I’m Erin. I’m a 33-year-old woman living in Baltimore, MD. I consider myself the luckiest person in the world. I have an amazing husband, three wonderful children, a loving family, awesome friends, and an opportunity to write and speak about my personal journey of overcoming an eating disorder as a collegiate athlete to inspire and help others.
Biography
I was born on June 15, 1984 in Detroit, Michigan. My parents, Lisa and Joseph Konheim are high school sweethearts, and I am the middle child between two brothers, Ari and Jeremy. Currently, I am married to Jonathan Mandras, and we have three children, Levi (6), Austin (4) and Nolan (18 months). I reside in Baltimore, Maryland, the city I relocated to immediately following my collegiate career at Michigan State University in 2007.
Before choosing to stay home and take care of my children, I found much success in the realm of coaching soccer. Earning my United States Soccer Federation (USSF) “A” License in June 2011, I have coached at the club, Olympic Development Program (ODP), and collegiate levels. I was the Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at Loyola University Maryland from 2008-2012, following a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Towson University. Prior to that, I was the Undergraduate Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at my alma mater, Michigan State University, from 2006-2007.
I started playing soccer at the age of four when my older brother, Ari, became interested in the sport. From there, I never stopped playing the sport that has come to be my identity. My father began coaching my teams in our local organization, Lakes Area Youth Soccer League (LAYSL), in West Bloomfield, Michigan. I played coed soccer until the age of 10 years old. At the age of 12, my father highly encouraged me to tryout for a travel team, Birmingham Blazers. Continuing to prove I could compete and succeed at a higher level, my father urged me to challenge myself even more and tryout for the best organization in the state of Michigan at the time; The Michigan Hawks. From the age of 13 to 16, I played, competed, and displayed my abilities on the soccer field with “The Hawks.” At 16, I finished my club career with Vardar III, the Hawks’ rival, to play with two players, my best friends, who also committed to playing at MSU. During my high school years, I was also named to the 1984 Olympic Development Program’s Region II Regional Team from 1999-2001. With the Region II team, I attended the United States National Camp event at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, experienced playing overseas in Europe, and competed in the US Youth Soccer ODP Girls Interregional events held in Portland, Oregon and Boca Raton, Florida. A 2-Time Michigan State Cup Champion, I was named the Michigan State Cup Most Valuable Player in 2001.
I went on to play collegiate soccer at Michigan State University from 2002-2005. In 2002, Michigan State made their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. A captain during my senior season in 2005, I helped lead MSU to a 12-6-5 record, and the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. A 4-year starter, I concluded my Spartans’ playing career as the school’s career assists leader (23), and I finished seventh on the program’s all-time points list (53). A three-year Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2003-2005), I graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education in May 2006.
After completing my collegiate eligibility, I competed semi-professionally for the Michigan Hawks of the United States Soccer W-League. I served as a team captain and helped the Hawks to a 10-2-2 record and the Midwest Division title.
In November 2014, I was inducted into the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Also, I was the recipient of 2017 The Nell C. Jackson Outstanding Alumna Award. It is presented annually to a Spartan varsity alumnae whose career, since graduating from Michigan State University, has been distinguished not only by outstanding professional accomplishments but also by an exceptional record of community service.