Interview with Jenna Zup: Hartford HealthCare Athlete of the Month and GNAC Athlete of the Week

Written by Samuel Turgeon

Jenna Zup is a USJ soccer player who recently received two awards for her outstanding performance. The following interview focuses on her experience at USJ and the ways that athletics have affected her life.

How long have you been at USJ, and why did you pick this school?

“I’ve been at USJ for three years now. I’m a junior. I picked USJ because it was a good mix of what I was looking for. I’ve played sports my entire life, so sports were something that was important to me. Going to USJ and playing at division three let me play both soccer and softball rather than forcing me to choose. That was a big aspect for me. I also just felt like USJ was a very welcoming environment and felt like it would suit me well academically and provide me with a good education while I was there.”

What’s your major, and why did you pick it?

“I am a math major and am going to be getting a data analytics certificate as well. Ultimately, my goal is to go into sports analytics. That’s something that is really interesting to me. It feels fitting considering that I have played sports all my life, and math has been something that I’ve always been interested in.”

What activities are you involved in at USJ?

“I’m on the soccer and softball teams, and I’m in the Honors Program at USJ. I also just became the president of a club in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department. It’s called the Association for Computing Machinery or ACM. We organize things in the computer science and math realm.”

I know you already mentioned sports analytics, but would you like to elaborate on your plan for after you graduate?

“Ultimately, I’d like to find myself in a job at ESPN or something like that. They have a lot of people who analyze probability and statistics for different games and things like that. In addition to that, there’s also sports betting companies who hire people to look at the probabilities of how different athletes will perform. Pretty much I’m interested in the numbers and trying to include sports into that. My goal is to do something with baseball. That’s always been just a big passion of mine. I’ve always been a big Yankees fan, and that’s just always been what I wanted to do.”

Who are some major inspirations in your life? Who has molded you into the person that you are today?

“I would definitely say that my entire family has shaped the way I am. I think a lot of who I am is because of how my parents have raised me. I’ll also give a little shoutout to my brother too. He’s always there for me, very supportive along the way. My family always comes to every single one of my games, my brother, parents, and grandparents. Shoutout to them!”

How long have you been playing soccer?

“I’ve been playing since I was five, so about fifteen years.”

What other sports have you played?

“Through high school, I played soccer and softball. Growing up, I also played basketball, but I realized that my time wasn’t being spent well there. You know I’m 5’1”, so the realistic part of me thought I probably shouldn’t continue with that sport. Soccer and softball have become my go-to sports and are the ones that I wanted to develop to play in college.”

What is it about soccer that is attractive to you?

“I would say it’s the fast paced game. You’re always constantly moving. I’m a center midfielder, and I feel like I’m constantly moving around and there’s a lot of action around me. I think that’s what really drives me, that I’m in on so much of the play. I would also say that the competitiveness of wanting to win is also part of why I love it so much.”

How do your athletics affect your academic experience at USJ? Is it hard to balance?

“I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s easy. I’m not gonna lie. It’s not something that is easy or just given to you. I do think that sports along the way, not just at college but also growing up, helps to create a schedule for you. You know ahead of time that if you have practice this day you have to get your homework done, or if you have a game one day and a test on Friday, you have to study beforehand. Sports can help emphasize that schedule and organize what you have to do. For me, organizing that schedule and looking at what’s in store for the week helps me to put my academics first and utilize that time management that sports have taught me. As athletes, we’ve all grown up accustomed to that rigid schedule. It’s just been a part of me. I think if I had too much time on my hands, I might turn to procrastination. Having that schedule really helps my academics.”

How do your athletics affect your social experience at USJ?

“The sports teams especially have made me feel very welcome and let me make many new friends, not only among my teammates but also on the other teams at USJ. It’s such a small environment at USJ that everyone knows each other, and you can always have a conversation with anyone. It’s easy to make friends on campus and get to know other people.”

Can you name some lessons that you have learned during your time with USJ athletics?

“I don’t know if this counts as a lesson, but I feel like training hard to get to this point required a lot of dedication and will to practice and get better. In a sad way, my athletic career will be over in a year. Knowing that, I would say don’t take anything for granted. Enjoy every moment because it’ll be over before you know it. Of course, there’s leagues that I can play in when I’m older, but it won’t be the same as competing in a championship with my teammates.”

I hadn’t really thought about that, that there’s only a year and a half of your athletic career left.

“I think about it all the time. Especially when senior nights roll around, and you’re there watching your teammates finish their careers. It kind of hits you. Every year is one year closer. That realization keeps me from taking sports for granted. I’m glad that I’m given this opportunity to go out and perform and have fun. I think that you should never take that stuff for granted.”

What does it mean for you to win the GNAC player of the week and HHC athlete of the month?

“It feels good, I’m so honored to be recognized. Really I can’t do it without my teammates and the way we’ve been playing as a team. I think we’re 6-1-1 in our conference right now. We’ve been playing pretty well and just have a bit of our schedule left. Really it’s the people around me who push me to be better, and I couldn’t do it without them.”