Alumni Spotlight: Jessica and Nathan Umbriac
10/8/2020 2:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
Nathan '03/BS '10/M.B.A. and Jessica Umbriac nee Socha '03/BS '04/M.B.A. met as freshman swimmers during a new student information session for biology majors.Â
Nathan, a Danville, Penn. native, and Jessica, a North Brunswick, N.J. native, recall the moment their paths first crossed.Â
"My mother and I are sitting there, he's sitting with his mother in the back and she raised her hand and said, 'My son is going to be on the swim team and is the biology curriculum going to be too rigorous for him?'," Jessica remembered. "My mom and I looked at each other and we turned around to see who that was because obviously it was pertinent."
"We both lived in Aquinas Hall our freshman year and she lived next to me," Nathan said. "She used to always come by and eat my candy."Â
In the pool, Nathan and Jessica set program records during their time in South Orange. Â
With a time of 1:23.92, Nathan helped to set the 200 Free Relay record during the 2001-02 season. Â
Jessica helped set the program's 200 Medley Relay record during her freshman year with a time of 1:50.16 at BIG EAST Championships. She would then build upon a strong start to her collegiate career with 21 individual victories during her sophomore campaign. Jessica rounded out her swimming career by setting the school record in the 50 Free during her senior season, a record that would stand for 14 years.Â
After two very successful collegiate careers both in the pool and in the classroom, the couple decided to get married in the campus chapel in January of 2006. Subsequently, each of their children would be baptized in the same chapel over the coming years.
Sierra (8) and Francesco (3)
In addition to obtaining degrees, the duo gained lifelong friends as part of the swimming and diving team. Â
"We're still very close with all of our swimmers and we speak to them often. They've been in our wedding party, they've been part of our family get-togethers and any kind of birthday celebrations with the kids." Nathan said. "We have a really tight knit community with our fellow swimmers and those relationships have extended beyond graduation."Â
It was that sense of community along with a graduate school service project that inspired Nathan to give back. At the suggestion of Jessica, Nathan became involved in Interfaith Food Panty while living in Morristown, N.J., to help fulfill community service hours.Â
"I found out about this Interfaith Food Pantry and Nathan did his community service hours there. He continued past the requisite number of hours needed for the service project and now he's on the board. It started at Seton Hall with the sense of community which has been so important to both of us," Jessica said.Â
"Feeling part of a community and being appreciative for what we have through all of our experiences. Where we are with a happy healthy family and wanting to give back to become valued members of society," Nathan said.Â
Both Nathan and Jessica continue to stay involved at Seton Hall. Jessica is currently pursuing a law degree with the University while Nathan hopes to obtain another degree from his Alma Mater in the coming years. The pair always try to return to campus for swim meets whenever they can.Â
Q:Â Favorite memory at Seton Hall?Â
Jessica: "The times I was really pushed by my coaches or teammates. I think I had a coach who really knew how to push my buttons and challenged me to be better and improve. My senior year I broke a school record that actually stayed for 14 years."Â
Nathan: "I was a competitive swimmer for 15 years. I think athletically, I kind of surprised myself along the way. I set goals and I was able to meet some of those goals. Going back to the fact that when you're a student-athlete you're trying to juggle so much it just prepares you for life. To be able to prioritize and have the discipline and drive and determination to get things done. I think a lot of our successes professionally are because of the fact that we were student-athletes and we were able to experience that."Â
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Q: Favorite place to compete?Â
J: "BIG EAST every year was in Long Island and we also did US Opens there one year. That was a lot of fun because it was it was just prior to an Olympic year. Michael Phelps was there when he was 15 years old, so we got to see him competing against and beating college-level and above athletes. The Long Island pool was always a really exciting place with a lot of good swims. The team was always boosting each other up; it was just a really good meet."Â
N: "I have a really great memory of my senior year, when we traveled up to Syracuse. Syracuse was always a dominant team in the BIG EAST at the time. It was the first year that we beat Syracuse in their pool and it was great because not only did we beat them but then we got to enjoy like the three hour or four hour bus ride home to celebrate. It was a huge accomplishment. I remember being in the locker room and being so full of pride. After each event we kind of huddled together to build momentum to go out there and perform. It was a great feeling.Â
Q:Â Ever step on the seal?Â
J: "No, but it's funny that you ask that because in Morristown, there's a seal in the middle and I won't step on it. There's just something about it that I will walk around it. My kids will walk in front of it, but we try to tell them not to walk on it. If there's a seal in the middle of anywhere I'm not going to step on it."Â
N: "No, but I did propose close to the seal. Jessica was in graduate school and I had gone up to campus with her. She had come out of class in Jubilee Hall and I proposed to her in the center of the green. We took some pictures on our wedding day in the middle of the green, as well."
Q:Â Any advice for student-athletes?Â
J: "Being an athlete and going to college it's not an easy thing. It's challenging but it's worthwhile. Value those friendships and those relationships. There's this shared history that even as you grow older and maintain those relationships it's become invaluable for us. I treasure the times that we can still get together with those people. It's tough but stick with it because getting through those challenges is what makes it worth it."Â
N: "Develop the discipline and determination that you have whether it's in the pool or in the classroom. Being an athlete, specifically swimming because the last place you want to be on a January morning is walking to a pool and jumping in at 5:30, you develop character, discipline and drive. Even though it's hard and you want to hit snooze, that translates downstream to becoming a professional. Also, for us, becoming parents and wanting to instill the same kind of values that we have through our experience."Â
