LARAMIE – Hadley Linder is making a name for herself at Wyoming.
 
Originally, the fast-rising soccer star decided to consider playing for the Cowgirls because her uncle, Jeff Linder, was the head men's basketball coach.
 
Linder stuck with UW after her uncle's departure for Texas Tech. The talented midfielder has been a revelation on the pitch this season earning two Mountain West freshman of the week awards already.
 
"My uncle (being here) kind of sparked my interest. I thought I'd come up here for a basketball game, maybe come to a camp and see how it was like," said Linder, who is from Highlands Ranch, Colo., and committed to UW as a junior at Mountain Vista High School. "Nothing was super serious until after I came up here and I really enjoyed it and really enjoyed the girls and the culture and how the community came together for sports around here."
 
Linder followed up her first career goal against Montana with another goal, an assist and a team-high six shots during the Cowgirls' 4-0 victory over South Dakota on Sunday. She is currently second on the team with five points.
 
After catching up with her veteran teammates during training camp, Linder has quickly emerged as a dangerous player for first-year head coach Josh Purdum.
 
"When I first got here it was an adjustment because the speed of play was so much quicker," Linder said. "Getting used to that took some time but after the first couple weeks I started to build confidence, and I could see myself being able to make the impact.
 
"It has been fun. I like to score, and I just want to continue to score and also assist my teammates and just do whatever it takes to put the ball in the back of the net."
 
Linder has been a perfect fit in the midfield surrounded by other capable goal scorers like senior forwards Alyssa Bedard and Maddi Chance.

"I really look up to the seniors because of how hard they work and how gritty they are and how they represent the Cowgirls and the state of Wyoming," Linder said. "They push us to be better every day."
 
The Cowgirls (2-2-2) continue their challenging non-conference schedule against Oregon State at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Madrid Sports Complex.
 
UW opened the season with an exhibition win at then-No. 3 BYU, tied new Big Ten member Washington in Seattle and lost to new Big 12 member Colorado in Boulder.
 
The home stand concludes with a match against Weber State at 1 p.m. Sunday before the Mountain West opener at Colorado College on Sept. 26.
 
"We've been playing hard teams like the BYUs, the Washingtons, the CUs and also teams like South Dakota and South Dakota State that play like the Mountain West," Linder said. "So, I think we will not be surprised. We're expecting what we've been seeing, and we'll go in ready. "
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
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