Nick Vernon, Campus Carrier Sports Editor
As spring semester sports seasons begin, teams returns stronger and more experienced than the year before. The upperclassmen provide experience and developed skillsets, coaches have more to go off of, and the teams welcome new incoming freshmen.
Freshmen athletes do not only have to cope with the more demanding expectations and time constraints of practice and games. They also have to adjust to a new living environment, new friends, and new academic challenges. Many freshmen also have to adjust to life in a new state.
Freshman lacrosse player Keiley Ayers is from Ohio, so adjusting to the weather in Georgia was one of the first hurdles she had to overcome in practice. She said she underestimated how hot and humid fall semester practices would be.
“One of the reasons why I chose to come to Berry and play lacrosse here was because of the warm weather,” she said. “It took a while for me to adjust to the heat and humidity and was a challenge for me during practice when it was hot outside because I just wasn’t used to it.”
It’s not just the weather that’s different for Ayers. She says her team at Berry is significantly different from her high school team.
“A lot of the people on my team where not very committed to lacrosse and the school program,” she said. “I’ve noticed that at the college level, at least in women’s lacrosse, every single player has a passion for the sport and is willing to put in the work needed for them to excel and help the team.”
She said she can trust all her teammates on the field, which is different from her high school team.
Freshman softball player Kylie Aiken said the time and energy demands of college softball far exceed her experiences in high school.
“So far, being a college athlete is definitely more demanding, especially since we sometimes have up to five practices a day,” she said. “We also put more time and effort into our practices and are able to see the product of our hard work which is very rewarding.”
As a result of more dedication, Aiken said the team is closer and the reward for all the hard work is much larger.
“Our coaches take it way more seriously here than what I experienced in high school, and since everyone invests more time in it, it is more of a lifestyle than anything,” she said. “Softball at Berry is a lot more involved. Unlike high school, it isn’t just about practice and games. There is a lot more involved since we have weights, study hall, hitting, meetings, leadership council, community service, traveling, etc. Since we have so many practices together, we travel together, and live together, I have closer relationships with my teammates than I did in high school which is a pleasant surprise.”
As freshmen athletes look to become an integral part of their new team, they often look to the leadership of upperclassmen for advice.
Ayers said she knows she can look up to her upperclassmen teammates on and off the lacrosse field.
“I am always open to hearing any advice that they may have for me,” she said. “I want to be an asset for the team and to be someone that makes the team complete. For my last season, I want to be a role model for the younger players.”
Aiken said she is very open with whatever her role ends up being on the softball team this year.
“I am willing to step in wherever my coach needs me to put the team in the best position to win,” she said. “I want to help my team so we can win Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Conference Championship this season.”
Aiken has high goals for herself as a freshman, and also hopes to help the team progress in the years to come.
“Personally, my goal is to be a part of the SAA All Team or be awarded as the SAA Freshman of the Year,” she said. “By the time I graduate, I hope to help the Lady Vikings make our first appearance in the NCAA tournament.”
Freshmen athletes like Ayers and Aiken learn and grow a lot from their new experiences on and off the field. In the process, however, they are able to provide new energy and skills for their teams.
The softball team will play their first conference game on March 7 at Birmingham-Southern. Women’s Lacrosse lost their first conference game on Feb. 14 at Rhodes College, and will play at home against Hendrix College on Feb. 22.