Sussex to Grace College

Lea Fricke has committed to play for Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana this upcoming season. Fricke was an exceptional student-athlete at Sussex and is someone Coach Vernacchio feels fortunate he got to coach. Vernacchio said, "One of the greatest things I have gotten to know about Lea is her passion. She takes everything seriously and wants to perfect it. Usually you will come across players who will have that sort of mind set in some aspects of their life, but with Lea it was in all aspects. I enjoyed how she wanted to study and learn the game just like you would a college course. It came to no shock to us that her performance on the field was honestly second to none. She did so much that just doesn't get put down on the stat sheet and is of course one of the main reasons our program has jumped to the next level over the past two seasons."

When Lea was asked about her time at Sussex, she said "Coming to the US was a huge step for me and it was certainly a challenge, but my experience at Sussex was incredible and I could not have asked for a better place to grow as a person and as a player. The team became my family and always had my back on and off the field which really meant a lot to me." Lea went on to share one of the most valuable things she has come to learn from her time at Sussex, saying, " I am sure that everything I learned at Sussex will help me succeed at Grace, but what I find most valuable is the keep-going mentality I developed at Sussex." This mentality is certainly something the coaching staff at Sussex has prided themselves on over the past few years and is something they will continue to embed each new year.

Fricke will be starting her next chapter in her collegiate career at Grace College where she said, "I am most looking forward to the new challenge on and off the field."

When Lea was asked about what advice she would give to players coming in or moving on, she said "It can be difficult to find a new college because there are so many things that you have to keep in mind, but I think there is no wrong decision, there is always a chance to make the best out of a situation and no matter where you go, it will shape you and help you grow." We are certainly proud to see Lea move on and continue her collegiate career both on and off the field.

               On behalf of the women's soccer program and the entire athletic department, we want to wish Lea the best of luck in all of her future endeavors!