SPORTS STORIES:
SPORTS INFORMATION—2009
McCutchan makes the most of it at case...
CLEVELAND, OH (October 20, 2009) -When Tricia McCutchan began school shopping her senior year at Badin High School in Hamilton, Ohio, Purdue University, Miami University of Ohio, Washington University in St. Louis and Case Western Reserve University remained on her list after the smoke had cleared.
“My search was academic based,” McCutchan explained. “At the end it came down to Purdue and Case. I loved [Case] and the possibility of still staying with volleyball.”
McCutchan did more than stay with it at the collegiate level, she excelled along with her new found team. Case Western Reserve flip-flopped their 2007 record of 14-20 to 20-14 in 2008, McCutchan’s freshman year. She was both an All-University Athletic Association (UAA) and All-Great Lakes Region honoree.
“I was incredibly surprised,” McCutchan said in regards to her all-region selection. “To get that type of recognition as a freshman, just knowing some of the girls who were on that list and seeing that I was put in the same class as them, was an amazing feeling.”
The Spartans (18-6, 3-4 UAA) have five non-conference and four UAA matches remaining before their regular season ends on November 7. Three wins over the next three weeks would top last year’s record setting wins’ mark.
“I love the direction the program is taking,” McCutchan said. “We have a great freshman class this year that will be amazing in the coming years. Coach has done a really good job of building up the program and keeping a cohesive team. I think that’s what helped us a lot this season.”
The middle hitter currently leads the team in kills (3.63 per set) and is second in blocks (0.92 per set), but it’s the latter she likes most. The big hitter likes shutting the other team’s power player down.
“It’s nicer to block a point because that player on the other teams knows she got shut down,” McCutchan explained. “I like that feeling, but the big kills are important also, especially to get us points because we need to be able to put the ball away.”
When McCutchan is not hammering the ball over the net on the court, she is hammering away at the books as a biomedical engineering (BME) major. The undergraduate BME program at Case Western Reserve is currently ranked ninth in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
After volleyball season ends, and definitely by summer, she wants to begin getting involved in medical research. McCutchan is interested in drug delivery, in regards to the most efficient way to treat diseases. She would also love to get involved in oncology and for a good reason.
“I lost my grandma my senior year in high school to pancreatic cancer,” McCutchan said. “She was diagnosed and died six weeks later. They gave her six months, but it went much quicker. That got me to start thinking about cancer.”
The Spartans have a very important regional match tomorrow night at Hiram College. Case Western Reserve could possibly receive an at large bid and make their first ever NCAA postseason appearance, but the first step towards that is through the Terriers, who they fell to 3-2 a year ago at Oberlin.
“We have to win to keep our standing in the region,” McCutchan said. “Last year’s match was tough and close. Right now, we have to concentrate on keeping our mental focus. We have the talent and skills to beat the big teams, but we have to be in the game at all times mentally.”
McCutchan will get a chance to escape the mental stress of balancing both school and volleyball this Sunday as a member of Phi Sigma Rho, an engineering fraternity. She will travel across town to the NASA Glenn Research Center to introduce some Girls Scouts of America (grades 6-12) to science. This past summer, she volunteered about 15 hours a week in the emergency department of her hometown hospital.
“I talked to patients and acted as a liaison between them and the hospital staff,” McCutchan said. “I enjoyed making even a small difference in their lives while they were in such a stressful situation. It was a very rewarding experience.”
UAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AHEAD … Case Western Reserve will travel to the Windy City November 6-7 for the 2009 UAA Championships. The conference currently boasts the No. 3 (Emory University) and No. 4 (Washington University) ranked teams in the country. The Spartans finished in fifth place a year ago, but look to improve on that next month.
“You have to fight for ever point during UAA play. You have to earn everything you get,” McCutchan explained. “We have a shot at moving up a spot or two in the standings if we play our game 100 percent.”
ABOUT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY … Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.