Kate Markgraf
Encyclopedia
Kate Markgraf is an American
soccer
defender
and was a member of the U.S. women's national team
.
and was a volleyball
player, making the All-League team three times. In soccer, she made the NSCAA All-American team one time and was chosen for the All-State team three times.
and graduated with a degree in science
and business. She was a three time NSCAA All-American while there, was a three time all Big East
selection, the 1997 Big East defensive player of the year, and the defensive MVP of the NCAA
's Final Four in 1995, the year in which her team won the NCAA women's soccer championship.
in the WUSA
league, and she was named defender of the year for that team in 2001. Markgraf played professionally for KIF Örebro
in the Swedish league
alongside longtime USA teammate Kristine Lilly
. She was scheduled to play with the Chicago Red Stars
in WUSA's successor, Women's Professional Soccer
, in its inaugural 2009 season. However, the Red Stars announced in January 2009 that she would not play that season because she was expecting
her second child.
. Markgraf (then Sobrero) was the youngest member of the team that won the Women's World Cup
in 1999, and also participated in the 2000 Olympic Games
in Sydney
, and the 2004
Games in Athens
. The team won the silver medal in 2000 and the gold in 2004. On July 13, 2010, after nearly a two year break from international competition, she made her 200th career international appearance, in a friendly against Sweden
. She became the 10th woman in FIFA history to earn her 200th cap
, a mark no male player has reached. She subsequently announced her retirement from international play during halftime of the final 2011 Women's World Cup qualifying match against Italy
on November 27, 2010.
as a color commentator
on ESPN's secondary broadcast team for the telecasts of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
soccer player, on October 31, 2003. Their son, Keegan Jamison Markgraf, was born on July 18, 2006. In July 2009, she gave birth to boy/girl twins, Carson and Xavier. Markgraf lives with her husband and their children in the Chicago
area.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
and was a member of the U.S. women's national team
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
.
Early life
Markgraf, who is five feet, nine inches (1.75 m) tall, attended Detroit Country Day SchoolDetroit Country Day School
Detroit Country Day School is a private, secular school located in four campuses in Oakland County, Michigan, north of Detroit. The administrative offices, facility services, safety and security services, and the upper school are located in a campus in Beverly Hills, along with the middle school...
and was a volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
player, making the All-League team three times. In soccer, she made the NSCAA All-American team one time and was chosen for the All-State team three times.
Early career
At Detroit Country Day, she helped to guide the soccer team to the state title in 1991, scoring 16 goals and having 26 assists. Markgraf attended University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
and graduated with a degree in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and business. She was a three time NSCAA All-American while there, was a three time all Big East
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
selection, the 1997 Big East defensive player of the year, and the defensive MVP of the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Final Four in 1995, the year in which her team won the NCAA women's soccer championship.
Professional career
She was a member of the Boston BreakersBoston Breakers (WUSA)
The Boston Breakers were a professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association. The team played at Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. The team held a "name the team" contest that Laura DeDonato of Easton Massachusetts won with the...
in the WUSA
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
league, and she was named defender of the year for that team in 2001. Markgraf played professionally for KIF Örebro
KIF Örebro DFF
KIF Örebro DFF is a football club from Örebro, Sweden. They play in the highest level of women's soccer leagues in Sweden, the Damallsvenskan...
in the Swedish league
Damallsvenskan
The Damallsvenskan, Swedish for ladies' all-Swedish, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is also referred as to the women's Allsvenskan, this term being used alone to refer to the men's division....
alongside longtime USA teammate Kristine Lilly
Kristine Lilly
Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey is a retired American soccer player who last played for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team for 24 years...
. She was scheduled to play with the Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars are a American professional soccer club that is based in the Chicago suburb of Lisle, Illinois that participates in the Women's Premier Soccer League. From 2009-2010, the Red Stars played their home games at Toyota Park in the Womens Professional Soccer...
in WUSA's successor, Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
, in its inaugural 2009 season. However, the Red Stars announced in January 2009 that she would not play that season because she was expecting
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
her second child.
International career
In 1998, she played with U.S. when they faced the national selection of ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Markgraf (then Sobrero) was the youngest member of the team that won the Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
in 1999, and also participated in the 2000 Olympic Games
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and the 2004
Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...
Games in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. The team won the silver medal in 2000 and the gold in 2004. On July 13, 2010, after nearly a two year break from international competition, she made her 200th career international appearance, in a friendly against Sweden
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
. She became the 10th woman in FIFA history to earn her 200th cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
, a mark no male player has reached. She subsequently announced her retirement from international play during halftime of the final 2011 Women's World Cup qualifying match against Italy
Italy women's national football team
The Italy women's national football team represents Italy in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation .- Performances in the World Cup :...
on November 27, 2010.
Broadcasting
Markgraf was paired with Adrian HealeyAdrian Healey
Adrian Healey is an English football commentator, currently working with ESPN with their broadcasts of the MLS, Barclays Premier League, Primera Liga and Serie A. He was part of the ESPN commentary team in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup...
as a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
on ESPN's secondary broadcast team for the telecasts of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Personal life
She married Chris Markgraf, a former Providence CollegeProvidence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
soccer player, on October 31, 2003. Their son, Keegan Jamison Markgraf, was born on July 18, 2006. In July 2009, she gave birth to boy/girl twins, Carson and Xavier. Markgraf lives with her husband and their children in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area.
Coaching career
She works since 2009 as Volunteer Assistant Coach by the Marquette Golden EaglesMarquette Golden Eagles
The Marquette Golden Eagles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Marquette University....
.