Contact: Elliott Carr, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Apr. 24, 2017 –  North Central College women's lacrosse student-athlete Emily Zadny has followed a unique journey through her collegiate experience. After transferring from Alma College and preparing to close out her senior year, Zadny has been a key contributor to the women's lacrosse team and also a student assistant in the Sports Information Department, culminating in her accepting a graduate assistant position following graduation in June.  

Enamored with the campus at Alma and the highly competitive women's lacrosse team, while also wanting to pursue a career in athletic training, Zadny thought she had found the perfect fit. While she had wanted to be involved with athletic training since middle school, it only took three weeks for her to realize that it just was not for her. She also suffered a painful injury which required surgery. It was during this period transferring became an option, although it was not an easy one. 

"It was a really hard decision because I had made such great friends at Alma and did not want to start over somewhere else, but in the end, I figured that if I was going to change my major and I still had four years of athletic eligibility, I might as well transfer and start fresh," she explained. 

Throughout high school, the Hartland, Wisconsin native considered North Central and she decided to consider it once again when she decided to transfer. 

"The deciding factor for me was simply how at home I felt on campus here" said Zadny. "I actually did my tour on crutches because I was less than a month off of surgery, but the feeling of 'this is where I belong' was still so strong. While I wish I could have spent all four years here, I am still so thankful for the opportunities I had at Alma." 

After transferring to North Central, Zadny was faced with the all-too-familiar problem of figuring out what she wanted to do with her life. As a talented writer who hoped to have a career involving writing in some capacity, she considered journalism as an option. She was put in touch with sports information director Clark Teuscher, as he was looking to hire a student-worker skilled at writing, and she figured she would give it a shot. 

Three years later, sports information has proven to be a perfect match for Zadny.  

"I love the fast paced nature," she said with enthusiasm. "Part of that is probably because my life is so fast paced—I am always doing something and my mind sometimes works faster than my hand can write or mouth can speak!  

"I also love working with the athletes and coaches, sharing their stories and successes. Over the past three years, I have gotten to work three national championships from the media perspective. Those were opportunities I never imagined until I got involved in the profession and it's definitely something that I hope to do more as I continue on in my career." 

As with everything she does, Zadny has high aspirations for her career in sports information. 

"I'd like to be a sports information director for a Division III college," she said. "I interned at Northern Illinois University two summers ago and while the Division I experience was really insightful, a lot of the responsibilities involved working with outside media such as ESPN which - don't get me wrong - is super cool, but I'd rather focus on the relationships with coaches and athletes. I think part of it too comes from being a Division III athlete and resonating with the philosophy. Maybe I'm biased because I started out at the Division III level and because I've lived and breathed North Central athletics for the past three years. Maybe I'll have a change of heart down the road—time will only tell." 

On the field, things have also gone well for Zadny. The Cardinals have made the CCIW tournament in each of the seasons she has been here, while she also holds the record for fastest goal after a goal, 0:04 seconds against Linfield College on Mar. 22, 2016. This season, as an athletic junior, she ranks third on the team in goals with 29, and leads the team in assists with 12. She scored a career-high five goals twice against Albion College and Elmhurst College and a career-high five assists against Carroll University. 

When reflecting on her time as a Cardinal, she is an open book about the ups and downs any athlete goes through. 

"The team has grown and evolved the past three years here," she continued. "This year especially, it is so great to see the work we put in as sophomores and juniors to build this team culture come into shape. With seven freshmen on the team, all of whom are so talented, so capable, and such wonderful women to top it all off, it's been amazing to watch them grow. Part of that too, I think, comes from it being senior year--the last go around--and holding the captain position." 

During the summer after her sophomore year, Zadny had the opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom with the American International Sports team. Spending 11 days in Ireland, England and Scotland, she played against the national teams and also partook in much sightseeing. Zadny relished the opportunity to play with girls from across the country, and is also open to the possibility of going back, as the team is open to post college players. 

While Zadny has become known as a highly talented writer to go along with her lacrosse skills, she also has many other competencies that are largely unknown to those other than her family and close friends. In addition to playing the viola and watching Fixer Upper and New Girl, one activity near and dear to her hear is riding horses. 

"My mom has been involved with horses since she was my age, so I guess I was bound to get involved at some point, too" said Zadny. "I started riding when I was two years old—that was when I was able to sit up by myself and not topple over. The doctor told my mom that when I could do that, I could start riding, so she and our trainer would time me sitting on our pony until I could hit three minutes. From that point on, I was truly living every little girl's dream. I learned to drive carriages competitively when I was five and was a multi-time youth champion with my pony, Downtown Brown. As both he and I got older, we did less showing and I let him enjoy the retired life. He lived to be 42 years old and passed away two years ago." 

Zadny does not ride as much these days, but still has the opportunity to go to the barn with her mom to help with the family's two other horses. 

As an only child, family is very important to Zadny and she is quick to credit them for her success, both on and off the field. 

"My parents have been incredibly supportive," said Zadny. "From a young age, they have been involved with my teams, practices, and finding additional opportunities to develop my skills. I think my parents have only ever missed three lacrosse games in the seven years I have been playing—they have traveled across the country and even overseas with me, sitting in rain, snow, and sun to cheer me on. Their support has truly shaped my athletic experience and I have been so blessed to be able to share it with them." 

Zadny and the Cardinals play their final home game of the season on Saturday April 29, when they host Carthage College for Senior Day at 1:00 p.m. at Bendetti-Wehrli Stadium.