For Mayernik, TCNJ success is in the family
Julia Mayernik has earned many accolades over her first two seasons with The College of New Jersey softball team, but besides being greatly appreciative, the honors only serve as a greater motivation.
The Lions catcher was the conference Rookie of the Year and an All-NJAC Second Team pick last season, and this year she bettered that with an All-NJAC First Team selection.
“I feel very lucky to be a part of a program that strives for excellence,” said Mayernik, a former standout at Northern Burlington. “It feels great being recognized last year as Rookie of the Year, and it makes me want to work even harder moving forward to help produce for the team. I have lots of gratitude for the accomplishments so far in my college career, working towards and achieving personal goals set at the beginning of the year, but I am so thankful to be playing for a program and teammates that continuously work hard to show the other teams in the conference that we are a force to be reckoned with.”
Mayernik will be in the lineup when TCNJ heads to Cleveland for the NCAA Tournament.
The Lions (27-9) face the host team Case Western Reserve (26-9) in the first game of the double-elimination tournament. The other two teams in the bracket are Concordia Wisconsin (33-4) and Roanoke (30-12).
Mayernik admits there were some tense moments waiting for their name to be called after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Rowan in the NJAC finals.
“As a team, we are all incredibly grateful for this opportunity to play together on the field again after what we thought could possibly be the end of our season,” stated Mayernik. “The work we put in during our regular season has prepared us for this tournament, and we are ready to make a splash. We are a sound group of athletes looking to produce on the field, as well as enjoy our time off the field by being all together.”
Cleveland is the home of the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and the Lions hope to be making some sweet music of their own.
Mayernik, who started all 36 games for Lions and most of them behind the plate, heads to the tournament with a .318 batting average, second on the team in doubles with 12, second in RBI with 26 and she has a perfect fielding percentage.
Her favorite sports quote, comes from J.J. Watt: “Success isn’t owned, it’s leased. And rent is due every day.”
“I like this quote because it embodies my mindset through the off season, as well as when it comes time for practicing and playing again,” declared Mayernik. “You have to work towards your goals each and every day in practice in order to come up big in the games when you’re playing as a team. I also remember to not sweat the small things. Stressing never does anyone ever good, so staying coolminded and relaxed is key, taking what you can control and exceeding expectations.”
Two people have had a huge impact on Mayernik as a player and as a person. Her sister Megan, who was an All-NJAC shortstop for the Lions, and her high school coach at Northern Burlington, Brian Wolverton.
“I am very thankful to my head coaches, especially Brain Wolverton,” said Mayernik. “He had coached us throughout my grade’s middle school and high school seasons, where he taught us early on to not only think about how we can get better individually, but how we can support each other and build our team up as one. Mr. Wolverton is one of my inspirations for the game,
and I am a better softball player because of him without a doubt.”
Her sister graduated in 2020 and has been a role model on and off the field.
“My sister has always been my biggest inspiration for playing softball,” said Mayernik. “Coming to TCNJ after she graduated, I knew there were some big shoes to fill, but Megan has always encouraged me to
play my game and be my own person at school. She has helped me navigate life after high school, and I am so lucky to have her. Megan created a lasting name for herself throughout her years playing and after she graduated, and that’s exactly what I plan to do with my time here.”
Julia’s off to a pretty good start in keeping up the respected Mayernik tradition.