TCNJ

13 Prairie SPRING 2023 > My family comes first. We are each other's biggest cheerleaders when it comes to any accomplishment. There's so much pride in all that our family has achieved. > My sister played softball at TCNJ before me, and my family and I watched her from the bleachers at almost every home game. Now the script has flipped. I love to look up and see them there cheering for me. > I was 12 years old when I started catching. The first time the ball came at me at 45–50 miles per hour, it definitely left some beauty marks on my body. But I embraced my view of the game from behind the plate. > I have a little bit of an attachment issue with my gloves. I've only had two throughout my career as a catcher, and I know they've given me good mojo. I used my original catcher's mitt for eight years until the ball blew a hole straight through the middle of it. My backup glove for that game is the one I still use today. > My current glove is an extension of my left hand and has undergone about a dozen surgeries. My dad relaces and repads it and adds extra leather from other gloves so I can keep using it. What started as a black leather mitt is now a mix of black, tan, and bright orange. > My parents run our family's real estate business, and my sister, brother, and I support them. My mom and sister show the homes, and my dad, brother, and I focus on the background work like typing up contracts and setting up inspections. > Last year I passed the New Jersey Real Estate Commission Licensing Exam. I want to pair my license with my business degree to focus on an issue that is important to me: finding affordable housing for recent college graduates and young professionals. — As told to David Pavlak How I Got Here JULIA MAYERNIK '24 No matter her pursuit, TCNJ's softball backstop has home covered. JOHN EMERSON Time of his life Swimmer wins gold at NCAAs. James McChesney '24 touched the final wall of his 200- meter freestyle swim and popped his head out of the water to see the scoreboard. His time: 1:34:74. Fast enough to be the Division III NCAA national champ. Fast enough to break an NCAA record. And fast enough to be the first DIII male swimmer to crack 1:35 in the event. "I looked up at my time and had to double check it," says McChesney. "Like, is that real? It was my fastest swim by almost 2 seconds." McChesney's win at the NCAA National Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, in March was TCNJ swimming 's first individual NCAA title since 2006, when Steve Swenson '06 took home the gold in the 100-meter breaststroke. "James never steps behind the starting block bearing the pressure of the moment," says David Dow, head coach. "He relishes the opportunity to see what he can achieve and embraces the fun that comes with racing other high-level swimmers." — Kara Pothier James McChesney '24

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