Class of 2002
Sports: Swimming and Volleyball
Athletic Accomplishments:
Swimming: Jody was the 1999 CapitalAthletic Conference (CAC) Rookie-of-the-Year. She capturedindividual CAC titles in the 200 back (1999, 2000 and 2002) and the100 back (1999). She also qualified for the NCAA Championships as afirst-year in the 50 free as well as the 100 and 200 back events.Jody finished 17th in the 200 back, missing All-America honors byone spot. At the end of her collegiate career, she held schoolrecords in the 100 and 200 back, plus an All-CAC record in the 100back, as well as school records in the 200 and 400 medley relays.Jody was a St. Mary’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for2000.
Volleyball: Jody was a two-yearteam captain. She played in a total of 417 games. She finishedher career with 1,022 kills, 1,086 digs and 316 blocks. When shegraduated, those statistics ranked third all-time in Schoolhistory. She was ranked fourth all-time with 117 service aces atthe time of her graduation. She also set a school single-matchrecord as a junior with 15 blocks against Randolph-Macon. Jody wasa two-time All-CAC selection. She received first team CAC honors in2001. Jody also garnered a spot on the CAC All-Academic Team andwas named 2000 Team MVP. She also earned 2001 CoSIDA AcademicAll-District Second Team honors.
Most Memorable Sports Experience at St.Mary’s:
“Ah, to pick one is nearly impossible. Playing volleyballand swimming provided two distinct experiences, which makes thisquite a tough question! There were many very cool moments; playingagainst my sister in a volleyball tournament, sweeping the 200 backevent with my teammates, or holding on to win the 200 back (a raceI never lost) my senior year by the very tips of my fingers. But,if I have to pick just one, it would have to be swimming at NCAAnationals my freshman year. In high school, I swam mostlyrecreationally on a summer and YMCA winter team. When I decided totry swimming in college after the volleyball season, I thought itmight be a bit of a stretch; but, I broke a record my first meet!As the season wore on, I kept getting faster until I had set aconference record in the 100 back, a school record in the 200, andrelay records in the 200 and 400 medleys. I was conference rookieof the year, and my teammate Jaime and I were heading to Nationals!It was unbelievable: the long hours training by ourselves; theflight out there with just our coach; the giant, gorgeous pool!And, most memorable, the twinge of fear I felt when seeing theother swimmers at the athlete dinner. Even in dresses, they wereintimidating and a part of me felt that overwhelming sensation of“how in the world did I get here?” I only vaguelyremember swimming. But I do remember the very big outcome. Ihad finished 17 in the 100 back by .01, and the top 16 madeAll-American. It would be ludicrous to say I wasn’tdisappointed; but, the event itself was just so amazing, it almostdidn’t matter (almost). It certainly lit a fire in me andkept me fiercely competing throughout my four years…although I never did make it back.”
Most Missed:
“I miss my teammates and my coaches the most.That type of friendship, talent, respect, dedication, and fun isreally hard to find! I will always be thankful that they were in mylife.”
Words of Advice for Today’s SeahawkAthlete:
“Give it your all!!! The time goes so muchfaster than you can ever imagine and you really want to lookback and say you did everything you were capable of doing. And mostimportantly, have a lot of fun! That’s what you’llremember more than any trophy or award.”
Since St. Mary’s:
“After about four years in publishing,I’m just about to begin a new position as a marketingcommunications manager for a tech company in Baltimore. I’mworking on getting my poetry published, traveling as much aspossible, and just enjoying every moment!”
Involvement in Sports Today:
“Yes and yes!! I swim occasionally in themornings before work and continually flirt with the idea ofcompeting on a masters team. But the main reason I don’t isbecause my life is consumed by volleyball. I play on an indoorwomen’s 6s team for USAV (United States Association ofVolleyball), and we compete locally, regionally, and nationally. Iplay on some highly competitive and highly fun co-ed indoor 6steams. And, in the summer, I’m obsessed with learning thedoubles game, both in sand and grass. It’s a great, greatsport. I hope to play until I physically can’t stand anymore(in which case, I hope to coach).”
Other Thoughts:
GO HAWKS!!
