St. Louis to Madison: Deep friendship and soccer strengthen bond for Badgers
November 04, 2017 | Men's Soccer, Andy Baggot
Best friends Tom Barlow and Mark Segbers look to lead Badgers into postseason
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Tom Barlow and Mark Segbers were best friends long before they became senior forwards on the Wisconsin men's soccer team.
They grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and made a connection when they were grade-schoolers. Segbers was called up to join Barlow on a premier-level club team headed for a tournament in Portland. They roomed together and hit it off instantly.
"We're kind of like the same person almost in a weird way," Barlow said.
"We had the good connection on the field and we had the good connection off the field," Segbers said. "It blossomed from there."
Their friendship endured even though Barlow and Segbers played at rival high schools — Chaminade and St. Vianney, respectively — and Segbers' team won both meetings.
Their bond put them on the same path to UW — they took their official campus visits at the same time and committed three days apart — where they've lived together every year.
Their shared vibe connected them to the same academic major — Life Science Communications — and put them on the same path toward graduation 13 months from now.
Their relationship not only fortified the two men through family tragedy — Barlow's father and Segbers' stepbrother died suddenly along the way — it has sustained them through the trials and tribulations of being a student-athlete.
"You go through ups and downs during the season, so having a best friend there always makes it more fun and enjoyable," Barlow said.
"Going through college with your best friend right next to you has made it so much easier for me," Segbers said. "It made the transition from home easier because you had a part of home with you all the time."
It's going to be another wild one this weekend!
— Wisconsin Soccer (@BadgerMSoccer) November 2, 2017
Their task at the moment is to keep their college careers alive.
Wisconsin (8-4-4 overall) faces powerhouse Maryland (10-4-3) in the Big Ten Conference tournament quarterfinals Sunday in College Park, Maryland. Lose to the Terrapins and the season is done. Prevail and the Badgers enhance their resume for a possible NCAA tournament berth.
"It could be the end of an era," Segbers acknowledged.
Not so fast, said Barlow, mindful of the fact UW lost a hard-fought 2-1 match to the Terps in the Big Ten championship match last November and dropped a wild 5-4 decision to them during the regular season.
Maryland has won all seven meetings between the schools, but has lost four straight overall since winning in Madison last month.
"I love my team," Barlow said. "I think we're great. I think we're going to make a push."
Barlow and Segbers, named an all-Big Ten second-team pick earlier this week, are part of a seven-man senior class that just missed a breakthrough NCAA tournament invitation last season. Realizing that dream would attach an exclamation mark to their careers.
Check out Coach Trask in this week's press conference! #Badgers
— Wisconsin Soccer (@BadgerMSoccer) October 30, 2017
Regardless, a friendship will endure.
"He's just a good dude, someone I enjoy being around," Barlow said of Segbers.
"He has the same personality as me and brings out the best in me," Segbers said of Barlow.
Both men are energetic and upbeat by nature. Their down time is spent talking music, movies — just about anything that moves the conversational needle.
"We have good chemistry," Barlow said.
"We always seem to have the same taste in things," Segbers said. "Funny how that works."
Their bond was strengthened when Barlow was 14 and his father died of a heart attack.
"He was there when it all happened," Barlow said of Segbers. "He kept my spirits up, keeping me on a good path."
The roles were reversed during their freshman year at UW. Shortly after a match with Creighton, Segbers got word from his foster parents that his stepbrother had died unexpectedly.
Barlow made the trip back to St. Louis with Segbers for the wake and funeral.
"Being there for him was the most important thing," Barlow said.
"Having my best friend there made it that much easier," Segbers said. "No one else I'd rather talk to than him."
Atta boy Marky!! Proud of everything you've done!
— Wisconsin Soccer (@BadgerMSoccer) November 3, 2017
Barlow and Segbers had UW on their recruiting radar, but Segbers said they didn't talk much about playing for the Badgers until crunch time.
"Having him commit here was cool and I enjoy playing with him, so I was like, why not?" Barlow said.
"Couldn't be happier," Segbers said. "The fact he keeps showing up in the same places, I don't mind it one bit."
Both men hold out hope they'll play pro soccer when their college careers are done.
"That's my dream," Barlow said.
"It would be a dream come true," Segbers said.
Theirs is a friendship rooted in blood, sweat and tears.
Theirs is a relationship defined by respect, consideration and attitude.
"We know each other better than anyone," Barlow said. "We've kind of been through it all."
