Eastern Illinois University Athletics

HIGH SCHOOL: Carolyn attended Trinity High School in River Forest… played varsity basketball for three years and varsity volleyball her final two high school seasons… went to the Elite Eight in basketball during as a junior…. 

PERSONAL: Plans to major in elementary education… daughter of Julius & Linda Rutili…major influences on her sports career are her mom, family and friends, “my mom would always say that I should try out for the tennis team, and from the great support from my family and friends, I built up the courage to pursue a tennis career”… most admired coaches are Mrs. Lappe and her volleyball coach Kate, “because they both gave me the best instruction one can give... they also pushed me to be the player they know I could be, and I love them for that”… her cousin, Maggie Kloak, plays basketball for EIU and her cousin, Bobby Fratto, plays baseball at Concordia University in River Forest.… 

FUN STUFF: Somes goes by either ‘Car,’ ‘C-Rut,’ or ‘C-Money’ by her teammates… came to EIU “because I loved the atmosphere and the academic perspective... plus I really thought the castle (Old Main) was cool too”… her favorite EIU athlete to watch is her cousin, Maggie Kloak… one of her hidden talent is being able to sing Lady Gaga songs well, “or at least I think so”… drives a White RX330 Lexus… favorite foods are pasta, pizza and sushi ... but she doesn’t like mint or anything with cinnamon in it… her favorite singer, not surprisingly, is Lady Gaga…. favorite t.v. show is ‘One Tree Hill’… her favorite flick is ‘The Love Guru’… while favorite actor and actress are Jim Carrey and Drew Barrymore, respectively… if she could switch places with one person for a day it would be Lady Gaga, “because I believe she is the most amazing person on this earth”… since coming to EIU she has learned “how to do my own laundry and how to live independently”… she has two beagles named ‘Shamus’ and ‘Missy’… lists painting as one of her favorite hobbies… if she could bring one thing from her hometown to EIU it would be “the restaurant Chipotle and her two dogs”…. 

BLACKBURN SAYS: “Carolyn has been working very hard with us this year and has made some real strides in her game... she has been a big boost to the atmosphere around the team both on and off the court... I think she still has a lot of room to grow in her game and I’m excited to see her develop as the season goes along.”