Alumni Spotlight: Olivia Lynch (Women's Soccer, 2012-15)

Olivia Lynch was a four-year member of the Embry-Riddle women’s soccer team from 2012-15. After coming off the bench as a freshman, she earned a spot in the Eagles’ starting lineup as a sophomore and did not relinquish that role for the remainder of her ERAU career.

Lynch garnered many athletic and academic honors during her tenure with the Blue and Gold. On the field she was a First Team NSCAA/Continental Tire All-American, second team NAIA All-American and first team All-Sun Conference in 2014, in addition to being named a 2013 second team All-Conference selection. She was a CoSIDA second team Academic All-American (2015), a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete (2014) and was named to the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll (2015) and The Sun Conference Academic All-Conference roster. She was also an ERAU Athletics Eagles of Excellence Scholarship recipient.  

Lynch graduated as one of the top goalkeepers in ERAU women’s soccer history. She currently stands as the program’s career goals against average leader at 0.62 and ranks in the Eagles’ all-time top five in saves (3rd, 195), shutouts (2nd, 27.2) and minutes played (3rd, 4,981).

Now a captain in the United States Army, Lynch shares a few memories from her time with the Eagles, as well as how her experiences at ERAU helped her get where she is today.

Why did you choose Embry-Riddle?

Honestly, Embry-Riddle was a complete blessing for me. I was recruited for soccer the day before my high-school graduation and Coach Sam asked me to come up for a visit and told me I wouldn’t regret it. I visited the campus and fell in love with the soccer program, the ROTC program, and then my aviation degree was a complete bonus. I committed to Riddle for really all three of those reasons.

What’s your fondest memory about your time as an ERAU student-athlete?

There are so many great memories on and off the field. My favorite memory on the field has to be winning against Northwood University. Something about that rivalry that we had still gets me fired up. My fondest memory off the field would be all of the volunteer work we did as a team, whether it was Family Days or Habitat for Humanity. We truly had a sense of family in the community that I will always cherish.

What would you say were your greatest athletic and academic accomplishments during your time at ERAU?  

My greatest athletic and academic accomplishments at ERAU were being named an All-American in both categories. That was something I never even dreamed could happen. This ultimately led me to becoming an Aviation Army Officer, which is why I wanted to go to college in the first place.

Who had the biggest influence on you during your athletic career?

That is a really difficult question. I had so many people influence me on and off the field to mold me into the athlete that I was. My parents, my coaches and my military cadre truly influenced me equally. They all mentored me in different ways to help me grow as an athlete and a leader to turn me into the person that I always wanted to me.  

What do you remember most vividly about your time at ERAU?

As crazy as it sounds, I remember my first pre-season the most vividly. I remember doing two-a -days on top of goalkeeping practice and just wondering what I had gotten myself into. I remember finishing the fitness tests, and then rolling straight into one-on-ones. I remember just being absolutely exhausted but loving it all at the same time because it was challenging and ultimately rewarding, and my teammates all had that same hunger to win. It was a great environment to be in.  

What was your favorite non-athletics activity at ERAU?

Flying. ERAU helped me fall in love with aviation and I am so lucky that I have been able to continue to pursue a career in a hobby that I fell in love with in college. 

What did you do right after graduating from ERAU?

After graduating from ERAU, I went straight to Flight School for the United States Army.  

Tell us a little bit about what you’re doing now.

I am currently a Captain in the US Army. I have had the privilege of being a Company XO, Platoon Leader, BN S4, and now working as a Battalion Operations Officer. I currently fly about once a week, and ultimately what I am most proud of was making Pilot in Command and becoming an Air Mission Commander.  I will head to the Captain’s Career Course in March. I was recently married, so I am extremely excited to see where life takes us next.  

How did your experience at ERAU shape your career path?

I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the life lessons I learned at Riddle. ERAU taught me discipline, time management, sacrifice, and ultimately what it takes to be successful. 

What are some lessons you learned at ERAU that have served well in your life after college?

I think one of the biggest life lessons that ERAU taught me was with hard work, sacrifice and the will to succeed not only for yourself but for your team, you can do absolutely anything. If someone told me back in 2012 that I would be flying UH-60M Blackhawk’s for the United States Army, I would think they were crazy. ERAU, and more specifically ERAU women’s soccer program taught me I can do absolutely anything I put my mind to. My coaches molded me and let me manage my time how I needed to in order to succeed in ROTC, the classroom and soccer. This has directly influenced my leadership style in the Army. I learned to always take care of your team in front of your own interests and your team will pay it back. 

What advice do you have for ERAU’s current student-athletes?

My advice to ERAU athletes is to take a moment and just enjoy where you are. You are in a beautiful city, with phenomenal coaches, teachers, and facilities. Life after college will be there before you know it and you will never get that time back. The memories that you share with your teammates after college aren’t the wins or losses, they are normally the bus rides, game nights, or BBQ pool parties. Enjoy college, enjoy being a student-athlete, and appreciate how much time and work you have put in to be where you are today.