Cousins Uplifts Others On and Off the Field

By Rhiannon Potkey, Special to UTSports.com

Brody Holloway was pulling into his property around 2 a.m. when he spotted some lights in the distance.

Holloway is the co-founder of Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters, a gospel-driven adventure camp located in Andrews, N.C.

Katie Cousins began attending the camp in high school in Virginia, and has returned nearly every summer as a counselor. The Tennessee redshirt junior midfielder has become like the sixth child in the Holloway family, and hangs out at their house during breaks at UT.

On this particular late night-turned-early morning, Cousins was standing in the middle of a muddy pond wearing a headlamp with Holloway's 15-year-old son.

"They were frog digging," Holloway said. "They came into the house with about 10 frogs to skin and fry up for frog legs. That is classic Katie. She is just this big kid who is a hoot to have around. There are no boring days for Katie Cousins."

Standing only 5 feet tall, Cousins is a giant presence that radiates warmth. She is like a magnet, drawing people together with her disarming personality.

"Katie just has this goodness that she displays and this attractiveness that she displays that just makes everybody smile," UT head coach Brian Pensky said. "She has this unique way of infecting everyone with this positive energy. The more confident she is, the more outgoing she is with that energy."

From her holding midfield position, Cousins is the fulcrum of UT's team. Her ball skills befuddle opponents and her improved defense has helped the Lady Vols limit goals at a record rate this season.

But rather than seeking the spotlight, the humble star seeks to glorify others. Cousins loves setting teammates up for goals and seeing their reactions. She makes regular appearances speaking with youth and high school teams, and volunteers for charitable causes.

"Her sole purpose in life waking up in the morning is helping others," said Tennessee baseball junior pitcher Garrett Stallings. "That is what keeps her moving. She devotes so much of her time for others. She truly believes if she can impact one person that will make all the difference."

Stallings and Cousins first met last year while enrolled in the VOLeaders Academy. They both grew up in Virginia, where Stallings remembered Cousins being named Gatorade National Player of the Year for girls' soccer in 2013-14.

During the VOLeaders trip to Ecuador last summer, Stallings and Cousins became "best friends" and sat next to each other during every flight and bus ride.

"She is such a fun person to be around," Stallings said. "She was the biggest prankster on our trip, and I think that's a side many don't expect from her. She just always got everyone involved in having a good time and put people on the spot to make them dance or do something that made people laugh."

Cousins has been wearing a band-aid on her left forearm since the eighth grade. She wasn't injured, she's not honoring anything and she isn't superstitious.

"One of my former club coaches started doing it when he was really, really young and I thought it was funny," Cousins said. "I just said, 'Alright, I'll give it a try.' That's it. That's the story."

Cousins discards each band-aid once it begins fraying at the sides and chooses a new one. She rotates between different characters and colors.

"I go look at the band-aid section at the store and if like that box, I will take that one," Cousins said. "My favorite are my Black Panther ones because you can't go wrong with Black Panther."

Cousins' educational path at Tennessee mirrors her role in soccer.

She is majoring in Theatre, but is not training to be a star actor. She's the behind-the-scenes worker ensuring the cast is set up for success by operating the fly rail or moving props around on stage.

"I have really enjoyed it. I have worked on two shows at Clarence Brown Theatre so far and I am working on another one this December," Cousins said. "I've met some cool people and made some new friends."

Before arriving at a recent practice, Cousins had just completed a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It's a hobby her family has shared since she was little. Her older brother just gave Cousins a 44,000 piece puzzle for her birthday that is 22 feet long and has 10 different images.

"I have no idea where I am going to find space to do that one," Cousins said with a laugh. "The biggest one I've ever done is 2,000 pieces. But I am definitely going to do it. I just have to figure out where I want to do it."

Piecing together disparate parts to create a beautiful landscape is where Cousins also excels on the soccer field. Pensky calls Cousins the "best technical player I've ever coached," and is constantly amazed by her peripheral vision.

"Just by virtue of being on Katie's team, her teammates are learning and becoming better players every single day," Pensky said. "We were watching a highlight video from last fall and there was an unbelievable individual moment of skill from Katie, and Salera Jordan goes, 'Wow, Katie. Are you real?' That moment was worth a question like that."

Since she began playing sports at age 4, Cousins' parents have helped keep her grounded. They try to attend every game, making sure to hug Cousins once the game is over and tell her how proud they are of her and how much they love her no matter what happens on the field.

"They have always been like that. They just want me to work hard and put my effort into it," said Cousins, who redshirted in 2016 to participate in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. "It probably helps they didn't know anything about soccer before I got into it. I already have coaches who can critique me on the field and tell me what I need to do better. My parents know that is not their role. Their role is to be a parent and love me and they do a good job at that."

UT redshirt sophomore midfielder Erin Gilroy was roommates with Cousins during Gilroy's first spring on campus. Cousins took Gilroy under her wing and showed her around.

Since Gilroy suffered another ACL tear a few weeks ago, Cousins has remained a constant source of support.

"She is such a positive person," Gilroy said. "Nothing can really shake Katie. In pressure situations, she stays calm and collected and gets everyone around her to feel the same."

At the Holloway household in North Carolina, Cousins often shares stories about her team when she visits. Some are humorous stories about the fun they've had together and some are stories of concern if a teammate seems to be a little down.

"She is always wondering how she can encourage them and make them feel better," Brody Holloway said. "One of the things we tell our kids about in camp is God wants us to love people and really care about people and show kindness. Katie truly personifies that in everything she does. It's a beautiful thing to watch."

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Katie Cousins

Erin Gilroy

Salera Jordan

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