Quite a juggling act

	Smith was All-Patriot League in both field hockey and lacrosse in 2006.

Cirque du Soleil performers have nothing on Lehigh's Christy Smith in the juggling department.

A junior midfielder in both field hockey and lacrosse, Smith adroitly juggles two varsity sports plus the demands of Lehigh's rigorous Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) program, consistently collecting athletic and academic accolades since arriving at Lehigh three years ago.

This past fall, she was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Mideast region second team after leading the Mountain Hawks in scoring with eight goals and two assists. She was also named to the All-Patriot League first team.

Off the field, Smith is enrolled in the highly selective IBE program, designed to prepare the next generation of corporate leaders by providing a foundation in both management and technology. Smith, who majors in industrial engineering, is thriving in the program and boasts a 3.85 grade point average.

Lehigh offers the perfect package for me with its excellent engineering program, competitive athletic programs, and it's the perfect size in that it is small enough to be a family, yet large enough to provide many opportunities, Smith says.

Among those opportunities were two academic field trips intended to expose the novice engineers to real-world business and industry.

Freshman year, the IBE program traveled to Vanguard and listened to the insights of John Vogle, the founding CEO, Smith says. This past semester, we toured the manufacturing plant of Crayola with the industrial engineering department. Both trips confirmed my decision to major in IBE/IE.

On the lacrosse field, Smith is a two-year starter and earned second-team All-Patriot League honors in 2006. She has been a member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Rolls in both field hockey and lacrosse for three seasons, has been named to the NFHCA Division I Academic Squad, and is a member of the Dean's List. She is also an active participant in Lehigh's award-winning C.O.A.C.H. (Community of Athletes Who Care about Helping) program.

Smith's ability to successfully juggle the demands of athletics and academics is something to emulate, and someone very close to her has done just that. Christy's younger sister Lindsey joined the Lehigh family as a freshman this past fall and is playing on both the field hockey and lacrosse teams.

I am grateful to once again play with Lindsey because my career started with her and, ironically, will finish its cycle with Lindsey as one of my best teammates, Smith says. Lindsey and really all of my family have helped and encouraged me to reach my potential as an athlete, a student, and most importantly, a person.

Sue Hofmann

Lehigh Alumni Bulletin
Spring 2007

Photo courtesy of Lehigh Athletic Department