Centre's Austin Hall Enjoying Life and Soccer While Studying Abroad

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Austin Hall (right), who visited Denmark during Spring Break, enjoyed the pick-up games in which he participated.

DANVILLE, KY (04/22/2011)(readMedia)-- Austin Hall of Indianapolis, a junior at Centre College in Danville, Ky., is studying abroad this semester with the Centre-in-London program. More than 85 percent of Centre students study abroad, and like many of his teammates on the College's men's soccer team Jackson's past few weeks have involved papers, exams, museum tours, and lengthy travels. But he's found more than enough time for soccer.

Hall, a team captain, two-time SCAC All-Conference selection and NSCAA All-Region performer, was fortunate enough to get tickets to the epic English Premier League match-up at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United on March 1. "We could walk to the game from the dorms, and our seats were pretty good, upper deck near the 18-yard box," he says. "There's definitely a unique energy to the stadium, something I'd never experienced before. One of the coolest parts is how much more apparent the players' skills are in person. It's truly impressive."

Apart from getting to watch one of the greatest match-ups in today's sporting world, Hall found some time to play some serious pick-up during his Spring Break, spent in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"Needless to say, it was a blast," he says of the trip and the pick-up soccer games he played there. "I was on a team with my Danish friend and a friend from Indianapolis. We actually did really well, winning four of our five games, and more importantly, earning some serious respect. They were all skillful players and very organized, but fitness was definitely missing for a few of them! Overall, it was a great experience."

The five Centre Soccer players currently studying abroad will return home in May after what will have been a 12-week terms in Europe. Less than three months after their return, they'll be back in a Centre soccer uniform, training hard in preseason for what will be each of their senior seasons.

Hall is the son of Judy Hall and James Hall, both of Indianapolis, and is a graduate of Lawrence Central High School.

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 24th among all the nation's colleges and universities and has named Centre No. 1 among all institutions of higher education in the South for two years in a row. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices.