Name: Tanya Fuchs

Years competed: Fall 2001 – May 2006

Year graduated: 2006 (medical redshirt in 2004)

What did you accomplish at Denver and as a Pioneer?
Individually I was fortunate enough to accomplish a lot on the lacrosse field as a starter since my freshmen year,  I was a team captain in 2006, I am unsure of any "records" at this current time as it has been quite some time since I've been on the lacrosse field.
 
As a team we came a long ways from my first year (2001), we went from a "nobody knows who we are" to being a top contender in our league. And now DU is a known to be a lacrosse powerhouse (both mens and womens teams)! To know that I was part of a program from the beginning is an honor.
 
What have you been up to since graduation?
After graduation, I launched a high school sports video company (Long Island Sports Video). I would make highlight videos for potential college student-athletes, as well as film local high school and college games for the coaches to use as visual tools. I was also involved in an e-commerce start-up company for our families business (BagelBiz.com) which we recently re-launched in 2018. We ship our fresh New York Bagels anywhere (especially colleges) in the US.
 
Up until fall 2015 I also worked at a high volume/popular restaurant on Fire Island in the summers.
 
I've lived in Costa Rica where I would film local surfers and surf myself. I have traveled to many places over the past 13 years (Israel, Switzerland, Italy, Bali, Dubai, Dominican Republic).
 
Currently I am a Real Estate Broker at a luxury real estate company (Ramsay Realtors) on the south shore on long island. 
 
I live on Fire Island year round with my husband (Mark Cherveny) our dog Bejuco and cat Spaz. When we are not working we are traveling somewhere usually with our surfboards.

How do you feel DU helped you grow as a person?
Going to school so far away from home, being at DU molded me to be a more independent person. Being a student-athlete also acclimates you to multi-task and to "push yourself" to achieve greatness. You learn how to work hard for what you want. You have to maintain a certain GPA to even be on the team, so being a student-athlete helps you achieve academic successes.  

Are you still involved in lacrosse?
At the current time I am not involved with the lacrosse community directly, however I do attend my high school (Bay Shore) games on occasion.

What about the University of Denver stood out to you when being recruited? 
At the time of getting recruited everyone from my area (especially my high school lacrosse team) were going to the main stream lacrosse schools at the time (Maryland, UNC, Duke, etc) I wanted to be a little different and go out west to be a part of a newer division 1 program. It was a hard choice between schools in California and DU, but I ultimately chose DU because of the opportunity to be part of a growing program, the great academics, the smaller student-teacher ratios, picturesque campus scene, student-life, and Colorado's overall vibe and outdoor enthusiastic lifestyle. 

What do you miss most about being a student-athlete? 
EVERYTHING! From the games and practices, team meals, the annual Mount Evans trip, traveling as a team, the girls I was on the team with, and our coaches/trainers. Wearing jersey #27!

What are some of your favorite memories at Denver and with the Pioneers? 
Traveling everywhere for our games (we practically lived at DIA), the infamous "rainbow bus". Being able to play alongside my fellow Bay Shore girls Kristie Leggio who I graduated high school with and Kaitlyn Taggart. Kristie and I were also roommates. It was also fun to compete against a lot of my high school teammates (Laura Cavallo at UC-Berkeley). My senior year we played Virginia Tech where my sister (Natasha Fuchs) was a sophomore. We unfortunately lost that game.

What advice would you give to the currently DU women's lax athletes? 
Your time at DU is a mere fraction of the rest of your (adult) life. Make the most of your 4 (or 5) years as a student-athlete. You may hate those 300 yard sprints or the early morning wake up calls, but once your time at DU is done, you will miss all of it! Appreciate how fortunate you are to put on a crimson and gold uniform as not everyone has the privilege of being a division 1 athlete.
Also, try to make time to cheer on your fellow Pioneers, and utilize everything that the university has to offer you.