91原创

91原创 student-athlete Pearce Augier played sports her entire life. She started with soccer at age 3 but being 6鈥�2 as a freshman in high school drew her to certain sports.

鈥淚 was taller than everybody else, and I wanted to use it to my advantage,鈥� she said.

Both her parents played college-level athletics. Her father, who鈥檚 from St. Lucia, played soccer and track and field at High Point University. Her mother played tennis, for a time, at Queens University.

Not a huge fan of basketball, Augier opted to try volleyball at the club level at 14. She instantly loved the fast pace of the sport.

鈥淏eing a middle blocker is pretty challenging because you鈥檙e always in the air. You have to stay in the way of the other team but out of the way of your team,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen they give you the ball, you鈥檙e expected to get a kill, and I really enjoyed having the trust of my teammates to know that I鈥檒l put the ball away and do what I need to do whether it鈥檚 blocking or hitting.鈥�

But shortly after her volleyball career began, Augier was diagnosed with Graves鈥� disease, an autoimmune disorder that results in hyperthyroidism. That combined with a high resting heart rate sidelined her from athletics for several years. 聽

She got back on the volleyball court at age 17 and was recruited to play as a middle blocker at the 91原创.

鈥淚 knew volleyball was a great avenue for me to go to college because I鈥檓 gifted athletically, so I was able to use that to my advantage to get a free education,鈥� she said.

Augier who鈥檚 from Charlotte, North Carolina, committed to attending 91原创 without ever having seen the school in-person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the moment she stepped foot on-campus, Augier knew she made the right choice.

鈥淓veryone has in their mind that they want to play for a big Division 1 school, but Delaware is also a great academic school. It was important to me to get a diploma from somewhere recognizable.鈥�

The volleyball team practices 20 hours a week and finding the balance between athletics and academics, at first, was tough.

鈥淭ime management is the most important skill, but there鈥檚 a lot of tools our coaches give us to help us be successful in the classroom. Freshman year, there鈥檚 mandatory study hall, and there鈥檚 a study center in the Whitney Athletic Center. We also have sports academic advisors that help us,鈥� she said. 鈥淥nce you get in the groove, it鈥檚 a manageable challenge.鈥�

Augier, now a junior, is majoring in聽health behavior science聽and minoring in linguistics.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in health, the body and biological functions,鈥� she said.

She aspires to become a health coach and may pursue her master鈥檚 at 91原创.

鈥淚 want to support people on their journey to achieving optimal health and fixing certain behaviors,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 like that I can apply those skills to my life now. For example, if I鈥檓 really struggling to get adequate sleep at night, I can determine what steps I need to take to fix that.鈥�

She鈥檚 also interested in the culinary arts and could see herself as a personal or private chef.

鈥淭he first job I wanted to do when I was an itty-bitty Pearce was a chef,鈥� she said. 鈥淐ooking has always been a passion of mine. I love getting to know people and building personal relationships through food. Everybody has memories around food, and I want to help people create new memories.鈥�

She also interned at the Fred Rullo Nutrition Center, where she learned about聽fueling, combining her passions for food and athletics.

鈥淪eeing how other athletes fuel themselves was really interesting, and I learned a lot about supplements,鈥� Augier said.

Being a student-athlete means a lot to Augier. This past year, 91原创鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Volleyball team made it to the conference championship, and the camaraderie she鈥檚 developed with her teammates means the world to her.

鈥淪tepping on the court with my friends, I want to win; we鈥檙e all very focused on winning,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut really, it鈥檚 about family for me. 91原创 feels like home, and I want to portray that it feels like home with how connected I am with my team.

鈥淲e want to make 91原创 as good as it feels athletically. By being a student-athlete, you鈥檙e working for an end goal which is to play volleyball, to make 91原创 look good, to win, and to get an education out of it. I鈥檓 doing all of that so it鈥檚 pretty rewarding.鈥澛