Athlete of the Day: Alexis Smith

Alexis "Lexi" Smith is a freshman on Drexel's Women's Basketball team. She is from Calvert County Maryland and is a criminal justice major. She also plans to work in the secret service or the FBI field. Alexis was a standout basketball player at her high school Calvert Hall. She played every position on the court over her four-year varsity career at there, with the exception of center. She also has won three Maryland state championships from 2011-13. Also being a First Team All-SMAC selection all four seasons there. I know one thing about Lexi, the can girl can hoop. 

Everyone plays there sport for a reason. It might be to just get away and calm you down or even just because it brings you so much joy. For Lexi it's all about having fun, friend and escape. "What's most satisfying about my sport is it gets my mind away from everything. It's a very fun and popular sport. I love being part of team/family." Basketball is definitely an escape, I know that from when I was growing up I would just go outside and shoot to clear my head. Honestly I would feel better when I came inside. 

I remember growing up and would hate to get embarrassed on the basketball court. I would honestly try and not to but it would still happen and I would hate myself for letting it happen. We as athletes don't like getting embarrassed it kind of takes away from your game a little. Lexi describes her most embarrassing moment as being faked out, "an embarrassing moment that I have experienced would be when I got caught falling for a ball fake." A ball fake for someone who doesn't know is when the opposing player takes the ball acts as if they are going to pass or shoot. Getting caught on a ball fake happens often, I mean why else would someone use it.  

As a freshman I had figure out something's for myself. Good thing I had A great advisor to guide me through my transition. Lexi has recently made this transition from highschool to college and just like I had to figure things out she did too. "What I have learned in my freshman year would be don't wait till the last minute to do everything. If you play a sport, make sure you get work done on the road. Grades are everything." That's definitely a big one for freshman, time management. I'm a senior and I still have trouble managing my time. Just a little advice from me would be to just get your work done, the earlier the better. All the other activities you want to do instead of your work will always be there. 

I would like to thank Alexis for doing this interview, it was much appreciated!

Athlete of the Day: Idrienne Walker

Idrienne Walker is a freshman on the field hockey team and probably one of the strangest people you’ll ever meet. She likes to read, and write. Field Hockey is something that gets her through the day and something she always look forward to. "I’ve always loved to play field hockey and I don’t think that will ever change. Being a collegiate athlete is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but as well one of the best and I can’t wait to see what more this program has to offer."

The ability to play hard even when you don't feel like playing is definitely something you have to develop as you grow as a player. Idrienne would agree that will power issomething hard to have in difficult times. "I think will power is the most challenging part of field hockey. A lot of times we find ourselves “hating life” because of our practice schedule or because we don’t want to go to class or even because we aren’t playing, and from that, we fall back in to this irreversible cycle of laziness. Having the drive to succeed in all that you do is crucial to not only the sport but the life of an athlete as well." Idrienne continues to talk about how we as athletes can fall into lazy state and how having the will power to overcome that is crucial. "Sometimes we fall into the habit of being intellectually lazy but sooner rather than later you realize that this intellect is what you need to execute your physical skill. Your mind is what ultimately gets you through the season and when your mind is not right, then neither is your game."

As athletes we've all tried or even were successful in other sports. Idrienne talks about how she would run track of she still could. "I would love to compete in track. I ran track all through high school and did consider running in college. Track and field hockey were the two loves of my life and I do miss it a lot. The friendships I made and the opportunities I gained throughout my track season as a high school runner made me who I am today and I would have loved to experience on the collegiate level as well." That's what makes athletes so special because they can use skills from other sports that they have learned to be successful. 

I would like the thank Idrienne for finally getting this done with me, it was along time coming!

Athlete of the Day: Damion Lee

Damion Lee is a redshirt junior from Baltimore, MD. He is an only child who went to Calvert Hall College High School in Baltimore, before doing a prep school year at St. Thomas More, in Connecticut. Finally ending up here at Drexel.  Dame is also a very laid back person who love all sports and all kinds of music. 

