The Johns Hopkins Department of Athletics debuted its Faculty-Coach initiative during the 2025-26 academic year. The program is designed to engage faculty members and create meaningful relationships and community between academic affairs and athletics by serving in a mentoring and supportive role of JHU's scholar-athletes.
 
Faculty Coaches will serve as honorary members of the coaching staff and act as an additional support person for scholar-athletes on the team.  They are available to answer academic questions and help direct scholar-athletes, particularly first year students, to the many resources available to all Johns Hopkins students.
 
The initial two-year commitment, which comes with an option to extend, provides the faculty member the opportunity to attend as many games and practices as their schedule allows, to watch games from the sideline/bench area, and to attend team-specific events, including end-of-year banquets and awards ceremonies.
 
Throughout the 2026-27 academic year, HopkinsSports.com will utilize a Q&A format to allow fans to learn more about a team's designated Faculty-Coach.  Today, we introduce Marika Cusick, the Faculty-Coach for the Blue Jay Women's Tennis Team.

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Name:  Marika Cusick
 
Faculty-Coach Team: Women's Tennis
 
Alma Mater:  Cornell University (BA, MS), Stanford University (PhD)
 
Position/Title at Johns Hopkins:  Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy & Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health
 
Year at Johns Hopkins: 2nd
 
Tell us a little about your own athletic background: I represented Cornell University as a member of the women's varsity tennis team from 2013 to 2017. In 2017, our team won the program's first Ivy League Championship, and I was named Ivy League Player of the Year.
 
What is your favorite sport:  Tennis
 
How did you become involved in the Johns Hopkins Athletics Faculty-Coach program:  When I first moved to the Baltimore area, I connected with Coach Mike to get involved with the tennis program!
 
While the program is still in its infancy, tell us about your experience working with your team thus far:  Last year, I joined the team for a few team practices and attended a couple of matches. It was great fun to play with the team!
 
What has most surprised you, if anything, about working with and meeting the coaching staff and athletes on your team:  Coach Mike is very dedicated to integrating the faculty coach role into the team. I'm grateful to him for his support and enthusiasm for my involvement.
 
As the faculty-coach for the team, what is your goal or what do you hope to accomplish:  I hope to be a mentor for our student-athletes both on and off the tennis court. I benefited greatly from being a part of a women's tennis team, and I hope to give back to our support and its players.
 
What would you tell faculty members who are not involved about this program:  Student athletes are impressive. They balance a rigorous academic workload with their commitment to their sport. Helping them succeed is very rewarding!
 
Tell us something about yourself that not many people are aware of or that you think people would find interesting:  I met my husband on the tennis court – he's also a former collegiate tennis player. Tennis has given back in surprising ways.