Each time Chico State women’s soccer player Marin Wright steps onto the pitch, she and her Wildcat teammates exhibit an intense fire and determination to represent Chico State with a quality performance, one that will result in a Wildcat victory. Wright, though, has one more incentive to fuel her impressive efforts: the desire to add to the accomplishments of a respected Chico State family sports lineage that spans no less than six decades and three generations. A unique perspective on university sports history, combined with the work she’s put in to establish her own identity, make Wright the latest Wildcat of the Week.
Wright’s grandparents were both Chico State athletes in the early 1960s. Sammy Wright played baseball for legendary Wildcat coach Roy Bohler, while Connie (Thomas) Wright was a standout in badminton, basketball, field hockey, softball, volleyball, and track and field, and was inducted into the Chico State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. Wright’s father Michael played baseball for the ’Cats in the late 1980s. With all that Chico State history in her family, it is easy to assume that Marin may have felt a little pressure to become a Wildcat.
That wasn’t the case at all.
“Actually, my family supported a lot of other options and what would work best for me,” Wright said. “Chico State was just a real good fit for me academically and athletically. When Coach (Kim Sutton) gave me the opportunity to play to here, the stars just aligned.
“Boise State was the other place I wanted to go, but that was more of an academic choice. Was there a lot of celebration in my family when I decided to attend Chico State? Absolutely…but there was no coercion.”
Wright knew a lot about Chico before committing to the ’Cats. She heard plenty of old stories from her parents (her mother Summer is also a Chico State grad), but also got a taste for the town firsthand.
“(Driving to Chico) was actually a trip my family would take often,” Wright sad. “They would show me some spots on campus and in town that were important to my parents and grandparents, and where their old houses were.”
The Wright family has always been proud of being associated with Chico State, but even more so now that Marin is carrying on the family legacy.
“Oh yes, we have Wildcat memorabilia around the house,” Wright said. “Especially since I came up here, the memorabilia is all about Chico State. The wardrobe was definitely Chico State-enhanced since I started coming here.”
Wright became part of the women’s soccer team in 2018. After a year of assimilating to the college game, she saw a lot more playing time as a sophomore, starting four of the 10 matches in which she appeared in 2019. A Sacramento product, playing at Chico State has made it convenient for her family to come up and root her on in person.
Even though the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wright has already collected her fair share of Chico State soccer memories.
“In a preseason game during my first year, I hit a left-footed long ball to Korie Bozart and it resulted in the game-winning goal,” Wright said. “I was complimented by Coach Sutton very highly at the end of the game, and for a freshman that was a big deal for me.”
Being part of the 2018 Wildcats team that traveled to San Diego for the NCAA Championships is also a highlight for Wright, as was her first collegiate start September 21, 2019 at Fresno Pacific.
“Playing my first full 90-minute game…that was fun,” Wright said. “Especially having a super-extended family there, like 12 to 15 people.”
Wright is hoping to make more memories in the fall, when conditions have hopefully improved enough for Chico State to return to competition. In the meantime, Wright is doing all she can to stay in touch with her Wildcat teammates.
“It’s been tough,” Wright said. “I think as a program we’re doing a good job of staying connected, but it’s hard to recreate in-person activity, and that’s definitely what I miss the most.
“We talk a lot—Zoom meetings, and on the phone. We’ve also been able to find about 10-15 players for socially distanced get-togethers.”
Wright has been extremely productive with her time during the pandemic. A National Parks enthusiast, she was able to check a visit to Yellowstone off her bucket list.
“I like to go on road trips, and being outside and in nature has sort of been my saving grace,” Wright said. “We rented a cabin up there and visited five different states, including two that were new to me, Montana and Wyoming. It was super fun and gorgeous.”
Living in Chico during both the fall and spring semesters, the health sciences major has done so well in her studies that Wright was named to the 2020 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Fall Academic Honor Roll.
“I think my adjustment (to virtual classes) has been pretty easy,” Wright said. “I think the hardest part for me is that a lot of my major is taught through engagement and conversation, and inserting yourself in situations. So I think my education has changed because it’s harder to have active conversations with professors and students.”
Wright has also been working hard to stay in shape to prepare for a return to the soccer pitch.
“I got a gym membership at In Motion Fitness, and running on the gravel track around the Chico State soccer and softball fields has definitely been my friend,” she said. “I work out every day and run three times a week. If I’m doing anything at home, I’m touching a soccer ball, concentrating on my footwork.”
Like her teammates, Wright is anxious to get back into action, though she admits there may be an air of uncertainty when the Wildcats eventually reunite.
“It’s sort of like taking the training wheels off for the first time,” she said. “You just don’t know what to expect after all this time.”
There is still plenty of Chico State soccer in Wright’s future. She plans to finish her undergraduate studies, and then enter a graduate program so she can use utilize her two remaining years of athletic eligibility.
That will give the latest in the Wright’s long line of Chico State athletes the chance to make even more sports memories. Perhaps someday Marin will be able to pass them along to the family’s next generation of Wildcats.
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