Sept. 12, 2006

Gina Lewandowski says she has not traveled much in her lifetime. Despite growing up in nearby Coopersburg and attending high school at Allentown Central Catholic, Lewandowski admittedly never ventured near or around Bethlehem. Upon her arrival at Lehigh, she immediately became a force on the soccer field and has played an instrumental role in the Mountain Hawks' development into an upper echelon Patriot League team. At the same time, Lewandowski has been able to balance her passion for soccer with the academic rigors of the University. Heading into her senior season, she has discovered that she has not had to travel far to experience success.

Lewandowski was a multi-sport athlete at Central Catholic, but soccer had long been her favorite sport as well as the one she experienced the most success in. During the recruiting process, she immediately caught the eye of several Patriot League schools for her athletic and academic prowess.

"I was looking at several Patriot League schools and I knew I didn't want to go more than two hours from home," says Lewandowski. "Even though I grew up close by, Bethlehem was a relatively new area for me, but I really liked the opportunity to be close to home and Lehigh gave me the best overall package in terms of academics and soccer."

In her freshman season Lewandowski made an immediate impact on the field, while leading Lehigh to a then-school record nine wins in 2003. Lewandowski scored her first collegiate goal in her second career game and would find the back of the net 11 more times, giving the freshman the second highest single-season goal total in school history. She was named the Patriot League's Freshman of the Year, while earning first team all-league recognition. At the end of the academic year, she was honored with the John Steckbeck Award, a Lehigh departmental award given to the top freshman female athlete. The groundwork had been set for success on both a team and individual level.

"I came in with a class of about 12 other players," recalls Lewandowski. "Coach gave us a huge opportunity to come in and make a huge impact together as a class. With so many other freshmen we developed a huge support system within the team and were able to show our talents together and make an impact."

"We knew Gina was a great athlete from the get-go," added Lehigh head coach Manny Oudin. "She showed a lot of confidence early on and has shown great improvement, even as the team placed greater demands on her every season."

The 2004 season was record-setting for Lewandowski and the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh set a school record with 12 wins and advanced to the Patriot League title game for the first time in school history. Lewandowski started the season with a bang, netting a hat-trick in an overtime win over Quinnipiac in the season opener. She finished the year with 15 goals, which tied her for the school single-season record. Lewandowski also displayed a knack to deliver in the clutch, as a school-record six of her tallies were game winners. She scored two goals in a Patriot League semifinal win over American, but it was her strike on senior night against Colgate that was a defining moment for her and the program.

Following her record season, Lewandowski was back on the all-league first team and was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. Named a team captain prior to her junior year, Lewandowski knew she would be the focal point of opposing defensive schemes, yet she still led the team in goals and showed an ability to get her teammates involved, as she handed out a career best four assists. The Mountain Hawks shared the league regular-season crown, winning 14 games, primarily with defense, while Lewandowski led the attack. Despite the lowest scoring numbers of her Lehigh career, she was still named Offensive Player of the Year, while a pair of publications tabbed her as an All-Mid-Atlantic region performer.

"Gina leads by example, with her work ethic," says Oudin. "She works hard on the field and then goes and works on the little things in the off-season on her own - that's what has differentiated her from the other players.

"She's such a positive role model for other players, with the way she approaches the game," he adds.

"Gina has been a leader at Lehigh ever since the first day she stepped on the field," said senior Molly Luft, who shares team captain duties with Lewandowski. "Not only for her high level of play, but for her composure and professional attitude. Even as a teammate, I always look forward to watching her play, because she brings things to the field that no one else does.

Lewandowski's success has not been limited to the soccer field. In the classroom, the biology major boasts a 3.26 grade point average and has made appearances on both the Dean's List and the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Although most of her free time is spent on the soccer field, this past summer Lewandowski found time for an internship with local pharmaceutical research company DigestiveCare.

"It involved a lot of lab research and analytical tests," explains Lewandowski. "We were working with a drug for cystic fibrosis patients; one that adds synthetic enzymes to food so the body can characterize proteins in the digestive system."

In addition, Lewandowski joined several of her Lehigh teammates on the semi-professional Northampton Laurels FC of the Women's Premier Soccer League.

"It was kind of tough," says Lewandowski. "I was interning from eight to four at the lab and then at 5:30 I would have to go over for practice. I try to balance my school work and other activities (she's involved with Lehigh's award-winning C.O.A.C.H. program as well as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes) with soccer. I try not to focus solely on soccer, but I do take a lot of pride in the sport."

Lewandowski is expected to graduate in May of 2007, however she plans on staying on the pitch playing the game she loves as long as she possibly can and just maybe getting around to some overseas traveling.

"I just want to keep playing," she says. "If I don't get an opportunity in the United States, I'll try to catch on overseas. I'd really love to go anywhere in Europe, because I haven't traveled that much."

And once she can't play the game she loves anymore?

"I enjoyed my internship but I realized I didn't really want to do lab work," Lewandowski says. "I'd rather focus on interacting more with people. Maybe I'll come back and go to grad school. Eventually get into nutrition, specifically sports nutrition, or physical therapy."

Before she worries about her post college plans however, there is still unfinished business for Lewandowski and her teammates on the soccer field. She enters her senior season with 33 career goals, four short of the Lehigh career record held by Penske Hall of Famer Dia Johnson Smith '96. Lewandowski already holds the school record for game winning goals, as more than a third of her tallies have earned the Mountain Hawks a victory.

"She's incredibly humble," says Oudin. "No matter the successes she's experienced she hasn't lost sight of what's in front of her."

Then there's the team aspect. Lewandowski and her fellow seniors, now seven in all, have been part of the three most successful seasons in school history. There is only one more thing for this group to accomplish.

"The awards and records don't matter compared to leading this team to a championship," Lewandowski proclaims. "The seven seniors have come together to lead this team. We want the perfect end to our senior season, and we don't want to leave anything behind."

Lewandowski and the Mountain Hawks return to the pitch on Friday, September 15 when they play host to the Monmouth Hawks at the Ulrich Sports Complex. Game time is set for 7:00 and all of the action can be heard and seen live on lehighsports.com.