Riley Ridgik
- School
- Wake Forest University
- Position
- Midfielder
- Major
- Elementary Education
Classroom
As an elementary education major and sociology minor, Riley Ridgik maintains a 3.329 grade-point average. Her academic accolades have earned her a spot on the ACC Honor Roll in each of her first three seasons. Following her breakout junior campaign, Riley was named to the All-ACC Academic Women’s Soccer Team for the first time in 2013.
Character
According to head coach Tony da Luz, “Riley is the perfect role model. She does everything with impeccable standards from a student-athlete standpoint. She’s always thinking of others and is the first to volunteer to help. I tell our young kids that Riley is the one to emulate.”
A team captain in both 2013 and 2014, Riley is also active in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Athletes-in-Action and Athletes Supporting Athletes. She embraced leadership roles for Wake Forest’s Student-Athlete Career Night and the Black and Golden Globes award ceremony.
Community
Riley engages in numerous volunteer activities on Wake Forest’s campus and in the Winston-Salem community. In addition to helping coach youth indoor soccer, Riley has been involved with Special Olympics, Project Pumpkin (providing a safe Halloween environment for kids), Operation Christmas Child, D.E.S.K. (Wake Forest students paint customized desks for elementary schoolers) and College 101. She also volunteers as a tutor at Vienna Elementary School.
Competition
Thanks to an explosive junior season, Riley has propelled herself into the upper echelon of ACC midfielders. After a teammate’s injury last year, Riley’s role shifted from defense-oriented to offensive, and she led the Demon Deacons with 11 goals and 26 points, guiding Wake Forest into the third round of the NCAA Tournament. She was named All-ACC and NSCAA All-Region following the season.
In her career, Riley has played in 68 games and started 67 of them. She has totaled 14 goals and 10 assists, and was also named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2011. Riley’s on-field success earned her a spot on the United States U-23 Women’s National Team, and she attended the national squad’s training camp in Seattle in July 2014.
