THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Like so many other Division III student-athletes, Jordan Card has embraced every opportunity that has come along with her decision to attend Cal Lutheran from the classroom to the pool to the campus community and even beyond.
"I chose to go to a DIII school because it allowed me to focus on getting a good education while giving me the freedom to pursue my passion for water polo," the senior said. "Being a student-athlete has definitely tested my emotional, mental and physical limits since I had to try and find a balance for schoolwork, friendships, relationships, various clubs, work and water polo."
Luckily, she was able to juggle all of that and has been successful in all facets of her life. Along with being a two-time Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-American and All-SCIAC selection, the women's water polo team captain is majoring in mathematics with a minor in physics who aspires to become a cryptologist while also finding time to serve as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president in 2015, previously holding the vice president role, which she noted was her most vast memory of CLU athletics, and maintaining a campus job.
Card has been a staple for the Regals in the pool, leading by example throughout her four-year career. Her name already appears in the career and single-season record books at Cal Lutheran for goals scored and drawn ejections and she continues to climb the ranks in her final campaign.
Her leadership exhibited in the water has transferred to her presidential role where she has guided the SAAC group to numerous community service projects during her tenure, including the Polar Plunge and Habitat for Humanity projects in off-campus ventures. The SAAC was a key part of Division III Week in 2015, conducting a Bone Marrow registry with the 'Be The Match' organization as well as a Create-A-Card station for pediatric cancer patients in the area. The efforts of the SAAC produced a registry of more than 50 names with over 560 cards created for distribution.
The Burbank, Calif. native is glad to have embraced the opportunities she has had at Cal Lutheran to participate in countless things instead of having a sole focus.
"Involvement in different groups, such as the SAAC, allowed me to develop into larger leadership roles and broaden my social group outside of my team."
As her career winds down, with just four games remaining, she reflects on how important her decision to continue her water polo career as part of a collegiate team really was.
"As a student-athlete, I will mostly remember all of the times that my teammates were able to help me through the difficult times where I wanted to give up and how they kept me smiling and laughing."
The friendships she made through parallel experiences in the water polo program are priceless and timeless as those relationships, as well as the ones she developed through the other extracurricular activities on the CLU campus, will be kept close as memories for a lifetime.
Cal Lutheran distributed seven student-athlete features during the Fourth Annual Division III Week (April 6-12) via Social Media (links below) and on www.clusports.com.
CLU Twitter: https://twitter.com/clusports
CLU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports
CLU Instagram: http://instagram.com/clusports#
Hashtags: #ownthethrone, #clusports, #gokingsmen #goregals, #purplepit #whyD3 #NCAAD3 #d3week
