Meet our First Year Spartans--Caitlin Rudge

Hi! My name is Caitlin Rudge, and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even though I am a huge Steeler/Penguins fan, and of course, despise the Cleveland Browns, I am very excited to spend the next 4 years of my life at Case Western.

When I visited Case last year, I quickly realized it was the place for me after talking with Coach Reimer and meeting the team. In addition, the academic reputation that Case has also made my decision that much easier.

I’ve had an extremely hectic and fun summer. I started it off by traveling to Punta Cana, Domincan Republic where I enjoyed 7 days of pure laziness while I layed on the beach. Just a week after I returned, I was then off to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. As for the rest of the summer, I worked a little, played some basketball, and spent some more time by the pool. Now, I am doing all of the last minute things before I move in on Sunday.

As my summer comes to an end, I am very excited to come to Case where I will be majoring in Nursing. I hope to one day become a Nurse Anesthetist, and I know that Case’s Nursing program will certainly prepare me for this.


See you all soon! Can’t wait to get back playing some basketball!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Carrie Orcutt

Hi. My name is Carrie Orcutt (pictured on far left) and I am 18 years old. I have lived in a small town in Florida for my whole life. Making the decision of which college I was going to attend was definitely the hardest decision that I have made so far in my life. My mom and I visited over twenty different campuses, but somehow, Case just felt different.

Everyone was so nice to me while I was on campus. I could see myself spending the next four years of my life in Cleveland. I was looking for an excellent academic school that was located in a big city. Case was everything I could ask for. I knew right then I would probably end up at Case for my college career, but I ended up drawing my decision out to the very last minute.

Most of my friends did not want to leave the warm Florida weather, but I had different plans. I wanted to experience winter weather, instead of 80 degrees on Christmas day and over 100 degrees in the summer. When someone would ask me why I wanted to go to Cleveland, the answer for me was simple. I had an opportunity to get a great education and still be able to play basketball. If that meant coming to Cleveland, then that was what I was going to do. Coach Reimer was so helpful throughout the whole process and that just made my decision so much easier. She didn’t just want to know how interested I was, but also cared enough to ask what I was doing with myself and how our season was going. Knowing that I would be able to learn from someone like that was an amazing feeling.

This coming fall, I will probably be majoring in biology, with possible minors in music and sports medicine. I am very excited to start school and leave behind the hot weather of Florida. Hopefully I will not freeze in the winter!!!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Emily Mueller

Hello! My name is Emily Mueller (I’m on the left next to my friend Maggie at my graduation). I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and yes, I’m a HUGE Steelers/Penguins/Pirates fan (I hope that doesn’t upset anyone too much). And even though I’ll be in the same city as my sworn enemies, the Cleveland Browns, I’m so excited and happy about my decision to come to Case Western Reserve University.

I chose Case for a number of reasons. There’s no getting around how great of a school it is and that drew me in at first. I plan on majoring in civil engineering, and Case is a fantastic school for that major. Then, I took a tour of the campus of few summers back, and I really liked it. What sealed the deal was coming last fall and meeting everyone. All of the players were so nice and made me feel comfortable even though they didn’t know me. And of course, the coaches were great and made my decision very easy. What really pleased me (and my parents), was on the day I visited, I sat in on a practice and was told that one of the players was unable to attend practice because she had a lab. A lot of girls I know who play in college would be forced to skip their class for practice, and that showed me how much the coaches want us to be successful students as well as successful basketball players.

My summer has been kind of crazy. It began with my brother graduating from the Naval Academy. We saw the Blue Angels fly over us, and President Obama was the commencement speaker. It was a beautiful (extremely hot) day in Annapolis, Maryland, and a truly memorable experience. After my brother’s graduation came my own in June and then my graduation party which was a blast. The biggest event of my summer came on July 18 when my brother got married. I was a bridesmaid and the wedding was beautiful! I love my new sister-in-law and I’m so happy for her and my brother.

Now I’m starting to get everything together for my move in next week and I can’t wait to be a Spartan!!!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Nikki D'Amico

The first time I visited Case I knew it was where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. However, that didn't stop me from waiting till the last minute to make my decision, or from torturing myself with pros and cons of many different schools.

The decision for me, however, was a no-brainer when I considered the unique basketball program, the people I met (especially Coach Reimer and the team) the great education I'd receive at one of the nation's leading research Universities, and the atmosphere on campus.

So I'm preparing to make the trek north (one whole hour!) to Case where I will be a Spartan for the next four years. Though I've had a lot of fun this summer spending time with friends and vacationing in San Diego (you've never seen a bigger mass of costumed people until you've seen San Diego during the Comic-Con), I am so excited to begin my life at Case studying Biochemistry and Cognitive Science.

Meet our First Year Spartans--Evy Iacono

Hi! My name is Evelyn (or Evy as I’m called by family and friends) Iacono. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio about four hours south of Cleveland. Growing up as the youngest of 4 I’ve had to hold my own. My very tight knit family also had many opinions on the dizzying question of where I should spend my college years.

I decided to attend Case after checking out several schools and basketball programs. My first campus impression was one which highlighted the quality of academic programs, not too surprising considering it’s reputation in academic circles. I was also very excited about the enthusiastic basketball staff and team who are focused on being competitive. After meeting Coach Reimer, Coach Blade, and the rest of the team I felt the team dynamic was right for me. I loved the family aspect of the team where one can tell everyone cares for each other. And of course the academic reputation helped make the decision of Case Western that much easier.

After all the pieces fell into place for where I would be spending the next four years of my life, I had to decide what I should do for the rest of my life! As of now I am going into biology with the hopes of becoming an exotic animal vet taking care of everything from horses to elephants. This summer I was fortunate enough to work with a horse vet where I was able to observe surgeries, grind teeth, and of course shovel horse manure. I also took care of our two horses Rocky and Extreme.

