Wake Forest Athletics
Harkes Excited About U-20 Team Experience
2/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Feb. 4, 2014
By Jenn Leser, WakeForestSports.com
It would be hard to imagine a freshman campaign going much better for a member of the Old Gold and Black, but for Ian Harkes, a standout first year was only the beginning.
The Fairfax, Va., native came into Wake Forest as a captain of the U-16 and U-18 D.C. United Academy teams, a NSCAA All-American and the Gatorade Player of the Year for DC in 2011. Harkes only added to his long list of impressive accolades when he received a call-up to train with the U.S. U-20 National Team this past January.
After finishing his first season as a Demon Deacon as an All-ACC Freshman Team honoree and a freshman All-American, Harkes was thrilled about getting the chance to make his mark on the next level.
"I was obviously really excited since it was my first time and I've always wanted to get the chance to prove myself," said Harkes. "I was just really excited."
Fans of the United States National Team are no stranger to the Harkes name; Ian's father John, a former national college player of the year, played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups and was capped 200 times during his career. Yet this call-up was something Ian earned all on his own.
After a remarkable freshman campaign, it's no surprise that Harkes received the call to train with the U-20 National Team. As the only Demon Deacon who started all 21 games in 2013, Harkes had one goal and a team-leading seven assists to help lead Wake Forest to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. In Harkes's eyes, his first collegiate season was pretty successful and the chance to train with the U-20 national team was just another highlight.
"I thought I learned a lot from the older guys on the team and from [Coach] Jay [Vidovich] and the coaching staff," said Harkes. "Obviously they're a great group of guys and they help each other out a lot, including all of the freshmen. It was easy for us to transition into the team. The season went well. I enjoyed playing and getting a lot of minutes. With every game it was just another learning experience for me. I just took it on the run and learned from every chance I got.
"With the national team call-up, it was kind of a nice additional honor. I felt really rewarded for my hard work, but I also know there's so much more to come from more seasons. I hope to just keep growing as a player."
Though it may have only been his first camp, Harkes certainly wasn't without a few familiar faces. Along with some teammates from his D.C. United Academy days, Harkes was also joined by fellow Deacon Jacori Hayes. The two freshmen combined to make a serious impact in the Wake Forest midfield and will look to continue that trend on the national stage.
"Obviously we really connected during the fall season," said Harkes. "To be here now with him is great. He's been playing well so I'm happy to be here with him."
Harkes and Hayes aren't the only Deacs who have had the chance to play on the national level though. As just one of a number of Demon Deacons who has been involved with the national team, Harkes is very appreciative of the training he's received from head coach Jay Vidovich.
"It really shows that he's teaching soccer the right way and the way that the best players want to play," Harkes said. "He really has a great philosophy and it's really helping us to get to the next level. I think that's the goal for all of the players there, just to learn as much as we can from him. He's really helped us out a lot, especially the young guys and we just keep growing with him being there at the games. He's helped so many people get to that next level and eventually hopefully he'll help me too."
Back at Wake Forest, where he's already hard at work in the spring season, Harkes has a few words of advice for his teammates looking to break through on the national stage.
"Just work hard as much as you can and put in the hours," Harkes said. "I think the competitive nature of the Wake Forest program, with the amount of times of practice and different drills, has really paid off. Coming here was not that big of a difference, we still train hard and come to practice every day wanting to get better."
