Alexa DellaRocco Finds Success Through Hard Work

Alexa DellaRocco may not be a designated team captain, but her vocal leadership is a catalyst for the Spartans success this season. She believes they can make a strong run in the NCAA tournament this year. The senior is very optimistic to win the second national championship in the history of the program to complete her collegiate career.

DellaRocco began her career at the University of New Haven in Conn., where she led the team with 13 goals her sophomore year. The sport management major then transferred to UT seeking a university with both her major and a winning soccer program capable of going deep into the postseason.

DellaRocco recalls her first day of freshman year at UNH and has since matured more and more each year. The senior said "UNH was close to home and I felt very comfortable there being with my family and friends from high school". She has also gained confidence in her ability to score on the field and is not afraid to make mistakes.

The Hamden, Conn., native is one of six seniors for the Spartans and believes their strong leadership is a major reason for the success of the team going forward. Classmates Samantha Kay and Brittan Spence have become the team leaders with Kay leading by example and Spence being a vocal leader on the field. DellaRocco believes the team has a deep bench with the incoming freshman class that could benefit the Spartans in both the conference and NCAA tournaments.

Led by coach Gerry Lucey the team has evolved as a major competitor in the South Regional. "Coach likes us to focus on one game at a time without looking ahead to future games" said DellaRocco.

DellaRocco believes that being a student-athlete takes a serious time commitment to play all four years and be consistently working on your game at practice as well as during the offseason.

She would describe a typical week of practice as working very hard on a daily basis while maintaining a high intensity similar to game situations. Usually the day before a game, practice is a bit lighter so the team can stay fresh for the upcoming matchup.

With the ability to play both goalie and forward, DellaRocco is a proven weapon for the Spartans. Her offensive and defensive skills are a dynamic duo for coach Lucey to use throughout the season. She spent last season typically coming off the bench to play forward, but since then has found her way to become the backup goalie to Emelie Karström, a transfer from the University of Bridgeport. "I was surprised coach wanted me to play goalie but after a while I began to like it more and more" said DellaRocco.

This past summer, DellaRocco played for the local Brandon Flames to prepare for her senior season with UT. The senior Sport Management major also found time over summer to work part-time for the Tampa Bay Rays as well as conditioning with UT trainers to maintain the high intensity she brings to each game. Brandon is a familiar destination for DellaRocco as she and her teammates put together a practice clinic for soccer players in the local area.

The Spartans visited the Flames this past August for a league of 8-13 year old girls. After the clinic the team held an autograph session as well as a photo opportunity before returning to UT.

DellaRocco is also a member of the UT Sports Information Department. The job has allowed her the opportunity to see the game of soccer from all aspects.

She has now been a fan, a player, as well as a member of the press box. She said "A lot of people only get the chance to see one or two sides to the game but I have the ability to see them all."

DellaRocco has also interned with Minor League Baseball in St. Petersburg to add to an impressive resume off the soccer field. Last year she even got the unique opportunity to work during the Winter Meetings of Major League Baseball where she met ESPN analyst Tim Kurkjian.

The experience of a student athlete can potentially take away from your social life during college. With such a busy schedule, DellaRocco has developed excellent time management skills to stay focused on both soccer and her classes. However, she likes the challenge of being pressed for time saying "When you play sports you learn to become more discipline versus having too much free time to the point where you can get lazy."

She plans to graduate from UT with a 3.0 or higher GPA which shows the amount of hard work and time spent not only on the soccer field but in the classroom as well.

With a Sports Information background from her part-time job with UT athletics, DellaRocco has the dream of becoming a Sports Information Director at a big-time Division I program such as the University of Florida.

Coming off a deep run into the NCAA Tournament last season, DellaRocco and the Spartans looked to go even further this season. They had an impressive start to the post-season by winning the Sunshine State Conference tournament. "We went into each of those games as the underdog and gained a lot of momentum going into the NCAA Tournament" said DellaRocco. The Spartans would go on to lose in the South Regional Final to Sunshine State Conference foe Florida Tech and finish the season with a record of 16-5-2.

This year DellaRocco believes they have the ability to go even further in the tournament with additional young talent to go along with a mostly veteran team that returns from last season. Already making an impact this season are freshman Gabby Russo, Jenny Karl, Lauren Moore, and Candice Shields. Russo, Moore, and Shields have each found their way into the starting lineup while Karl has played significant minutes coming off the bench, all making an impact for the Spartans thus far.

While the Spartans look to play the season one game at a time, there is no doubt the ultimate goal for the team and DellaRocco, during her final season is to win the Division II National Championship. They open conference play at Rollins College on September 21, 2011 in a Wednesday night matchup to begin their quest for back to back conference championships. Over the next three months only time will tell if the Spartans led by the enthusiasm of Alexa DellaRocco can complete their season and her career as champions.

Written by Brandon Stower