With a deep passion for the world of sports, former Averett University cheerleader and sports information intern Lindsey Fulcher '18 finds herself rink side on a regular basis as the reporter and community engagement director for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, the Carolina Hurricanes' affiliate of the East Coach Hockey League (ECHL).

Hired last August by the Swamp Rabbits, Fulcher has been living out a dream that started while attending Averett. Initially a biomedical science major, she was influenced to take a communications course to gage her interest. By the following semester, she had changed her major and went all in on becoming a reporter.

"Averett gave me so many different opportunities — both in news and sports as well as different leadership roles and as an ambassador," Fulcher said. "I worked closely with Drew Wilson and the entire athletics department as well as Susan Huckstep with The Chanticleer, where I practiced reporting every single day in different aspects."

Averett's ability to allow students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and take advantage of mentors in many different facets is something Fulcher looks back on with great joy.

"I am so thankful to have gone to a small school where I was mentored and treated as family," Fulcher said. "I was able to be so hands-on and was encouraged every step of the way."

Now with the Swamp Rabbits, Fulcher is putting her experiences from Averett and her love for sports to the test.

"When I hear in my IFB 'LIVE IN 3-2-1' it creates a fire inside me that I hope to never take for granted," Fulcher said. "I love my job because I am constantly getting to do my favorite things — be in the community, meet new people and talk sports. There was a day where it was just a dream and now it is reality. I am still astonished that I get to talk sports every single day plus be active in this community that I love so much."

With her first season in the ECHL as a reporter under her belt, Fulcher hopes that she can continue to gain more opportunities with the Swamp Rabbits and open other avenues into reporting, maybe making the leap into the world of NASCAR or increasing her knowledge of other sports with the possibility of reporting for other minor league affiliates in the Greenville area. She already gained experience during her summers while at Averett with the Peninsula Pilots, a summer collegiate baseball team in the Coastal Plain League.

Based on her own experiences, Fulcher challenges those who come behind her at Averett to get involved and take advantage of many of the opportunities available.

"Averett has so many different leadership events and athletic events to attend to help us grow, and I would just say to take advantage of every single one of them," Fulcher added. "Network as much as you can and learn as much as you can. Utilize people around you that want to help you succeed; learn about them and how they got where they are. It goes by so fast and I promise there will be days where you are doing your dream job and think, 'Hey, I learned this in college.'"

Fulcher helped report on several sports during her final year at Averett, including football, basketball and baseball. Her coverage of Averett Athletics' annual Special Olympics fun day also helped the department earn recognition from the NCAA Division III's monthly Special Olympic spotlight poll. Her contributions helped lead to one of her fondest memories during her time at Averett when she was honored during the baseball team's Senior Day ceremony at the end of her final semester.

"Having cheered my first three years at Averett and then deciding my senior year to report for basketball and football to prepare for my career, I never expected to have a senior day," Fulcher said. "I still choke up thinking about how much it meant to me being able to walk on the field with all of my best buds, while Drew shared kind words about me as I hugged [Director of Athletics] Meg Stevens and President Dr. Tiffany Franks."