Former Purple Knight Stephanie Pearce Continues To Pursue Her Olympic Softball Dream

Bridgeport, Conn. - Former University of Bridgeport softball student-athlete, Stephanie Pearce is attempting to play her way to her ultimate dream, the 2020 Olympic Games for her native Great Britain.

After graduating from UB with her Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition in 2014, Pearce decided to stay another year to act as assistant coach and to finish her Bachelors Degree.  During the summer, Stephanie returned home and went through extensive Olympic tryouts to reach the final tier, the Great Britain National Softball Team.

Pearce was selected to represent GB for the first ime in 2009.  It was not long after this selection that it was announced softball was to be dropped from the 2012 London Olympics, where Gb softball would have automatically qualified due to being the host country.  Pearce later reflected on the disappointment, saying, "My dreams were shattered, I thought that my chances of going to the Olympics were over." 

After finishing her academics in 2014 at UB, Pearce headed back home to Tolworth, England where she continued to excel for Team GB.  Now, after nine seasons with the GB National Team, she is a five-time European Champion and a four-time World Champion.

Just recently the Olympic Games Committee announced that softball will be a part of the 2020 Olympics in Japan.  Pearce was ecstatic. "It has made me even more determined to keep pushing as a player to get the best I possibly can out of myself so I can be the best I can be for GB," she said.

To prepare for all of qualifying tournaments, Pearce plays for Netherlands' Team Olympia in some of the best softball leagues in Europe with a former UB softball player, Emma Wojcik.

When speaking about her experience playing on recent tournaments Pearce stated, "I am playing alongside and against some of the most talented women in the country which has been a most invaluable experience in itself, and has been a turning point in my career."

Among all of the success that her team and teammates have experienced thus far, the most important medal has been the bronze they won in the 2017 European Championships.  This is the ticket to next year's World Championships in Japan, where the qualifications for the 2020 Olympics begin.

When asked about her time at the University of Bridgeport, Pearce said, "Being a part of the growing UB Softball program is something that I am extremely proud of and will never forget.  This is a huge credit to Coach Stearns' dedication and hard work"  

Along with her athletic success, Pearce is also running her own business, a gym called Redefine Your Life Fitness.

As Pearce starts to prepare for her big Olympic chance, she stops to reflect about how this truly is a dream come true. "I was once a young girl dreaming of making it to the Olympics," she noted, "And now that it is in my sights, I will do everything it takes to get there."