Sophie Lampert’s world moves fast. At Illinois Wesleyan, the women’s soccer standout is a bio pre-med major preparing for medical school, a team leader on the field and a community builder off it. For her, Division III athletics isn’t about choosing between passions – it’s about pursuing them all with purpose.
 
During NCAA Division III Week, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) is highlighting student-athletes who embody the division’s spirit of balance, service and growth. Lampert’s story is a blueprint for that ideal.
 
Balancing Books and the Ball
Lampert’s academic path is demanding, but she’s found a rhythm that works because of the support around her. “I’m a bio pre-med major, so playing soccer with being that rigorous of a major is sometimes difficult, but my coaches are really flexible and allow me to have that student-athlete balance, more so on the emphasis of a student,” she said. “They’re super supportive, and they know.”
 
That understanding extends across the roster. “The majority of my team is actually STEM majors. We have STEM and then we have a big group of education, so they know that we’re super busy in the classroom,” Lampert said. “It’s kind of nice having that community where we can talk about how school is really hard and bond over that, then put that effort into soccer in the time that we do have gaps in the day.”
 
Building Tiny Titans
Last semester, Lampert and her teammates participated in an athletic department initiative that sent student-athletes to Washington Elementary to teach soccer skills during PE classes. The experience sparked an idea and a partnership with men’s basketball player Mason Funk.
 
“I was thinking of a project that I could do to get myself and my teammates involved in the community that I could also share on my resume,” Lampert said. “I want to be a pediatrician, so being with kids is a big passion of mine.” Together, they created Tiny Titans, a program that connects Illinois Wesleyan athletes with local elementary schools beyond Washington Elementary.
 
“We reached out to a bunch of schools at the beginning of the semester asking if they would be willing to have us come into classrooms, whether that be PE or even just read with them,” she said. “We actually got a lot of responses, and we’ve been to three schools so far this semester.”
 
Tiny Titans meets schools where they are. “We  just do whatever the teachers want us to do,” Lampert said. “That’s been PE, we’ve done player cards where we get interviewed so the kids can learn how to ask questions, and we’ve helped with autobiographies and read to the kids and answered questions about what we do at Wesleyan and what it’s like being an athlete in college.”
 
Perspective Beyond the Classroom
Juggling academics, athletics and service could be overwhelming. For Lampert, it’s grounding. “It’s funny because you get caught up in the stressors of school, and even athletics sometimes,” she said. “When you go out and spend the day with them, or even just an hour, you’re rejuvenated. It’s rewarding.”
 
Stepping into local classrooms has been a reminder of the bigger picture. “It brings you back down to earth and allows you to take a breath and know that there are a lot of people out there that view you as somebody you might not view yourself as,” Lampert said. “It’s nice to know that you are an example to multiple people around you. And so holding yourself accountable for how you act in public and how you treat each other has just been reinforced.”
 
The work is personal, too. Growing up in the area, Lampert has found unexpected full-circle moments. “The last school that we went to was actually my elementary (school),” she said. “Walking around those halls again and seeing some teachers that I had was a lot of fun. Even going to other schools, some of the teachers are like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re a Normal West grad – I went there,’ so I can connect to them on that level too.”
 
Leadership That Lasts
On the field, Lampert’s leadership has evolved as she enters her senior year. Lampert has totaled 17 points across 54 matches since 2023, including 48 starts for the Titans.
 
“Definitely leading by example – and the things off the field just reinforce this even more because people are watching you when you don’t even know,” she said. “You can’t just lead on the field. It matters how you are as an all-around person in the classroom and in social settings.”
 
Competing in the CCIW has sharpened that mindset. “It’s definitely helped with resilience, but then also just not knowing what to expect,” Lampert said. “You could say, ‘Oh yeah, we beat them last year,’ but this year they can be a completely different team. Our story holds true to that.”
 
Preparation and perspective have become her constants. “Just always coming prepared and answering the freshmen’s questions when they ask, ‘How did the game go last year?’” she said. “Last year was last year, it’s a completely different game now. You’ve got to leave tough losses in the past and go on to the next game.”
 
A Campus That Cares
Lampert credits IWU’s culture for making balance possible. “They’re all for their athletes, but a big part of it is they’re all for their students too,” she said. “No matter where I’m at, academically or athletically, there’s always somebody I can turn to for help.”
 
Resources across campus have played a key role in her growth. “At the career center, we have a lot of advisors that help us find job shadowing, internships or even just jobs,” she said. “Athletically, we have so many advisors that help with mental health, and even our coaches are there for us whenever we need something.”
 
The team also leans into proactive support. “We have things once a week or once a month where we can talk about certain things regarding mental health,” Lampert said. “If my team was struggling with confidence, we could talk about that in a meeting and find ways to strengthen that area so we can progress throughout the season.”
 
Legacy in Motion
Looking ahead, Lampert’s goals are rooted in culture more than accolades. “People always shoot for all-conference or All-American, and that’s awesome, but I just want to be known as a team that had a great culture,” she said. “It’s hard for me to think individually because the legacy I hold is also what I hold with my classmates.”
 
She hopes the bonds they’ve built endure. “We all work together in a bunch of efforts,” Lampert said. “We’re all studying for the MCAT right now, and I just want it to be known that we were hard workers and we didn’t just slack off. As a team, we all put in the work outside of soccer practice, and we all loved each other as much as we love our family.”
 
That shift has changed everything. “Some people have this win-driven mind, and I think that’s what we had my first few years here and that didn’t really work out for us,” she said. “But once we started actually becoming a unit, it changed our game completely.”
 
Division III Roots, Lifelong Impact
As she prepares for her final season in 2026, Lampert is grateful she stayed close to home. “I originally didn’t want to stay in town, but I’m so blessed that I did,” she said. “The friendships and connections I’ve gotten with professors, advisors and classmates – I can’t imagine making those deeper connections anywhere else.”
 
For Lampert, the Division III experience has been exactly what it promises: the freedom to follow every passion and the support to grow through all of them.