CLICK HERE to read original article, written by Eagle Tribune Staff Writer Michael Muldoon

Rachelle Messuri was showered with praise after her first freshman year at Saint Joseph's College of Standish, Maine.

But she knew there was a downside to earning a perfect 4.0.

"Anything less than a 4.0 and your GPA drops," said Messuri, a lifelong Atkinson resident. "I had to continue to get A's. People think it's a blessing to finish with a 4.0 freshman year. Not necessarily. It drives you crazy the next three years."

Setting the bar so high didn't exactly ruin the rest of her academic career. She recently graduated from the small, Catholic school (enrollment 1,015) outside of Portland with a 3.94 GPA as a business marketing major with a minor in sports management.

Maybe she could have graduated with a 4.0 but she had some other things on her plate. She also was a second-team All-New England Division 3 field hockey player and was the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Defensive MVP in lacrosse this spring. She was named St. Joe's Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

"It was certainly time-consuming," said Rachelle (pronounced RAH-shell), who scored 21 career goals in field hockey. "There were definitely times I questioned if I was losing out on time with my friends and other experiences of college life."

Taking on huge challenges like being a near perfect student and starring in two sports didn't intimidate her. Taking on big challenges is in her DNA.

"I'm just over 5-feet tall," she said. "In lacrosse, that's a huge downfall. Attackers could shoot over my head. They'd sometimes be a foot or two taller."

Well, unless Shaq was playing for the Simmons College women's lacrosse team, two feet might be a bit of an exaggeration. But Messuri probably wouldn't back down to Shaquille O'Neal, anyway.

"I'm a highly-competitive person," said Messuri. In the four weeks since her college athletic career ended, Messuri has had time to reflect.

"Now that it has ended, it's been killing me," she said.

Graduates of the Timberlane Regional Class of 2010 might not have been surprised that an Owl would become a two-sport college star. It's doubtful they would have guessed Messuri, though.

"A lot of the players in college, they were all the best on their high school teams," said Messuri, who captained both teams at St. Joe's and started all four years in both. "I wasn't. I was in the top four, but definitely not the best. I'm surprised at how I progressed."

In high school, she was wide open on her college choice but figured being denied admission to a few schools would make things easier.

Not so much. She got into all 10 schools to which she applied!

"I looked at small Division 3 schools where I could play field hockey and lacrosse," said Messuri, who plans on a career in marketing for a sports apparel company. "I visited Saint Joseph's three times. The field hockey coach invested the most time in recruiting me."

It obviously worked out well for all parties.

"I just love the campus," said Messuri, who junior year did an internship with the Portland Pirates AHL hockey team. "It's a fairy tale bubble on a lake in Maine."

Her St. Joe's career was almost storybook, too.

Follow Michael Muldoon on Twitter at @MullyET

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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.