Johns Hopkins University Athletics introduced Marika Cusick as the faculty-coach for the Blue Jay Women’s Tennis Team on Sept. 29, 2026. Cusick is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and is in her second year at Johns Hopkins.
The announcement marked the ninth installment in a series introducing the faculty-coaches of Blue Jay Athletics. Cusick joined the women’s tennis team for a few practices and attended a couple of matches during the previous academic year.
Johns Hopkins Faculty-Coach Initiative
The Johns Hopkins Department of Athletics debuted its Faculty-Coach initiative during the 2025-26 academic year. The program is designed to build relationships and community between academic affairs and athletics through faculty mentoring and support of Johns Hopkins scholar-athletes.
Faculty coaches serve as honorary members of coaching staffs and provide additional support for scholar-athletes. They can answer academic questions and help direct first-year students to university resources.
The initial commitment is two years, with an option to extend. Faculty coaches may attend games, practices and team-specific events as their schedules allow.
Marika Cusick’s Cornell Tennis Background
Cusick earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate from Stanford University. She represented Cornell University on its women’s varsity tennis team from 2013 to 2017.
In 2017, Cornell won the program’s first Ivy League Championship, and Cusick was named Ivy League Player of the Year.
“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,” Cusick said.
Cusick’s Role With the Blue Jay Women’s Tennis Team
Cusick became involved with the program after connecting with Coach Mike when she moved to the Baltimore area. She then joined the team for a few practices and attended a couple of matches during the previous academic year.
Cusick said she hopes to mentor Johns Hopkins scholar-athletes on and off the tennis court. She also described student-athletes as impressive for balancing rigorous academic workloads with their athletic commitments.
“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,” Cusick said.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Marika Cusick brings collegiate tennis experience and an academic role at Johns Hopkins to the Blue Jay Women’s Tennis Team faculty-coach position. Her initial two-year commitment gives her an established opportunity to support scholar-athletes through the Faculty-Coach initiative.
Source: Original report