Damion is an outstanding basketball player with many accomplishments on and off the court. Dame has had many great games playing for Drexel but he says that he believed was his best "my favorite games as a Dragon was my sophomore year when we played at Old Dominion University. I started off the game pretty hot, knocking down my first 5 shots and I was in the zone. Finished the first half with 24 points. I finished that game with 34 points, which still stands as my career high. I remember the crowd getting into game and some people were even cheering for me." It's definitely a great feeling to feel like your in the zone. I've felt that before my sophomore year against UMass in the NIT. It was a great environment and I'll always remember that game. 

Dame has faced many challenges in his life, and the most recent a torn ACL causing him to miss the rest of the season. I didn't want to have him reflect on that so I asked him what waa challenging about basketball. He says, "preparing yourself for the games" is most challenging. "When the attention to detail has to be at a maximum and the in-game adjustments that are likely to occur, causes you to have be alert and be ready to react without hesitation."

I know Damion very well and one thing I can tell you is that he and his mother are best friends. Just from being his roommate on the road and seeing the amount of times she would stop by, not to forget how she's been to every game, when Damion wasn't even participating. If you were to ask him who his hero is he would respond, "my mother. She has raised me since I was young, and I know that it is hard to raise a child as a single parent, but for a woman it is even harder to raise a man. She has always been there to support me, since I was little and even now. She comes to every home game, almost every away game, and is a constant in the stands and someone I can go to for advice no matter the situation. She is my heart." Wow, that's amazing. There's some much love between these two. It awesome that I can say I'm glad to know them. 

Athlete of the Day: Olivia Babiec

Olivia Babiec is Junior, Hospitality Major from Alexandria, Virginia. She is currently on the Women's Crew team and had been rowing for 6 years. Olivia is a excellent rower with achievements like winning a gold medal and the Coleman D. Boylan trophy at the 2013 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta. She also posted the fastest time at the Kelly Cup Regatta and the Kerr Cup Regatta. These achievements are impressive for someone that has only been rowing for 6 years. 

As some of you may know that Drexel just had their biggest crew competition of the year the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, Olivia is no stranger to this competition."This was my third Dad Vail regatta. We won my freshman year in the Womens Freshman 8 race, and my sophomore year in the 2nd Varsity 8 race. Winning 2 years in a row is not an easy thing to do."  This team is relentless, they never settle for anything but the best and they proved that when they won the Dad Vaik Regatta Olivia's freshman and Sophomore years. "Both years we did something that had never been done before. Freshman year we were the first womens boat to ever win a Dad Vail gold medal, and shortly after we won the 2V won their race. Last year we defended the 2V title, which is the first time any Drexel boat has had a back-to-back gold medal." This team is definitely going for a record with a win this year as well. 

Going into the race Drexel was ranked 5th for their event, Womens Varsity 8.  Their national ranking compared to the other boats that made it to the grand final was much lower, so they were able to perform and exceed expectations.  After some terrible weather, they finally raced 2 hours after they were supposed to and won silver by .2 seconds. "That was one of the most heartbreaking and proudest moments I've had on this team.  It was heartbreaking because we fought like hell and didnt win.  However, we performed to our absolute best and we gave it our best race, beating out teams that had beaten us earlier in the year, and teams that usually beat us in the race every year." This was also the first time in 4 years that the Varsity 8 has made it to grand finals. They made history once again for Drexel rowing. With their silver medal, they were also able to secure the team points trophy for a second year in a row and earned a bid to race in England at the Royal Henley Regatta. "Because of this, I am so incredibly proud of my teammates."

I want to thank Olivia for taking the time to speak with me! 

Athlete of the Day: Kerry Walsh

Kerry Walsh is a senior Health Services Administration major on the Women's Crew team. Kerry is looking to pursuing a career in Healthcare Development. She is from Marlton, NJ, so this means that she can often go home to see her family. Unlike me where it would take roughly 7 hours to get home. Kerry also likes to document things so she takes a ton of photos. Instagram is one of her favorite social media outlets because it's centered around photos.

