Patriot League Success Stories - Where Are They Now?

Katherine Schullian, Navy '95

April 27, 2005

Name: Katherine J. Schullian
Institution: United States Naval Academy
Sport: Volleyball
Position: Middle hitter/blocker
Graduation Year: 1995
Undergraduate Major: Political Science

THEN:

• Patriot League All Decade Team (1991-2001)
• Player of the Year (1994)
• Rookie of the Year (1991)
• All-League First Team (1992-94); Second Team (1991)
• United States Naval Academy Athletic Hall of Fame

• Working on a Masters in Human Resources Management
• Currently stationed at Commander Undersea Surveillance working in the requirements and future systems department supporting all the Integrated Undersea Surveillance sites and vessels around the world
• Played volleyball for the All Navy Team and was chosen to play for the U.S. Armed Forces Team, representing the United States in 1997 at the U.S. Open and 1998 at the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) World Military Games in Zagreb, Croatia
• Coached the All Navy Team and U.S. Armed Forces Team at the CISM Tournament in Romania in 2002
• Was a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) on the USS CIMARRON (AO177) out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and the USS SHILOH (CG67) out of San Diego (involved in a successful man overboard recovery in the middle of the Pacific Ocean)
• Was an Assistant Officer in Charge of Naval Technical Training Center located at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (second in command for over 700 enlisted and officer Navy students learning over a dozen foreign languages)

Thoughts on how your competitive experience as a Patriot League student-athlete helped you achieve professional or personal goals:

My competitive experience as a Patriot League student-athlete and Naval Academy graduate has helped prepare me by teaching me to be a firm yet compassionate leader, by testing my mental and physical strength (and boy were they tested), and by instilling in me the ability to remain calm under incredible pressure/stress. Being a competitive athlete was a challenge that I thrived on and was the outlet I needed to overcome the rigors of the Naval Academy. I am incredibly grateful for experiencing the power of teamwork, in victory and heart wrenching losses; for lifelong friendships offering unconditional support; and for challenging me to keep setting new goals in life: spiritually, mentally and physically.