Versatile Van Streepen

Growing up, Jade Van Streepen played many sports, none more than soccer. And she was good enough that, for a good long while, she thought she would continue her soccer career into college. Then Van Streepen moved from California to Texas, where she was introduced to volleyball.

The rest is history.

“My type of athleticism was really good for volleyball,” she says. “Volleyball was the new and exciting sport that I was also good at, so it stuck.”

Soccer’s loss is Lehigh volleyball’s gain. If she hadn’t moved, it’s quite possible she wouldn’t be playing the sport and wouldn’t have ended up at Lehigh, where she’s developed into an All-Patriot League player on the court and an Environmental Engineering major with a 3.88 cumulative GPA in the classroom.

During her time on South Mountain, Van Streepen has thrived. On the court, she was named a second team All-Patriot League honoree last season while earning Academic All-League laurels for her success in the classroom. Her contributions have played a big role in pushing the entire program forward; the Mountain Hawks won 19 games her freshman year and 20 games last season, advancing to the Patriot League Tournament both years under head coach Bob Bertucci.

“We have the largest roster we’ve ever had,” she says. “We have upperclassmen who are staying on the team for four years and really developing as players. At the same time, we’re bringing in underclassmen that are challenging the upperclassmen to get even better.”

Van Streepen’s success goes far beyond on-court statistics and accolades. She is a Student-Athlete Mentor and a member of the Leadership Legacies program, Martindale Student Association and American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. She is also employed this semester, and is hoping to stay at Lehigh for a fifth year and work towards her MBA.

“I feel like I’ve become such a well-rounded person being at Lehigh,” she continues. “The volleyball is at a high level and academics are obviously a huge reason why I came here. Being an engineer from Lehigh gives you huge status points. I’m also able to do all these other things, so it’s a really big benefit that we receive as student-athletes here.”

Story by Steve Lomangino
 

Photo courtesy of Lehigh Athletics