Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight: Casey Peterson & Jordan Buckmire

By Bryce York
Special to UNHWildcats.com

Casey Peterson and Jordan Buckmire and are featured in this week's Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight.

Casey is a senior from Round Hill, Va., and is a captain on the women's soccer team. She brings her strong leadership skills to the team every day and has made a major positive impact to the program. She has also been strong in the classroom as she has been a member of the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll. Throughout her first three years at UNH, Casey has played in 54 career games with one goal and three assists for five points.

Jordan is a junior from Nashua, N.H., who competes in the Long Jump and Triple Jump events for the UNH's men's track and field team. Jordan had an outstanding career as he has broken the school record for the indoor triple jump twice. He is also a great student-athlete who was named to the America East Academic Honor Roll in both 2019 and 2020.

Learn more about Casey and Jordan as student-athletes in their interviews below.

Q&A WITH CASEY:

When did your passion for soccer start and how has your love of the game grown as you have grown older and more experienced?

I always knew growing up with soccer that I wanted to play in college. I have had so many amazing coaches throughout my career that have pushed me to be a better player but also my teammates. The girls that I have played with have helped shape me into the player I am.

You love to travel and surf, where has your love of travel taken you, and when and where did you first learn how to surf?

Soccer has honestly been where my love of travel came from. Growing up with club soccer, I was able to travel to so many places for showcases and it was an amazing experience. I was also given the opportunity in high school to travel to Italy with my club team.

I took a trip my senior year of high school to Costa Rica to surf with my whole family. Last year for spring break, Francesca Picicci and I were supposed to travel to Italy and Paris, but that has been postponed due to COVID-19.

Being from Virginia, does your family get to go to many of your games? What does the support of family mean to you in your athletic career?

I don't even have enough words to express how thankful I am for my parents and brother. They make it to a ton of games during the season, I think last year they missed two. I love looking into the stands before games and seeing both of them cheering me on. I would not be the soccer player or young woman I am today without their support.

As a senior and a captain this year, how do you approach this role and what are your goals as a leader and a mentor?

Having the captain role and being a senior is very important to me. I remember coming in as a freshman and being so nervous but having my upperclassmen help me in any aspect truly made my experience so much easier. On and off the field it is extremely important to have a strong culture. Francesca and I wanted to make that a priority on our team.

What are your plans after graduating from UNH, and what have you learned from UNH Women's Soccer that you will take with you?

I have not quite finished making all my decisions post-graduation and many are still up in the air. However, whatever route I take being a member of this team has given me leadership and teamwork skills that I will take with me. I have grown not only as a player but a person over the last four years and I cannot thank my coaches and teammates enough for that.

OFF THE FIELD WITH CASEY:

Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite TV show: The Office
Favorite Movie: Step Brothers
Favorite Food: Chipotle
Favorite Snack: Chips and Salsa
Favorite Musical Artist: Morgan Wallen
Favorite Pump-up Song: T.N.T – AC/DC
Favorite Phone App: TikTok
Favorite Pro Sports Team: Washington Capitals
Favorite Pro Sports Athlete: Alex Ovechkin
Favorite Place on Campus: The Works
Dream Job: Professional Athlete

Q&A WITH JORDAN:

What is it like for you to represent your state University as an athlete?

It means a lot to me to represent my state University as an athlete. I've been in New Hampshire my whole life and I try to be a leader on and off the track and represent UNH the best way I can as a student-athlete.

What was it like for you and what did it mean to you to break UNH's indoor triple jump record?

It was one of my goals coming into UNH. And to break a 20-year-old record was awesome but breaking my own record for the second time was even better. When I broke the record though what was more important to me was to help put points on the board for my teammates and try to help win our conference championship meet.

When did track and field become a large part of your life? When did you know that you wanted to pursue it in college?

Track and field became a huge part of my life when I was a senior in high school. One of my high school coaches kept telling me I could pursue track and field in college, and I didn't really pay attention that much when he said that. I didn't really want to pursue it in college until I started to get letters from a bunch of colleges in the mail and then I started to listen to my coach.

As someone who competes individually, how does the rest of the team impact you and how does team chemistry and camaraderie factor into your role as a long jump and triple jump competitor?

A lot of people think track and field is about competing for your individual self, but I do it for my teammates and the impact they have for me is always pushing me to be the best. The bond we have is like a brotherhood and I jump my best to try to put points on the board for my teammates.

Is there anyone in your life that you would like to recognize who has had a profound impact on you and your success?

My family, friends, coaches, teammates and professors have all had an impact on my success. Most importantly I want to recognize my mom and dad, they have sacrificed so much for me to pursue my dreams and I can't thank them enough for that. My brother who I try to be the best role model for and lead by example. Coach B for always telling me I can jump further. And lastly an old staff member who used to work in the field house Brandon Thomas, he pushed me to my limits on and off the track and without him I don't know where I'd be.

OFF THE TRACK WITH JORDAN:

Favorite Color: Wildcat Blue of course
Favorite TV show: The office
Favorite Movie: Avengers End Game
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Snack: Candy
Favorite Musical Artist: Drake
Favorite Pump-up Song: Ima boss by Meek Mill
Favorite Phone App: Instagram
Favorite Pro Sports Team: Boston Celtics
Favorite Pro Sports Athlete: Michael Jordan
Favorite Place on Campus: The field house
Dream job: Olympian or a business owner

Check back every Monday to get to know two more Wildcats as part of the Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight. Thank you to Service Credit Union for sponsoring the Student-Athlete Spotlight.

Previous 2020-21 Student-Athlete Spotlights

Haley Lui (Gymnastics) & Linus Fallberg (Men's Soccer)
Julia Neyland (Women's Lacrosse) & Brian Carter (Football)
Grace Middleton (Women's Hockey) & Charlie Kelleher (Men's Hockey)
Lisa Olsson (Women's Ski) & Nick Guadarrama (Men's Basketball)
Kate Bilyeu (Women's Volleyball) & Patrick Kenney (Men's Skiing)
Faith Bonett (Women's Basketball) & Angus Crookshank (Men's Ice Hockey)
Ava Boutilier (Women's Hockey) & Aidan Sullivan (XC/Track & Field)
Bloem van den Brekel (Field Hockey) & Jacob Gould (Men's Soccer)

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