Excelling in Academics and Athletics
Dec 06 | Field Hockey
Four short years ago, Kat Rodziewicz was not sure if she was going to continue her field hockey playing career. When deciding which college she was going to attend, the Ocean, N.J. native concentrated on the academic side, making her final decision because of the educational opportunities that Rutgers had to offer.
“I chose Rutgers because it had more options educationally,” Rodziewicz said. “I was unsure of what I wanted to do. Originally, I thought about being a part of the engineering program here at Rutgers, but I ended up going into the School of Education.”
Rodziewicz chose to walk-on to the Scarlet Knights field hockey team with fellow freshman Amanda Sawasky. Rodziewicz made the team and went on to appear in 15 games during her rookie season. RU won 14 games that season, the most wins the program had seen since the 1997 campaign.
“Coming in my freshman year, I walked on,” said Rodziewicz. “I was not even sure if I would be a part of the team. I remember during that summer I really did as much as I could because I wanted to show everyone what I had to offer. Having the opportunity to make the team and then actually playing was awesome during my first season.
“Amanda and I walked onto the team together,” Rodziewicz continued. “It was nice to have someone with me and see someone else make it as well.”
What Rodziewicz described as the highlight of her career, came during her first season with Rutgers.
“The highlight of my career would definitely be the first collegiate goal that I ever scored,” Rodziewicz said. “The goal came against Penn, which was the school that I was supposed to go to originally.”
The goal came on her only shot of the season and helped the Scarlet Knights to a 4-2 victory.
In her second season, Roziewicz moved into the starting role, getting the starting nod in 15 of her 18 appearances she recordedsix shots and two assists on the year.
During her junior season, the midfielder continued to improve, starting in 17 of 20 games throughout the year, tallying two goals on eight shots. RU amassed an 8-11 regular season record and moved on to its first BIG EAST Tournament since 2003.
“Going to the BIG EAST Tournament last year was exciting, just because none of us had ever gone there before,” said Rodziewicz. “All the hard work we put in and finally making it to the tournament was very rewarding.”
Rodziewicz and the Scarlet Knights started off the 2011 final season on the right foot. The senior notched two goals in a season-opening 5-1 victory against James Madison. However, Rodziewicz and RU hit a roadblock as Rutgers lost seven-straight and its senior midfielder was sidelined due to injury.
“I knew going into my senior year that it was going to be tough for me because many of my education classes conflicted with the practice schedule,” Rodziewicz said. “I had a feeling that it would be difficult to adjust to my classes and have time to practice with the girls.
“On top of that, I had an injury that I struggled to come back from, but I did the best that I could to help my team out in any way possible,” continued Rodziewicz.
Rodziewicz amassed three goals on 10 shots during her 10 starts and 15 appearances in her senior season and celebrated her Senior Day with her six fellow classmates on Oct. 30 against Maryland.
“It was definitely nice to have my family with me on Senior Day,” Rodziewicz explained. “It was not sad because I was playing the sport that I absolutely love. It was more of a bittersweet feeling to play one last game with the girls I played with for four years. It was fun and exciting to play one last game with everyone together.”
Rodziewicz consistently made academics a priority throughout her playing career, making the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team in each of her first three seasons.
The senior plans to use the skills and knowledge that she has gained since coming to Rutgers. She hopes to complete graduate school and go on to become a teacher. She also expressed interest in becoming a middle school or high school field hockey coach.
“Before Rutgers, I was kind of a shy person,” Rodziewicz admitted. “After being a part of this team and playing this sport, I broke out of my shell a little bit. I will take away my working habits and strong teamwork skills. That is something that I can use in the classroom. It is important to know that as a team, you can accomplish a lot more.”
