Rowan College at Burlington County alum Lexi Reidenbaker, of Shamong, has always loved soccer and it wasn’t just the sporting aspect of the game. For Reidenbaker, soccer offered a means to make friends, a healthy outlet for dealing with issues and a reliable constant in her life.
“I love it because it has opened so many different doors and opportunities for me and has taught me how to be a team player,” Reidenbaker shared. “One of my favorite memories was from when I was in fourth grade on my travel team, and no one wanted to play goalie. I jumped at the opportunity and fell in love with the position. It just came naturally to me. Since then, it’s been my position and continues to be the reason I love to play competitively.”
Due to COVID-19, Lexi only spent one year on the field for the Barons, where she played goalie. However, in that short time, she earned Academic All-Region XIX Team, Academic All-GSAC XIX Team, RCBC Scholar-Athlete Award honors, and helped lead her team to RCBC All-Academic Team honors with her 4.0 GPA. Academically, she earned her associate degree in Criminal Justice in just three semesters. She’s since transferred to John Jay College in New York to pursue her bachelor’s in the same major, where she will also join the Wolves women’s soccer team.
Reidenbaker’s hard work on and off the field was recently recognized by The New Jersey Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, who named her among their “Women of the Year” during their annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration. The presentation, which took place on Feb. 3 via YouTube, honored one outstanding female student-athlete from each college and university in the state. The awards are based upon athletic excellence, academic success and community service.
“I am super excited to see what this next season will hold, as well as my future on and off the soccer field,” Reidenbaker said.
