Former Student-Athlete Spotlights (Oct 2026)
Would you like to be featured in the next 'Block S' Club Alumni Spotlight? We'd love to share your story! Fill out the interest form HERE and we'll be in touch! We plan to highlight one men's student-athlete and one female student-athlete each quarter. Read our last alumni spotlights here.
Thomas "Tom" Rancich '84
SwimmingThink about the hardest practice you've ever had. Maybe it was an exhausting conditioning practice on a hot summer or day or maybe it was a series of lifting workouts combined with an individual workout before practice. Now imagine your hardest workout, but 10 times harder. That's what it's like being a Navy SEAL. Approximately 40,000 people are recruited by the Navy each year. Only 10% of candidates successful complete the full training pipeline to become a Navy Seal and Thomas "Tom" Rancich '84 is one of them.
Before entering the military, Tom was a member of the Syracuse Orange Swimming team and earned his bachelor's degree in English. Many people get into military service because of their desire to protect and serve. Tom, however, joined the Navy because he didn't really know what to do after college. At the age of 23, Tom enlisted in the Navy's Officer Candidate School. He received his commission in 1985. Little did he know that 17 years after he got into the Navy, he'd become a Navy SEAL special ops officer.
During Tom's service, he became an expert in Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD), a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and received a Bronze Star for Service, and for his command of a Navy Special Forces in Afghanistan. He was also held distinguished posts such as the United States Navy's Lead on Counter Terrorism and the Commander and Chief Atlantic Fleet, Head Security Officer.
PTSD is a common occurrence amongst military servicemen and women. About 7% of all veterans experience PTSD in their lifetime, with rates reaching up to 29% for those who served post-9/11. Two years after 9/11, Tom led the first team of SEALs into Iraq to help secure the pipelines. The concern at the time revolved around the harbor being polluted and seawater de-salination plants going offline. Later, he joined additional military forces in Afghanistan to support group operations.
The courage Tom displayed when he joined the Navy and later the Navy Seals, continued later in life when he humbly spoke to local media about the impact of PTSD on returning servicemen and even issues that impacted his life. When he retired from the military, Tom continued to connect with veterans while living in Martha's Vineyard. Tom met with veterans in a PTSD group to help adjust and understand the transition from war to civilian life. After his service, he continued to serve his community by co-founding VRhabilis in 2007. VRhabilis is a company that specializes in the removal of ordnance bombs. Within four years of the companies existence, they had recovered 114 pieces of World War II ordnance from when Martha's Vineyard was used as a training ground.
Tom led fulfilling life, impacting many people across the country. Sadly, Tom passed by natural causes in 2023, but he is Orange Forever.
Jessica DiGirolamo '21, G'22
Ice HockeyIn 2019, Syracuse Ice Hockey won its first-ever conference championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. Jessica DiGirolamo ’21, G’22 was the X-factor that pushed her team to make history. Before that championship year, Jessica had already proven herself on the ice. During her freshman season, she led all Syracuse rookies in points. Her success continued into her sophomore year where she led all Syracuse defensemen in goals and ranked second in points, blocked shots, and power-play goals. It was very clear that Jessica was no average joe, she was one of the most elite ice hockey players that Syracuse had seen. Later that season, she was named to the College Hockey America (CHA) all-rookie team. Her accolades continued throughout her college career at Syracuse, being named All-CHA first team twice, CHA Defenseman of the Year twice, and four-time CHA Defenseman of the Month during her final season. By the time her career ended at Syracuse, Jessia was the all-time leader in goals (33), assists (62), and points (95) by a defenseman.
Naturally, after a career like that, Jessica turned professional. In 2023, Jessica was drafted in PWHL draft in the sixth round, 34th overall to the Boston Fleet. The same day she signed to Boston, she was set to make her national team debut with Canada. Jessica played two seasons for the Boston Fleet continued to make her mark. Her last season with the Fleet, Jessica completed the season ranked fifth among all defenders across the league with a +8 differential. At the end of her second season with the Fleet, Jessica was signed to the Montreal Victoire. As an Ontario native, it became a full circle moment for Jessica to be able to go back to Canada and play on one of the best teams in the league.
“Jessica is a dependable defender known for her tough and hard-to-play-against style. She’ll bring strong puck movement and relentless, high standard mentality to our group here in Montreal,” said Montreal Victoire General Manager Danièle Sauvageau.
The General Manager clearly made the perfect choice in selecting Jessica because in her first season with the Victoire, she helped her team win their first PWHL title and the first PWHL title for any Canadian team. The win was celebrated across the country with the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stating, “Congratulations to the Montreal Victoire, the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Champions! An incredible and historic season – the Cup comes home for the first time.”
It is evident that Jessica is a one-of-a-kind athlete. Success on the ice has followed her at all levels and she has continued to make history and break barriers. The Block S Club looks forward to following Jessica along in her professional journey and we hope to see her bring home another championship.
Archived Alumni Spotlights:
June 2026
March 2026
December 2025
September 2025
July 2025
