Jarick Rieffer, a senior on the men’s track and field team, knew he wanted to be a Piper since he was in eighth grade. Since he had already known that he wanted to go Hamline by the time he was in high school, sports were a secondary thought for him. He was encouraged by his coaches to come to an overnight visit with other recruits. This is when Jarick decided to pursue track in college, where he met his first-year roommate, and when he knew for certain that Hamline was the right fit for him.

Rieffer attended Swanville High School in Swanville, Minnesota where his graduating class consisted of only 18 students. Although there was a lack of athletic amenities, there was strong support from the community for the athletes. 

“My school didn't have a track to practice on and my high jump area was a tennis court where we put a few mats,” said Rieffer. “[We] tied them together and put the mats on top of old tires to cushion them more. I continued track and field into college because I knew I hadn't reached my full potential; I had always been the butt of athleticism jokes when I was younger but I knew I had more in me yet and that I was far from my peak of the 5'9" max high jump I did in high school.”

Jarick was right about being far from his peak while still in high school. In 2020, his junior season, Rieffer earned MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention honors after placing sixth in the high jump at the MIAC Championships with a jump of 1.93m (6.3 feet - about half a foot more than his high school PR).

Besides the prospect of advancing in his own athletic career, the culture of the track and field team also attracted Jarick to continue training in college. Rieffer noticed early on in his time at Hamline the family dynamic that the coaches had created within the team.

“[Coach Paul Schmaedeke, Shawn Johnson Hipp, Devin Monson, Josh Blaschko, and Shane Swanberg] have fostered an environment that despite being naturally separated, is a family,” said Rieffer.  “Our team rallies together at track meets and is almost always the loudest, cheering on each person at every event.”

Besides being supportive during meets and practices, the team also spends time together outside of athletics. Many team members live together, celebrate holidays together, and are overall able to be themselves and confide in one another.

Coach Shane Swanberg is in his 15th season coaching for the Pipers, and works primarily with the jumps athletes. “Jarick has been the stereotypical athlete I love to coach,” said Swanberg. “He came in with minimal coaching and experience in the high jump and has been thriving at the collegiate level. If you would ask me which athlete would show up for the big meets, hands down Jarick would be one of them.”

Being a part of a college athletic team adds a lot to any student's experience. Having a close team is often what many high school athletes are looking for in a college program and this family environment encourages many athletes to continue their athletic career into college. The close atmosphere has been important for Rieffer during his time at Hamline. 

“Through the team is how I met my freshman roommate McKail and all of the friendships I've made through this team has profoundly changed the way college might have been for me if I hadn't joined,” said Rieffer. “...Sports is how I met my best friends and how I met my significant other Liz, so I say that sports didn't just play into my Hamline experience, they were most of it.”

Along with being a crucial part of the track and field’s team success, Jarick has also been a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) and is currently serving as co-president. He joined his freshman year and started to actively participate his junior year. 

After watching previous co-presidents, Jared Deuitch and Kaeli Stayer, Jarick was inspired by their constant work, effort, and dedication they put into the organization and wanted to continue their leadership by stepping up into their position. 

SAAC looks different this year, as all meetings and events have been moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the fall semester, no sporting events were occurring. The Piper Cup also had to be cancelled last year and this year due to the lack of events on campus.

“The Piper Cup is one of the major year-long competitions that SAAC holds to encourage [student] athletes to participate in events across campus,” said Rieffer. “Since there aren't many, and those that do go on are limited, we had to cancel the Piper Cup. On top of that many of the events that SAAC hosts involve physical activities which have been rendered impossible now due to lockdowns.”

Rieffer’s favorite event that SAAC hosts each year is the SAAC Barbeque. The annual hangout is a great way for students to meet and interact with people from other teams and from other parts of campus that they may not have been able to see often otherwise.

All students have had to face the changes of college life due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All classes were moved online at the end of the spring 2020 semester and most were online at the beginning of the fall semester. 

In 2020, Rieffer was honored with the Student Activities & Leadership Development (SALD) Sportsmanship Award. He was nominated and won this award for his involvement in track, SAAC, and intramural sports on campus.

Besides being extremely involved on campus, Jarick is a student first. He is currently pursuing a major in Financial Economics and is set to graduate at the end of the spring semester. His original plan when he came to Hamline was to become a lawyer and study at Mitchell Hamline, but after an internship at a law firm, Rieffer changed his academic path. As a sophomore, Rieffer decided that economics was the route he wanted to take instead.

Many professors have had an influence on Rieffer in his time at Hamline. One that has particularly impacted Rieffer is Stacie Bosley. 

“She has helped me find my path through my major and has a way of teaching that really works with the ways I like to learn,” said Rieffer. “...She really seems to enjoy lifting students to the highest potentials that can be.”

"Jarick brings a sense of curiosity and enthusiasm to his study of economics,” said Bosley. “I love having him in the classroom - he is well-versed in current events and looks for connections between economic concepts and the real world around us."

After graduation, Rieffer hopes to work in finance in any capacity but ultimately hopes to one day work as a CFO. 

“Working well with a team has been vital to any success I’ve had as an athlete,” said Rieffer. “In today’s workforce working in teams is going to be a major aspect of my future career.” 

Jarick has been an influential part of the Hamline campus for the past four years. With his duties as a student, athlete, SAAC president, and Walker Field House student-worker, he will be missed not just on the track team, but in many areas of campus, as graduation rolls around.