5 minute read
ATHLETICS
A Leg
Up Former University soccer star steps into police officer role By Drew Lyon ‘06
Dakota Wendell ’21 is the daughter of Major League Baseball star Turk Wendell. The two are pictured here in earlier times.
In a 2019 online interview with Minnesota State Mankato, then-Mavericks soccer star Dakota Wendell revealed her most gnawing pet peeve: “When people park badly.” Since graduating from the University, Wendell ’21 finds herself in a position of authority to keep flagrant violators between the lines. In February 2022, she was sworn in as a Mankato public safety officer. “I said that?” she asked recently, laughing. “That’s funny, I don’t remember that at all.” Wendell does remember her favorable first impressions of Mankato—the city, University and its soccer program—upon visiting during a high school recruiting trip. The Minnesota river town stood out in the crowd. “I was thinking, ‘This could be somewhere I could go,’” said Wendell, a native of Castle Rock, Colorado. “The coaching staff and the girls on the team are what really sold it for me; they made it feel like a family atmosphere.” Athletic prowess is a Wendell family trait. Dakota’s dad, Turk Wendell, pitched 11 years with four Major League Baseball teams and appeared in the 2000 World Series as a reliever with the New York Mets. Dakota’s brother, Wyatt, is a pitching prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm system. “I couldn’t be more proud as a dad,” said Turk Wendell, who lives on an Iowa farm and attended every Maverick home game during Dakota’s soccer career. “To watch her succeed at the levels she’s reached, it’s quite an accomplishment.” Superstitious quirks also run in the family. Men’s Journal once named Turk—famous in baseball circles for eccentricities like jumping over the baselines, chewing black licorice and brushing his teeth between innings—the most superstitious athlete of all-time. Following in her dad’s footsteps, Dakota created unique rituals. “White bandana, I had to have it,” she said. “I’d always do the exact same stuff before every game. How I’d put on my cleats and shin guard had to be the same way.” When the Wendells toured the University’s soccer facility during her recruiting trip, Turk noticed a windscreen honoring past Maverick All-Americans. Turk envisioned his daughter earning similar accolades. “I thought it’d be cool to see her name and that was a goal,” Turk said. Dakota fulfilled her father’s prediction. She was a Maverick stalwart, a natural born leader. After appearing in 22 matches in her first year, she started five matches as a sophomore, notching three assists and earning NSIC All-Academic honors. “She could’ve played D1 soccer somewhere,” women’s soccer head coach Brian Bahl said. “Fortunately for us, she chose Mankato.”
Wendell became a fulltime starter for her last two years.
The best experience
By her junior year, the pieces came together for Wendell. The forward started all 23 matches, logged more than 1,400 minutes on the pitch (nearly doubling her output from her sophomore campaign) and scored five game-winning goals, including an overtime victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. “She’s one of the most remarkable players I’ve had a chance to be around,” Bahl said. That season, she received several athletic and academic awards, including, to her father’s delight, a selection to the D2CCA All-American First Team. “Everything Dakota does, she gives it 100 percent,” Turk Wendell said. “She stands out among her peers.” Bahl and Turk Wendell are convinced Dakota would’ve repeated as an All-American, if not for a season-ending knee injury midway through her senior year. Following surgery, Dakota found a silver lining and assisted as an unofficial coach for the remainder of season, which saw the Mavericks once again earn a NCCA Tournament berth. Now a proud alum, she serves as a Maverick assistant coach and helps with recruiting visits. “We wanted to make sure we found ways to keep her connected to the program,” Bahl said. “Dakota’s a great advocate for the program and has an incredible influence on our players and staff. … She’s a great story in so many ways.” Her current full-time duties protecting and serving the Mankato community prevented Wendell from attending the Mavericks’ season-opening road trip. “It’s kind of hard to juggle all the stuff,” she admitted. “But being a student-athlete, there was always a lot to juggle. I like to be busy.” Wendell, a law enforcement major, stayed an extra year at the University to give herself enough time to pass the skills program. She also used the extra time to earn a minor in alcohol and drug studies and adjusted to virtual curriculum before graduating in 2021. “I want to let people know I had the best experience at the University,” she said. “I grew to love things about Mankato that I didn’t even know about when I first came here. It’s the best big-small town.” Wendell also returned to competitive soccer as a member of the Mankato United Soccer Club before being sidelined by another devastating knee injury in summer 2021. She’d already accepted a police officer position with the city of Mankato and feared her injury would negate the offer. “But they were more than understanding, which I was incredibly grateful for,” she said, “and they let me work in an office setting until I was healed.” Wendell fully recovered within six months. While acclimating to her beat as a police officer, she’s glad to employ the skills she learned as a community service officer at the University. “I’ve really enjoyed it so far,” she said. “Everyone’s been very welcoming.” “We got a lot of publicity from that,” Wendell said. “It was nuts.” Community policing has never been more important. Wendell said she strives to be part of the solution. “Police officers are still people, and my perspective is: Every interaction I have, I try to make as positive I can,” she said. “It’s a lot of responsibility.” “I’ve always told my kids, ‘Life is what you make of it,’” Turk said. “Dakota loves what she does, and she’s a leader.” But, drivers, don’t get complacent: Dakota Wendell is still a bit of a parking stickler. “I wouldn’t say it’s my biggest (pet peeve) now,” she said, “but I can do something about it now—if it’s bad enough.”
