Cari Roccaro

Classroom

University of Notre Dame midfielder/defender Cari Roccaro is a dedicated student who has excelled in the classroom despite being deeply involved with both collegiate and national teams. She holds a 3.595 GPA while working towards a degree in sociology and is a three-time Dean’s List honoree. Her academic accolades include being an NSCAA Scholar All-North/Central Region First Team pick and a third-team NSCAA Scholar All-American. Roccaro will graduate a semester early in December 2015.

Character

Roccaro is a selfless leader who will do anything to help the team win. In her four years at Notre Dame, she has played in every position but at goalkeeper and has done so willingly to help the team win. A three-time captain, she is vocal presence as a leader for the Irish and knows the right way to approach her teammates with issues.

As a freshman, Roccaro missed the first three weeks of the school year while competing as the second-youngest player on the American team that won the U-20 Women’s World Cup. Despite missing that time to start her college career, she met with her professors prior to the start of the year to ensure she stayed on track with her studies, and has maintained a stellar academic track record throughout her time at Notre Dame.

Community

Roccaro participated in Notre Dame’s efforts as part of a year-long student-athlete build for Habitat for Humanity in 2014-15, helping to build a home for a local family in need. Additionally, she has taken part in Notre Dame’s annual Pediatric Christmas Party, hosted for local pediatric cancer patients during the holidays, as well as the Adopt-a-Family program, in which Notre Dame teams “adopt” the family of a pediatric patient and host them at games and events throughout the year.

Competition

Roccaro has consistently proven herself as one of the best players in the country during her collegiate career. Not only is she a staple in the U.S. National Team system, she has garnered national and conference award every year of her tenure with the Irish.

As a freshman, she was named the Soccer America National Freshman of the Year and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, while she was picked for the All-BIG EAST First Team, NSCAA All-America Third Team, NSCAA All-Northeast Region First Team and the Soccer America Freshman All-America First Team. She was a Soccer America First Team MVP as a sophomore, as well as an All-ACC First Team pick, TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Second Team selection, and an NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team honoree. As a junior, Roccaro earned All-ACC First Team honors and was an NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team pick. For the past three seasons, she has made the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and has twice been voted the team’s Most Valuable Player.