Villanova's crying piccolo girl, a year later, is smiling now, headed to Houston

It's been a year since Villanova senior Roxanne Chalifoux — better known to the masses as the Villanova crying piccolo girl — played her final notes through tears in the ultimate display of March sadness. Her top-seeded Villanova Wildcats were about to be upset by North Carolina State and miss out on the Sweet 16 again.

Chalifoux became a viral sensation, a meme, her tears representing the pain of a major NCAA tournament upset. She explained later that part of the emotion stemmed from her realization that it was her last game as a senior, and she was reflecting on how much being part of the band had meant to her over her four years.

The fascination with Chalifoux reached crazy levels — she was invited to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and she was even immortalized as a bobblehead.

Now, with Villanova headed to the Final Four for the first time since 2009, USA TODAY Sports decided to check in with the (hopefully a lot happier) Chalifoux to see what she's up to these days.

Chalifoux is in her first year of optometry school at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University; she lives just north of Philadelphia in the Elkins Park area, she told USA TODAY Sports via email Monday afternoon.

"It has been so exciting to watch Villanova this year!" Chalifoux wrote. "Even though I'm no longer a college student, I've loved watching the team this year.  Watching them beat Kansas was one of my favorite games this year."

Chalifoux said she never thought she would become a meme, and while going viral could seem annoying to some, she's enjoyed it and finds it fun to talk about — even now.

"Going viral was definitely overwhelming," Chalifoux wrote. "I constantly reminded myself that everything was going to be OK and that I had so much love around me. My friends and family supported me through it all and that meant the world to me. It was a bit of a blur at the time — everything happened so fast. It's nice to reflect on the craziness, though. It was such a unique experience and through the ups and downs, I'll treasure the memories I made."

Chalifoux will be in Houston next weekend for the Final Four.