Jan. 22, 2009
THE SOTIRCHOS FILE
Who: Maria Sotirchos
Year: Senior
Height: 5-foot-6
Born: April 25, 1987
Hometown: Oak Hill, Va.
Parents: Don and Susanne Sotirchos
Trivia: Favorite foods are cheddar cheese, kalamata olives and crab legs. Major is psychology with minors in anthropology and criminology.
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
Stories without bumps or bruises, without stumbles or all-out falls, aren’t always that interesting to the average Joe or Jane.
Those kind of stories read like fantasies because life comes with more than a few blows to body and spirit. We all usually fall in some way, at some time. It’s how you handle those falls that create inspiration or maybe disappointment.
Lobo senior Maria Sotirchos took a blow her freshman year at the University of New Mexico. She stumbled. She fell. In her story, we find some of that inspiration, because she bounced back so well.
When Sotirchos came to UNM in the fall of 2005, she was living a dream. The tennis dynamo, who went undefeated in high school matches in her junior and senior year, was playing college tennis. She had scholarship money. She had it made.
And then she stumbled.
“I just wasn’t completely focused,” said Sotirchos. “I didn’t have my priorities straight. It was the first time I had ever been away from home on my own and there were just distractions and a lack of focus. There were a lot of little factors, but basically I just let things slip. It was my fault.”
The lack of focus for Sotirchos wasn’t on the tennis court. It was in the classroom. At the end of her first semester, she turned in a 1.8 GPA to Lobo program that has long established itself as one of the UNM leaders in the classroom.
Lobo Coach Kathy Kolankiewicz had a punishment to fit the crime. She took Sotirchos’ scholarship away. The punishment hit the Lobo freshman like a physical blow.
“It hurt,” said Sotirchos. “It definitely motivated me. But I also was just disappointed in myself knowing that I could do better. All I really did was just try a lot harder. I got focused. There was a lot of self motivation, too, because I knew that my education was important, not just to stay eligible for tennis, but for the future and maybe even graduate school.”
This is the part of the story where Sotirchos pulled herself out of the hole, rubbed a little dirt on the bruises, and provided a little inspiration for future generations of Lobos, who might someday stumble in the classroom.
Sotircho’s 1.8 turned into a 3.5 the very next semester. In 2006-07, she was named to the Mountain West Conference Academic All-Conference team. This past semester (fall of 2008), she turned in a 4.22 GPA to Kolankiewicz, who put Sotirchos back on scholarship for her senior year.
Sotirchos said she has an overall GPA of 3.75. The other two Lobo seniors on the team, Ola Abou-Zekry and Mackenzie White, also pulled in 4.0 GPAs in the fall semester. Kolankiewicz said her three seniors combined to turn in nine A-plusses and five As during that grading period.
“My players are here because they are students first and tennis players second,” said the UNM coach, who is retiring after the 2008-09 season. “One thing that has never changed over the years is my philosophy about academics.”
Sotirchos goes into her final season at UNM confident in how to take care of things in the classroom and on the court.
“She’s also playing the best tennis we’ve ever seen her play,” said Kolankiewicz. “It’s always nice when you can peak your senior year. I expect my three seniors to lead this team. They are all captains and they really want it and all three will be playing doubles and singles.”
If there is anything negative about Sotirchos’ senior year, it’s fighting a wrist injury that will require minor surgery after the season. She said she doesn’t think it will effect her play on the court.
“I have a lot of confidence out there,” she said. “My game has come together and I know what I can do. I know how to play a point and a match. I am able to adapt and do whatever it takes. My focus is better. My location is better.”
Of course, the best lesson Sotirchos learned about location was during her freshman season. She learned that if she located herself in a classroom more often, it helps your grades.
“Yeah, things like going to class, studying, reading, make a difference,” she said, smiling.
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net. Previous articles are available at The Richard Stevens Corner