Kerry is definitely the type of person I had in mind when creating this blog; she is involved in so many good things that someone like myself who is trying to the promote positive attributes about a person. Kerry told me about a camp she and her sister get involved with every summer to help kids. "My sisters and I volunteer every summer at a one-week long overnight camp for Pediatric oncology patients and their siblings called Camp No Worries in Tabernacle, NJ. I have held a counselor role as well as a Program Facilitator role which included monthly meetings with the other planning staff for camp to create a theme, schedule, and activities for the week of camp. This year I took a more on-site role at camp and returned to being a counselor for the week. I do intend to have a more year-round role after I graduate. The way these kids light up when the only thing they're worrying about is running faster than the person chasing them playing duck-duck-goose is unseen anywhere else." If anyone would like to see a short video on the camp Kerry has provided me with a link to the video. You can find the video here: http://www.campnoworries.org/content/videos/videos.asp. 

If you haven't heard but our very Drexel Crew Teams have won the Arberdeen Dad Vail Regatta. This is the second year they won this competition, which is a major accomplishment for this program. The Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta is Drexel's largest competition of the season. There were one hundred twenty-six schools and over 3,500 athletes competed in the 76th annual regatta on the Schuylkill River. "In our event, my boat got the second place silver medal-the best the Women's V8+ has ever done; to reel in just enough points to put us into the lead for the overall team points trophy for the second year in a row. For that to have been my last Dad Vail was an absolute dream. Though first would have been stellar, we did make Drexel History and I could not be prouder of where this team is headed." Because of their stellar performance at the Dad Vail the Crew team will be going to Henley. "Winning the silver medal at the Dad Vail Regatta was enough for us to earn the OK from our coaches and the university to travel to the Women's Henley Regatta in England on the Thames June 18-22. Our Women's Varisty 8, Second Varsity 8, and a double will head over to England to compete. This is a major life goal and will be my last race as a Dragon, and my last race ever. That being said, this is my capstone race and it will be epic." 

I knew that our Crew Team won this competition last year so I asked Kerry how she was feeling going into this years race Kerry told me, "I felt confident, but not presumptuous. Our team has only been getting faster since I was a freshmen in 2010-2011. We felt good, we were posting fast times and holding our undefeated streak since changing people around to the current line up. We were ready to race our hearts out in the final." Well I'm sure I speak for everyone in the athletic department when I say that I'm glad you pulled it out and am proud to be a Dragon. 

I would like to thank Kerry Walsh for sitting and chatting!

Athlete of the Day: Zolten Gercsak

Zolten Gercsak is a Freshman from Budapest Hungary, he is on the Men's Swimming and Diving Team. At his high school he was a four-year letterwinner, and took third place in the Hungarian National Short Course Championship. He also swam the 1500 free at the Hungarian Distance Swimming Championships. Zolten received first place in the 300 free at the Hungarian National Championships, and took home second place in the 800 free relay.

Zolten is an international student, what this means is that he doesn't get to go home often because of the long flights he would have to endure. Zolten had to make the transition to the American way of living. This can be a tough challenge because of the vast culture difference. "It's real different for me, the buildings are different, the culture and the people are different, everything is jus lt different." I can relate to this because when th basketball team traveled to Turkey my freshman summer, and just experiencing everything there was different for me and we were there only a week, imagine having to make that transition for four years. 

Every sport has something unique about it, basketball the unique thing about is that you don't have to be really tall to play. You often see a lot of smaller guys playing the game and make an impact. One guy I think of in particular is Chaz Williams from UMass. The guy can't be any taller than 5'5" and he an animal. Zolten says what's unique about swimming is that is not like a lot of other sports, because it takes place in the water and the water can be terrifying to some people, which makes it a tough sport to participate in. I can understand how the water can be frightening. I'm not the best swimmer, and when I was younger I would never get in deep water that fear of drowning can really scare you until you conquer it. 

I would like to thank Zolten for sitting with me and talking!

Athlete of the Day: Lauren Hibshman

Lauren Hibshman is a sophomore on the Drexel Field Hockey team. She is biological sciences major, who hopes to pursue a career in Child Development. Lauren has played Field Hockey for 13 years, starting in 2nd grade. Lauren comes from a house of Field Hockey players. Her sister who also played field hockey at Temple University and  mom who played at Bloomsburg University. A exciting fact about Lauren is that she is a member of the Women’s USA Indoor Field Hockey team.


