A LIGHTHEARTED INTRODUCTION TO A PAIR OF CAMPUS NEWCOMERS
While Tyler Mariucci and Marcelline Lanoue are new to USD, both are veterans of winning university athletics programs. The pair, who were brought on board by Associate Vice President for Athletics Bill McGillis, have a wealth of experience from eight NCAA Division I institutions.
Most recently, Mariucci (pictured above) was associate athletics director for sports administration and development for the University of Maryland. He’s now USD’s senior associate director of athletics for development. Lanoue comes from the University of Southern Mississippi, where she was the associate athletic director for development. She’s now USD senior associate director of athletics for external affairs.
Naturally, sports played a part in their formative years.
“Athletically, I probably peaked in eighth grade, but I did play sports all the way through,” jokes Mariucci. “I played football in college, and it was huge to be part of a team, to accomplish goals together and overcome defeat together. That was important to my growth as a person. That’s why I wanted to remain around sports and to work in sports and contribute to helping people have that same experience in their lives.”
Marcelline Lanoue
Lanoue started playing soccer in first grade. “They wanted me to play basketball because I’m fairly tall and was always one of the tallest in the class. But I fell in love with soccer. It was a really formative time of my life. Studies show that women in sports are so much more confident, and I really believe that’s true.”
The son of former NFL coach Steve Mariucci, Tyler garnered life lessons from his time around NFL players. “I always aspired to be just like them, not only as players, but because they were also great people. Being around everyone who played the game at such a high level made a huge impact on my life, in a really special way.”
That said, at the end of the day, spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and their 1-year-old son, Kyle, is his current favorite pastime. “He’s learning how to catch and to throw and to kick all kinds of balls, and he loves it. It’s so great to see; I can’t wait to see where that love of his will go in the future.”
Both Lanoue and Mariucci have been given advice that resonates years later. For the former, words of wisdom from her mom still ring true. “She tells me all the time, ‘Continue to be humble and hungry. Don’t forget where you came from.’ She wants me to be grateful for where I came from, and to try to pass along any influence I can have on others in a good, positive way.”
Mariucci follows a similar edict. “I aspire to be most like those who treat everybody with the same amount of respect and kindness, no matter who they are, or their position in life.”
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