‘Shining star’ to lead from the bench

Lehigh men’s soccer senior midfielder and defender Nolan Jetter is entering this season as captain again with a new perspective, as he is currently inactive after sustaining a torn ACL during preseason.

His injury required surgery, and though the first few days post-operation are difficult, he said the recovery is all about mind over matter.

“The longer you sit and the longer you let the pain soak in, the more you realize it doesn’t mean anything,” Jetter said. “It’s all in your head.” 

He said he is planning to play next year using his medical redshirt eligibility, which is granted to athletes who suffer an injury deemed “season-ending” before the halfway point of the season, according to the NCAA.

“My plan is to play soccer and get a master’s in mechanical engineering, data science, something along those lines,” Jetter said. 

While Jetter said he was going to play a fifth year, he also mentioned that it may or may not be for Lehigh. 

Jetter has been a role model for his teammates as a hardworking team leader and student. Even with his injury, he does not plan to stop contributing to his team for his last year as an undergraduate student at Lehigh.

Coach Ryan Hess said Jetter has been a critical part of the team for the last two years. 

“(Jetter) is such an amazing young man, player and personality off the field,” Hess said. “He’s always been a guy who’s hard-working, diligent and leads by example.”

Jetter is from Pleasanton, California, and first found out about Lehigh from a neighbor, Lehigh Athletics Hall of Famer Pete Yazzo, who had “very good things” to say about Lehigh, helping to shape Jetter’s vision of his college future. 

After further research, Jetter realized Lehigh was the school for him, where he now studies both mechanical engineering and biology. 

“The combination between Division I athletics and that engineering program was something that I couldn’t pass up on,” Jetter said. 

Growing up, Jetter was a versatile athlete, participating in different sports that helped him become the player he is today. 

When he was five, Jetter said his parents got him into every sport, trying baseball, basketball, soccer, skiing, surfing and mountain biking. 

“Playing those different sports definitely gives you a different dimension on the field,” Jetter said. “At a very basic level, when you’re playing different sports you’re activating different muscles, and when you activate different muscles you tend to have different athletic abilities.” 

Hess said Jetter is not only talented on the field but is also a jack of all trades off the field. He made the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll the past three years.

“He excels in the classroom in a really difficult field,” Hess said. “He’s the shining star in terms of what you would want in a student-athlete.”

But when Jetter isn’t on the field or in the classroom, he is playing the piano. 

This interest arose during the pandemic when he said had a lot of extra free time.

“I actually bought a piano for my room in college so every time that I get tired of doing homework and just need a little break, I sit down and play piano,” Jetter said. “I’ve been trying to learn music theory for the last couple of years.”

Since Jetter came to Lehigh, he has been a person whom his teammates have rallied around. Fellow senior Austen Carranza said Jetter uplifts the team and arrives to practice early. 

But before he was known as the “shining star,” as Carranza also calls him, he said Jetter was somewhat closed off when the team first met him. 

“As the years have gone on, we’ve gotten to know (Jetter) a lot better. He’s a fantastic teammate and an even better friend,” Carranza said. “Living with and getting to know him these four years at Lehigh has been really awesome.” 

Jetter will cheer from the sidelines as Lehigh men’s soccer matches up against Army on Oct. 7. 

“Being on the sidelines and encouraging players, if players aren’t working hard or anything like that, is important to keep the dynamic of the team going,” Jetter said.