By Jack Poleto
Sports Editor
Washington College volleyball’s Jordan Fairchild is the epitome of leaving something better than you found it.
In her four years at WC, she watched a team go from a COVID-19 shortened three-game season, to being shorthanded for a year, to a now thriving and ambitious team.
According to Fairchild, she took her first season as a practice run for what college volleyball would look like.
In the team’s next season, she was the team’s sole healthy defensive specialist, and libero, and had to play the entirety of every game.
“I think it was more beneficial than anything… really strengthened my class and other classes involved to really be physically tough,” Fairchild said.
In her junior year, she was named a captain of the team and produced impressive statlines constantly. Fairchild was a conference leader in digs, digs per set, and aces in addition to being on the Division III leaderboard for aces.
According to Fairchild, she shifted gears in her senior year, still being a team captain but coming off of the libero position she played in her previous years. Her new role for the team as a general defensive specialist has been successful.
Although she only has around three weeks left in her collegiate career, Fairchild is incredibly thankful for the opportunities that WC’s program afforded her.
“I’m walking away with some of the strongest connections I’ve ever had in my life,” Fairchild said. “That is my favorite thing I’m walking away with.”
Off the court, she has been a leader in several aspects of WC. Fairchild is now in her second year as the Class of 2024’s President, in addition to being the president of P.E.E.R. Smart Advocates, a sexual health and wellness organization.
According to Fairchild, the P.E.E.R. Smart Advocates has been her pet project in her time at college.
Initially, the organization was created before the COVID-19 pandemic and was inactive until she and a fellow student picked it up to serve as a resource for the student body.
“It’s still a work in progress. We have a lot of plans [for P.E.E.R. Smart],” Fairchild said, “it’s probably one of my favorite things that I’m involved in… we’re just going to keep the ball rolling and keep growing.”
Fairchild also sat on WC’s Risk Management Committee and IRB, a review board for pyschology experiments, and is a member of Psi Chi, WC’s psychology honor society. She is also a former writer for The Elm, after writing for the sports section for two years.
As Fairchild prepares for life after WC, she looks to carry on her education into graduate school in pursuit of a Master’s Degree or Ph.D. in counseling psychology.
“I want to go into therapy, doesn’t matter what kind of therapy… A lot of doors are open for me,” Fairchild said.
According to her, the biggest takeaways she has from her time at WC are the importance of connections, both in the professional world and social world, perserverence through adversity, and positivity.
“Being a student-athlete, you have to perervere… it’s challenging on your mind, your body. It’s taxing on your time and resources and it really translates to life outside of athletics,” Fairchild said.
Although Fairchild is capping off a legendary career at Washington College, she is well equipped from her experiences as a student-athlete to take on what comes next.
Photo courtesy of WC athletics
Photo Caption: Senior captain Jordan Fairchild led the team in digs(266), digs per set(3.37), aces(47), and aces per set(.87) in 24 games last season.