April 19, 2012

BERKELEY - Sarah Milik sat down to chat with CalBears.com one day before California's last regular-season home game against Stanford. A defender, Milik has started all 14 games so far in her junior season. The Hackettstown, N.J., native spoke about the Cal-Stanford game, her senior teammates, her upcoming summer internship and "Jersey Shore."

CalBears.com: What should the annual Cal-Stanford game be called in lacrosse?

Sarah Milik: The Big Draw maybe, because our sport is all about winning draws. It's the commencement of our game. Who wins the draw really marks the toughness of a team.

CalBears.com: What will you miss about your senior teammates - Emily Abbood, Tara Arolla, Tori Harrison and Vail Horn?

SM: That's a hard question to answer, because all of them have so many different attributes and so many different qualities that add so much to our team. Emily is our only fifth-year senior, and she has added so much to our team over the past five years. She's really been an influential player to our program, attitude-wise and skill-wise. Tori Harrison is probably the best defender to come through our program. She will definitely be sorely missed.

Vail is probably one of the fastest girls on our team, and we're definitely going to miss her in the midfield, on the attack and on the D-end. She's just a tremendous player all the way around. Tara's not playing in the game, but she's just such a positive person and has handled everything so well. She's been such a leader for us this year and last year, as our junior captain. It's really just extraordinary what all of them have done throughout all their careers, and I think all of them are going to be missed in different ways. We're also all such great friends.

SM: That's a good question, because there is a mental piece to this as well as a skill piece. I've definitely learned a lot from Tori. Grace Parente (a sophomore defender) is younger than me, but I've also learned a lot from her because she is such a fundamentally great player. I've learned a lot from Emily as well just because she has such a great attitude and hustles all over the field all the time. I really try and emulate that.

CalBears.com: Have you enjoyed playing at Witter Rugby Field the past two seasons?

SM: I don't think we expected to love Witter as much as we do. It's not the same experience as playing in the football stadium. My freshman year I got to play in the stadium, and it was so fun. We just felt so big time because we were playing in California Memorial Stadium, and it was just so traditional. But then we got moved to Witter, and when we started playing our games, it was such a different experience. The fans are right on the sideline near you. It makes you feel like you have more fans. I really like the feeling of being at Witter.

CalBears.com: As a media studies major, would you like to pursue a career in journalism, broadcasting, etc.?

SM: I'm not exactly sure yet. I've actually just secured an internship with HBO this summer, working with creative marketing. Hopefully I'm able to really explore the field a little bit more when I complete that internship. I'm hoping that will give me a little more insight into media marketing and the industry. I'm really hoping to learn about advertising as well.

CalBears.com: Where is the internship located?

SM: New York City. I'm from New Jersey, and I'll be commuting every day to the City. My dad will be commuting every day, too, and he's been commuting for almost 30 years now. It's ironic because my new office is around the block from his, so we'll be commuting together.

CalBears.com: Are there any other fans of the Super Bowl-champion New York Giants on your team besides you and Megan Takacs?

SM: Yes! When we went to the NFC Championship in San Francisco, Marissa O'Meally cheered for the Giants and Paige Gasparino did. I think the four of us might be the only ones. Going to that game was so awesome. It was so fun to experience it in San Francisco as opposed to back home. It was cool.

CalBears.com: As a native of New Jersey, what do you think of the TV show "Jersey Shore"?

SM: I think the show is really all in fun. Just being out here the past three years, so many people have asked me that question. I think it's so funny, because as the show has become more and more popular, some people in New Jersey have embraced that culture. But overall, the Jersey shore has some of the nicest beaches. I really enjoy spending my summers there.

CalBears.com: What's the most played song on your iPod?

SM: My iPod broke, and Grace gave me her iPod, so I've been listening to all of her music recently. I've been listening to "Starships" by Nicki Minaj a lot.

CalBears.com: What's your favorite movie?

SM: I really like funny movies. "Anchorman" is one of my favorite movies.

CalBears.com: What's your favorite TV show?

SM: A show that I actually love watching is "Angry Boys" on HBO. It's the funniest show ever.

CalBears.com: We hear that you're a good singer. If head coach Ginger Miles asks you to sing the national anthem before a home game, would you?

SM: I don't know. I was in choir all through middle school and high school, and I really loved it. But I was always really, really nervous to sing in front of people, so I never really was into having solos. I would probably be nervous, but maybe I would think about it.

CalBears.com: Do you watch any of the singing reality shows/competitions?

SM: I've really been enjoying "The Voice" recently. I like how the people who are chosen get to work with the judges. That's really cool.