GLASSBORO, NJ - It's not every day you see a mini-legacy forming with student-athletes. However, on the women's lacrosse team, that's the case for junior LuLu Villani, sophomore Olivia Elwell, and freshman  Sophia Schiavo. These three share a common bond as each of their mothers played for the Rowan lacrosse team in the past.
 
For Schiavo, a finance major, she was initially drawn to the University for its prestigious business program and the fact that both of her parents attended Rowan. However, she knew from the moment that she stepped onto campus that it was a no-brainer that she was going to become a Prof.
 
"As soon I first came here on my first college visit, I didn't want to go anywhere else because I knew that Rowan was the perfect fit," says Schiavo. "I get to play the sport that I love, but also focus on school, meeting new people, and still be in other things besides lacrosse."
 
While Schiavo didn't expect a global pandemic to be impacting her first year as a student-athlete at the University, she praises the athletic department as well as the lacrosse team leadership for making the most out of the situation.
 
"It's brought a lot of changes, but I think that the whole athletic department has done a really good job handling it [and] being able to cope with the diversity of what COVID-19 brings," says Schiavo. "Things are a little bit different, but the coaches and the leaders on the team have done a really good job of making sure everyone has a good relationship, even though we can't do everything they were able to do last year."
 
Schiavo wants to be able to continue the legacy of her mother, Kathleen Yacovone (née Heller) '94, and notes how her mother is so proud that she's a member of the lacrosse team. "She's thrilled for me and gets so excited for me to have the same experience as she did," says Schiavo. "She always said being at Rowan was the best four years of her life, so she's excited for me to continue that."
 
When Yacovone was a member of the lacrosse team from 1991-94, she made some great memories. She was on the team that set the record for the most consecutive wins (10) during both the 1993 and 1994 seasons and individually, holds the record for the most blocks in a game (21) in 1993,  a statistic that was discontinued in 2006. Looking back on her time at Rowan, she thinks of how amazing it was being a student-athlete and all the memories she formed while on the team.
 
"Being a student-athlete really helped me get through college," says Yacovone. "You get your own core group of friends [and] something to look forward to. It's like your own private sorority."
 
Seeing her daughter play, Yacovone wishes nothing but the best for her and hopes that Sophia's time as a student-athlete helps her stay focused. "You can't be lazy and be a student-athlete," she says. "You have to know what your priorities are and prioritize (them). And especially for her, going from having her world stopped this time last year and being at zero speed."
 
In Villani's case, she didn't start her collegiate athletic career with Rowan right away after graduating from high school in 2018. Originally attending Georgian Court University for her freshman season, Villani eventually transferred to Rowan due to her parents' experience here in Glassboro.
 
"I feel like my mom and I are kind of sharing the same life, which is not like a bad thing," says Villani, a psychology major. "I think it's a pretty good thing because it brings a bond between us together. We both wore the same number (23). It's kind of like a little legacy."
 
For Megan Villani (née Barlow), she absolutely loved her experience at Rowan, as she was also part of the team with the school record for most consecutive wins in 1994 and was on the Profs' team which participated in the 1995 NCAA Tournament.
 
Beaming with pride for her daughter as she follows in her footsteps, as well as hopes for Lulu to make great connections towards her career in the mental health field, Villani notices the massive growth Rowan has gone through since her time at the University.
 
"At the time when I went there, Rowan was like a small close-knit community. Everybody played sports, and now it's grown and is a huge, huge campus. So, I can see how it would be a little overwhelming I guess for the student-athletes now," says Villani.
 
The Rowan tradition is not only found in women's sports for Schiavo and Villani, as their fathers both played football for the Profs and experienced great team success. Ralph Schiavo played wide receiver from 1989-91 under coach John Bunting and was a member of the 1991 squad that won the NJAC title and reached the NCAA playoffs. He later served as an assistant coach in 1995 and from 2009-10. Nick Villani was an offensive lineman from 1992-94 and a member of the teams that won the NJAC championship in both 1992 and 1993. He was also on the squads that reached the national semifinals in 1992 under coach Bunting, and that played in the national championship game under coach K.C. Keeler in 1993.
 
Elwell, an electrical & computer engineering major with a minor in computer science, is also carrying a unique aspect towards the mini-legacy between she and her mother, Carol Elwell (née Hess), as both are two-sport athletes.
 
She has spent the past two years at Rowan as a midfielder for the lacrosse team and as a forward for the field hockey team and has earned recognition for her academics. She was cited as a Rowan Scholar-Athlete of Distinction and named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Academic Squad.
 
One of Elwell's initial reasons for deciding to go to Rowan was the fact that she was able to play both field hockey and lacrosse. However, Elwell also decided to go to Rowan due to the academic prestige of the engineering program as well as the sense of community she found within the athletic department.
 
"It's a really good community, and there's always a lot of help, no matter what," says Elwell. "Academically, they always just try to help you reach your goals. I've had struggles with a few of my classes trying to get scheduled due to time conflicts and they will always help me out. They really do want you to be the best and succeed."
 
She also notes how her mother's experience as a student-athlete has helped with her college career as a student-athlete. "Since she (her mother) went here, she knows some of the previous coaches, so she was happy that she knew the program already going into it," says Elwell. "She knew I was going into a good program and knew that I was going to get good support."
 
Carol Elwell (née Hess) describes how her athletic career at Rowan started by chance when coach Dawn Bunting asked her to join the women's basketball team after being their manager freshman year. She then joined the lacrosse team because coach Mary Marino recruited women's basketball team members to play.
 
Despite quoting herself that she "wasn't a star by any stretch of imagination.", she is eternally grateful for the opportunity to play for the Profs and those two coaches, noting the impact it has made on her life.
 
"Both (Bunting and Marino) coached with so much passion, not only for the sport, but for the players. Creating an atmosphere where young women could grow to be successful people was important to them," says Elwell, who played lacrosse from 1989-91 and basketball from 1987-91. "My experience as a Rowan athlete shaped me as a young adult. I owe so much to Rowan, my coaches and my teammates."
 
Looking forward to the next few years of watching her daughter play for the Profs, Elwell is excited to see the potential of what her daughter can do as an athlete as well as growing into a leader. "Olivia is a tough athlete. She's a hard worker who loves being a player and a teammate," says Elwell. "My hope for Olivia is that she continues to grow and also that she builds relationships with her teammates and coaches that last way beyond her playing and college years."
 
With an appreciation for Rowan athletics learned from their parents, Schiavo, Villani and Elwell are destined to create their own legacy as Profs.