Virginia Military Institute’s cadet-athletes have to juggle cadet life, heavy academic course loads, and their NCAA Division I sport. Committed to both academic and athletic pursuits, balancing their rigorous schedule in both sports and school requires a certain level of commitment and discipline. Behind the Balance is a series that focuses on those cadet-athletes and how they handle the hurdles of the day-to-day. 

LEXINGTON, Va. Sept. 8, 2025 — Cadee Hegarty ’26 wanted to compete at a high level but also was drawn to the organization and discipline that Virginia Military Institute offered. Getting a soccer scholarship to the school allowed her to form a future at VMI.  

Her recruitment was a little different since it was when the coronavirus pandemic was limiting how sports were played. Instead, she attended a soccer camp, which was hosted by former women’s soccer coach Chris Haught-Thompson. From there, all it took was a visit to VMI. 

“I always wanted a team that had girls that were so close and had a bond that wasn't like anything else,” she explained. “At VMI, it's something else no one will understand except the people who go here. I was drawn to the school because of them.” 

The biology major is now in her last year and serving as the S9 captain, which includes preparing for pep rallies, company athletics activities, and creating permits. S9 is primarily made up of athletes, so cadets involved must pick up the slack when those on the staff are in season. As the S9 captain, she’s fully responsible for NCAA athletes, especially the rats — moving them around, making sure they’re able to do practice, but also participate in the Rat Line.  

“When it's S9 time, it's S9 time, and100% of my energy goes into that,” she said. “But when I'm at practice, or when we're traveling, or when it's game day, 100% goes to game day. Then schoolwork or in class, I’m fully dedicated to school. If I have free time during the day before soccer starts, I try to always get my work done early, because getting behind really catches up to you.” 

She was drawn to holding leadership in S9 because of her love of sports.  

“Being an athlete at this school is very different, and one of the biggest reasons of why I wanted this position was to show athletes that we can do it too, and we are just as part of the school as everybody else,” she commented. “Also to show everybody else that athletes can do it too, and I can do the same things that you guys can do. I have kind of one foot in both doors — athlete and non-athlete, with both my responsibilities, showing people there is a balance, it can happen, and everyone's allowed to do everything.” 

Although she’s taking a lighter load, she’s previously been pulling nearly 19 credit hours per semester.  

“I try to take summer classes too, to kind of make up because in the fall we travel so much and we miss so much school, you can't afford to get behind,” she said.  

Cadet-athletes at VMI not only have their responsibilities with their selected sport but cadet duties on top of that. Cadets are also required to take physical fitness classes twice a week, participate in ROTC all four years, prepare for room and uniform inspections, practice for parade, guard duty, and more.

From early days to traveling each week, Hegarty works on taking each task as it comes. When the team is traveling, she could potentially miss up to three days of class — that means getting assignments ahead of time and working with her professors to make sure her work is done on time. She and her teammates spend a good amount of time while traveling dedicated to their studies. She struggled in her first year at VMI with balancing everything.  

“My rat year, I didn't do well in school. That was hard for me. I never needed to study in high school. I never needed to, outside of soccer, go through film and read through plays and do stuff like that, but here you have to or else you're not going to be able to just skate by,” she admitted. “I learned that sometimes you’ve got to cut out the naps. Sometimes you have to wake up a little earlier or stay up a little later to make sure everything you do gets done. I realized getting ahead is just being on time. I would try the best so I could to stay ahead of all my work. So, if I did travel, or if there was a pep rally or a football game or something where I couldn't dedicate all my time to school, and I fell back a little bit, I was still on track.” 

The discipline that Hegarty has experienced at VMI is something she can take and build for the rest of her life.  

"If something is given to me, I'm one of those people who can't sleep until it's done,” she commented. “Prioritizing what's most important and getting that done first, and putting all your time, all your energy into that ... just one task at a time. I feel like a big part of the real world is priorities and discipline with any type of task. Also, integrity. I feel like a lot of workplaces look for someone who they can trust, who they know will get the job done, and who  lives by their word. And that is something VMI just drills into you.” 

Laura Peters Shapiro
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE