Janie Henderson has always been involved in athletics throughout her life. Henderson is a jack of all trades when it comes to participating in sports. She dabbled in softball, basketball, track and soccer all in high school. But soccer ended up being her true calling.
It’s no secret that in life everyone goes through their own personal challenges, internal battles and adversity that they have to work through to overcome to be a stronger person. For Henderson, she faced an athletic challenge related to being on the pitch.
“I feel like coming back from my injury was a challenge for me. I mean it wasn’t anything severe injuring my quad during track season. Then having to play club soccer and that was prime recruiting year,” Henderson said.
This setback happened during Henderson’s junior season, a vital time when high school athletes get scouted for college offers. This was a minor bump in the road for the young athlete. Henderson knew deep down within herself she would get through this leg injury.
“I knew I would come back from it fine but it took over a year to fully heal, so it was just a matter of when I would be able to come back,” she said.
For Henderson, soccer is everything. After returning from the injury and getting back to being fully healthy, she focused on advancing her soccer career because playing soccer is her motivator.
“It gives purpose to my life,” Henderson said.
After graduating from Hopatcong High School in 2024, Henderson found herself in Wayne, N.J., at William Paterson University as a student-athlete for coach Keith Woods and the women’s soccer team.
August of fall 2024 came around, and Henderson began her academic and athletic career at WP. The freshman had an easy transition for being a first-generation college athlete. Her new teammates and coach Woods on the pitch were welcoming in her first season wearing orange and black.
“I definitely love my team. I think they were super welcoming when I came in. And even this year they’ve stepped up even more for everyone, even the incoming freshmen. I think Keith does a good job making us all f
eel welcomed. William Paterson in general, there’s so much community here that it was an easy transition coming here,” Henderson said.
Henderson had a great freshman season for the Pioneers; her numbers reflected that on the pitch. She was fifth on the team in stats, appearing in 16 games, scoring two goals and having a shooting percentage of .154. She had teammates that were leaders like Erin Clark, Julia Florito, Hailey Nelson and Brianna De la Cruz in her first season.
“I mean definitely Erin, she’s a great leader and obviously on the field she’s very talented. She is very good at motivating us. I feel like last year we had a lot of that too. Jules was definitely a big leader. Also Hailey Nelson was a big leader. Brie, our assistant coach now, I’m glad she stayed because she’s good at bringing us up and motivating us,” Henderson said.
Now a sophomore in her second season for the Pioneers, Henderson has grown into a leadership role on the field.
“I would definitely say I am a leader on the field. Having such a strong role on the field automatically puts me in that spot. However, off the field I think there’s stuff I can work on to make me a better leader,” she said.
Henderson believes the Pioneers’ main goal is to make the NJAC Tournament this season. She thinks it is doable for the team. She also has individual goals to keep up her motivation and finish the season strong.
“I think as a team our goal is to make the NJAC tournament. I think it’s doable. I think we’re doing pretty well. My personal goals keep motivating myself and my teammates to finish out strong,” Henderson said.
Looking ahead, Henderson hopes to be the face of the program when she’s a senior in two seasons. When she graduates in 2028, she wants to leave her mark.
“Definitely leave my mark not like to be missed but having the team fill that gap when I go. I want to motivate everyone below me — the new freshmen this year, next year — and have them keep pushing themselves so we can get results,” she said.
Off the pitch, Henderson describes herself as quiet, shy and introverted. But she enjoys being around her friends and people she is close with. She has a roommate, Amelia, who she feels she can talk to about anything. Henderson is a firm believer in surrounding yourself with the right people who make you feel comfortable.
“I would say I’m pretty introverted, actually I’m quiet. I like to hang out with my friends. I feel having the right people surrounding me helps me bring out more of myself. My roommate Amelia on the team, Kylie and Michaela — knowing them has made me a lot more comfortable. It’s all about the people you surround yourself with,” Henderson said.
When it comes to being inside the classroom, Henderson is not the biggest fan of school. But she does her work diligently, studying business and pursuing a degree in marketing. At this moment, Henderson is still figuring out her plans with marketing. She chose marketing because there’s a lot involved in that field. However, she’s always wanted to do something in real estate, like sell houses. She thinks that would be a cool career.
“No, I don’t really like school but I get it done. Right now I’m not too sure. I chose marketing because there is so much I could do with it. But I’ve always wanted to do real estate so I think I’ll do something with that. Maybe make my own real estate business or something — I think that would be cool,” she said.
Henderson is very soft spoken but eager to accomplish a lot on the pitch during her time at Willy P and in her future career aspirations. She has very supportive parents who love to watch her go through her journey of life.
“Both my parents are very supportive of me and my future goals,” Henderson said.
