For the first time in seven years, a pair of Charger athletes — Daniel Drummond and Krya Rodi — were named Outstanding Senior Man and Woman. After being nominated by the senior class, Drummond and Rodi went through an interview process with the faculty members who made the decision earlier this week.
Drummond, a football player, and Rodi, a volleyball and softball dual-athlete, said they were honored to receive this recognition.
“It’s a really humbling experience to be chosen by students and faculty,” Drummond said. “I can think of about 20 other guys in the senior class who are just as deserving of the award.
Rodi added that she was shocked to receive the good news.
“I had to check it again to make sure she gave me the right letter,” Rodi said. “But it was so cool to be honored and to be recognized and to see that I’ve impacted people. It’s very humbling.”
Charger athletics have played a major role in shaping both Drummond’s and Rodi’s Hillsdale experiences, they said.
“The whole part of being on a team filled with incredible guys and being able to work with them and to spend time together has been a special thing. It’s offered me a great community of guys to be around and invest in,” Drummond said. “I can’t imagine my college experience without it.”
After Drummond took over as the starting right tackle for the Chargers in 2015, he was named the team’s offensive lineman of the year and has made the GLIAC Academic Excellence Team. Drummond plays intramural basketball, works as a student ambassador, a resident advisor, and a pianist during Sunday brunch. Drummond is also a candidate on the President’s Ball Court this year. Drummond will graduate next year with degrees in marketing management and history, and he hopes to work in sales.
Rodi said it’s been a blessing to be an athlete at Hillsdale.
“The Hillsdale athletic community in itself has been huge — getting to know everybody, going to basketball games when we’re out of season, seeing football guys at our games — things like that,” Rodi said.
After four years on the volleyball team, Rodi decided to join the softball team, as well. This season, Rodi was a top player. Rodi appeared in 28 matches, tallying 88 blocks for her team. When she’s not at the sports complex, Rodi works toward her biochemistry degree. She’s a member of the 1844 Society, Lamplighters, the biology honorary, the math and science honorary, and the women’s chemistry honorary. Rodi co-leads the volleyball Bible study, participates with Athletes Intervarsity, and serves as the secretary of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Rodi was on homecoming court this fall. After graduating in May, Rodi will attend medical school at the University of Colorado, Denver.
“The things you learn from athletics at Hillsdale are things you’re going to take on for the rest of your life. Things like the dedication, the commitment, and the communication,” Rodi said. “These things teach you how to be a young woman and what it means to be selfless and a teammate. It’s going to be applicable forever.”