SALISBURY, Md. – This is the final edition of "Nest to Nest," a regular series spotlighting the big miles and bigger stories of the Sea Gull student-athletes on each team who traveled the farthest to be at Salisbury University. On this week's finale,
Vita Waddell takes us up the Turnpike to one of the Garden State's most notable hubs.
Vita Waddell | Fr. Pitcher, Softball
Hometown:
Rutherford, New Jersey
Population:
18,852
Distance from Salisbury:
231 miles
Driving Time:
3 hours, 56 minutes
What would you say your hometown is known for?
Well on the sign it's called the Borough of Trees, but the biggest thing is that it's really close to New York City; everybody kind of calls it a commuter town in a way. The other big thing is that they confuse Rutherford for East Rutherford, where MetLife Stadium or the American Dream Shopping Mall. So it's known for neighboring all that, I suppose.
What's your favorite hometown hangout spot?
Well the town's really small but there's a lot going on because it's right by the city. But I would say the record store I worked at back home,
Social Club Records; that's a really fun place to hang out.
Which local sports teams do you root for?
I'm big into the Yankees, obviously.
[Author's note: Mets fan here – not so obvious, Vita!] And I don't really watch football, but I feel like I'm just generically a Giants fan because of MetLife Stadium.
How did you hear about Salisbury University?
So I was at a tournament in New Jersey – Southern Jersey, I believe – and Coach
Lacey Lord was there, and so was [Assistant Coach]
Marita Van Dyke. I was just pitching really well that day, and they saw me and came up to me and talked to me, and after that I looked up the school and the rest is history.
What's the biggest difference between life in your hometown and life here in Salisbury?
There's way more trees back home, and here the open land just goes on and on. Also everything's a lot further away, driving distance wise; it takes longer to get town to town than with the towns in New Jersey.
What's something you can turn to that reminds you of your hometown on the days when you miss it?
I'm lucky enough that I can call my family and they'll always be there. And I guess this goes back to the record store thing, but I took a lot of CDs and records from home, so I can just close my eyes and get the feeling that brings me back there. Lately I've been listening to a lot of John Denver, but mostly it's folk and rock and stuff. That, or read or do some of the things I do at home.
How would you sell someone on visiting your hometown?
Oh, definitely visit. There's a lot of good cafes and record stores, and you can visit all the places in East Rutherford and New York City while you're here.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 207 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
