YAKIMA -- Unbeknownst to Andrea Leach, plus Yakima Valley Community College women's soccer coach Luiz Machado, the jersey number 2 she wore last season was all wrong.
It should have been No. 1.
Leach, a sophomore from Eisenhower, has won the Art Feiro Award as the top female scholar athlete in the entire NWAACC. That means she's been chosen as the very best student among all women athletes, regardless of sport, in the organization's 35 schools.
"Think about it," Yaks athletic director Ray Funk said. "The best out of all the sports, in all the regions. That's something."
Leach, who had learned of her honor only hours earlier Tuesday night, agreed when contacted via telephone.
"But we're still not done," she said. "We have finals next week."
Still, the news was more than welcome for the 5-foot-5 midfielder who served as an on-and-off field cornerstone for YVCC's fledgling program.
"There are so many things I could say about Andrea," said Machado, whose Yaks have qualified for the playoffs in each of their first two seasons. "Not many coaches are fortunate enough to have a player like her. She's been great on the field and she's been great in the classroom -- the type of player you want to build a program around."
Especially when others on the team feel periodically overwhelmed by the demands of sports, schoolwork and, in Leach's case, work.
While handling the responsibilities of a full-time student and athlete last fall, Leach also served as a manager at Arby's, working about 25 hours a week.
Thus a typical day would find her attending classes from 8 a.m. to noon, studying until practicing soccer from 3-5 p.m., then working from 5:30-10:30.
All that, and Leach still maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
"It was difficult," she said. "It takes a lot of time management and writing everything down. You just have to do what you have to do."
Which, for Leach, will mean pursuit of a career in dentistry. She had recently been accepted into YVCC's dental hygiene program, will study there for two years and then work in that profession.
Eventually, though, she hopes to attend dental school, perhaps at the University of Washington, and become a dentist.
While last fall was taxing, Leach said she sought to serve as a role model for her younger, less experienced teammates.
"I was the only sophomore on the team," she said, "and some of the younger girls were really struggling with their classes. I tried to show them that playing and going to school can be difficult, but that they could handle it. It's doable."
