By Eric Erickson,
Sports analysis
Senior Robin Engman-Phiri was selected as Como Park High School’s 2026 Athena Award recipient.
A two-sport varsity athlete in golf and soccer with a 4.08 weighted GPA while serving as student council vice-president, Robin stands out among a talented senior class for this individual honor.
However, Robin’s greatest strengths shine through her teamwork. She played varsity soccer as a freshman, coming into the program with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn from older players. Her infectious attitude and positive spirit propelled her to become a leader, both vocally and by example.
Natural choice for captain
Robin was a natural choice for soccer captain in her senior season, anchoring the defense and, remarkably, playing every minute of every game during her four years for the Cougars.
In golf, she was the Cougar’s top player for several seasons after beginning as a seventh-grader at Murray Middle School. While golf is an individual sport in which she excelled as a perennial top three player in the conference, Robin’s greatest asset is her encouragement of teammates.
“Robin is as much a mentor as she is a competitor,” Como golf coach Jonah Fields said. “Her technical knowledge and course management skills are so advanced that she often serves as an extension of the coaching staff. For Robin, golf is the perfect marriage of her natural social gifts and her drive as an athlete.”
Sumaya Mohamed has seen similar attributes, citing Robin’s selfless leadership, while working with her as the varsity soccer coach and as an advisor to the Como Student Council.
“On the field she is the leader that all our players look up to for her tenacity and spirit,” Mohamed said. “Robin does an amazing job of working hard and encouraging her teammates to excel as well.
“Similarly, as a leader in the building, she represents the values of what it means to be a Cougar,” Mohamed continued. “She is fearless and goes above and beyond in making our school community the most vibrant and welcoming atmosphere possible. Because of her, many of our students are interested in taking part in student council.”
Humble and balanced
Robin’s journey through sports is admirable in an era of increasing specialization. Born in Zambia, she moved to St. Paul with her mother and brother when she was six years old and attended Como Elementary School.
She tried soccer at the Orchard Recreation Center through the St. Paul Blackhawks Little Hawks program but never pursued year-round club play. Robin’s uncle encouraged her to give golf a try as a youth.
“I wasn’t good at it, but I had fun,” Robin said. When she joined the Como team her interest increased to the point that she joined the Solomon Hughes Senior Golf Academy summer program which has a focus on serving BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) youth.
She filled her winters by trying high school basketball, thriving on Como’s junior varsity and earning player of the year and hustle awards during her three seasons.
The fact that Robin embraced junior varsity basketball while already a decorated varsity athlete in two other sports testifies to the value of balance and playing sports for the right reasons. For her, those reasons were being physically active and socially engaged.
“My favorite things from sports have been the people. In soccer, the relationships and how our captains brought us along. I’d like to think I helped my teammates in the same way I was helped.
And golf is so social. I’m a very social person, so being able to play a sport and yap somebody’s ear off the entire time was right up my alley.”
Even with her elevated skills and all-conference accolades, Robin has retained the ability to make every competition fun for her opponents and herself.
Robin will be attending St. Olaf College next fall with plans to major in psychology.
Asked what advice she would offer young high school student-athletes, Robin said, “Comparison is the thief of joy. It doesn’t matter if they are better than you. What matters is how you can improve.”
Eric Erickson is a social studies teacher at Como Park High School and a longtime coach of school and youth sports in St. Paul.
