While most high school seniors were gearing up for prom and graduation, Alexy Boehm was already entrenched in college courses and athletics.

The Marion, Iowa native joined men’s soccer in January 2016, a full semester before his freshman classmates and the first player to join the program early. Now with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies under his belt, Boehm is wrapping up his last season of NCAA eligibility pursuing a certificate in geographic information systems as a graduate student.

Head coach Craig Jones and players said Boehm “leads by example” with both his on-the-field toughness and off-the-field focus on academics and maintaining relationships with teammates.

Boehm said he kept a “full schedule” in high school and took some college courses to stay on track for early graduation and to give him an academic leg-up at GW. He added that graduating high school early gave coaches more time to determine his role on the team.

“When getting recruited, I thought it would help me if I could come in a semester before all the other freshmen so the coaches could get a head start looking at me,” Boehm said.

He was a three-year varsity player for Linn-Mar High School and a three-year academic letterwinner. He nabbed the game-winning goal in the state title game in 2015 and earned Second Team All-Conference nods in his sophomore and junior seasons.

Boehm said his first semester at GW was “tough,” but he adjusted to the rigor of college academics and athletics by continuously communicating with professors and coaches.

He added that he relied on educational support services, especially Danya Ellman, the assistant athletics director for educational support services, and Arayael Brandner, the academic adviser for men’s soccer, to plan his schedule and ensure he was on track academically.

In addition to his coaches, teammates and advisers in the athletic department, Boehm said he leaned on his mom, who was a professor at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, to help him transition into GW.

“She knows how schools work,” Boehm said. “She helped me a tremendous amount of getting into GW to staying on top of my grades, with professors, transitioning into graduate school.”

Jones, the men’s soccer head coach, said keeping Boehm on board this season as a graduate student was a “no brainer.” Boehm earned the title of captain this season.

“We’re happy to have him for the extra semester that he finishes with the team and he also finishes with his graduate certificate too,” Jones said. “It’s a win-win for both parties.”

He added that Boehm is a “grinder” whose tough work ethic is unmatched to other athletes. Jones said Boehm is someone the team looks up to and even though he’s an older player, Boehm still develops close relationships with younger athletes.

“He still has a good enough rapport with, even though he’s getting older, our first-year guys,” Jones said. “He’s still able to bridge that gap too and connect with those guys.”

Senior defender Reese Moore said Boehm’s dedication to his academics almost outmatches his love for soccer.

“I’ve been in a few classes with him over the years and I think he really values his education,” Moore said. “I’d say even a little bit more than soccer, which is actually pretty crazy because he’s so dedicated every single day.”

Moore added that Boehm brings an upbeat mood to the field, easing the younger half of the team that is transitioning to collegiate soccer.

“On the field, he’s very talkative,” Moore said. “He’s very upbeat. He’s not very negative, which is really important for some of the new guys on the field.”

Senior midfielder Drini Redzepi said Boehm leads the team by example and adds a level of professionalism to the team when players are getting ready for games in the locker room.

“It’s great to have people in the locker room like him who kind of exemplify that day in and day out,” Redzepi said.

Boehm, who is set to graduate in December, said he is unsure what he wants to do after he leaves the field. He said he has applied to jobs involving the field of geographic information, but his focus right now is on winning an Atlantic 10 title.

“I’m not too sure what I want to do, just trying to get my foot in the door right now to figure out what I want to do later down the road,” Boehm said.