Scholar Stories: Michigan Roots Paying Off for Ilacqua
1/21/2026 11:15:00 AM | Softball
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each week MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories.
By Jonathan Franchi
Hailing from Fort Mill, S.C., Janelle Ilacqua grew up in a house divided. Her mother attended Michigan State while her father played football at Central Michigan, but always rooted for the Wolverines. While Ilacqua's sister sided with her mom and the Spartans, Ilacqua followed her dad, supporting the Maize and Blue. Despite growing up in the South, surrounded by Clemson and South Carolina fans, Ilacqua always had her sights set on attending the University of Michigan.
"My parents were probably the biggest reason I wanted to come here," Ilacqua said. "They really pushed academics into my decision-making and wanted me to use my athletic ability to go to a great university to get a great career. Michigan obviously has great athletics and academics, and then I was recruited by Carol Hutchins -- obviously a legend in the softball world -- and so that was also a huge factor in coming here. When my parents met her and had conversations with her, they knew that, being in her hands, I would continue to grow into a really successful woman."
Ilacqua started off her Michigan Softball career strong, appearing in 32 games and starting 23 at second base as a true freshman. She posted a .270 batting average and went 2-3 with a home run in her first career start against No. 5-ranked Oklahoma State, a game that will forever stand out to her as a career highlight. However, Ilacqua's freshman campaign was cut short due to a fractured sacrum in her hip area, a difficult injury to overcome.
"I didn't necessarily ever fully recover from the injury. And so one of the things I would give my new trainer testament to was that I had long had the idea that I was going to play a couple of innings at a time because my body couldn't really handle a ton, and I had kind of given up on the idea that my body would ever kind of feel the same," she said. "But she went to some outside sources and really fought for me and found a pretty good solution. So this year, I've been having a way better season. I've been feeling a lot better on the field. You know, I'm not constantly wondering if my hip's gonna hurt again. But I think just her determination to not let this be another year of the past is something that I really admire. She really stuck up for me, and that's something that I hope to do in the future if I'm ever in a position where I can stick up for someone. That was a really great lesson that she taught me."
Suffering a significant injury as a freshman is a challenge for any student-athlete. Ilacqua persevered and did not let the hardship affect her in the classroom. She is a senior in the School of Language, Arts, and the Sciences, majoring in economics, citing her mom's and sister's career in finance as a reason for pursuing this path. Debating between the Ross School of Business and an economics degree, Ilacqua wanted a more broad background of global economies that she could take with her into the financial world.
Through her academic journey and experiences at Michigan, Ilacqua has set herself up for success, accepting a job offer with JP Morgan, where she will be working as an analyst in their commercial investment banking division. She will be completing training in credit, banking and treasury roles, but she is most excited about learning more about the treasury position.
"Treasury is the role that I'm most excited for because it involves handling all of the products that we can service to all of our clients. You're still in-person and kind of in like a sales role, but that's not necessarily all you're doing," said Ilacqua. "So, the main goal is to go ahead and meet with the client if they have a problem, or if we have a solution that we think would be better for them, we will go and pitch that to them and be in the client's best interest to help make them more efficient, potentially saving them some money with new products that we come up with. So, that's the role that I think I'm most interested in, but I'm very excited to explore all three of the divisions before I'm able to make my decision."
The second baseman desires a position where she can have direct interface with clients, which aligns with one of her strengths of building relationships. She aspires to move up in the JP Morgan Treasury department into a product solution specialist role, allowing her to be an expert on specific products and close deals with clients.
With a promising job opportunity on the horizon, Ilacqua can now focus on having an impactful senior season with her body feeling closer to full strength compared with recent seasons. A veteran presence, Ilacqua has made her mark on the defensive side of the ball and is looking to continue using her vocal leadership and mentorship.
"We've got a lot of younger middle infielders, specifically freshmen, this year and so it's great seeing them work through drills and then being able to envision it from when I was a freshman, remembering the seniors who helped me out," Ilacqua said. "So I'm just hoping I can carry on that legacy of being able to be a good support system for them and get them in the right positions for the season."
When reflecting on her Michigan experience as she enters her final semester and last softball season, Ilacqua is extremely grateful for the opportunities she has had on the diamond and in the classroom that have helped prepare her for a bright future.
"I've learned how much I've grown as a person, and I've found that my values have shifted from when I came in as a freshman to when I'm leaving now as a senior," said Ilacqua. "I think things that are extremely important to me now are my family and friends and my career, to where I think when I was a freshman, a lot of it was like, you know, how hard I was working, how did I value myself, and how I was performing on the field?
"I think that overall, I've been the same person my whole four years; they just molded me into a better and more successful woman than I would have been if I hadn't come to the University of Michigan. I think that goes for all of my coaching staff, as well as all of the professors that I've had who have given their real-life and workforce experience into molding the kind of career that I think I would want to have."
A Michigan fan from a young age, Ilacqua achieved her dream of representing the Maize and Blue and took full advantage of her opportunities, becoming a reliable contributor on the softball team and further pursuing a career in finance through her economics degree. Overcoming obstacles along the way, Ilacqua learned more about herself and is now well-equipped for her career post-graduation.
