Our season is not quite over, but every year, our school puts on a huge athletic banquet called the Argies for all of our 400+ athletes to attend. It’s a wonderful event and it’s always fun to dress up since we’re still in season and don’t get that opportunity very often in the spring. The Argies were held this past Monday, and it was definitely one for the books. We watched some awesome highlight videos and congratulated various teams on their championship wins from last spring up to now. There were also a few awards given out, none of which I expected to receive. However, I was wrong. I was awarded the SAAC Athlete of the Year, which is an amazing accomplishment and one that I am very proud of. It was a delightful surprise and my teammates and coaches were hootin’ and hollerin’ the most out of the entire crowd. Receiving this award not only made me feel good about my time in SAAC (an athletic committee made up of representatives from every sport) but my time at UWF as a whole.
My collegiate athletic career has not been at all what I was initially hoping for. In four years on the softball team, I have never been a true starter nor have I even played that many innings. There were a few times where I even thought about hanging up my cleats. But, I stuck with it. I told myself that I chose to take this sport further and I wasn’t about to give up on that now. I filled roles that needed to be filled, even if that meant being a light in the dugout for the girls to feed off of. I put my heart into whatever I was tasked with doing, and it did, in fact, pay off. Maybe I won’t leave this program as an All-American, but I am leaving knowing that I made a difference in people’s lives. What more could I ask for?