It's always a great feeling when you and your teammate make a great connection during action. Playing here I've had a few of those moments. These moments are what Lauren says satisfy her the most. "A satisfying moment of field hockey for me, is when you and your teammates make a perfect connection up the field passed each opponent. It doesn’t happen every play, but when you get a solid connection from the defensive line all the way up to the forward line, it is the coolest thing to watch and the best feeling ever." "It's even better when the passing sequence makes it all the way up the field and results in a goal."  Yeah I guess that would be something similar to a full court alley-opp pass.

I've seen some of the most bazzare things playing basketball. I've even seen someone get pants during play. The most embarrassing the for would probably be missing a wide open layup, good thing we won the game or that would've been unforgettable. Like me Lauren has had an embarrassing moment.
"The most embarrassing athletic moment that has happened to me, did not take place on field hockey pitch. When I was sophomore in high school I joined the track and field team. I did the event with the least running: discus. At one of the practices we were all lined up practicing our throwing form when all of a sudden I felt something hit my butt and knocked me to the ground. The kid next to me had accidentally let go of his discus too early, releasing it sideways right in my direction.  I could not sit down for almost a week. From that moment on I decided to stick to field hockey." Wow, embarrassing and pain full. Glad you've recovered and there were no serious injuries.

Everyone fears something whether it's snakes, clowns, or spiders we all can relate to the fact that something can scare is half to death. I asked Lauren what hers was, and this what she had to say, "As many athletes can relate, one of my greatest fears is getting a career-ending injury. Athletes constantly push their bodies to the limit and, unfortunately, sometimes beyond the physical limits their bodies can handle. During my junior field hockey season in high school, a ball hit me and broke my thumb as I was going to deflect it into the goal cage. My thumb required surgery to put the bones back together so I had to miss the rest of my season. It was so difficult to watch my team from the sidelines and know I could not help them on the field. Fortunately my injury was very minor, but I could not imagine what a serious injury would be like." I can definitely relate to that, I've seen my share of career ending injuriesanf hope that I'm blessed to stay injury free.

Speeches are the worst thing for me, people often say how come it so easy for you to play in front of thousands of people but when you have to give a speech your so quiet. It's honestly just a lot easier to play a sport in front of a lot of people than to give an oral presentation. Lauren gave me a little pointers on what to do when I get infront of the class, "I have never been good at giving speeches. While I have a come a long way since my elementary school days when I would cry before every speech, I still get very nervous whenever I have to stand in front of people. In order to help me alleviate some of this anxiety, I practice my speech a lot beforehand. Whether I am speaking to my roommate or just to an empty room, it always helps when you rehearse your speech out loud.  Also, whenever I get up in front of people I remind myself to simply be who I am. Whenever I mess up, I take a deep breath, smile, and continue. Its all about being relaxed." Thanks Lauren I will surely remember that for my next presentation.

I want to thank Lauren Hinshman for doing this interview with me.

Athlete of the Day: Mason Pynn

Mason Pynn is a Red-shirt Sophomore on the Men's Lacrosse team from Victoria, British Columbia where he attending the Claremont school a secondary school in British Columbia. In his first year as a Dragon Mason played a reserve role, appearing in 14 contests. He picked up his only assist of the year against Mount St. Mary's. 

Mason loves playing Lax, if you ever seen a game you know that there is a lot of hitting in Lacrosse  kind of like Hockey. A big hit on a guy can be something to ignite a team and if you ask Mason this is what he likes most about Lacrosse. "The thing I like about lacrosse is the physical nature of the game. I love the scrappiness of it, fighting to get the ball. I also love when you get a good hit and just rock a guy." I can't lie, everytime I see a big hit I just want to jump out if my seat and go crazy. That's not the only thing that Mason like about Lacrosse, he says that "What I like most about lacrosse has to be being a part of a team, something bigger than yourself. There’s no better feeling knowing you have 40+ brothers who have your back no matter what." Mason got a point here, I know when I was feeling down about something my teammates/brothers would be there for me. It may not have been 40 guys on the team but it was always love and the relationships you guild with your teammates last forever. 

