As the fall semester kicks off, new and returning students are getting adjusted to their new schedules or class workload. Freshman Jenna Gray happens to be balancing all of that while emerging as a star for the Rowan field hockey team. 

Her typical day is not the typical freshman schedule. Gray, a physical education major with a minor in special education, wakes up at 6:30 a.m. before attending classes all morning. The afternoon is spent practicing with the team before the occasional night class, in addition to team bonding events and a home visit thrown in as well. While a schedule like that might be overwhelming for some, Gray feels right at home.

“It’s hard, but it keeps me active and going and I love it this way,” Gray said.

The midfielder has tallied three goals over her first two games as well as an assist on a game-winning goal to lift the Profs in an overtime victory over Swarthmore. Gray’s performance earned her New Jersey Athlete Conference (NJAC) Rookie of the Week honors, wrapping up a week of success Gray didn’t expect.

“I’m kind of surprised, but at the same time, I know the type of team I have behind me,” Gray said. “I couldn’t have done any of this without them passing to me and being really supportive of me. I really give all of the credit to them.”

Head coach Michelle Andre on the other hand, fully expected a great start from the freshman.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Andre said. “To be honest, I don’t think she’s even scratched the surface of how good a player she can actually be.”

Originally, Gray wasn’t supposed to be a Prof. The Egg Harbor Township native had originally committed to Mount Olive, a college in North Carolina before a visit to Rowan changed her mind. 

“The campus was too far from home and I’m definitely a homebody,” Gray said. “I decommitted and took a visit to Rowan and I knew right away that this is where I want to spend the next four years of my life.”

“We had been watching her for years,” Andre added. “I knew what kind of person and player she was and how good of a fit she would be in this program.”

Gray certainly has big shoes to fill for a team that claimed an NJAC championship last year before making a run in the NCAA Championships. The Profs lost many key players from that team, yet come into this season with a No. 10 preseason ranking in the country and the same expectations as the year before, something that isn’t lost on Gray.

“It’s a lot different from high school, performing at a college level is much tougher,” Gray said. “The pressure is there but we practiced for these moments all summer so I think we’re ready for it and we’re going to have a fun season.” 

As Gray and the rest of her teammates continue to gel early on in this young season, there is no doubt that this is only the beginning of success for Gray and the Profs.

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