Leaving the state of Michigan and daring to enter the hustle and bustle of NYC, Erica Lemm, the new assistant director of athletics, has joined the YU Macs family. Erica grew up in Clinton Township, Michigan with her younger brother and sister. There she attended Chippewa Valley High School, and encountered her role model, the goalie of her soccer team; a player who was talented enough to flourish in more than three sports. She was an inspirational person filled with positive energy and encouragement. Though this young woman passed away years ago, Erica never seizes to forget how this goalie contributed to her life.
Sports was always an integral element to Erica’s identity. Her brother played basketball throughout college and her younger sister currently plays both hockey and lacrosse for her school. Years ago, Erica’s father was recruited to play professional baseball but turned down the offer because his heart was with basketball. He started the women’s basketball team at Lawrence Tech University, and is now the assistant coach there.
Growing up with a coach in the house, Erica learned the importance of following her heart and discovering all that sports has to offer. At a young age, she slowly veered away from karate, and moved on to play just about every other sport out there, including soccer, running track and cross-country, volleyball, and hockey.
While in high school, she hoped to get recruited by a college to play soccer, but she tore her ACL. After recovering, Erica once again played soccer, but only three games into the season, she tore her ACL for the second time. As a senior, it was too late to be recruited, so Erica went on to attend Central Michigan University where she intended to pursue her dream of becoming a sports writer.
Erica’s path to becoming a sports writer was altered after she began to coach and work administratively for club teams at her school. She declared a major in Sports Manage-ment. Although not on the Varsity team like she had originally intended, Erica continued to play soccer for that program. After college, Erica worked as the sports coordinator at a community college in Ann Arbor, while she simultaneously worked on receiving her Master’s Degree. During this time Erica somehow found time to give back: she coached both high school and middle school teams and provided aid to the American Cancer Society by running the Relay for Life twenty-four hour walk.
After years of perseverance, “never give up” is one mantra Erica firmly believes in. After tearing her ACL three times, she continues to play the sport she loves and runs daily. Even when her high school coach doubted her ability to play if she ever returned to soccer, she used people’s doubts to push herself harder. Erica allows for others to drive her, and guide her to the road of success. As a result, she is constantly giving back to those who have touched her life and pushes others to fulfill their potential.
Now living away from her family for the first time, Erica explains that taking on this new position is what she thought was the best move for herself. She has adjusted well in New York and can now comfortably call it home. Erica delights in the fact that Yeshiva University has allowed her the opportunity to work with students who value and focus mainly on their academics and also manage to find time for athletics. She hopes to bring more organization into our sports program and to build the recruiting aspect so that each of the teams will continue grow.
Through her time on teams she realized that athletics are not only about winning, but also about learning skills that can be carried throughout life. Sports bring out the importance of time management, working with others, and many more life lessons. Athletics have touched Erica’s life, and now she hopes to impart that same experience to the students on the Beren Campus.