Jamie Hurst
Softball
2005 – Religious Studies/Human Development
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Jamie hustling to first base after a hit.
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Jamie Hurst (‘05) is a proud alumnus of UC San Diego. During her four years at UC San Diego, she was a key member of the Women’s Softball team, and still holds numerous records. Hurst currently works as the Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at Metropolitan State University of Denver. While she has not lived in California for 11 years, she is passionate about remaining connected to UC San Diego. To this day, her best friends are the teammates she had while playing in college—three of them were even bridesmaids at her wedding. Her office walls are covered with UC San Diego memorabilia, and she makes sure to visit her teammates and Coach Patti Gerckens every time she comes to California. “It is a huge part of my identity,” she says, “but even having moved away, I never feel like I’m too far.”
To get where she is today, Hurst has seized every opportunity in her path. With graduation approaching, she had still not decided what career she wanted to pursue. While she was at a Cubs game in Chicago, Hurst happened to meet a softball coach of a small Division 3 school in Indiana. After engaging in conversation, the coach offered her a graduate assistant position coaching while working towards her Master’s in Sports Administration from Indiana State University. “A door opened, and I had to take it!”
Soon, another door opened when she received the opportunity to work as an Academic Coordinator for the Iowa State Athletics Department, a Division 1 school in the Big 12 Conference. She worked in this position for three years, and then decided to advance her education even further. “I have a passion for higher education,” Hurst says. “I can’t think of anything that is more important for young people to become better members of society.” She always had an interest in law school and decided to attend part-time while still working, having been promoted to Assistant Director of Compliance at Iowa State.
Two years into law school, Hurst received an offer to serve as the Assistant Athletics Director/SWA for Upper Iowa University. Again, opportunity knocked and Hurst immediately answered. She transferred to Hamline University School of Law, a law school that was closer to her new job, although she still had to drive 4 hours every weekend classes. Now three years into her law degree and seven years into a career in intercollegiate athletics, Hurst decided to make a career move and join the Advancement team at Upper Iowa University. She discovered that she had a lot of skill for the job, along with another plus—“I didn’t want to be my wife’s boss!” Hurst had met her wife, a college softball coach, while in graduate school, and at that time they were both working for Upper Iowa’s Athletics Department. They have been happily together for ten years, having married on UCSD’s campus in 2012, and currently both work at Metropolitan State University of Denver where Hurst is Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
Hurst dives headfirst into each one of her endeavors with a strong, determined approach. “Especially as an athlete, you bring a never-say-die attitude to everything. If someone says there’s something I can’t do, I sit there and say, want to make a bet?” This has especially served her well in her career since, according to Hurst, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been exactly qualified on paper for any job I’ve had.” However, she says “my experiences as an athlete are single handedly the most important thing that has gotten me to the places I’ve been.”
“It’s the number one most impressive thing on my resume,” Hurst continues. “I can sit down and talk confidently about my skills…I can say, I may not know the intricacies of the job, but you’ll never meet someone who is going to work harder and learn more than me. Employers want someone who can take on challenges.” As far as the employers who took a chance on her, Hurst has stepped up to the plate and is proud of having proved them right.
When it comes to staying involved with her alma mater and remembering her time as a student-athlete, Hurst is extremely passionate. “The biggest thing for me about giving back is that I want to be a part of UC San Diego, especially softball, for the rest of time,” she says. “I take so much pride in it.” In fact, when the women’s softball team won the national championships in 2011, Hurst drove 22 hours to Virginia to watch the games, even though she did not play with any of the women on the team. “This team—even after I’ve gone—is a reflection of me and all the work that I put in. Giving financially is only one component of being part of that legacy. So few people can say they have been a part of this, so if I have that opportunity, why would I not make sure I can remain a part of it? I’m proud of what I did, and I want people to know that it matters.”
Alumni Spotlight is written by student-athlete Lauren Iannetta (’17), a history major from Eleanor Roosevelt College. She is a second year on the women’s rowing team. If you are interested in sharing your Triton Alumni Athlete story, please contact Danielle Boyle Melman at daboyle@ucsd.edu.
Previous Alumni Spotlights:
Susan Zneimer - 1980
Jay & Tracy Hagan - 1992
Gordon McNeill - 1992
Lauren Segars - 2008
Shane Poppen - 2009
Sherine Ebadi - 1998
Brett Stuckey - 2009
Richard Freer - 1975
Christina Guintu - 2001
Toya Ellis - 1991
