Biography
By Jim Hague
It’s a long way from the small town of Ankeny, Iowa, to the rolling metropolis known as downtown Newark. In fact, it’s precisely 1,100 miles, give or take a few clicks on the odometer.
But that didn’t stop Jillian Dierenfield from becoming the first student-athlete to come to Rutgers-Newark from the “Hawkeye State.”
Because of her love and fascination towards New York, Dierenfield wanted to attend college somewhere close to Manhattan. So last April, she set off on a college tour with her mother, determined to find a college destination.
The journey took the Dierenfields to Rutgers-Newark, and the mother and daughter just showed up on the campus, unannounced, wanting to check out the school and its athletic facilities, because Jillian was a solid tennis player (first singles) at Ankeny High School.
“I knew that I was going to apply to colleges out east,” Dierenfield said. “I always liked coming this way to visit and New York definitely interested me. I love New York. It’s a little different than Iowa. I thought that if I could go to college and play tennis; that it would be really cool.”
Dierenfield didn’t have to worry about her academic standing. She was already an excellent student in high school. In fact, academics were going to be a strong reason to make her final decision about college.
“I knew that the academic programs at Rutgers were top-notch,” Dierenfield said. “It definitely was one of the reasons that brought me here.”
When the Dierenfields visited R-N last April, women’s tennis coach Kevin Morris had no idea who they were.
“I never even heard of Ankeny,” Morris said. “I’d been to Iowa before, but never heard of Ankeny. I was just sitting in my office and someone called up to say that there were people here to see me and talk to me. Jillian and her mom were in the lobby. She said that she wanted to come to a school in the east and that she was a tennis player. It just worked that we needed another player.”
It turned out to be the easiest recruiting trip that Morris has ever made.
“Yeah, I had to walk 100 feet from my office to the lobby,” Morris said.
“I did his work for him,” Dierenfield said.
“There’s really not much more to the story,” Morris said. “We talked a few times after that, but she determined to come here. She had the credentials and she was able to play.”
With that, Jillian Dierenfield decided she was going to become a member of the Scarlet Raiders’ women’s tennis program. She was ready to make the leap from the fields of Iowa to the streets of Newark.
Dierenfield had to downplay some of the images that most local people have about Iowa.
“It’s not that bad there,” Dierenfield said. “I don’t live on a farm and I don’t live in a corn field. It’s a little different than what people expect. It’s exactly what I get asked all the time.”
However, Dierenfield did say that she had a neighbor who did turn his backyard into a baseball field, much like Kevin Costner did with his Iowa corn field in the popular movie, “Field of Dreams.”
“That was about 10 years ago,” Dierenfield said. “I think he thought people would come like in the movie, but they really didn’t.”
Dierenfield didn’t know what to think when she decided to come to Newark.
“Coming into it, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Dierenfield said. “I hadn’t fully thought about playing tennis. But soon, I found a good network of friends and I began to feel comfortable. I wanted to focus on academics, but I got talked into playing tennis.”
It turned out to be a wise decision, because Dierenfield had a freshman season to remember for the Scarlet Raiders.
Dierenfield finished above .500 for the Scarlet Raiders, posting an 8-8 record in singles action, playing either fourth or fifth singles, and had a mark of 8-7 in doubles action.
Last weekend, Dierenfield enjoyed her finest moments, winning two matches at the NJAIAW championships at Drew University in Madison, advancing to the semifinals in the Singles C bracket.
Before the NJAIAW tourney, Morris warned his players about facing Princeton.
“When we get in that tournament, it’s only a matter of time before one of our players has to face someone from Princeton,” Morris said. “We always push the girls to see how far they can go before they face Princeton.”
But Dierenfield had no idea about how good Princeton was – and that it was a Division I program, facing a Division III program like R-N.
“I honestly didn’t know,” Dierenfield said. “The girls were all joking about how hard the draw was. When they found out I had a girl from Princeton right away, I figured that was just my luck.”
Sure was.
In the first round, Dierenfield defeated top-seeded Sydney Booker of Princeton, 8-5, to advance to the quarterfinals. In that round, Dierenfield defeated Andrea Collomb of St. Peter’s College, another Division I player, by a similar 8-5 score.
“Jillian just went out and played smart,” Morris said. “She just played really well. I think she rises to the level of the opponent she’s playing. She has a lot of ability when she’s playing a good opponent.”
In the semifinals, Dierenfield took her opponent to a third set before falling. Still, it was a memorable debut, one that earned her the New Jersey Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Rookie of the Week.
Needless to say, it was a fine first season for the girl from Iowa.
“She did a nice job going from high school to college,” Morris said. “It’s not easy. But she had a winning season on a winning team, so that’s a good first year. I think she’s going to get better in the future. This was a good stepping stone. I don’t think her performance was fluky at all. She played consistently to the end. She’s also a hard worker, a coachable kid who tries to do whatever we ask of her. She’s also outgoing and friendly. She quickly fit in with everyone.”
“It was really a lot of fun and better than what I expected,” said Dierenfield, who is still undecided about a course of study at R-N. “I’m glad that I had such a really good season. It’s a good building block for me and a good way to start out my career.”
And she’s not missing her Iowa roots that much.
“I’ve been fine here,” Dierenfield said. “It’s really not that bad. My family came out to visit me last week, so that was a good time for me. It’s been a good experience. I’m doing quite well.”
And as for being the first R-N athlete to come from Iowa?
“I guess I’m setting the bar high in representing Iowa,” Dierenfield said. “I think I’m representing Iowa pretty well.”
And as for her allegiance back home?
“I’m definitely a Hawkeye,” said Dierenfield, referring to the University of Iowa. “My mother and sister both went there. The school is like 20 minutes away from Ankeny. I’m Hawkeye all the way.”
As well as bleeding Scarlet Raider colors now also.