 A gameday routine is something a lot of athlete do because honestly I believe we all are a little superstitious. I had one since highschool and kept it throughout college. Masons ganeday routine consist of him jamming to a little music. "I have a bit of a game day routine. Before I leave for the field I always listen to kick start my heart by motley crue. Then at the field I always put on a shirt that belonged to my dad before I warm up and write our scouting report on my gloves. The final thing I do before we go out to the game is listen to Enter Sandman by Metallica to get me fired up." I like the scouting report on the gloves thing, to bad we didn't wear gloves in basketball or I would have had guys on lock down. 

Your captain are suppose to be your fearless leaders. When I think of how a captian should be I think of King Leonidas, ready to die for his guys. A captian like can inspire you to do great things and being the best out of a player. "The captain of the team are Jason Klunder and Ben McIntosh. They keep things easy going and fun in the locker room before a game, keep everyone loose, before the game they give the whole team a talk and get us pumped up, inspiring us through their words." I was never the guy to give a big speech before a game, Frantz that guy for us and he would deliver these speeches with such conviction that we honestly were ready for war. 

If anyone saw our Lacrosse team play two Sundays ago you saw Nick Saputo's two goals right before halftime. I wanted to know what the team morale was like leading up to this Mason told me that their morale was high even before he scored the two goals, "The team morale was extremely high because we knew we were still in that game even before he scored. Saputo not having many goals, it totally pumps the team up when a guy like that scores 2 goals seconds apart to take the lead at half." Definitely, I'm not even on the team an I was pumped watching from the stands. 

I want to thank Mason Pynn for taking the time to chat with me. 

Athlete of the Day: Jared Boudreau

Jared Boudreau is a Senior Lacrosse player who grew up in vermont, born and raised in a little town called Hinesburg vermont with only a few thousand people in town. He went to a public high school for 3 years until he was able to go to a prep school at Brewster Academyin New Hampshire.  There he boarded for 2 years. "This was an excellent opportunity for me both academically and athletically as it opened a lot of doors for me and helped pave the way for me to end up here as a dragon."

A true Dragon fan is up to date with the current events of the school athletic programs. Of this is you then you know that on Sunday May 18th our Lacrosse will be taking on Denver in Delaware. This is a special team, just ask Jared, "Honestly, this team is something special, having been on the sideline for 3 years to now starting and playing all the time is literally a dream come true. The fact that this team has had the resilience it has had to survive and advance in such a great way has been something truly amazing." Definitely these guys go out there and give it their all and when you can tell a player is working hard on the field that's a good sign for success. 

I've been on great teams in my Career at Drexel and I always wanted a conference championship. Just so I can come back and say "I did that". Although that never happened for me I'm glad my buddy Jared got the chance to taste what a conference championship is like. "I can't believe that this has finally happened and love that I have been able to be a part of something as special as tying 80 plus years of drexel lacrosse alumni together and creating such a great year for our program. I am really proud of the whole team top to bottom." So is everyone at Drexel. 

What was it like playing Penn in the first round?

The battle of 33rd Street is something you look forward to as an athlete. I know when we would play University of Pennsylvsnia Basketball team it was a huge deal. We see those guys often around the city and it's nice to just beat on some Ivy League kids. This was no different for Jared and his band of brothers. Just look at what he says about the experience. "It was surreal, there aren't many other adjectives I can think of to describe it other than just that, surreal. These are the days I was dreaming of as a 10 year old kid in my back yard playing on the big stage scoring goals and making plays with the guys I have come to call my brothers."

If you saw the Dragons in actions last week you noticed that Jared has quite a plethora of celebration dances. My favorite was when he was left dead open and "sniped" one right past the keeper he did what we call in basketball the gooseneck or if you know Jim Jones, the balling sign. I asked Jared what he thought about his celebration dances. "My celebrations are something I have really, and sadly to admit, have stolen from former players I have known, the ice sweep is one from my days of playing hockey and one which I stole from former brewster standout and syracuse attackman Stephen Keogh. My other celebration was a bit more simple simply because the referee told me to tone it down, so I simply did a little "notch" down with my hand as to say "count it" as a small exclamation point on the goal." Don't worry about it Jared everyone "borrows" from everyone. 

