Marco Saglimbeni ’17 left his name across the Chapman men’s soccer record books when he concluded his collegiate soccer career. A three-time All-SCIAC First Teamer, two-time All-West Region selection, two-time Academic All-America selection, and one of Chapman’s top-10 scorers, Marco is no doubt one of the most well-rounded athletes to come through Chapman. The San Jose, Calif. native led the Panthers in goals in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons and ranks seventh all-time in Chapman history with 29 career goals.

Marco wasn’t just a star on the field, as you can tell by his two-time Academic All-American selections. He also double-majored in Biological Studies and Italian Studies. He completed his pre-med requirements at Chapman with every intention of taking a gap year before attending medical school. “However,” Marco said, “like most college students, my plan changed along the way, and I decided to attend Keck Graduate Institute to get a Master’s of Business & Science degree.” A change that has since brought him great opportunities.

During his time at KGI, Marco interned at a Medical Device company called Axonics for one summer before accepting a job at Blue Matter Consulting in San Francisco upon his graduation in May 2019. He’s been there ever since, serving as a Senior Consultant and working exclusively with life science, healthcare, biotech and biopharma companies.

Marco hasn’t let a major career shift change his love for the game, though. He still plays as often as he can, joining a variety of men’s teams in both Orange County and the Bay Area. When he first moved to San Francisco, he joined the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club and played for the longstanding competitive men’s league in the Bay Area. He is a proud season ticketholder for the San Jose Earthquakes, and still volunteers with Football for the World as an ambassador, something he began during his time at Chapman. Football for the World is “a non-profit that is focused on helping underprivileged kids (specifically girls / women) across the world gain access to soccer and ultimately live a better life through gear donations, field renovations, and soccer camps.”

“Funny enough, it was actually co-founded by another Chapman soccer alumnus (Danny Aviles ’07) and I’ve been able to travel to Jamaica twice now with the FFTW team,” Marco said.

When asked how being a student-athlete has helped him in his career/life journey, Marco mentioned gaining valuable teamwork, leadership, and discipline skills – a must for every student-athlete. But he also mentioned something that is not commonly heard: self-confidence. “My time within Chapman athletics gave me self-confidence that has propelled me to be successful in my graduate and professional endeavors.”

Chapman athletics wishes nothing but Marco and his fiancee, fellow Chapman alum Adriana Mattei ’17, the best of luck in their future endeavors!