2014 Women's Rugby Roster
Biography
HIGH SCHOOL ... Multi-sport varsity athlete at Thornton Fractional South HS in Lansing, Ill... earned four letters as a swimmer, while also a two year member of both her softball and track & field units... she set two school records in swimming, voted team captain of both her swim and track & field squads... earned the Lions Club Award, SSC Scholar-Athlete, All-Conference and All-Area accolades... finished in the Top 3 in conference all four years as a swimmer... nabbed Lansing Old Timers Scholarship... won both the Academic Achievement and Outstanding Student awards all four years... also a multi-year member of the Honor Roll as she graduated in the top 10% of her class... also a four-year Eligible Merit Recognition Scholarship Nominee and Outstanding Academic Achievement honoree.
PERSONAL ... Planning to major in management while at EIU... daughter of Charlest & Barbara Maricich... born on May 16... her favorite sports moments have consisted of "being in a really close race and I manage to push myself in order to beat my competitor, but just barely"... credits her sisters for influencing her sports career, "because they were the reason that I got into sports at such a young age... I wanted to be just like them"... member of both the Lansing Swim Organization and Indiana Rebels club squads.
OFF THE PITCH WITH JESSICA ... 'Jess' chose EIU "because coach Graziano recruited me to play rugby a few weeks before my final decision was needed... I realized that this was an exciting opportunity and I knew I couldn't pass it up"... feels that some of EIU's advantages over other schools include "the people of EIU... who were very open to me during my campus visit... as they tried to give me all the information that I would need when entering college... they gave me the knowledge in order to prepare me for this new lifestyle the best way they could"... also enjoys swimming, softball and running... her hidden talent includes being a good spokesman or announcer and good at giving speeches or presentations... was also involved in theatre arts for awhile"... currently driving a 2005 Scion XA... favorite foods include eggs and sausage & chicken sandwiches, mashed potatoes and french bread... plus she enjoys most types of desserts... doesn't care for port, stuffing or anything with mayo or bbq sauce... she can't go anywhere without her wallet... her favorite vacation memory is "traveling to a cottage in Michigan with family every summer"... her family own a cat named 'Matches', who she wishes she could bring to campus with her... she would love to be able to meet author J.K. Rowling sometime... her advice to a younger athlete would be "to push yourself in both practice and in the game"... her favorite quote comes from her former swim coach -- "this is what separates the good from the great"... her goals while at EIU include "discovering what it is I would like to do with my life and then work incredibly hard to achieve that goal."
