Monday Alumni Update: Kristina (Shemming) Schoenbeck

12/7/2020 11:42:00 AM

By: Evan Shomo

Every Monday, TCNJ Athletics will check in with an alum from one of its programs. Today, it's Kristina (Shemming) Schoenbeck, a 2010 graduate from the women's soccer team.

In a paragraph or two, talk about what you've done since you've left TCNJ:

I've spent my career to date in the sports industry within the media realm specifically. I started my career working in audio sales for the New York Yankees (CBS Sports) and have since moved on to lead a team as the Director of Mets Sales at Entercom.

What has been your favorite professional experience?

Working in sports and media has allowed me to always be surrounded by my passion, which has given me some incredible memories. My favorite year of my career was 2015, when the Mets went to the World Series. That entire playoff run was unforgettable. There is nothing like a full ballpark during October baseball. I was selling for the team at the time and as a result of that, it was "my job" to be up at the ballpark entertaining clients for every single game of that playoff run, I will never forget it!

Do you stay in contact with any of your old teammates or coaches?

I continue to stay in touch with both Coach Russo & Coach Turner, who had profound impacts on me during my time at TCNJ!
As for teammates, too many to list in one question! My teammates are still my very best friends and we are always in touch. They were my roommates, my bridesmaids, my colleagues, and they are family! It was a TCNJ teammate who got me in the door for my first job, and I now work side by side with one of my former teammates (Jess Clarke – Director of Marketing at Entercom).

What is one thing you miss most about playing sports at TCNJ?

Everything about it! Everyone says it, but it is no doubt the best time of your life. It's truly a family. Also, it's not just your sport, but TCNJ Athletics as a whole. I met my now-husband (TCNJ Basketball 2010) of three years freshman year because of the close-knit athletic community.
As for my team, I certainly miss the wins, every single one of them. But I miss the little things the most, like the bus rides, the psyches, the time in the locker room, and the team meals. There is nothing like working all day every day to achieve greatness and then succeeding together.

What about what you miss most about being a student at TCNJ, either academically or socially?

Being a freshman in the towers, buffalo chicken wraps at the RAT, and spending far too long at Eikhoff after a practice. Also, walking around that campus and being incredibly proud of how beautiful it is!

What is your favorite memory as a TCNJ athlete either in competition, in practice, traveling or socially?

I played for Coach Russo & Turner from 2006-2010 and in that window, we went to four-straight NCAA tournaments, three final fours, and two national championships, which took us all over the country from Texas to Florida. Two different times in that window, we went to the Final Four in Walt Disney World. Can you imagine traveling with 30 of your best friends to Disney World for five days in college to fight for a national championship?

Is there anything your coaches said during your playing career that still sticks with you now?

"Impose your will". I will never forget being recruited by Coach Russo and being sold on the winning culture here. There are a lot of people that talk about winning, but there are few that can demonstrate sustained success and execute for that length of time. Winning is an expectation in that program. Those lessons of the hard work, teamwork, and belief that it takes to achieve that are what drives me professionally today.

What would you say to a student-athlete who is considering attending TCNJ?

There will be bigger schools recruiting you, maybe Division I schools recruiting you, but there is no community quite like TCNJ athletics. I have many friends that played collegiate athletics elsewhere, and they are all envious of the experience I had and bond that I continue to hold with my teammates. The experiences I had and lessons I learned within the walls and on the fields of TCNJ put me in a position to thrive in the real world.

Do you have any advice for current TCNJ student-athletes?

Everyone always says everything in life goes so fast, and I can tell you that 10 years later, I can still taste every single game, loss, and missed opportunity. Leave every single thing on the field (and in the classroom!) because you never get an opportunity like this again.

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