University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Ramsey
4/18/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- The 2017-18 season marked the 21st season of Gopher women's hockey. Twenty years of student-athletes set the foundation for where the program is today, and it's time to reconnect with them. Up next in our alumni spotlight is Rachel Ramsey.
Ramsey played in 164 games for the Gophers from 2011-12 to 2014-15. She recorded 130 career points (34g-96a). A left-handed defense from Chanhassen, Minn., Ramsey was part of three NCAA national championship teams as a freshman, sophomore, and senior. She was a two-time CCM/AHCA First Team All-American, two-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, and two-time All-WCHA First Team honoree as a junior and senior along with being selected as a 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-10 finalist. Ramsey was a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in business and marketing with minors in communications and management.
GopherSports.com caught up with Ramsey to find out where life has taken her most recently.
Gopher Sports: Where has life taken you since you graduated from the University of Minnesota?
Rachel Ramsey: After school I stayed in the Twin Cities for work, but fortunately I get to travel quite a bit with my job. Work has taken me all across the country, and even brought me outside North America for the first time to Cape Town, South Africa. Outside of work, it's been a pretty crazy ride the last few years as I got engaged this fall and I'm excited to be tying the knot this summer.
GS: Where do you currently live and work?
RR: I bought a house two years ago in South Minneapolis and currently work in the Twin Cities. I work on-air as a DJ at iheartmedia, weeknights 7pm-1am on K102; and during the day I'm the Account Director of North America for a sports tech and data company called Fancam.
GS: What personal or professional accomplishment(s) are you most proud of since you graduated from the University of Minnesota?
RR: While it was never something I set out to accomplish as a goal of mine, landing a full-time spot on air at K102 is something I'm proud of because it's a job where I get to work with incredible people everyday and do something I love.
GS: What is your favorite memory about your time as a Gopher on the ice? Off the ice?
RR: I'd have to say winning the national championship freshman year. While all three championships were incredibly special, there was something about being the underdogs that game, and seeing the joy that win gave to the seniors who had worked for four years for that moment. Off the ice, the answer is one that I'm sure you'll get from a lot of girls, but it's the truth. There isn't one thing in particular. Playing on a team in college you train, study, and live with your teammates almost 24/7. You build a sisterhood and with that comes new, incredible memories everyday throughout those four years.
GS: What are you most proud of from your time as a Gopher?
RR: Just being part of the dynasty that is Gopher Women's Hockey. I never took the word "dynasty" seriously when I was there, I don't think any of the girls did -- but that's really what we were building, along with the girls before us, and the girls after. It's incredibly cool to look back at the success that the program has had, and to know that you were a tiny part of that.
GS: What advice would you give your college self/current Gophers?
RR: Seniors always say this to the freshman... and when you're 18 you don't take it seriously because four years seems like a long time, but enjoy it and make it count because it goes by in the blink of an eye.
GS: How did your college hockey career help prepare you for life after college?
RR: College hockey, or any college sport for that matter, teaches you a lot of life skills. Being a college athlete, I learned time management, how to be part of a team, and what it truly means to be dedicated to something. Everything you go through on a day-to-day basis, from the classroom to the rink, translates to the real world.
GS: Are you still involved with hockey or sports?
RR: I don't coach or play in any leagues, but I still love to hit the ice on the ponds, and take in the game in a state that has the best hockey there is to offer. I'm grateful for things like the North American Pond Hockey Tournament, or U.S. Pond Hockey Championships, where you can watch and play the game in its purist form. It was also fun to watch the Skippers take home their first state championship this year, Go Tonka!
GS: Who is a Gopher Women's Hockey player you have enjoyed watching play after you graduated and why?
RR: It's been incredible to watch Sydney Baldwin grow as a player. I had the privilege of playing with her in high school and again my senior year at Minnesota, and it's been so cool watching her grow into the All-American she was this year. Not to mention she's an incredible person and leader, she was one of those players who led even as a freshman at the U. Outside of Baldy, it was amazing to watch all the Gopher girls take home the gold this year with Team USA, and to see Mira and Noora finish with the bronze!
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