I took a break with a trip out west with family. There we saw the incredible Grand Canyon and made our way up to the Rocky Mountains in Estes Park. Other than that I have been enjoying my summer with friends and family. I’m looking forward to the next chapter at Case Western and competing for a Spartan Championship!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Erica Iafelice

The first time I walked around Case’s campus I noticed that the weather was rainy and overcast, the students and staff were focused and friendly, and there was something strangely unique about the basketball program. Oddly enough, I felt right at home. As a soon to be incoming freshman, I had endless questions about the campus, student life, the basketball program, and most importantly what the university could offer me academically.

All of my worries were soon put to rest after meeting and chatting with Coach Reimer, her staff, and her fun and talented athletes. They shared with me the countless opportunities a degree from Case can offer and the quality of people I would be working with both on and off the court on a daily basis.

As I reflected among the many experiences I would encounter while attending one of the nation’s leading research Universities, the choice as to where I should spend the next four years of my life was quite obvious.

Luckily for me, I am used to rainy summer days and snow-filled winter nights as I live a short hour-long car ride south of Cleveland in the beautiful dogwood city of North Canton. While at Case I plan to major in Biology with a minor in Sports Medicine in hopes of one day becoming a Sports Medicine Physician. This career choice would not only give me the opportunity to work with athletes, but would also help me understand the countless injuries I seem to come by while on the court.

It would be fascinating if I were able to tell you interesting facts about myself such as jumping out of planes and swimming with sharks, but unfortunately, I cannot. I can, however, share that I once competed in the Soapbox Derby (if you know what that means, then yes, it is quite embarrassing) snuck backstage to meet Colbie Caillat, biked down an active volcano, and am completely confident, thankful, and excited about my decision to not only attend Case but to be a member of our exceptional basketball program.

Meet our First Year Spartans--Marissa Miles

Hello. My name is Marissa Miles and for the last 18 years of my life I’ve grown up in a small rural town about 30 minutes outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the City of Champions, and arguably the best spot in the entire continental U.S. For some odd reason however, I’ve decided to pack my bags and move to Cleveland (and no, this is not a joke.) As unbelievable as it seems, Cleveland will be my home for the next four years, and I will be a proud Case Western Reserve University Spartan. I’m excited about my future at Case, and relieved to now have some sort of plan for the upcoming years of my life.

After many months of struggling through the college selection process, weighing the pros and cons of different schools, and walking through numerous campus tours, I now finally have a plan. Although it may have changed since my more naïve days when my career path was aimed at baking cakes on Food Network (finding a culinary school with a basketball team became a bit of a problem) I figured why not attend Case Western and attempt to become and engineer?

Now my summer is wrapping up, and soon enough I’ll be an official college student. I have enjoyed my summer- went to the beach, worked at a golf course (which does entitle me to free golf although I promise I am not good!), and enjoyed time with my friends in what could be our final summer together. In just a few short weeks I’ll be at Case- I absolutely cannot wait!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Chelsea Lasky

Hello! My name is Chelsea Lasky (pictured on far right with my sisters and aunt.) As some of you know I will be a freshman here at Case this year. As of now, I plan to be a biomedical engineering major with no intention of going to medical school. What attracted me to Case the most was the reputation of academic excellence, especially in my particular field. I chose CWRU over my other university choices because it was the best for my intended major and also because I have the opportunity to play basketball.

This summer I have been incredibly busy with many different things. As soon as graduation was over, I was busy planning a baby shower with my sister. Shortly after, I left for a ten day mission trip to Kentucky where I helped an underprivileged community. We stayed in a run down church and tents, and lived the simple life. I did tasks such as paint tin roofs, weed in an overgrown garden, direct a leadership day for kids age six to ten, and plan/execute an outreach day for mentally underdeveloped adults. It was very rewarding to be there with just twenty-two others who were dedicated to serving the community. (Oh, and I became quite the champ at corn hole in our downtime ha-ha.)

As soon as I got back, I had my graduation party to prepare for in just one short week—if it were up to just my mom, we would be manicuring the lawn by hand, and if it were up to just my dad, we would be moving small boulders out of the walkway using only our muscle. Needless to say, it was a week of pure torture. However, it all worked out because everyone had a great time and I made a killing for college supplies and summer fun.

The next week was dedicated to the preparation of a retreat I worked for my younger sister the next weekend, as well as cleaning up from the party. Since then, I have had miscellaneous things every day. I work at Red Lobster as a hostess, went to the Vans Warped Tour as a birthday present to my little sister, played in a 6v6 soccer league, worked a day with Habitat for Humanity, went to countless graduation parties, and tried to make time to hang out with my friends. Oh and how could I forget the wonderful three day Case orientation!

In the weeks to come, I will be going to more graduation parties, shopping for college, and most exciting, going to West Virginia with my family for a three day trip to whitewater raft, hike and camp out. Those activities will lead me up to the week before coming to campus where I will finally be meeting all of you!

I am excited to be playing basketball this year because I cannot remember the last time I was not involved in sports in some way. After my successful season last year, I am looking forward to get back into the swing of things, and working toward another great season. Well, that is my summer in a nutshell—it has been crazy as usual!

Welcome!

Thanks so much for visiting the Case Western Reserve University Women's Basketball blog! As we look forward to the start of the 2009-2010 school year we are excited about the season ahead. We have a solid nucleus of players returning to the team and welcome a group of first-year players who will add to the depth and talent of our squad.

We hope you will visit this blog on a regular basis to meet our team, follow our success and enjoy learning more about Spartan Basketball! Stay tuned and GO CASE!