INTRODUCTION: Juney Lee traveled to the University from California. She wanted to be with a school that could challenge her academically and athletically. She credits UR with helping her to grow as a player and as a person.

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When did you begin playing field hockey?
I started playing field hockey the summer before freshman year of high school. I never heard of field hockey until 8^th grade when I went to elective night for my high school. In high school, we need to do either two sports or two seasons of sports, so I decided to pick up field hockey.
 
What attracted you to it?
I played soccer in middle school, so I decided to also play field hockey because I heard that it is similar to soccer. It wasn't until I started playing field hockey when I realized that it was just the number of players and the positioning that were similar to soccer. I am grateful for soccer though because I was definitely able to pick up the sport quickly because of my prior knowledge of field positioning.
 
What did you work on during the summer of 2019 to get ready for your sophomore season?
Throughout my first year of college, I thought about where I wanted to play and realized that I felt the most comfortable as a midfielder. In order to prove myself, I knew that I had to get my fitness up. As a result, during the summer of 2019, the biggest thing I worked on was my fitness. I remember running my fitness tests almost daily because I liked the feeling of accomplishment every time I passed it. I also practiced with other college players on my club team because I wanted to practice against competitive players to improve my skills.
 
If a fan was going to concentrate on watching you, what will they see you doing?
They would probably see me running/dribbling up and down the field. Field hockey is an extremely fast paced sport, so it is important to stay engaged as both an attacker and a defender.
 
Was there a noticeable difference between playing in high school and then playing in college?
I think that my playing style changed significantly in college. In high school, I relied more on my speed because I was able to outrun people. However, every player in college was the fastest and most athletic player at their high school, which made me realize that I could no longer rely on my speed. After my first year of college, I tried to focus more on improving my skills to be able to adjust to playing in college.
 
Is there a memorable game for UR that you recall very easily?
I think that there are several memorable games that I could recall very easily. One of them was when we played against William Smith my sophomore year. We were losing after the first half but to everyone's surprise, we were able to score three goals in less than two minutes in the third period and win the game.
 
You played for Lynbrook HS in San Jose, CA. Is the climate as cool in San Jose as it is in San Francisco and does it affect the match?
Growing up in San Jose, I was only used to exercising in hot and dry weather. Since my games were primarily in San Jose, the weather did not have an impact on any of my matches. However, it definitely was a culture shock during my first year in Rochester. To no one's surprise, I was the first one (might have been the only one) to pull out my winter coat at practice.  
 
Where did your club team, the San Jose Fly, play? Did the team stay solely in California or did you travel?
My club team played in San Jose and Los Altos. We primarily stayed in California and only went to tournaments hosted by Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and University of Pacific.
 
When you are home, do you work with any youth programs – coaching, counseling, working behind the scenes, etc.? What do you like about doing that?
I had a new field hockey coach every year of my high school season, so I organized and ran the field hockey camps for my school. Most people in my area never heard of field hockey, so it was nice being able to teach people how to play field hockey.
 
When I am home, I work for my old club and also occasionally help my school with their camps. I also help with officiating scrimmages for the summer leagues in my area. I enjoy helping my club team because it is nice to see my old coaches and also helping the younger girls. I also like that I can practice with the girls.
 
Did you make the first contact with the University or did the coaching staff contact you?
During my junior year of high school, I went to a tournament and saw University of Rochester on the recruiting list.
 
When did you visit campus?
I visited campus right before Thanksgiving of my senior year. Visiting at this point in the year was crucial in my application decision because it was around the end of early decision.
 
What led you to choose the University of Rochester?
This is a question that many people ask me because they don't understand why I decided to leave sunny California for Rochester. Although I miss the weather at home, there were definitely more important factors that led me to move so far from home. Visiting my senior year and meeting the team helped me realize how I wanted to be around girls who push me in both field hockey and academics. I think that being here helped me step outside of my comfort zone and grow so much as a person and a player.
 
Why did you choose a double major of Business and Data Science?
I originally came in undecided but took mainly business classes my first year. After my first semester, I was set on Business. However, after talking to the one other Data Science major on the team at the time, Maya Haigis, who is my role model on and off the field, I was convinced to take a few Data Science classes. Statistics was my favorite subject in high school, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed the Data Science classes, leading me to also major in Data Science.