A three-year starter in goal for the Longhorns, junior Dana Hall ranks second among UT goalkeepers in career goals against average during her time on the Forty Acres. She has also been a dominant force on the UT backline by posting six shutouts prior to entering the 2005 season. The Kingwood, Texas, native recently took time to go end-to-end with TexasSports.com.
A is for Australia
If Dana could travel anywhere, she'd love to travel to Australia. The laid-back atmosphere as well as the ocean creates the perfect vacation spot for her. Dana is no stranger to traveling (more on that later), and she is well on her way to achieving one of her life goals, which is to travel to all 50 states (she says she is at #37 or #38).
B is for Brad Pitt
If she could go on a date with any celebrity, it would be none other than Brad Pitt. Notably, Dana's favorite Pitt movie is "Fight Club", but her all-time favorite appearance involving Brad is the "Friends" Thanksgiving episode where he and Ross have the "I Hate Rachel Green" Club.
C is for Comfort Comes First
When it comes to style, Dana's first priority is comfort. According to Dana, flip flops and tennis shoes are what she lives in.
D is for Delicious Dessert
Dana's favorite dessert is the chocolate chip paradise pie from Chili's (good choice). Although she isn't a huge chocolate fan, she enjoys desserts that feature chocolate and ice cream.
E is for Ex-Forward
Dana played as a forward on the soccer field until the age of 14 before two things happened -- she grew five inches and the goalie on her team quit. The team was in need of a new goalkeeper, so she was moved from her forward slot and the rest is history.
F is for Frisbee Golf
Dana has recently taken up Frisbee Golf. She says it's actually a lot harder than you think it would be. When she tries to throw it straight, it hooks, but despite that, she enjoys it and says it is a good way to spend extra free time on a Saturday.
G is for Germany
Dana's excursions have taken her as far as Germany, when she traveled with the adidas All-American team. Dana fit right in with the tennis-shoes obsessed culture, where they had roughly 8,000 types of shoes and walking was a major means of transportation.
H is for Hyper Child
Dana was a very hyperactive child, so her my mom put her in every sport possible from the time she turned five. She played soccer, t-ball, basketball and pretty much anything else that would calm her down. As it would turn out, the fact that soccer was a contact sport led her to enjoy it more than the others.
I is for Interesting Thoughts and Facts
Here is some random information about Dana - Dana really likes the fact that Austin is a big city, but that it also has a small-town feel. Dana says, "if you want to be hip, you can go downtown, but then you can be outside of the city limits and go camping in 15 minutes."
- Dana's current favorite TV show is "The OC," which she admits is cheesy, but is still addicting.
- After playing as a forward for most of her life, then switching to the goalkeeper position, Dana has concluded that playing forward requires physical toughness, while a successful goalkeeper must be mentally tough and focused throughout the match.
- Dana drives a Ford Explorer Sport Trac, but if she could have any car, she would love to have a charcoal-colored Chevy Tahoe with leather interior, flashy rims and a krunk sound system.
J is for Julie Foudy
When she was younger, Dana used to watch the U.S. Women's National Team and follow standout Julie Foudy, who was her favorite player because she was very vocal and entertaining to watch.
K is for Kingwood High School
Dana graduated from Kingwood High School in three years and her graduating class featured a whopping 1,000 students. When she arrived at UT in 2003, she was only 17 years old, prompting her to choose No. 17 as her jersey number.
L is for Love of Dogs
Dana has three yellow Labradors back home on her parent's farm in Huffman, Texas, and misses them dearly. That love for dogs goes beyond her own pets, as she says anytime she sees a dog, she has to go pet it. In fact, she tries to go once a semester to the Humane Society to see all the dogs.
M is for Musicals
Most of Dana's favorite movies are musicals, and that isn't a coincidence. She is a "sucker" for musicals such as "Grease" and "The Sound of Music".
N is for Nicholas Sparks books
When it comes to reading, Dana loves Nicholas Sparks' novels such as "The Guardian", "The Notebook", "A Walk to Remember" and "The Wedding", which she describes as "sappy love stories."
O is for Orange Gatorade
Few things are better than an ice-cold Orange Gatorade according to Dana. All of the new flavors simply don't compare.
P is for Physical Therapy
Dana's dream job would be to work for a professional sports team as a physical therapist. After she gets done with her undergraduate degree, she would like to go to grad school in order to obtain her Physical Therapy license and ultimately work for a professional sports franchise. In fact, she was able to obtain some experience in that field this past summer as an intern at Eagle Rehab in Austin.
Q is for Quote
Dana's favorite quote is from the legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant in the book "The Junction Boys." The quote is, "If you believe in yourself, and have dedication and pride, and never quit, you'll be a winner."
R is for Random Occupations
We all know the question we were asked in our youth -- "What do you want to be when you grow up?" If you ask Dana's mom, she'll tell you that Dana wanted to be something different every week. She wanted to be a firewoman one week, an airplane pilot another week, and actually wanted to be in the Navy Seals for a good three months!
S is for Snake Phobia
Snakes freak Dana out like nothing else. She almost had a run in with one at her apartment complex recently when a large garden snake was found outside of her apartment. Luckily one of her friends called her and told her not to go outside.
T is for "Too Tall Dana Hall"
Dana is known to most everyone as "D," but UT assistant coach Kelly Lindsey calls her "Too Tall Dana Hall" because at five feet, 10 inches, she's the tallest player on the team.
U is for Unique Restaurants
Dana's favorite places to eat in Austin are all local restaurants. When she's feeling like Mexican food, she'll probably be at the Hula Hut eating Chicken Pipeline Enchiladas, and when she has an Italian craving, you can find her at Romeo's with a dish of Cheese Ravioli.
V is for Very Clean
Dana is a self-professed "neat freak" who has to clean her apartment at least once a week. Her desk is arranged exactly how she prefers it, so if things get out of order, she freaks out. She also can't leave in the morning if her bed isn't made.
W is for Wedding Crashers
The last movie Dana saw was "Wedding Crashers," which she said was "absolutely hilarious" (agreed). It's one of her new all-time favorites, but it still doesn't quite compare to "Old School", which she and Ashley Foster used to watch everyday.
X is for X-40 Wakeboarding Boat
If Dana won the lottery, the first thing she'd buy would be a Mastercraft X-40 Wakeboarding Boat, which costs roughly $65,000. To compliment the new boat, she¹d also have to buy a new wakeboard and spend as much time as possible on Lake Austin.
Y is for Y the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Despite being a native Texan, Dana's favorite NFL team is the Pittsburgh Steelers because her mom is from Pittsburgh and her grandpa is a huge fan. Dana loves the Steelers even more now because of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who she says has a cool last name.
Z is for Zest for Cooking
Dana loves to cook and is very excited about the new grill her dad just bought her. Her favorite item to prepare is salmon, but she also loves to make parmesan bread.
