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
The sky is the limit for Tori Hawkins
8/19/2014 8:35:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Junior forward for MT, Tori Hawkins is living her dream
The sky is the limit for Tori Hawkins - literally.
The three-year starter for the Blue Raider soccer team is living out her longtime dream of both playing Division I Soccer while earning a degree in Aerospace Engineering and Technology at Middle Tennessee.
Tori, a former soccer standout locally at Siegel High School, knew at an early age what she wanted to do, both in soccer and in life.
"I told my dad when I was 10 years old that I was going to play Division I College Soccer and that's how it all started. We've definitely had our ups and downs, but overall it's been my dream since then, so it's definitely been a fun period in my life," she said.
Career-wise, the MTSU junior would love to become an astronaut one day, but she'll be happy to settle with just being able to work anywhere in the aerospace industry.
"I love planes... I've always loved planes. Being in that field is just so much fun...there's unmanned systems and there is so much stuff to work on," Tori explained. "Being a jet engineer or working on some kind of stagecraft, I want to help develop anything new. In December, I'm hoping to go to Argentina to work on some unmanned systems for a little while."
Meanwhile, on the pitch for the Blue Raiders, she is poised to be one of the squad's experienced leaders for 2014.
"My freshman year we won a championship and my sophomore year we beat teams like UT, so it's a growing experience. Every time I step on the field, there is always something new to learn," Tori noted. "I definitely think they expect it (leadership) out of the girls who have had the most minutes since our freshman year - Kelsey Brouwer, Emily Jorgenson, Amalie Anderdal – we all played a lot our freshman year and started almost every game. I have the experience in the forward bit, so they're definitely looking to me to be a leader, if not vocally, at least by example, both on and off the field. I'm getting old and getting to show the young ones a little bit."
"It's also important that we're having fun because, at the end of the day, if we are not loving the sport then our freshman are not going to enjoy their freshman year. So, it's definitely mixing the hard work with the love of the sport."
Head Coach Aston Rhoden is very pleased with what she brings to the table via leadership, hard work and unselfishness.
"Tori has done a fantastic job since her freshman year for us as a group. She's worked extremely hard in the offseason and it shows in the season. She certainly inspires a lot of the younger players in terms of what it takes to be successful," said Rhoden. "We're expecting her to contribute any way she can to the team, whether it's scoring goals or whether it's assists, as long as she is helping the team...I guarantee you that is all she wants."
Tori's father, Bill, knows all too well what his daughter can bring to a team. He was fortunate to coach her from age 6 to 14 on several local travel teams.
"It was a great experience. I learned a lot about coaching during that time frame, and I think she learned a lot about being a good soccer player – and the drive that it takes and the commitment that it takes to continuously improve," said Bill. "Coaching your daughter...you have to be careful and not demand too much. I probably demanded more out of her than anybody else on the team. I expected more of her, and she delivered 99.9 percent of the time. She was on a team of stars, but she always performed and worked really hard."
"Not only is she skilled and talented, but she's probably one of the hardest workers you'll ever find. She's always worked really hard academically as well and committed herself to whatever she's working on, so it's been fun to watch."
Speaking of fun to watch, Tori is very excited to get the regular season underway and expects her team to have a great year.
"This year, we have seniors and we want to play hard for them so they can finish off well. I think this is the hardest working group we've had since my freshman year," she added. "My expectations are high, but they're always high at MTSU. We can pick off SEC teams occasionally...we're good underdogs, so as long as we work hard...I think we can make a run at anything."
Just as her team makes a run at a championship in Conference USA, Tori keeps her eye on the sky – both here at Middle Tennessee and beyond.
"The Aerospace Department here is really personal and they want to make sure you accomplish your dreams, so it's perfect for me."
Perfect indeed.
The three-year starter for the Blue Raider soccer team is living out her longtime dream of both playing Division I Soccer while earning a degree in Aerospace Engineering and Technology at Middle Tennessee.
Tori, a former soccer standout locally at Siegel High School, knew at an early age what she wanted to do, both in soccer and in life.
"I told my dad when I was 10 years old that I was going to play Division I College Soccer and that's how it all started. We've definitely had our ups and downs, but overall it's been my dream since then, so it's definitely been a fun period in my life," she said.
Career-wise, the MTSU junior would love to become an astronaut one day, but she'll be happy to settle with just being able to work anywhere in the aerospace industry.
"I love planes... I've always loved planes. Being in that field is just so much fun...there's unmanned systems and there is so much stuff to work on," Tori explained. "Being a jet engineer or working on some kind of stagecraft, I want to help develop anything new. In December, I'm hoping to go to Argentina to work on some unmanned systems for a little while."
Meanwhile, on the pitch for the Blue Raiders, she is poised to be one of the squad's experienced leaders for 2014.
"My freshman year we won a championship and my sophomore year we beat teams like UT, so it's a growing experience. Every time I step on the field, there is always something new to learn," Tori noted. "I definitely think they expect it (leadership) out of the girls who have had the most minutes since our freshman year - Kelsey Brouwer, Emily Jorgenson, Amalie Anderdal – we all played a lot our freshman year and started almost every game. I have the experience in the forward bit, so they're definitely looking to me to be a leader, if not vocally, at least by example, both on and off the field. I'm getting old and getting to show the young ones a little bit."
"It's also important that we're having fun because, at the end of the day, if we are not loving the sport then our freshman are not going to enjoy their freshman year. So, it's definitely mixing the hard work with the love of the sport."
Head Coach Aston Rhoden is very pleased with what she brings to the table via leadership, hard work and unselfishness.
"Tori has done a fantastic job since her freshman year for us as a group. She's worked extremely hard in the offseason and it shows in the season. She certainly inspires a lot of the younger players in terms of what it takes to be successful," said Rhoden. "We're expecting her to contribute any way she can to the team, whether it's scoring goals or whether it's assists, as long as she is helping the team...I guarantee you that is all she wants."
Tori's father, Bill, knows all too well what his daughter can bring to a team. He was fortunate to coach her from age 6 to 14 on several local travel teams.
"It was a great experience. I learned a lot about coaching during that time frame, and I think she learned a lot about being a good soccer player – and the drive that it takes and the commitment that it takes to continuously improve," said Bill. "Coaching your daughter...you have to be careful and not demand too much. I probably demanded more out of her than anybody else on the team. I expected more of her, and she delivered 99.9 percent of the time. She was on a team of stars, but she always performed and worked really hard."
"Not only is she skilled and talented, but she's probably one of the hardest workers you'll ever find. She's always worked really hard academically as well and committed herself to whatever she's working on, so it's been fun to watch."
Speaking of fun to watch, Tori is very excited to get the regular season underway and expects her team to have a great year.
"This year, we have seniors and we want to play hard for them so they can finish off well. I think this is the hardest working group we've had since my freshman year," she added. "My expectations are high, but they're always high at MTSU. We can pick off SEC teams occasionally...we're good underdogs, so as long as we work hard...I think we can make a run at anything."
Just as her team makes a run at a championship in Conference USA, Tori keeps her eye on the sky – both here at Middle Tennessee and beyond.
"The Aerospace Department here is really personal and they want to make sure you accomplish your dreams, so it's perfect for me."
Perfect indeed.
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's SoccerMTSU Football Weekly Presser Wisconsin 9/01/25
Monday, September 01
MTSU Soccer vs Alabama A&M Recap 08/21/25
Friday, August 22
MTSU Soccer - Scottie Newton - Post Match Interview August 21st, 2025
Friday, August 22
MTSU Soccer vs Jackson State Recap 08/17/25
Wednesday, August 20
