Riverhawks athletes said their favorite professional players work hard and are an inspiration.
Soccer midfielder Roberto Colon said he chose Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as his favorite pro because of his work ethic.
“He’s just got everything you can ask for in a soccer player,” Colon, a first-year electrical engineering student, noted. “He works hard and he’s … a good role model.”
Ronaldo has played upward of 1,100 games with four soccer teams since 2002 and has scored more than 800 goals in his career.
Soccer midfielder Leyton Calzado, who led the Riverhawks with six regular season goals, said he likes how “humble” Ronaldo is on the field.
“I don’t really see him bragging about how good he is,” Calzado, a first-year transfer studies student, noted. “And he’s never on social media trying to brag or get down on other players.”
First-year communications student Megan Cunningham, who plays second base for the Riverhawks softball team, said she tries to replicate the skill of her favorite athlete.
“A lot of [retired pitcher Jennie Finch’s] older [game] videos are what I learned how to do and it’s what I’ve always done,” she said.
Finch, a three-time world champion, won a gold medal in the USA Softball Olympic games in 2004 and a silver in 2008 before retiring in 2010.
Lacrosse midfielder Nicholas Scott said he remembers former football player Sean Taylor “dominat[ing] like any other player but just kept it poised at all times.”
Scott, a first-year baking and pastries student, said he became a fan of Taylor’s at 4 years old.
Co-editor Aidan Gunn and contributors Cole Popov and Micah Smith contributed to this article.