University of Connecticut Athletics
Julie Marashio; A UConn Success Story
12/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
When asked to describe Julie Marashio, UConn women’s ice hockey head coach Heather Linstad smiled and said, “Julie epitomizes what every collegiate program should be.” Marashio, a Wayland Mass. native, has been with coach Linstad since the beginning of the University of Connecticut women’s ice hockey program in the 2000-2001 season. Julie, whose father Joe played varsity hockey at Connecticut from 1970-1974 and whose mother played on the first women’s club hockey team in 1974, came to the University of Connecticut to play lacrosse, but tore her ACL before the 2000-2001 school year. “I like playing lacrosse” says Marashio, “but I love playing hockey.” When she heard that UConn would be forming a varsity women’s ice hockey program, Julie quickly decided she wanted to be a part of it.
Marashio went to work with the Athletic Training staff at Connecticut so she could make a full recovery from her knee injury, and joined coach Linstad’s first full recruiting class at UConn for the 2001-2002 season. Julie looks back on her rehab fondly, “I worked one-on-one with the staff and got to know them really well” says Marashio, “there was never any rush, and they never put me under any pressure or made me fell uncomfortable, it was important for them to get me healthy.”
Marashio made a full recovery from the injury, evidenced by her three-goal, one assist performance against Findlay in her first game at the UConn Ice Arena. This year Marashio says her knee feels stronger than ever.
Coach Linstad also credits Julie for her exceptional personality, and used Marashio as a representative of the program to recruits. Julie looks back on her freshman year and remembers having at least one or two recruits stay with her every weekend. She laughs and recalls how current players such as Shannon Murphy, Lisa Beck, Jacquelyn McGuire and Megan McLeod visited campus on weekends that Julie would have liked to been studying for the three exams she had on Monday, but she was able to balance her responsibilities masterfully, holding a 3.4 GPA going into her final year.
Obviously, the vast majority of the credit for Julie’s academic success must go to Julie herself. However, Julie has spent plenty of time with the academic counselors (CPIA) and also got to know several of them personally. When asked about the CPIA staff at UConn, Julie says, “they will bend over backwards for whatever it is that you need. It doesn’t matter if you need a tutor, or if you just want to talk. That is what they are there for.” Julie also credits the coaching staff for being accommodating to the player’s class schedules. The priority of the staff is for their players to be successful on and off the ice.
Thanks to everyone’s hard work, Julie was honored as a Hockey East Academic All-Star for the 2002-2003 season. The honor goes to the player with the top GPA by position.
Now as the team veteran, Marashio looks back on her four years at UConn… “the colorful characters on the team have made my four years unbelievable and memorable, every year the locker room is full of great kids.”