I like to thank Jared Boudreau for doing with me. Good luck to you my friend! 

Athlete of the Day: Laura Rahauser

Laura Rahauser is a Sophomore Squash player from Mecerburg, Pa. At her high-school Mercerburg Academy she was a three sport athlete playing soccer, lacrosse and even ran track. In her freshman season at Drexel she helped Drexel defeat Mt. Holyoke, 5-4, in the first round of the national team championships. She won her matches at the Smith Round Robin to help give the Dragons first place at that event.

I asked Laura what she thought was her best match and she said, "one of my best games as a Dragon was at nationals my freshman year. In squash you play 9 players and games best out of 5. We were at Yale and at this point our team was tied in games, my match decided which team became the 20th women's team in the nation. I ended up winning the match and it was such a great achievement for me but I felt especially grateful to have won it for my team and represent Drexel!" Laura also had told me that the game itself was a nail bitter. Glad she pulled it out for Drexel! 

I like to sometimes ask questions to get into the minds of the people I interview. I asked Laura how I she give away 50,000 dollars. I did this to see what kind of person she was and what causes she would donate to. I found out that Laura went to India in highschool, during her trip she visited an orphanage. This is where she wants give $50,000 dollars to "I went to India in high school and while I was there I visited an orphanage of children that were saved from numerous kidnapping camps in the area. The kids really touched my heart." These are the type of things I like to hear from student athletes. It helps  grow a culture of giving back and to help others in the world who are struggling. 

Laura isn't easily impressed but she says the last thing that impressed her was when "one of my teammates hit a sick kill shot."  It was "fiiiiyaaaa." Growing up in the 90's I watched my fair share of Disney movies. I can speak for everyone and say that The Lion King is the best Disney movie ever but we all have are favorites. Laura says the Little Mermaid is her favorite, "Wow I love a lot of them, but I always loved Little Mermaid."

Thank you Laura for doing this interview with me! 

Athlete of the Day: Christopher Crawford

Christopher "Chris" Crawford is a Sophomore here at Drexel, he is second year player on our Men's Golf team. Chris is from Bensalem, Pa, and went to Holy Ghost Prep. Chris was named the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, he was the first Dragon ever to receive this award while finishing13th overall at the CAA Championship.

When you play sports it can be pretty nerve racking, I remember playing in the KFC YUMS Center my freshman year at Drexel against Louisville. We were their first game on the new arena. Thousands of fans were at the game and during the game you could barely hear the plays being called. I was nervous at the beginning of that game but once i started playing my nerves went away. Many collegiate athlete get nervous before matches just ask Chris who says, "I would say I'm most nervous on the opening hole of a round or tournament. I don't ever get too nervous out there, but before you get to settle into your round it's always a little uncomfortable." I think it good to be a little nervous, as long as your not scared, that's a different story. 

You wouldn't believe the amount of rules there are in golf, over 180 pages of rules. Wouldn't some of the rules get a little tedious. How many times can you tell me how to put the ball in the hole. Well asked Chris if there were any rules he'd like to change he said, "golf has a lot of very strange rules, I would change the rule where you have to drop in a bunker while taking relief from casual water. It's one of the worst rules there is, and almost assures a terrible lie in the bunker on your next shot."

My if you would ask me who likes my sport the most in my family I would say me. I've been playing the longest out of my family and hopefully one day I'll go pro, so yeah I'm definitely the candidate for that. Although with Chris' family that's not the case. He credits his father to liking golf the most, "definitely my dad. He's the only other family member who really plays the sport consistently, and he's the one who taught me the game." My dad also taught me the game but I still like basketball more.

There was always that one room you had on your childhood where you love going to hangout. In my house it was our attic, it was finished with a huge TV and my PlayStation. Chris loved going to his basement. "My favorite room is probably the basement. We have a pool table down there and it's just a nice chance to escape and relax for a little while." Yeah it hear that, it's always nice to just get away and relax by yourself.

