Stellar career for senior Rivituso

By Howard Blake III
February 24, 2014

As a 5’10” Senior, Annie Rivituso is tall in stature. Her height has helped her in her dominance in the game of basketball. But Rivituso isn’t just what you see right now. She is the product of adversity and hard work, which has gotten her thus far in a stellar Cavalier career.
Rivituso has been no stranger to success on the basketball court even dating back to her high school days at St. Marks High School in Wilmington, Delaware. From the very beginning Rivituso made her presence known, starting off her high school career being named to the second team all Catholic League Conference team as a freshman. Rivituso never faltered, continuing to get better every season, as the accolades continued to find her.
“My freshman year I was named to second team all catholic team. My junior and sophomore year I was named to the first team all catholic team and made honorable mention in the state,” Rivituso said.
“My senior year I was nominated to the McDonalds high school all American team and received first team all catholic and first team all state honors.”
However Rivituso was a two-sport athlete. With a passion for winning, Rivituso not only was a basketball stud, she was a gifted lacrosse player as well.
“In high school I also played lacrosse and was the goalie,” Rivituso said.
“My senior year we made it to the state finals but lost to Cape Henlopen.”
After Rivituso capped off a stellar athletic senior season at St. Marks, she was looking to further her athletic experience in the college ranks. With a heart for both basketball and lacrosse, Rivituso had made a difficult decision to let go of her lacrosse dreams.
“I loved the game but didn’t think I would be able to juggle school, basketball and lacrosse,” Rivituso said.
Next stop for Rivituso was Cabrini College. But for her it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight. If anything the thought of attending Cabrini took some getting used to.
“I remember my first visit to Cabrini. My dad and I decided to drive by one summer weekend while we were at an AAU tournament at Villanova,” Rivituso said.
“We just drove through campus and I hated it. I thought it was too small and not that interesting.”
Kate Pearson the Cabrini Women’s Basketball Coach had a lot to do with Rivituso’s change of heart.
“After talking with Coach Kate and getting a tour my mind changed completely. I fell in love with the campus and the education program here,” Rivituso said.
“I could tell how she wanted to put my needs firsts and her coaching mentally just clicked with my style of play. We don’t always agree on things but over the past four years I could count on her for many things on and off the court.”
Rivituso’s transition from St. Marks to Cabrini had its rough edges but it seemed to smooth itself out. She was very pleased with the diversity that Cabrini had to offer that St. Marks did not. She was placed into a living and learning community which made the adjustment that much easier.
“I enjoyed this experience a lot and made great friends off the court. Basketball was one of the best things that help the transition be a success,” Rivituso said.
Rivituso immediately declared herself as Pre-k to 4th grade and special education K-8 major.
“I have always had a passion for working with children and I hope to continue to shape their lives through teaching,” Rivituso said.
However she never let sports get in the way of her academics. As a disciplined student athlete she credits her success to her sport.
“Being a student athlete to me is sometimes a lot easier than just being a student,” Rivituso said.
“Playing sports makes you be disciplined. I don’t have a lot of free time, which helps me stay out of trouble and focused on my work because I have less time to complete it.”
As caring and kind hearted as Rivituso is, she continues to plead her case as she has help children on several occasions with basketball camps as her way of giving back.
“Here at Cabrini I have had the opportunity to work the MLK clinic to raise money for those in need,” Rivituso said.
“Also we do a special Olympics night here that I love to be a part of.”
Annie Rivituso embodies the qualities of the ideal student athlete. She is hard working and makes sure that she leaves everything she has on the court. She does her part to stay ahead in the classroom and understands that education comes first.
With her senior year half way over, Rivituso would love nothing more than to repeat as CSAC champions with her second straight birth to the NCAA tournament.
“My favorite moment as a cavalier would definitely be winning the CSAC Championship last year. It was such a great feeling to finally be on top after all the struggles me and my teammates at the time went through my freshman and sophomore year,” Rivituso said.
“On top of that to be named MVP of the game blew me away.”
The CSAC MVP and CSAC second teamer was playing for more than just herself and the other ladies that are apart of her team. The adversity that guided her through will definitely be on her side once again as she tries to repeat as CSAC champion.
“I lost my grandfather who meant the world to me,” Rivituso said.
“He taught me to always play with the heart of a champion. I like to think that all my hard work last year was because of him as a memorial to his memory.”
With one last semester Rivituso is trying to put the finishing touches on an unforgettable four years. As a great person and hardworking teammate, the ideal student athlete doesn’t define who Rivituso is. Annie Rivituso defines what an ideal athlete should be.

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Howard Blake III

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