Every fall, thousands of students from all over the country flock to Madison in search of the perfect college life. But what of the kids who leave Madison in search of greener pastures? When Middleton native Jed Hohlbein left Wisconsin to attend Southwest Missouri State, Madison was the last place he thought he'd end up.
But after two relatively average seasons and 11 total goals at SMS, the potent striker made the decision to return home to Madison and the University of Wisconsin. It's a move that has paid dividends for both Hohlbein and the Badgers.
\I think it's helped a lot just being in this atmosphere,"" Hohlbein said. ""Being around people I've played with for years such as Nick [Van Sicklen] and my brother, getting a change of scenery, being in the town of Madison, where I grew up, just helps.""
A lot has changed with Hohlbein since he made his return to the Dairy State. Senior midfielder Van Sicklen, who played club soccer with Hohlbein for several years before college, has seen his teammate evolve into a complete striker in that time. All these improvements came to fruition with Hohlbein's four-goal haul at the Big Toe Invitational in Madison last weekend.
""I think he's definitely gotten stronger and quicker on the ball and really excelled at finishing, as you could see this past weekend,"" Van Sicklen said.
Wisconsin Head Coach Jeff Rohrman is also pleased with how Hohlbein has refined his attacking skills in his short time with the Badgers.
""He's just a little more polished,"" Rohrman said. ""Just in terms of the timing of runs, getting used to, perhaps, some of the players around him and what their tendencies and strengths are. He's grown into that and started to understand some of that stuff better.""
But according to Van Sicklen, the on-field improvements would be nothing without the off-field makeover. Gone are the long locks and scraggly goatee that Hohlbein wore in the past, replaced now by a more clean-cut look.
""First off, he did shave off all his facial hair-I think that definitely helped. He's a better looking guy,"" Van Sicklen mused.
Hohlbein would probably shave his head if it meant more goals this season. After a stellar start last year, Hohlbein's golden touch cooled and he finished with nine goals, still good enough for the team lead. Now that Hohlbein has gotten off to another blistering start, Rohrman hopes his top scorer can maintain the high form.
""I know this year he wants to put together a complete season,"" Rohrman said. ""One where the first part isn't the best and then it tapers off. I think he wants to put it together from the beginning to the end.""
Despite the strong start, Hohlbein is far from content. There are still many games to play and goals to score and he's set his sights high.
""I have very high expectations for myself and for the team,"" Hohlbein said. ""I expect to score a fair amount of goals, a decent amount of goals, be up there at the top of the Big Ten, and just help the team win.""
What's not surprising is that Hohlbein attributes much of his early season success to a tough off-season training regimen. What is surprising is the other thing he and his teammates did to get ready for the season-""just hanging out.""
""All five seniors stayed in Madison, so we had that chemistry working all summer and I think that was great for us, just as far as building a connection with one another, I think that really helped,"" Hohlbein said.
And while his connection with the seniors may have been fortified over the summer, there is another player on the team with whom Hohlbein needed no bonding time-his brother Aaron Hohlbein. The sophomore defender, who is currently injured, emerged last year as one of the Badgers' best defensive players. Both players had nothing but compliments for the other, and Aaron especially seems delighted with the opportunity to play with his brother.
""It's great. It's something we used to do in high school and in club, and to be able to do it here in college is just awesome,"" Aaron said.
It helps that his brother keeps scoring goals too. With four goals in two games, Jed is certain to see increased marking in the future. But according to Aaron, Jed has all the attributes needed to take on the added burden.
""He brings a certain hardness and competitiveness that I don't think anybody else on the team brings,"" Aaron said. ""I mean, he's always wanting to win and battling for everything. In practice and in games, he's just always doing it.""