I want to thank Chris Crawford for doing this with me. It was fun!

Today's Athlete: Nicholas Maccini

Nicholas "Nick" Maccini is Pre-Junior from Cumberland, Rhode Island where he started wrestling his freshman year of high school. As his wrestling career went on he began to like it more each day. In high-school Nick won the Lancaster Invitational and Capital City Classic. He also placed third in states and was academic all state as a junior and senior in high school.  He started traveling for wrestling and his skills landed him here at Drexel University.

Each year many high-school athletes strive to get offers from division 1 colleges in their respected sports. I know from a personal experience how tough it is for someone coming out of high-school who is not highly recruited to choose a college of your liking. Nick was one of these athletes, "my only other offer for division 1 wrestling came from Sacred Heart University."

Wrestler are known for their physicality on the mat but something Nick finds unique about wrestling is how its brings people together. "I have friends all over the country just because of wrestling. Also people don't know how much wrestlers give back to their sports community."There's no professionals in wrestling, so a lot of former wrestler coach to give back to the community."

If you know anything about wrestling you know that their are different weight classes and each wrestler cuts the same weight amount of weight. "Making weight is the hardest part about wrestling. Naturally I'm about 175 tops, but my wrestle weight is 149." I can see how hard it is for someone to cut 26 during competition, when I gain about 5 during the basketball season.

Nick works 30 hours a week to pay for school, he works as the manager at Drexel pizza. He works beside the owner, who if you've ever seen is a little bit on the meaner side, and doesn't really talk to anyone. Nick says that the best compliment he's ever gotten was from him. "He told me that he was proud of me. It was a big deal, everyone in the family heard about it. It was cool."

I want to thank Nicholas Maccini for taking time out his 30 hour week to chat.

Today's Athlete: Kelly McDevitt

Kelly McDevitt is a Junior at Drexel University, who grew up in Doylestown, PA which is about an hour outside of Philadelphia.  She has an older brother, who played basketball at Widener University.  She is a huge Philadelphia Flyers fan and love the Eagles as well.  I'm majoring in Accounting at Drexel with hopes of getting my CPA after graduation.

Kelly plays Lacrosse here at Drexel her position is on defense and she not afraid to mix it up with the opposing team. In 2013 McDevitt caused a turnover against Hofstra and Villanova, also in that same year she won a draw control in the Dragons victory over Delaware. Kelly recalls her most lopsided win at Drexel was against Mount St. Mary's (CA) in 2012.  "We beat them 15-0.  It's huge to have a shut out in women's lacrosse!"

Not all the teams Kelly played for we're great. Just like every athlete, who has thier share a of bad teams before they get a chance to play an elite team, "the worst team I have been on was probably my club lacrosse team. It's kind of cliche because that team is the reason I got recruited to come play at Drexel.  We were absolutely terrible, got crushed every game, and half of the time we never had enough players because no one had enough dedication to the sport.  The lack of dedication was the reason I made it the worst team to be a part of."

Kelly loves the eagles so much that if she had the opportunity she would coach them. "If I could I would be the head coach the Philadelphia Eagles.  I love football, the atmosphere in the stadiums, fans, and just the game in general!  Philadelphia is an awesome city for professional sports teams.  The fans are brutal, but amazing.  It makes the sport so much more fun and exciting.  And to coach that talented of athletes would be a cool experience.  My cousin plays in the NHL and the level of play, intelligence of the athletes, and dedication to the sport amazes me.  It is really awesome to see how many aspects of life a sport can impact."

If you've ever seen Kellyaround campus you would that she always smiling and you could just feel how approachable she is. Many people would agree with me about how outgoing she is and how easy she to talk to

Kelly and I share something in common but honestly who wouldn't credit their favorite candy as Reese's. I mean they're just so enjoyable.

I want to thank Kelly McDevitt for taking the time to do this with me.

