Jazmin Perry Excels in First Season at UT

When current University of Tampa women's soccer player Jazmin Perry was given her workout plan the summer before her freshman season, she wasn't dreading it as many of her teammates might have been. After all, the plan looked relatively simple compared to what she could have been doing that summer.

In addition to Lincoln Memorial University and Wittenberg University, Perry was recruited by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. All incoming freshman at the Naval Academy must experience a "plebe summer," a six-week period of intense physical and mental testing, turning civilians into midshipmen.

While her father encouraged her to enroll, Perry felt otherwise.

"I was honestly a little nervous about going overseas," Perry said. "I mean getting paid sounded nice, but I didn't think it was worth it."

With that, Perry decided on Tampa. Though the training was lighter than boot camp, only three soccer players passed the first fitness test of the preseason, but Perry wasn't discouraged. She felt she made the right decision leaving Worthington, Ohio, for Tampa, Fla., a city over a thousand miles away from home.

The youngest of four sisters, Perry, 18, was recruited by Tampa head coach Gerry Lucey during her senior season at Thomas Worthington High School. Noting Tampa's recent run to a national title, Perry sought the competition and competitiveness that the school's program provided her.

Named Team MVP and first-team all-Ohio Capital Conference, Perry has found that soccer at the collegiate level is "a lot more intense," but thus far, the forward/midfielder has been acclimating well.

Current teammate Marissa Mohammed, a senior from Stafford, Va., has been impressed by the ease of Perry's switch.

"Jazmin has transitioned very well, especially for coming so far from home," Mohammed said. "We've had girls that had a rough time during pre-season and even throughout the season that didn't cope well with being away from their family and friends."

Mohammed noted that even her own rookie season, one in which she earned a starting job along with her twin sister, Maria, served as a "definite wake up call to the difference in level of play between high school and college soccer."

An exercise science major, Perry is also embracing the weather and atmosphere at Tampa. Her comfort is evident in her composure on and off the field. While she hopes to one day receive a doctorate in physical therapy and open her own practice, for now she's practicing on the soccer field, registering five goals and four assists in her freshman campaign.

Despite her success and although her name has been plastered throughout game stories and soccer articles, Perry isn't the most famous name in her family. Her aunt, actress Sophina Brown, has appeared on TV shows such as "Chapelle's Show," "Numb3rs," and "Shark," among others.

While she may not be a midshipmen or a budding actress, Perry is a promising scholar-athlete at Tampa who hopes to expound upon her early success and perhaps bring home another national title for the Spartans.

Written by Carli Todd