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.