On February 3, Elizabeth Rajnik signed her National Letter of Intent to play Division III soccer at Elizabethtown College.  She smiled for cameras behind her mask–as did 14 other Linganore athletes.

“Elizabeth is a terrific track athlete who took up the game of soccer at a later age than others, but she has worked incredibly hard to develop into one heck of a solid, reliable, trustworthy defender,” said club coach Chuck Hommey. 

Rajnik feels very excited with some nerves about playing collegiate soccer. She feels club soccer has prepared her well for the next step. 

“My teammates and coaches have really shaped me into the player I am today and have always pushed me to be better,” says Rajnik. 

“Better” describes only part of her achievements.  Rajnik is a outside back defender. She is a two-time state finalist with her club team, FC Frederick. Her club team qualified for Regionals and competed in the USYS Eastern Regionals Championship in 2019.

Rajnik’s older brother, Micheal Rajnik, a Linganore graduate, is a senior on the baseball team at Elizabethtown. When attending his games, she gained exposure to the school and really loved the environment. Ultimately, Rajnik knew Elizabethtown was where she wanted to spend the next four years. 

“I always knew I loved Etown and knew it was where I wanted to be. I loved the people, the atmosphere, and the many benefits and opportunities of a smaller school,” said Rajnik. 

She became very serious about soccer in seventh grade. She feels her brother pushed her to play collegiate soccer as she was able to watch him play college baseball.. That experience led her to realize she wanted that same experience for herself.

“I am proud of how far Elizabeth has come as a student-athlete during her time at Linganore. Her relentless work ethic in the classroom, on the field, and in the weight room is college level. She is well fit for and deserving of this upcoming opportunity. I am excited to see all she accomplishes as an Elizabethtown Blue Jay,” said her brother Michael.

Rajnik feels she had an amazing support team behind her during the entire recruiting process. Her parents, brother, and club coach were always willing to give advice, help in any way, and guide her to find the perfect school. 

“We are very proud of all of her accomplishments both on and off the field.  We are so excited to see her continued success at Elizabethtown and look forward to cheering for her in college,” said Mary and Mike Rajnik.

What appealed her the most was Etown’s five-year Occupational Therapy Master’s program. She was accepted into the program and hopes to become an Occupational Therapist either in a pediatric setting or a rehab center. 

Rajnik is very excited about the individualized attention Etown has to offer. She loves how the community is extremely close and how the professors and faculty become your friends. She is also excited for the amazing state of the art fitness center that was just recently built on Etown’s campus. She cannot wait to spend a lot of time there. 

Rajnik feels prepared and ready to balance both academics and athletics. “I’ve always had a great work ethic and know that academics come before athletics. I’m really organized and have used high school as practice to prepare me for the academic rigors of college,” said Rajnik. 

In their previous season, the Blue Jays went 11-5-1 and are coached by Amy Hough.