She sets him up for success, while he goes the distance for her. Literally.
Senior Ashley Cudiamat, a DePaul volleyball setter, and graduate student Damian Rodriguez, who runs medium- and long-distance events for Blue Demon track, have been partners for almost two and a half years. Their bond resulted from their proximity as athletes and has stayed strong ever since.
Rodriguez became friends with DePaul volleyball players as a freshman before Cudiamat joined the following year.
“She was just around her team, and we’d go hang out with them,” Rodriguez said. “And that’s how we met initially. But we didn’t really start talking until winter quarter.”
Joe Knanishu, a current DePaul runner who’s known Rodriguez since middle school, saw him and Cudiamat getting closer, even before their relationship began.
“You could just see the connection between the two of them,” Knanishu said.
Fast-forward a few months to the 2022 autumn quarter — and they were dating. Rodriguez attends most of Cudiamat’s games, while Cudiamat drives down to Gately Indoor Park in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood to watch Rodriguez run.
“Our schedules are pretty similar,” Cudiamat said. “We practice at the same time, so we see each other whenever we can.”
Student-athlete life brings constant trade-offs between athletic, academic and social responsibilities. Rodriguez said he cannot miss practices to support Cudiamat at her road games, since other Big East venues are too far from Chicago.
“The class load’s pretty heavy, along with practices and competitions, especially being away,” Rodriguez said. “But I think, yeah, we just try and find the time where our schedules match up.”
Cudiamat’s role on the court involves providing accurate setups for teammate kills. She averaged 5.46 assists per set over four years, reaching the 1,000- and 2,000-assist milestones in her career.
Cudiamat also prevented opponent points with 289 digs in her senior season, eclipsing two digs per set for the first time.
“I like to tell people the achievements my girlfriend’s achieved,” Rodriguez said. “It’s nice to be able to brag about her.”
Rodriguez set a school record in the mile run (4:03.24) last year. He has won two 800-meter events, a mile event, a 6.44-kilometer event and registered 16 other top-five finishes since February 2021.
“I would say the same,” Cudiamat said. “He’s always being posted on Instagram, breaking records. He’s up on the wall of the Ray and outside the (Sullivan Athletic Center).”
Cudiamat said she has learned a lot about track from Rodriguez, including race times, but admittedly “will never run with him.” The opposite does not apply, since Cudiamat’s West Coast family plays volleyball.
“Whenever we’re out in California, we’ll play beach volleyball just for fun,” Rodriguez said.
The two also watch DePaul basketball games at Wintrust Arena, on television or online, depending on scheduling. They remain close with other DePaul teams — a skill which brought them together in the first place.
Knanishu said being an athlete requires good communication with teammates, coaches and peers — which translates to relationships. Rodriguez and Cudiamat both say they have learned a lot about each other while experiencing growth and maturity.
“I think Ashley challenged him a lot from a personal level,” Knanishu said.
Cudiamat, a health sciences major, wants to enroll in a physician assistant program after graduation. Rodriguez takes pride in watching her academic achievements and pursuits due to the medical field’s competitiveness.
“I think we figured out how to support each other,” Cudiamat said. “When we’re going through something, either at practice or in life, we know what the other person needs and how to respond to them.”
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- A season full of firsts for DePaul Volleyball – The DePaulia
- ‘Blue-collar’ mentality fuels DePaul on lakefront – The DePaulia
- DePaul’s recent success has team believing it’s turning the corner – The DePaulia
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