Rowan Athletics

This is the first of a series of stories about former Prof athletes and coaches and where they are now.

GLASSBORO, NJ – Rowan University 2002 graduate Lesley Snock was an avid athlete. She played on the basketball, softball and field hockey teams. She came to the University after being recruited to play basketball. However, she also joined the softball team during her first season. When Snock entered her junior year, she began playing field hockey as well.

“I remember her as being kind of quiet, but with a sly sense of humor,” women’s basketball coach Gabby Lisella recalls. “She was a very tough kid, even in practice people would shy away from getting hit by her.”

Snock was a guard/forward for the Profs’ basketball team from 1998-2002. An outfielder, she finished her four year career with a .268 batting average, 69 runs scored and 58 runs batted in. Snock was named to the 2001 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) All-Conference second team. In her junior and senior year, she was a goalie on the field hockey team. Snock registered a career save percentage of 87.8 and a 0.7 goals against average. She was selected to the NJAC All-Conference team both seasons and was a member of the 2001 Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Star second team.

She remembers her time here at Rowan fondly, and looks back at her college years as the best four years of her life. The team aspect of being involved in Rowan sports still stands strong in her mind. “I’m still friends with a lot of the people I played with on the teams. It’s a very close group when you’re involved in sports – especially at Rowan. I really enjoyed my time there.”

As Snock began her collegiate studies, she was fortunate enough to already have chosen a desired career field. “I was interested in law enforcement, and then found that I was interested in the legal aspect of it as well. So at that point, I decided to go to law school [after Rowan].”

Upon graduating from Rutgers law school in 2005, Snock was offered a clerkship position in Cumberland County. She spent a year working for the judge. “I was lucky enough to get a position at the prosecutor’s office and get a taste of both worlds,” she recalls. After her clerkship ended in 2006, they offered her a permanent position at the prosecutor’s office – a title she still holds.

“I really love the atmosphere, being able to serve the community and help people who have been victims of crime,” Snock says. “There is a lot of stress attached to the job. Going to court and trying to ensure the best outcome for your client’s situation definitely puts stress on you when you’re considering the outcomes.” However, it’s a price that she is willing to pay. She enjoys her job and is eager to assist and serve the public.

A typical day in the life of this assistant prosecutor seems to be quite busy. Some days are spent in court, while others are spent in the office. “A good amount of time is spent meeting with victims for the assigned cases and doing the day-to-day upkeep of the cases. Once a police complaint is filed the case will be referred to our office. We take the case from that point and process it all the way to a trial or another point of action. A lot of time goes into just developing the case, updating the info you have.”

Snock continues to refer to the unity and teamwork she encountered in Rowan sports as a continual benefit. “Being a part of sports at the college level teaches you about teamwork. You learn how to approach any task that’s before you, knowing that you can rely on the people around you and that the people around you can rely on you. It’s important to take that skill off the playing field and into the real world,” Snock advises.

She also cites her former Rowan coaches as excellent mentors and role models. “What I remember from being at Rowan is that I always looked up to my coaches: Penny Kempf, Gabby Lisella and Kim Wilson. They are three women who stand out in their professions and would definitely be a mentor for anyone.”