The last month has been a whirlwind for ASU women’s hockey senior forward Dannika Borges.
In December, Borges walked the stage as an apparent ASU graduate from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, but there was just one problem: Borges still had one class left to take to graduate.
Due to a mishap with classes and her adviser, Borges was registered to graduate, but she still had one class left to finish.
While this might have been a frustrating process for the senior from northern California, the mixup has given her an opportunity to continue playing hockey for her final semester of college.
“I had a month off, but just finding out before the break that I was able to continue playing for this following half of the season, that was amazing,” Borges said. “I still get to play and I am happy that I don’t have to leave my team behind.”
Since the Sun Devils are not an NCAA program and they are under the rules of the American Collegiate Hockey Association as a club sport, the decision for Borges's eligibility was up in the air throughout the first half of the season.
According to club rules and regulations under Educational Outreach and Student Services at ASU, all club athletes must be enrolled at the university.
Therefore, when Borges found out at the beginning of December that she had to take one more class in the spring semester, she was ruled eligible to play with her teammates to close out the 2017-18 season.
“She’s obviously a force out on the ice and one of our captains, so we are thankful that she is able to continue playing and continue to keep taking classes and finish her degree,” ASU head coach Lindsey Ellis said. “It just helps us out more on the ice.”
During ASU’s winter break in December, the team did not have any practices or games for the holiday season.
Borges returned to her hometown of San Lorenzo, California and basked in the remedies of being home with her family after a stressful and anxious month of uncertainty regarding hockey and her graduation timetable.
“I hung out with my family a lot and it had kind of been a long time since I had seen them,” Borges said. “I ended up going to Tahoe (Lake Tahoe) for a music festival and just enjoyed some music and the snow and friends that I haven’t seen in a long time.”
Along with hockey, Borges has other matters to attend to during her last semester in Tempe.
The senior aspires to be a technical director and work behind the camera in live sports production. She is currently rounding out her curriculum with a live sports event production course at the Cronkite school.
In addition to the class, Borges has begun the process of applying to jobs, and she might continue one of her internships from last semester.
Regardless of all of the pressures and travails that come with life after college, Borges surely will look to close out her last semester on the ice with a bang.
“She has come out every day, she brings out the force and she is fast. She picks up the speed of everybody,” ASU senior forward and captain Amber Galles said. “We love having her out there and having that extra captain out there. We love her.”
Borges is one of three senior captains and leaders, and the rest of the semester will lead to some important games as ASU looks to make a push toward the Western Women’s Collegiate Hockey League Playoffs.
With three games under her belt this past weekend, Borges knows that the rest of her time left with the program is limited, but she is excited to see where ASU goes after she leaves.
ASU already has nine commitments for next season, and Borges will be a part of the first senior night in program history on February 3 against the University of Denver.
“I want to be remembered as one of the more aggressive skaters and players in general,” Borges said. “I just want to leave behind a good sense of community and leadership.”
Reach the reporter at atbell1@asu.edu or follow @AndrewBell7 on Twitter.
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