Ohio State sophomore midfielder Brittany Duncan (8) joined the Ohio State Army ROTC program in 2019. Credit: Courtesy of Brittany Duncan and Ohio State Athletics
Brittany Duncan wakes up at 6 a.m. but her life as a college student does not begin until 1:30 p.m.
Prior to heading to her biology lab, Duncan wears two uniforms: one scarlet and gray, the other camouflage. The sophomore midfielder on Ohio State’s soccer team doesn’t only participate on the soccer pitch, but also as a soldier-in-training.
Duncan committed to the ROTC program — an elective curriculum that allows a student to graduate college as an Army officer — in November 2019, a decision that came with multiple motives.
One of the main reasons is the familial ties that Duncan shares with the U.S. military. Her three older brothers, Nick, Chris and Matt, are all in the military.
“I kind of followed in their footsteps because usually whatever they do and makes them happy makes me happy too,” Duncan said.
The other motive behind her decision came from a promise she made to herself and to a friend in her freshman year of high school.
“I would do whatever it takes to show people they are worth fighting for,” Duncan said.
Duncan said her experience in ROTC has already made her a better leader on and off the field.
Her coaching staff has also taken notice of her extensive schedule and workload.
“We all here think it’s fantastic,” assistant coach Brian Jankowski said. “Student-athletes do a lot, and Brittany is doing even more than a normal student athlete would do as far as their schedule goes.”
Duncan started playing soccer at the age of 4, when her parents signed her up. She quickly fell in love with the sport the more she played it and had the support of her parents pushing her to get better, she said.
The decision to play soccer at Ohio State was an easy one for Duncan — she said that Ohio State “felt like home” during her first visit.
Duncan, a Cincinnati native, has already made a name for herself on the field in her freshman year. Along with her commitment to be in the U.S. Army, she also trains to improve at center midfielder.
Her coaches have high expectations for her at center midfield, a position mostly dominated by upperclassmen.
“Those are the players who typically play in the areas where there’s the most chaos and people and confusion, you have to be able to play in 360 degrees,” Jankowski said. “We see Brittany competing in there on a daily basis.”
Duncan is also considering taking her biology degree to the U.S. Army and becoming a medevac pilot. Medevac pilots and staff transport patients from wherever they are injured to the closest hospital or medical zone and treat the patient in transit.
Between managing her life on and off the field, Duncan said the most difficult part of her busy schedule that concludes with doing homework after 4:30 p.m. is finding time to eat, but she said her busy life is all worth it.
“I’m fulfilling two passions at the same time and it’s difficult to be all in, in the two things but seeing myself being able to do what I’m doing with them now is pretty awesome,” Duncan said.
