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Jarrod Ronquillo Portrait

 Jarrod Ronquillo poses for a portrait at the McDermott Athletic Center.  

Sports Issue: Jarrod Ronquillo works hard, loves his team

His father was a Lobo. His mother was a Lobo.

But coming to the University of New Mexico and becoming a Lobo himself may have seemed like a long-shot for Jarrod Ronquillo.

Ronquillo, a two-sport athlete in high school, excelled on the soccer field — at an All-State level in fact, his father Tony Rochillo said. Jarrod went to high school in Minnesota and was pretty good in hockey as well, something that is probably vastly more competitive up north where more people seem to grow up around the game.

Portrait of Jarrod Ronquillo

 Jarrod Ronquillo plays with a puck at the McDermott Athletic Center. 


Tony said some of his son's high school teammates went on to play NCAA Division I hockey, with a few even making it to the National Hockey League — including Jake Guentzel of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who competed in the same program as Jarrod.

He said he couldn't coach him anymore after about fourth grade because all the other dads were former professional hockey players or had those type of connections. His head coach was an ex-defenseman for the NY Islanders.

Jarrod really stood out in the sport of soccer and his interest in the game wound up with a visit to UNM. Although it was actually the University's engineering program that sold him on following in his parents' footsteps and becoming a Lobo himself.

The chemical engineering major is described by his coaches and teammates as being disciplined both on the ice and in the classroom. Jarrod said school absolutely comes first, and has actually missed practices and other hockey-related events when he understands he has to focus on academics.

"For being such a jock, he's kind of a nerd," UNM head hockey coach Grant Harvey quipped.

Harvey described Jarrod as a one-in-a-generation talent. "Just look at him," Harvey said while pointing to his star center from Woodbury, Minnesota during practice. He said he's just so much faster than the other kids in the country that are competing at that level.

And Harvey acknowledged that the successes aren't a result of natural talent, similar to his academic pursuits, it is from studying and practicing, accompanied with a desire to get better.

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"Jarrod is my hardest-working player on my team and he's the fastest player on the team," the head coach said. "But his aspiration over the summer was to get faster and work harder."

He said that kind of passion makes Jarrod fun to coach and is infectious in the locker room.

Jarrod was raised with two sisters, something Harvey joked is painfully evident with his knowledge of every pop song — ones he didn't know any man would be aware of. But the head coach said now he gets to have a team full of brothers to grow up with.

One of those brothers — James Bostian — a goalie for UNM hockey, said he has created memories with Jarrod and the rest of the team that will last him a lifetime. He said he enjoys the togetherness and the camaraderie that takes place on long road trips.

One of the extended trips included a trip to Columbus, Ohio last season when the team garnered its first-ever trip to nationals and played in the 2018 ACHA Nationals.

New Mexico was involved in a tight game against the University of Central Florida and needed overtime to figure out which team would get the win.

"The whole team clears the bench to go hug Jarrod and he blows by everyone all of them and comes at me full speed, arms wide open — total Baywatch style and we just hug each other in the middle of the ice," Bostian said.

The goalie said Jarrod is quite the prankster on the team as well and plays the role of little brother to some and big brother to others, but said he Jarrod isn't nearly as funny as he probably thinks he is.

Jarrod's father said an argument could be made that his sons probably got his athletic skills from his wife, but Harvey noted Tony has become a fixture for UNM hockey without ever having played a minute on the ice.

Tony is actually the clock manager for the team and flys out from Minnesota to attend each of his son's games — both home and away. Although he admitted there was one exception.

"I missed one game against Air Force and he was not supposed to go to that game," Jarrod's father said. "He was sick and was told to sit out for two games, but he really wanted to skate on the cadet ice."

And not only did Jarrod make the trip so he could do just that. He found his way into the game and tallied two points. Tony said he may have never known had his son not gotten into the box score.

But those are the kinds of stories people close to Jarrod share and what makes him stand out from the pack. Harvey said his work ethic sets him apart and that's why Jarrod is usually his right-hand man when they perform community service, something he requires all his players to engage in.

Jarrod said the team has participated in a multitude of philanthropic endeavors — from coat drives to serving food to the homeless to volunteering at animal shelters. He said the most memorable one for him was learning to perform CPR on a pigeon.

Tony said Jarrod was disappointed he and the team were not able to duplicate the feat of qualifying for nationals again this season despite leading the team in goals scored with 40. But he said his son took comfort in knowing he'd be able to spend spring break with his family — something many college students probably look forward too.

Jarrod is similar in a lot of other regards to most college students — watching movies, playing video games and hanging out with friends. But his father said one thing that sticks out as unique in his mind is Jarrod's interest in Egyptian culture.

He said Jarrod and his mother used to watch the movie The Mummy every week and that his son has expressed an desire to see the pyramids after he graduates his chemical engineering degree.

Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers basketball and baseball and contributes content for various other sports as well. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Robert_Maler.

Alanie Rael is a freelance sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She primarily covers volleyball, hockey and track and field, but also contributes content for football. She can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @AllyRael. 

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