Auburn softball's Kasey Cooper mentors at WINGS event

AUBURN, Ala. – Speaking to 160 student-athletes whose shoes she was in six years ago, former Auburn softball standout Kasey Cooper shared how an eye injury ended her Olympic dream while playing for USA Softball in 2018.

"Every time it got hot, I would start to lose my vision," said Cooper, who was diagnosed with optic neuritis. "That humbled me pretty quickly. I remember saying this isn't how I want my story to end. That's something you have as an athlete. You can determine how the chapter ends. You determine how you walk off the field."

The keynote speaker at the WINGS mentoring event Wednesday in the Harbert Recruiting Center at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Cooper will graduate this spring from UAB's Heersink School of Medicine before starting her ophthalmology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
 'You determine how you walk off that field'
"You have to learn that being great at something will take sacrifice from something else," said Cooper, who helped Auburn win two SEC Tournament championships while starring for the Tigers from 2014-17 and was honored as Auburn's 2023 SEC Women's Legend. "My time at Auburn has taught me to have a strong mentality, it has taught me how to deal with failure and it has taught me some great time management skills."

 A mechanical engineering graduate of Auburn University's Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Cooper joined 50 fellow mentors at the event, including nine other former Auburn student-athletes, who networked with current student-athletes and shared tips for succeeding in their chosen careers.

"We seek out mentors who are specifically in industries that our student-athletes are interested in," said Meagan Hooshyar, assistant AD of student-athlete experience.  

Former Auburn administrator Meredith Jenkins founded WINGS, which stands for Women Inspiring and Nurturing Greatness in Student-Athletes.

"A lot of our student-athletes have had opportunities to get jobs, interviews and shadowing opportunities from this event," said Hooshyar, who helps lead AuburnYOU, the Tigers' student-athlete experience program. "It's a really meaningful event for us and for our members."
 The event matched mentors and student-athletes with similar career interests
Cooper's talk resonated with Icess Tresvik, a sophomore on Auburn's softball team.

"Never give up on your dreams," Tresvik said. "You're going to have hard times, you're going to go through injuries. It all comes down to how you come back."

A transfer from North Carolina A&T, Tresvik appreciates the networking and mentoring opportunities WINGS provides.

"I get to hear about people's careers and positions," she said. "To hear mentors talk about it gives me a better idea of what I want to do."

Carsen McFadden, a junior on the women's basketball team, visited with a mentor experienced in sports broadcasting, a field she intends to pursue.

"It gives athletes an opportunity to network, ask questions and prepare ourselves," McFadden said. "That's a really cool opportunity to pick mentors' brains. WINGS is a super cool organization that Auburn provides its student-athletes."



Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer