The Northwest Missouri State soccer team has been invited to join the Katie's Save initiative.
 
Katie Meyer was the Stanford University women's soccer goalkeeper, but she was so much more than just that. In high school, Katie was the kicker for the school's football team. She loved to travel, surf, and spend time with her sisters.
 
At Stanford, Katie was a part of the 2019 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship and in her final two seasons she became a Team Captain.
 
Off the field she earned a highly coveted spot with The Mayfield's Fellows Program, she had been chosen to be a Defense Innovation Scholar, she was slated to do a TEDx Talk, and she was an ambassador for Just Women's Sports. In addition to those accomplishments, Katie was preparing to teach a class at Stanford Design School and had started a podcast with a subsidiary of Facebook. In the midst of all of that, she was also awaiting acceptance to Stanford Law School.
 
In March of 2022, Katie Meyer tragically passed by suicide. Her parents, Steve and Gina Meyer, then began creating what has now become Katie's Save.
 
The initiative of Katie's Save is the prevention of unnecessary tragedies happening to college students. It is a practical and holistic approach to ensure young adults do not have to face obstacles alone. Katie's Save is an entry-point to a conversation with the student's choice of supportive advocates.
 
Junior midfielder Atiana Stratman has a family tie with the Meyer family, so this initiative hits a bit closer to home. Stratman's mom had been Gina Meyer's college roommate. After Stratman's mom took a visit to Southern California to visit the Meyer family after the tragedy, Gina asked her if Northwest would want to dedicate a game to the Katie's Save initiative. After that, Atiana received messages about the idea and for her, it was no question whether or not she wanted to get involved.
 
"To have something implemented that people can turn to is personally really important," said Stratman. "It's unfortunate they came together for that reason, but it has now presented a great opportunity."
 
Head soccer coach Marc Gordon is excited for his athletes to be a part of something so much bigger than soccer.
 
"As a program tied to a University, we're trying to create awareness about the importance of support mechanisms for our students. We're just trying to support the athletes' efforts to get things implemented," said Gordon. "It's not just a Meyer's family tragedy, it's a big deal to a lot of people."
 
Gordon made it clear that this initiative is not just about his players. "For me, it's bigger than just our student athletes, it's for our student body, it's for all Bearcats as far as I'm concerned."
 
Atiana is eager to get the word out about Katie's Save. She hopes it can be something that continues to spread to many other schools. "To provide students with support as they navigate the pressures and whatever it may be, I'm just really excited to implement that on our campus," said Stratman.
 
It is not just Stratman and Gordon that are excited for this new process. "A lot of the girls are super excited to make this a part of our team and stand for it," Stratman stated.
 
"As a team we wanted to support their efforts in raising awareness of some ideas and ways to create discussion not only on our campus but other campuses to support students," Gordon added.
 
Gordon mentioned, "Katie's Save came to us and these processes can take some time to really know what impact it has, but at least it's bringing awareness to our campus and campus leadership."
 
The Northwest soccer team has designated Friday's matchup against Northeastern State as the game they are targeting to create awareness for the Katie's Save initiative.
 
Marc Gordon closed by saying, "If people know and just have a vessel to communicate, then tragedies like this can hopefully be avoided in the future."
 
Northeastern State is aware of Katie's Save and they are also participating in the initiative at Friday afternoon's match.
 
For more information on Katie's Save or her story, click here.