Jordan Varee Masuk Hall of Fame Atletik Saint Francis

Universitas Saint Francis akan meresmikan kelas Hall of Fame Atletik tahun 2026 pada Jumat, 24 Juli mendatang. Jordan Varee, mantan atlet voli putra yang memegang rekor karier dengan 1.854 kill, masuk dalam daftar tokoh yang akan mendapat penghargaan atas kontribusi dan prestasinya bagi universitas.

Varee menjadi satu-satunya pemain dalam sejarah sekolah yang mencatat 30 kill dalam satu pertandingan sebanyak tiga kali. Keberhasilannya ini tidak lepas dari masa-masa di Saint Francis, terutama saat tim voli putra berhasil menumbangkan Ohio State pada 17 Januari 2010.

"There was so much adrenaline with Ohio State being in the gym," ujar Varee.

Kemenangan tersebut memicu antusiasme luar biasa dari para pendukung yang memadati arena pertandingan saat itu.

"As we were winning the match students started texting and calling their friends and more people poured in and packed the gym," tambah Varee.

Pelatih Mike Rumbaugh mengakui bahwa servis Varee berkembang menjadi senjata utama selama musim seniornya.

"We worked with Jordan on his serve throughout his career. His senior season it became another scoring threat," kata Rumbaugh.

Varee sendiri menganggap kemenangan atas tim besar merupakan pencapaian signifikan bagi sekolah divisi satu berukuran kecil.

"For us to be able to get a win of that magnitude as a small Division I school was huge," ujar Varee.

Kesuksesan tim tersebut didukung oleh pengalaman para pemain yang bermain bersama selama beberapa tahun.

"We had so much experience on the floor that year," lanjut Varee.

Rumbaugh menekankan pentingnya sinergi antara Varee dan rekannya, Nick Rivett, di lapangan.

"One of Jordan's close friends on the team was Nick Rivett. With Nick on pin and Jordan on the other side opposing teams had to pick their poison. Without Nick I am not sure Jordan does what he did," tutur Rumbaugh.

Sebelum bergabung dengan Saint Francis, Varee memiliki mimpi besar untuk bermain bagi Penn State.

"I always dreamed of playing for Penn State, but Saint Francis was one of the few Division I schools to make an offer," jelas Varee.

Kenyamanan lingkungan kampus Saint Francis yang terasa akrab membuatnya merasa seperti berada di rumah sendiri.

"I graduated high school with 63 people in my class. Seeing how small and tight knit the campus was, it felt like home," kata Varee.

Rumbaugh sudah melihat bakat Varee sejak masa rekrutmen di turnamen sekolah menengah.

"When I was recruiting at the State College high school tournaments thing that that really caught my eye was watching Jordan and Tyler play doubles on the empty court between matches," kata Rumbaugh.

Dedikasi Varee dalam berlatih menjadi nilai tambah yang meyakinkan Rumbaugh akan potensinya.

"While the other kids would go outside or play on their phones they kept playing. It also allowed me to see that Jordan was not just a setter. He could attack with power," tambah Rumbaugh.

Varee sendiri memiliki teknik serangan unik yang tidak biasa dipelajari oleh pemain lain.

"I approach the ball like I'm hitting as a left-hander, but I'm right-handed," ujar Varee.

Keunikan gaya permainan ini justru menjadi keuntungan bagi Varee karena sulit dibaca oleh lawan.

"Part of the reason I think he was so successful was because no one could figure out how to read him with this approach," tutur Rumbaugh.

Rumbaugh memuji karakter Varee yang sangat disiplin dan mampu menjadi pemimpin melalui tindakan.

"If you knew Jordan, you loved Jordan. You talk about accountability; he led by example," ujar Rumbaugh.

Varee memberikan kredit kepada rekannya atas kepemimpinan di lapangan.

"Nick Rivett was 100 percent the captain of the team and he backed it up by his play. We started together as freshmen and had that chemistry," kata Varee.

Salah satu momen yang paling diingat oleh Rumbaugh adalah saat pertandingan melawan Ball State.

"I remember the Libero talking smack the whole match to Jordan right in front of the Rummy Rascals. The Rascals were chirping too," kenang Rumbaugh.

Video perayaan setelah poin tersebut sering diputar ulang di ruang ganti tim.

"I can't tell you how many times we replayed that video in the locker room," ujar Varee.

Dukungan dari mahasiswa lain, terutama tim sepak bola pria, sangat terasa bagi tim voli.

"We had a great following from all students on campus, but especially the men's soccer team. We'd go to their games, and they'd come out to support us," kata Varee.

Hingga kini, Varee tetap menjadi sosok yang dekat dengan lingkungan universitas meski telah lulus.