Q&A with Rachel Jennings

Story Links

First-year Rachel Jennings and the Virginia field hockey team heads to Duke this Saturday for a 1 p.m. game in the team’s final regular season contest. Jennings will be playing for the first time against her sister and fellow triplet Tara, also a freshman on the Blue Devil field hockey team. Their other sister, Erin, plays hockey at Princeton. Jennings recently sat down with VirginiaSports.com to talk about their sibling rivalry, her career aspirations and her favorite spot on Grounds.

Question: What will it be like to face off against one of your sisters this weekend?
Jennings: It will be fun. We are so competitive but it will be different because obviously I am used to playing with her. We play the same position so we will likely be on opposite sides of the field. But we have been talking about playing against each other since we both committed.

Question: Do you miss playing with your sisters?
Jennings: It was fun and we were really good together in high school. We worked really well together. But it got frustrating sometimes because since we were sisters we would yell at each other. I miss it, but not an enormous amount. I like being on my own.

Question: What was the recruiting process like and when did you realize you were going to go to three different schools?
Jennings: We knew that we were going to go to different schools, even before we knew we were going to continue playing. We shared the same room, went to the same school, had a lot of the same friends. We were with each other constantly. We just wanted to be off on our own. It was really exciting when we were all being recruited. Some schools tried to recruit all three of us.

Question: What was it about UVa that made you want to come to school here?
Jennings: I knew a lot of the girls before I came here. They are so fun and obviously, it is a really good academic school. I wanted that more than anything. I was looking at a lot of the Ivys and schools close to Ivys. I thought Virginia would be a really good balance between field hockey and school. I wanted to go to an ACC school but I didn’t want field hockey to take over my life.

Question: Do you know what you are going to major in?
Jennings: I am undecided right now but I pretty sure I am going to end up going pre-med. I think I am going to end up being a surgeon. I don’t know, we’ll see what happens. I am taking a variety of classes, but that is what I am working towards.

Question: What is your interest in becoming a surgeon?
Jennings: Both my parents are doctors and I was always around it. I would work in my dad’s office sometimes. Both my sisters are pre-med too, and my oldest brother is applying to medical schools right now.

Question: What has been your favorite class this semester?
Jennings: I really like Econ. I have a great professor. He is such a good teacher and lecturer. I really like that class. The first semester has been hard, but not has hard as I thought it was going to be. I have always had standards with myself and I want to do well.

Question: What do you like to do for fun?
Jennings: Hang out with my friends. Michelle Vittese is my roommate. We are practically the same person, both with big personalities. It has been really fun. We don’t get stressed out.

Question: What was it like playing in such a successful high school program? Do you get to play against any former teammates?
Jennings: My entire senior class went DI. There were eight of us. Ohio State, Michigan State, Princeton, Duke, Providence, BC. It’s really fun when we play each other. I thought our high school coach prepared us so well. We had to run so much. But we were successful in high school. We were two-time national champs and three-time state champs. It was awesome going to high school there.

Question: What is your favorite spot on Grounds?
Jennings: I like the Corner, but probably my favorite spot on Grounds is Clark Hall. Around there is really pretty and I always do my studying in Clark Library. I am there a lot.