The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Going end-to-end: The A-to-Z on Melissa Adrouny
10.24.2005 | Soccer
A four-year member of the Longhorns soccer team, Melissa Adrouny has not only provided depth in goal, but has also been one of the team's vocal leaders during her career. With her work ethic and determination, Adrouny embodies what it means to be a student athlete at UT, as she has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of her previous semesters.
The pre-med major, who is will be taking part in her final regular-season home game this Friday, recently took time to go end-to-end with TexasSports.com.
A is for Athletic
Melissa grew up playing almost every sport, including ballet, gymnastics, softball, volleyball, basketball and even rode horses for a couple years. Eventually she gave up these sports to dedicate her time to soccer in high school.
B is for the Beach
The thing Melissa misses the most about her home in California is the beach (that was only 20 minutes away from her house!). That's ironic because she wishes she had taken advantage of it more when she was in high school, but her busy schedule didn't allow for it. Now, with her parents moving to property that's right on the beach, she will definitely be enjoying it more often.
C is for "Chatty Patty"
The nickname that her teammates gave her when she was a freshman and it has stuck ever since. Notably, Melissa talked so much on a car ride to the 2003 Final Four in New Orleans that her teammates quickly gave her the nickname, which she says is very fitting.
D is for Diet Coke Obsession
Melissa gave it up for Lent last year and said that it was one of the hardest things she's ever done. "I'm not supposed to drink Diet Coke before games and have had the worst caffeine withdrawals since."
E is for the Eighties
Melissa loves the culture of the 80s generation (that includes the large teased hair) and thinks growing up during the 80s would have been the most fun out of any of the recent decades.
F is for Food Network
Melissa enjoys trying to cook new dishes for herself when she has free time, especially chicken and salmon. You can find her watching the Food Network for some new ideas and inspiration when she is bored.
G is for Goalkeeper From Day One
Melissa says that, "on the first day of practice, my coach asked if anyone wanted to play in goal. I volunteered and have pretty much been there since then". Melissa also loves to play in the field, but the keeper position has always been her favorite.
H is for Hula Hut
Hula Hut is by far Melissa's favorite restaurant (great choice). According to Melissa, she eats there all of the time and never orders anything other than the chicken pipeline enchiladas.
I is for Ice Cream
Teammate Julie Gailey will call Melissa when she should be studying, but she can't help but take a break for some ice cream. What's her favorite? It all depends if she's in the mood for TCBY or Coldstone.
J is for Jerry Maguire
Melissa's all-time favorite movies are "Jerry Maguire" and "A League of Their Own". When she was younger, Melissa would always watch "Jerry Maguire" with her father the night before any big soccer game, and they still enjoy watching it together whenever she is home. She also enjoys the movie for its ability to tie a love story together with an inspiring athletic movie.
K is for "Knee-Slapper"
Melissa loves comedy, especially comedian Dane Cook. She listens to his two CDs all the time and she really hopes that she will get the chance to see his act in person one day.
L is for Late Nights
Melissa is a late night person, despite early morning practices at 6:45 a.m. Somehow she is able to accomplish more when it's late at night and will sometimes stay up until 2 a.m. studying for tests.
M is for Music
Melissa is quite the music connoisseur. She has seen Paul McCartney, U2 and Lifehouse in concert, which she said were all amazing and memorable. Her most recent concert to attend was the Anger Management Tour with 50 Cent and Eminem. Not only does she like to listen to music, but Melissa always sings along to the radio when she is driving.
N is for Nightlife
Melissa loves Austin because there are so many different things to do. From nightlife and great restaurants to floating down the Guadalupe River, Melissa likes to take advantage of everything Austin has to offer.
O is for One Melissa's Jersey Number
Melissa has worn the No. 1 ever since she can remember. She didn't know which number she would be when she came to Texas, but luckily the number was not taken and it became her own.
P is for Paris
If Melissa could travel anywhere, it would be to Paris, France. Melissa has studied the French language for many years and loves the French culture, so she hopes one day that she will be able to travel abroad to see Paris and put her language skills to use.
Q is for Questions About Texas
Melissa friends from home always ask if Austin is a cowtown and if she has a Texas accent. She admits, "My friends get mad at me when I say ya'll', but as far as I can tell, I haven't developed a Texas accent yet."
R is for Rivalry
The biggest highlight during Melissa's career as a Longhorn was beating rival Texas A&M for the first time ever in school history during the 2003 season.
S is for School & Many Years Of It
Melissa is a pre-med major and plans to continue on to medical school after she graduates from UT. She hopes to study in Boston and is considering specializing in sports medicine and orthopedics.
T is for "Thank You"
Her biggest pet peeve is when people don't say thank you. According to Melissa, it drives her crazy.
U is for Urban Outfitters
If Melissa could have a shopping spree at any store, she would choose Urban Outfitters. Melissa likes the t-shirt and jeans look and Urban Outfitters' laid back, but stylish feel appeals to her. She especially likes their accessories like sunglasses, hats and jewelry.
V is for Volleyball
If she was not playing college soccer, you would probably find her playing volleyball in her free time. She loves volleyball and says she attends as many UT games as possible, watching some of her friends compete.
W is for "Warm & Welcoming"
Melissa describes her best feature as her warm, welcoming and very open personality. She says her teammates would agree, but might also add in her ability to talk (and talk a lot) as another characteristic.
X is for an Xtreme Date
If there was one person she could go on a date with, it would be Brad Pitt (who wouldn't like a date with Brad Pitt?).
Y is for Younger Brother
Melissa has one younger brother, Greg, who is a freshman at Duke this year. She says he's not quite an athlete like she is, but is a huge fan of basketball, especially when it comes to the Blue Devils.
Z is for catching Zs
The best way Melissa deals with stress is to sleep. With soccer and classes she doesn't get to sleep much during the week, so after she finishes a tough stretch of exams you can find her making up for lost time, sleeping.
