Each Tuesday of the fall semester, we'll be bringing you feature stories on Slippery Rock athletics alumni that have gone on to interesting, unique or exceptional careers since departing The Rock. For our third feature, we check in on 2016 SRU alumna Ariana Daukss about her time at Slippery Rock and her service in the military that followed.

While former Slippery Rock University women’s soccer player Megan Lenzi was preparing for her wedding day last Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, one of her best friends and former teammates couldn’t be there to partake in the festivities. 

Ariana Daukss, a 2016 SRU graduate with a degree in exercise science, is more than 6,000 miles away, currently stationed in South Korea on her first overseas deployment as a combat medic in the United States Army. 

But, that didn’t stop “Ari” from being there for her teammate. Despite the 13-hour time difference, Daukss joined her former teammate's bridal party for a virtual toast over Facetime to send her best wedding day wishes. 

That kind of commitment to others is what led Daukss to the Army and ultimately to a career in healthcare, but before she made that leap, her dedication to putting others ahead of herself was on full display right here at The Rock. 

SOCCER IS HOME
Born and raised in Solon, Ohio to Latvian parents, Daukss recalls her first time touching a soccer ball being before she could even stand. One of her three older brothers held her up in their arms, while the others moved her right leg forward into the ball. 

“My love for soccer started at a very young age,” said Daukss. “By the time I was eight, I was playing for local club and recreation teams.” 

Daukss passion for soccer would lead her into a dream of playing collegiately one day, a goal she set at a young age. 

“Growing up, it was always a dream of mine just like any other kid,” said Daukss. “Once I started getting older and playing more competitive club soccer I realized that if I wanted to accomplish my dream of playing at the collegiate level, I would have to put in the time and effort. 

“When I was in high school, I would go to college combines and started e-mailing college coaches just to get my name out there. I just kept pushing myself to be the best that I could be to give myself the best opportunity to achieve this dream I had."

Daukss dream of playing at the next level came to fruition when former Rock women’s soccer head coach Noreen Herlihy took notice of the young defender. 

“Ari was a great student-athlete for our program,” said Herlihy. “From the moment we saw her, we knew she was an extremely hard worker. She always had a positive attitude and looked to get better every day in training and never deviated from listening attentively to the coaches in what we wanted of her."

Herlihy taking notice of the Solon High School senior wasn't without merit. Daukss was named a captain for the Solon girl's soccer team during her junior and senior seasons and earned all-district and All-Greater Cleveland honors. As a senior, the defender was a Greater Cleveland Conference All-Star Game selection in addition to leading Solon to Ohio State Athletic Association District and Greater Cleveland Conference championships.

NEW BEGINNINGS AT THE ROCK

Prior to her commitment to Slippery Rock, Daukss took a visit to see the campus and find out what The Rock was all about. It took only one visit for the wide-eyed high school senior to fall in love.

“At first, I couldn’t believe that there was an actual college called Slippery Rock University, but Noreen attended a college combine that I went to,” said Daukss. “Actually, she coached one of the men’s coaches for my club team when he was in college, so there was already a bit of a connection that way.” 

That connection led Daukss to her first visit to SRU, where she fell in love almost instantaneously with both the women’s soccer program and the campus. 

“I started to look into the Slippery Rock as a whole,” said Daukss. “Obviously, when first I looked at the women’s soccer program, their records and stats were amazing. They are always competitive in the PSAC and the conference is very competitive in the first place.”

Then came Daukss' pursuit of an education at SRU and what the university had to offer from an academic standpoint really sealed the deal.

“SRU's exercise science program was very well known and talked about very highly, so I knew that this was a school I had to seriously consider,” said Daukss.

A visit to experience a game at The Rock was the final push Daukss needed to know Slippery Rock was going to be home for the next four years. 

“I came for a visit to watch the team play, meet a couple of the players and get a tour of campus and I immediately fell in love,” said Daukss. “By the end of that day there was just something deep down inside that told me that this is where I was meant to be. It’s hard to put into words how I knew that SRU was the place for me, but spending one day there was all it took."

TAKING THE PITCH

Almost immediately following her arrival in the fall of 2013, Daukss was tasked with making an impact on defense for a Rock team starting the season ranked as the No. 17 team in all of NCAA Division ll. 

Slippery Rock rolled through the 2013 season, climbing to as high as sixth in the national rankings before finishing the year with a 15-4-2 overall record that included a 12-2-2 mark in the PSAC and a trip to the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Winning became a theme during Daukss’ tenure at The Rock. In her four years as a member of the program, Slippery Rock compiled a 49-24-5 (.660) overall record to go along with four-straight PSAC Tournament berths and the aforementioned 2013 NCAA Tournament appearance that saw The Rock go all the way to the Elite Eight. 