Today's Athlete: Zeynep Mafa

 Zeynep Mafa is Senior who was born in Istanbul, Turkey, but moved to the United States for high school to better her chances of earning a division 1 scholarship to play tennis. She attended a tennis academy in Southern California just outside of Los Angeles, where she trained, competed in tournaments, and  prepared her to play division 1 tennis. "I've been playing tennis since I was 10 years old. I actually chose tennis, because my older brother played tennis, and my mom wanted to make it easier on herself by dropping the two kids off at the same location for practice."

Mafa credits her inspiration to continue to play tennis to her love for the sport and how it challenged her mentally. "I really loved how tennis was a very mental sport. It was a thinkers game. It was for the mentally tough."

Being a basketball player I often learned more from the wins than the loses, because it was easier to pick out the flaws in your game in a loss. Tennis that's not that case,"I believe that I learn more from my loses because it makes me think "what I could have done better." I had my share of tough loses but I never let them get the best of me, I always tried to do better and exceed my potential."

Zeynep is a very accomplished collegiate tennis player. She earned a Division 1 scholarship that she longed for at Drexel University, but was also named a 1st team All CAA as a Junior, which was the first time in Drexel Women's Tennis history. "I always knew that if I believed in myself, and worked hard, I could make my dreams a reality of playing division 1 tennis." 

Just like every college athlete, Mafa set goals for herself because just getting here wasn't enough. "I played #1 singles and doubles this year, and that was one of my college goals was to compete at the highest level, and face the best opponents that the CAA conference had to offer. I think my greatest accomplishment as an athlete is achieving my goals and making my parents proud, which means the world to me."

I want to thank Zeynep Mafa for taking the out her busy day to chat with me. 

Today's Athlete: Chris Fouch

          After being granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after suffering the second season-ending injury of his career Chirs Fouch began his final season as a Dragon with 1,194 career points, 20^th all-time at Drexel and seventh all-time with 203 career three-pointers. Chris Fouch is what you call a "pure shooter", but here a little something you probably did not know about Chris. Fouch was both the CAA Co-Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week after becoming the first Dragon to win both awards in the same week. When asked what was the best team he has ever played on Fouch said, "The best team I have been on thus far has to be the 2011-12 Drexel basketball team. We just had great team chemistry on and off the court. I feel like everyone on the team was willing to do whatever it took to win and I think that's the reason why we won 29 games."

 The thing about college basketball is that you can face different levels of competition, and run into a group of guys that just outplay you in every position, and Chris has come across this before. "The most lopsided loss I have ever been a part of had to be against Kentucky in my freshman season. They had five 1st round draft picks and we lost the game by 28 points on national tv. It was Kentucky's 2000th win! Talk about embarrassing!"

It's not always about basketball with Fouch, he is very family oriented. If you have ever gone to a basketball game at Drexel you would see a plethora of family in his corner. His mother June and Father Bernard always try and attend every game, even making the trips the Virgin Islands. I spoke to Fouch about which of his parents he thinks like his sports the most, and he replied, "I would say my father likes the sport. I feel that way because he used to play at one point and I think he's excited to see his son playing college basketball so he loves the game even more." Fouch credits his mother to being his biggest fan, "She just always comes to my games no matter where they are and whether I'm playing or not. She supported through the good times and the bad times!"

There comes a time in everyones life where they have to make a decision, and the decision to where he was going to attend college was the most difficult and the scariest thing of his life. "You never know how your future will turn out and that is a scary situation in itself. But I'm glad I choose to come to Drexel. I have had a great career and have a chance to play professional so I wouldn't have  done it any other way!"

Well there you have it, straight from the mouth of Chris Fouch himself. 

I want to thank Chris Fouch for taking the time to sit with me and chat while I picked his brain. 

Welcome

Welcome to Drexel Insider! 

My name is Dartaye Ruffin and I am a former forward on the Drexel men's basketball team. Nearing the end of my college career, I have noticed that many athletes don't get the chance to be recognized for their accomplishments, on and off the court. Being someone who takes great interests in sports, I am excited to introduce a new platform where people can get an inside look into the mind of a student athlete. Over the next few weeks I will consistently be posting interviews with student athletes from various teams at Drexel University. You will be able to get a look into these athletes personal experiences during their college career. Join me on this exciting journey as we take a look into what the life of what a student athlete experiences.