University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Softball Alumni Update: Paige Palkovich
7/24/2018 11:00:00 AM | Softball
In this edition of alumni update, GopherSports.com had the chance to catch up with softball alumni Paige Palkovich who played for the Gophers from 2013-2016. Palkovich has stayed in the Twin Cities area working for Boston Scienctific Corporation so read up on how she is doing, some of her favorite memories at the U and some advice she would give to current Gopher softball players.Â
GopherSports.com: First how have you been and what is like now you have been a Gopher alum for two years.
Paige Palkovich: I've been doing really well lately. The first year after finishing softball was a very weird time for me, along with other recent retirees I'd assume. It took some time to get my feet underneath me and to adjust to a life without athletics, but now I am happy to be investing my time in my career and my relationships!
GS: Having graduated from the U with a degree in Biomedical Engineering with an emphasis in Medical Device Design, tell us a little bit about what you are doing now with that degree.
PP: I currently work as a Cardiac Mapping Specialist for Boston Scientific Corp. The majority of my work takes place in hospitals, where I team up with electrophysiologists and utilize BSC's mapping system to assess the conditions of patients' hearts and find a solution for the irregular heartbeat they were admitted for.
GS: What is the best part or most rewarding thing about your job?
PP: Throughout college, there were moments when I (unadmittedly) wondered if the rigor of my degree would pay off in the long run. I can genuinely say, now, that there have been numerous occasions since starting my job where I can credit my degree – both the material learned and the skillset developed – for some successes I've had. I don't think I'd be where I am now if it weren't for the route I chose, and that's rewarding in itself. I was more worried about that not being the case than I even realized when I was in the thick of it.
GS: Remaining in the Twin Cities, what is your favorite place to go visit or hangout out?
PP: The toughest question of them all…the first place that comes to mind is Target Field for Twins games. My friends and I always try to go to new places for brunch/dinner, so it's hard for me to favor one. That being said, there's a dive bar down the road from us called Sporty's where we would always find ourselves ending up at to eat or sing (bad) karaoke. That spot holds a special place in my heart, though I wouldn't recommend it as one of Minneapolis' bests!
GS: What does this program mean to you?
PP: It's really hard for me to sum up in words the pride I have for the program and the University as a whole. If we're being honest, it's still hard for me to go to games, watch them from home, or even talk about my time playing without getting emotional about it. The memories and friendships I have from that time still fill my heart unlike anything I've ever experienced. I grew more as a person in those four short years than I anticipate growing in the next 40.
GS: Winning the Big Ten Tournament your senior year in 2016, what does that mean to you now that the Gophers have brought home the trophy three straight years?
PP: I think that both Big Ten championships, along with the 2014 regional tournament win, really shifted the way that Minnesota was viewed – both by outsiders as well as the girls on the team. It's hard to fake confidence when it's not there, especially in sports. Both of those wins proved to us players at the time and the incoming recruits that the Gophers making it to regionals – and further – was completely attainable.
GS: What is your favorite memory from your time at the University of Minnesota?
PP: Another near-impossible question to answer. I'd say it's a tie between the 2015 regional finals in Tucson and the 2016 Big Ten championship game at Penn State. Those were probably the two most emotion-filled, back-and-forth, gritty days of softball I have been a part of and I've never physically felt a team come together and rely so heavily on each member like I did in those moments.
GS: What is one piece of advice you would give to the current Gopher softball players?
PP: Enjoy the heck out of it and BE A GOOD TEAMMATE. The day that you start caring less about your own results/stats/playing time, and more about how lucky you are to be playing a Division I sport with your best friends is the day that you will completely transform your entire experience. And consequently, you'll probably start playing better as a result of it ;).
GopherSports.com: First how have you been and what is like now you have been a Gopher alum for two years.
Paige Palkovich: I've been doing really well lately. The first year after finishing softball was a very weird time for me, along with other recent retirees I'd assume. It took some time to get my feet underneath me and to adjust to a life without athletics, but now I am happy to be investing my time in my career and my relationships!
GS: Having graduated from the U with a degree in Biomedical Engineering with an emphasis in Medical Device Design, tell us a little bit about what you are doing now with that degree.
PP: I currently work as a Cardiac Mapping Specialist for Boston Scientific Corp. The majority of my work takes place in hospitals, where I team up with electrophysiologists and utilize BSC's mapping system to assess the conditions of patients' hearts and find a solution for the irregular heartbeat they were admitted for.
GS: What is the best part or most rewarding thing about your job?
PP: Throughout college, there were moments when I (unadmittedly) wondered if the rigor of my degree would pay off in the long run. I can genuinely say, now, that there have been numerous occasions since starting my job where I can credit my degree – both the material learned and the skillset developed – for some successes I've had. I don't think I'd be where I am now if it weren't for the route I chose, and that's rewarding in itself. I was more worried about that not being the case than I even realized when I was in the thick of it.
GS: Remaining in the Twin Cities, what is your favorite place to go visit or hangout out?
PP: The toughest question of them all…the first place that comes to mind is Target Field for Twins games. My friends and I always try to go to new places for brunch/dinner, so it's hard for me to favor one. That being said, there's a dive bar down the road from us called Sporty's where we would always find ourselves ending up at to eat or sing (bad) karaoke. That spot holds a special place in my heart, though I wouldn't recommend it as one of Minneapolis' bests!
GS: What does this program mean to you?
PP: It's really hard for me to sum up in words the pride I have for the program and the University as a whole. If we're being honest, it's still hard for me to go to games, watch them from home, or even talk about my time playing without getting emotional about it. The memories and friendships I have from that time still fill my heart unlike anything I've ever experienced. I grew more as a person in those four short years than I anticipate growing in the next 40.
GS: Winning the Big Ten Tournament your senior year in 2016, what does that mean to you now that the Gophers have brought home the trophy three straight years?
PP: I think that both Big Ten championships, along with the 2014 regional tournament win, really shifted the way that Minnesota was viewed – both by outsiders as well as the girls on the team. It's hard to fake confidence when it's not there, especially in sports. Both of those wins proved to us players at the time and the incoming recruits that the Gophers making it to regionals – and further – was completely attainable.
GS: What is your favorite memory from your time at the University of Minnesota?
PP: Another near-impossible question to answer. I'd say it's a tie between the 2015 regional finals in Tucson and the 2016 Big Ten championship game at Penn State. Those were probably the two most emotion-filled, back-and-forth, gritty days of softball I have been a part of and I've never physically felt a team come together and rely so heavily on each member like I did in those moments.
GS: What is one piece of advice you would give to the current Gopher softball players?
PP: Enjoy the heck out of it and BE A GOOD TEAMMATE. The day that you start caring less about your own results/stats/playing time, and more about how lucky you are to be playing a Division I sport with your best friends is the day that you will completely transform your entire experience. And consequently, you'll probably start playing better as a result of it ;).
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