As an upperclassman, Daukss was a leader on a pair of defenses that ranked near the top of the conference. In 2015 Slippery Rock allowed just 15 goals, the third fewest in the PSAC, while in 2016 The Rock recorded five shutouts and held opponents to the sixth fewest goals of any team in the conference at the conclusion of the regular season. In addition to her success on the field, Daukss was equally as impressive in the classroom, garnering PSAC Scholar-Athlete honors.

BEING THERE FOR BOTH FAMILIES

Daukss played a key role as a reserve defender during her freshman season as Slippery Rock was primed to make its fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after winning 13 of its first 18 games of the year heading into the national tournament. 

With its spot in the tournament guaranteed, but opponent and location unknown, SRU awaited the NCAA’s annual selection show on the night of Nov. 11, 2013. While selection shows and bracket announcements had become common place for upperclassmen in such a successful program, as a rookie Daukss was waiting anxiously with anticipation early in the day. 

However, just hours before the team was to meet for the show, a phone call would send shockwaves through Daukss’ world. 

“I got a call from my dad while I was walking to one of my classes and he told me that my mom wasn’t doing well and that they thought she only has about a week left to live,” said Daukss. “I had class with Sam (Thorton), so I told her and she told my professor and Noreen.”

Daukss' mother, Ieva, was battling breast cancer.

She left campus to be with her mom, who was being transferred to hospice care.

“Noreen told me to take all the time I needed and that the team will be there when I’m ready to come back,” said Daukss. “I then headed home to see my mom."

While it would have been more than understandable for Daukss to stay home with her family during what was expected to be the final days of her mother's life, she was committed to being there for her new Slippery Rock family as well.

“Later that night was the NCAA selection show, so once I spent time with my mom and when they transferred her to hospice, I drove back to SRU so I could be with my teammates during the selection show,” she says. "They were all pretty shocked that I came back, but I wanted to be with my team.”

Daukss went to class the next day and tried her best to maintain her routine. 

“The next day I still went to practice and then my brothers came to pick me up afterwards to take me home,” said Daukss. “Just before we got to the hospice care center, my mom passed away.” 

Dealing with the shock and surreal feeling of losing a parent was an immensely difficult situation for Daukss to wrestle with. Staying close with her family was important to her in the hours that followed, but her family back at Slippery Rock never left her mind. 

“I stayed with my brothers that night and then went back to SRU the next day. I wanted to try and keep as normal a schedule as possible, so I only missed one practice. My team was my family too, so they had my back 100 percent.”

Just a few days after her mother passed, Daukss cheered as Slippery Rock edged 24th ranked Shippensburg in the 10th minute of overtime to win its second round game in the NCAA Tournament, punching a ticket to the Round of 16. The game-winning goal, scored in the 100th minute, came off the head of Sam Thornton, the first SRU teammate of Daukss to find out about her mother earlier that week.

Next up for Slippery Rock was a trip to Albany, New York, where the College of St. Rose would host the Round of 16 and Elite Eight. But, Daukss had a difficult decision to make. 

“It ended up that the Sweet 16 game was going to be the day before my mom’s funeral,” Daukss said. “I had a conversation with my dad and he said that if I wanted to travel with the team and play he fully supported me and that I could just fly home for the funeral.”

In Daukss’ mind, there was no other option. She needed to be with her team for the moment they had worked for all season. She boarded the bus with her SRU family and traveled to Albany. 

Two days later, with Daukss coming on as reserve, Slippery Rock shutout rival California University (Pa.), 3-0, to advance to the Elite Eight.

Following the game, Daukss went straight to the Albany airport and flew home to attend her mother’s funeral the next day.

Less than 24 hours later, after one of the most difficult days of her life, Daukss boarded another flight headed back to Albany. While she battled with her emotions during the trip, she was reminded of how special her SRU family was.

Every member of the SRU travel party was preparing to meet Daukss at the airport when she got off the plane.

“The whole team, athletic trainers and communication staff included, showed up at the airport with signs to welcome me back and that was just what I needed,” said Daukss. “I can’t even put into words how much that meant to me. It was supposed to be a surprise but Lauren (Impey) sent a text in a group message that I was in that they were going to make signs in the hotel lobby for when they come to pick me up.

“Honestly, it was probably for the best I found out about it because I definitely would’ve cried my eyes out when I turned the corner in the airport and saw everyone.”

With the homecoming out of the way, Daukss turned her attention to the job at hand. 

Slippery Rock was narrowly edged 1-0 in the NCAA Quarterfinals the next day, again with Daukss coming on as a reserve.

“The love and support I got from the team was incredible and they really made the hardest time of my life a little more bearable,” Daukss said. “I will forever be thankful for that, I will always have a very special and unique bond with every single member of that team and I love every single one of them."

