Jenna Fireovid ’28 defies all odds as founder of Women’s Club Ice Hockey at Clemson University
Two minutes: an insignificant amount of time to most people. But not for junior graphic communications major Jenna Fireovid, who spent these two minutes unconscious on the ice in full hockey gear — without a heartbeat.
Growing up in Clemson, ice hockey was not the most predictable hobby for a teenager to direct her interest. Nonetheless, Fireovid’s passion for the sport — inspired by her favorite teacher at the local R.C. Edwards Middle School — grew quickly, until ice hockey became “the best sport in the world” in her view.
Throughout middle and high school, Fireovid played for several teams locally and regionally before committing to her parents’ alma mater, SUNY Plattsburgh, a public university in Plattsburgh, New York. Though the school was 16 1/2 hours from home, Fireovid was eager to explore new opportunities, especially in athletics. The co-ed hockey team embraced her, and the public rink gave her a prime space to practice.
All was well. Until it wasn’t.
During a routine scrimmage skate with the men’s team on September 24, 2023, Fireovid remembers “pushing herself harder than ever before,” unaware of the harmful consequences. Suddenly, she collapsed on the ice, and responsive teammates rushed to check her pulse, only to not find one. Three individuals immediately began CPR — one doing compressions, one counting and another holding Fireovid steady to promote airflow. When she finally regained consciousness in the ambulance, Fireovid was extremely confused, unaware of the cause of what she later learned was a cardiac arrest.
Alone in a hospital bed over 1,000 miles from her family, Fireovid received her diagnosis — long QT syndrome (LQTS), a heart rhythm disorder affecting the electrical signals that travel through the heart. This hereditary condition prevents the heart from quickly recharging in between beats; instead, the organ requires a long recovery interval, and an athlete playing a fast-paced sport such as hockey cannot afford this time. Doctors recommended that Fireovid not step foot on the ice again.
But Fireovid refused to give up the sport without a fight. The following February, she received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) — a device embedded in the chest, similar to a pacemaker, that monitors the heart’s rhythm and delivers a lifesaving shock in an emergency. Christened “Sparky” by Fireovid, the ICD provided extra protection and peace of mind, and it was an important step in her return to ice hockey.
A Return Home
Given everything she had been through, Fireovid wanted to surround herself with the people she loved most, and this wish inspired her to move back home. She completed her second semester at SUNY Plattsburgh, then transferred to Clemson University to complete her degree in a familiar setting. Back in the place that first inspired her love for hockey, she began searching for ways to adapt her favorite sport to a new limited lifestyle.
After several emotional conversations, Fireovid and her doctors settled on a compromise: She could continue playing hockey, but her heart rate would have to be monitored and kept down for her safety. She would need to play in short shifts, take medication and not push herself as hard as she might want. Fireovid eagerly agreed to these terms. Anything to play the game she loved most.
Once home, she took to the ice again, playing weekly under new restrictions in an adult league based out of Greenville, South Carolina. Here, she saw the impact of her efforts to raise awareness about her condition. The team honored her limitations and did its best to give her the best experience possible under adverse circumstances. Several teammates even decided to take CPR training classes, just in case she were to have another heart attack.
With this strong support system, Fireovid returned to the ice with confidence again. Though the game looked a little different, she refused to let the diagnosis steal her passion, and it shone through every minute she played. While she enjoyed weekly recreational games, Fireovid missed playing in a competitive college setting. Unfortunately, Clemson didn’t have a women’s ice hockey team. Yet.
“I decided that I would give it a shot. I would make my own team,” she said.
And that she did. On April 26, 2025, Fireovid established Clemson Women’s Club Ice Hockey. The program is part of the College Hockey South conference within the larger American Collegiate Hockey Association, joining other major schools such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The team — composed of 13 women, a head coach, a skills coach and a faculty advisor — had a successful first tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee, and will continue its season through March 2026.
Not only did Fireovid make an incredible, individual comeback to the sport, but she has dedicated her time at Clemson to bringing others into the community that changed her life. Under Fireovid’s leadership as team president, the team continues to grow and develop. Her dream is to see the program succeed beyond her years at Clemson, and she is doing her part now by mentoring teammates to fill her skates in the future.
“I live with LQTS every day, but I don’t let it define me,” Fireovid said with fierce determination. Her story is one of resilience, passion and courage, and these traits are the foundation of an incredible legacy — one that inspires and empowers.
