Sept. 20, 2010
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Editor’s note: 24 Hawkeyes to Watch is a feature released Friday, Aug. 13, highlighting one athlete from each of the 24 intercollegiate sports offered by the University of Iowa. More than 700 talented student-athletes are currently busy preparing for the 2010-11 athletics year at the UI. Hawkeyesports.com will introduce you to 24 Hawkeyes who, for one reason or another, are poised to play a prominent role in the intercollegiate athletics program at the UI in the coming year.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Ron Rainey made a splash with his first University of Iowa women’s soccer recruiting class in 2006. With continued improvement, that initial splash from the Hawkeye Class of 2011 could turn into a stamp…a solid stamp authenticating the UI’s emergence as a Big Ten Conference front-runner.
Jenna Aleo, now a senior, was among Rainey’s first commitments. The defender from Tinley Park, Ill., was named second team all-Big Ten in 2008 and team MVP in 2008 and ’09. She fondly recalls being wooed by Rainey and the Hawkeyes.
“I came on my visit and I liked the coaches and players and I fell in love with the campus,” Aleo said. “I remember seeing the Old Capitol and going down that street and it just looked great and I knew this was the college I wanted to attend.”
Since the 2007 season, the Hawkeyes have won 33 matches and tied five others. Aside from Aleo, the UI roster includes five seniors from that first recruiting class: Kali Feiereisel, Mandy Heimann, Amanda Martin, Keli McLaughlin and Stephanie Swanson.
“It’s a tight-knit group; we all have a house together,” Aleo said. “We’re all very close. We wanted to make our mark on the school and get everything going. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of setting a high standard and making sure the lower classes know what should be expected.”
Aleo was a three-time all-state soccer selection in high school where she specialized in one sport.
“I was raised into it and soccer is the only game I know,” Aleo said. “I can’t think of many other people who played year-round soccer. I participated in one sport my entire life.”
Once Aleo’s older brother John, Jr., started playing soccer, it didn’t take long for Jenna’s interest to piqué. She became a member of the Tinley Park Bobcats at age six, playing for her parents, John and Debbie. Fifteen years later she has emerged as one of the finest defenders in the Big Ten.
“I like the heart-aspect of playing defense,” Aleo said. “You go tough and it’s great to get shutouts for your team as a defensive unit. I like seeing the field from the back and directing people and trying to help everyone in front of me.”
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“Last year we had some records for the best start in school history, which is great, but we want to carry that momentum to the Big Ten, go up the rankings and get to the NCAA Tournament. We don’t want to be done with our season by the first week of November, we want to still be going. Being in the top half of the Big Ten would be great and accomplishing that would be a big goal.”
UI senior Jenna Aleo
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There have been 30 times since 2007 when Hawkeye opponents have failed to score at least one goal in a match, including six times this season. But like 2009, when Iowa also began 7-2, Aleo would gladly trade early-season wins and shutouts for an extended ride in the month of November.
“Last year we had some records for the best start in school history, which is great, but we want to carry that momentum to the Big Ten, go up the rankings and get to the NCAA Tournament,” Aleo said. “We don’t want to be done with our season by the first week of November, we want to still be going. Being in the top half of the Big Ten would be great and accomplishing that would be a big goal.”
Despite Iowa’s strong showing in the nonconference portion of its schedule, the Hawkeyes were the only team without a shutout during 2009 league matches. Their 23 goals allowed and 2.24 goals-against average were statistically at the bottom of the Big Ten. Strides are being taken; Rainey inherited a program that won one conference game from 2003-05 and now expectations are on the rise.
“It’s been fun seeing the seniors develop,” Rainey said. “If we continue to improve, this senior class will leave a stamp.”
Aleo has earned respect from her teammates, confirmed by them voting her team MVP — twice.
“I go out every day in practice or games and work as hard as I can,” Aleo said. “I try to be a leader on and off the field and make good decisions.”
Quiet off the field, Aleo is determined to become a better communicator on the field. According to her coach, Aleo leads by work ethic.
“She’s an extremely hard-worker,” Rainey said. “She speaks volumes on the practice field and when she trains on her own. She’s one of the hardest-working players out there and you can see that fire every day in practice. All our young players who see that aspire to be her in practice and that’s bringing other people’s level up as well.”
Aleo is majoring in recreation management with a minor in human relations. An ideal occupation, she says, would be working in the fitness profession, organizing youth soccer camps. Last season she was one of 15 Hawkeyes to be named Academic All-Big Ten.
Excelling on the soccer field as well as in the classroom has made Aleo’s experience at the University of Iowa fly by as quickly as that first drive past Old Capitol.
“I’ve loved it, even though it’s gone by really fast,” Aleo said. “The school aspect, the soccer aspect — just being a student-athlete here is something that I love and have loved being a part of.”
Meanwhile, Aleo continues to secure the UI defense as the Hawkeyes march toward the Big Ten slate.
“She has been an anchor in the back for us,” Rainey said. “She’s been there four years and logged a ton of minutes and she’s done that from Day 1, which is pretty special for a college soccer player to be able to do as a freshman through senior year. When she plays within herself, she is very, very effective.”