MEMORIES OF SRU

Looking back at some of her favorite moments at Slippery Rock, Daukss recalls dance parties in the locker room, singing competitions with the men’s soccer team and dressing up for Halloween, but one memory stuck out in particular regarding a certain assistant coach for Shippensburg. 

“Another memory I’ll never forget is when we had an interview with Jessie (Giegucz) when the head coaching job was open," she says. "She was telling us that she used to coach at Shippensburg. Little did we know that she was on the sidelines in 2013 when we beat Shippensburg, 2-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament."

The realization gave those still around from the 2013 NCAA Tournament team some bragging rights over their new head coach, but for Daukss, it was also another fateful connection to the week her world changed forever. 

While many of her favorite memories from her time at SRU related to the soccer program, Daukss also got a world of experience from her academic program.

“I was lucky enough to travel to Prague with the exercise science program,” Daukss said. “That trip in itself would have given me enough memories for a lifetime.”

When it came to her accomplishments at The Rock, two stuck out in particular, and in true Daukss fashion, it was all about the team. 

“The first is making all the way to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament in 2013,” she said. “The whole experience was amazing and to say that we were Atlantic Region champions was awesome.

“The second is just creating a family atmosphere in the team, especially my senior year. I really tried to create the feeling of belonging on the team no matter what your part was, big or small. Everyone was on that team for a reason and I wanted to have my love for Slippery Rock women’s soccer rub off on the younger players.”

Another fond memory for Daukss was how the team was able to find success in a time of transition. Following 20 seasons leading the Slippery Rock program, Herlihy accepted a job at the University of Akron as the head women’s soccer coach following the 2014 season and turned over the reins to current head coach Jessica Giegucz.

“Both coaches were amazing,” said Daukss. “Noreen is an absolute legend and really got our program on the map. Her little “Noreenisms” are still things I say to this day. Jessie has already accomplished a lot in her years at SRU and was able to bring that PSAC Championship trophy back to The Rock where it belongs.” 

Giegucz is equally as complementary of Daukss. 

“Ari was, is and still remains incredibly invested into her experience as women’s soccer player at SRU,” said Giegucz. “I could quite honestly say that I think she bleeds green and white. Coaching Ari will remain one of the highlights as I continue my career because she gave to the program in every way."

A CALL TO SERVICE

After graduating from Slippery Rock with her bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2016, Daukss joined the United States Army as a combat medic. The decision was a year in the making. 

“I started thinking about joining the military at some point early in my senior year at SRU,” said Daukss. “I knew I wanted to have a career in the medical field but that was about it. Once I started to research everything that the Army has to offer and how being in the military can help me advance into a medical career, it was kind of a no-brainer."

In the years since joining the Army in 2017, Daukss has cultivated many positive memories while being stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas, although she is currently serving a nine-month rotation at Camp Casey in South Korea. 

“So far this is my first rotation outside of the country,” said Daukss. “I have been to multiple states for training activities, but it’s definitely different living in South Korea as compared to the United States. For one, I stick out like a sore thumb with my very curly blonde hair and my height. A lot of times Korean’s will take notice whenever I get up because I’m different than what they are used too.”

Although she sticks out in appearance, Daukss has made herself a local and fallen in love with what South Korea has to offer. 

“The food here is absolutely amazing,” she said. “One of our favorite places to go is an all you can eat Korean barbecue restaurant where you cook your own meat. My base is surrounded by mountains and is so beautiful, so that makes staying on base a little more bearable."

Similar to her time at Slippery Rock, Daukss hasn’t had trouble making the Army her home and building strong friendships along the way.

“The military as a whole is very diverse,” she said. “I have friends that never in a million years I would have met without the Army. So just talking to people and learning about their culture, beliefs or even something as simple as what they like to do in their spare time is very interesting. It really opens your eyes to the world as a whole.”

WHAT LIES AHEAD

Heading into the future, Daukss holds her experiences at The Rock close and believes that without those experiences, both on and off the field, she wouldn’t be where she is today. 

“I will always be thankful for being a Slippery Rock student-athlete,” said Daukss. “The memories and experiences along the way have helped shape me into the person that I am today. Throughout my four years at The Rock I learned time management because being a student-athlete is no joke. The experiences in community outreach and giving back to the Slippery Rock community definitely helps me in the Army."

As for what comes next, Daukss has high expectations for herself and her career in the military going forward.

“A very long-term goal is to stay in the Army for at least 20 years and retire, but a closer goal that I hope to accomplish is to become a doctor through a program in the Army,” Daukss said. 

If her previous experiences at Slippery Rock and in the Army are any indicator, Daukss is well on her way to a life of service and selfless sacrifice where she is always looking out for her team. 

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