By Koby Parry
The school year is coming to an end, and for some that means the sunset of their athletic careers. To honor our senior athletes, we’ve asked representatives from each sport to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with Southern Virginia Athletics.
In a two-sectioned article (click here to read the other section), graduating spring athletes will be highlighted. To view graduates from baseball, track, and softball, read below.
(Certain spring sport representatives were contacted for an interview, below are the responses we received).
Baseball
Dylan Boyce
Will Parker
Jackson Massey
Jake Watson
Tyson Toller
McKade Parker
What made you choose SVU sports over other programs?
“I have been involved in many different aspects of SVU. The thing that has kept me in sports and continuing to choose baseball is my teammates and the spirit of competition. Sports teaches you to continually improve. You have to fight and work hard to get better for yourself and your team. There’s no better feeling when competing and giving your all knowing you have put the work in behind the scenes, and that feeling could only be obtained through baseball for me.
Oh, goodness. How hasn’t Coach Schleg impacted my life is a better question. There is no one at this school that is willing to fight for me more than Coach Schleg. When I found out my wife was pregnant, he was the first person to notice that there was a different feeling about me. When I have had struggles in the classroom, he is the first to ask me what’s going on and how to do better. When I am having personal struggles, he is one of the first people to notice and ask how I’m doing. On the field he is a leader, and off the field he is a leader. He has helped me become a better man, friend, athlete, disciple, husband and father.
My teammates are always there for me. They are the guys that say thank you and appreciate how much work I put in on and off the field. Whenever my daughter is near the team, I have never seen a more respectful and loving group of guys. They play with her, laugh with her, and want to befriend her even though she is only 18 months old. They have made her a part of our team and family. They ask me about her constantly, it’s like they care more about her than me. Haha
These guys are my family. They would be there in a moment if I asked for help and they know I would be there for them at a moment’s notice. We are tight-knit. I don’t have any biological brothers… but I have 35 brothers I have bonded with through blood, sweat, and sometimes tears.”
Track and Field
Kyandra Chandler
Daniel De La Cruz
Emma Nelson
Aaron Leavitt
Cole Oldham
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from SVU athletics being on multiple teams is that no matter where you are (D1,D2,D3, NAIA, Juco etc…) someone is always gonna be faster, hit harder, throw further, etc… The difference is to them it’s a job. At a D3 like SVU we play and compete because we love the sport, not as a job but as a sport that brings us happiness to do. I’ve learned from SVU that happiness in athletics is the most important part of athletics. I’ve been on teams that win back to back to back conference championships and 1–9 teams but I’ve always loved the sport I was doing and I was able to excel in all of them. Happiness over success.”
Softball
Adisen Webster
Barrett Jessop
Emily Oldham
Krystal Kemp
Krailyn Guymon
Syney Matis
Chloe Cochran
“My coaches are all amazing and inspiring. I 100% know that if I needed them, they would be there to support me. All of the coaches show up for their players, on and off the field. They’ve impacted my life by allowing me to be a part of such an amazing group of girls. And with that, they’ve shown me what it means to be a genuine and loving person. They’ve all left a mark on me and have made me a better person, and I’ll always remember them for that.”
“My teammates are crackheads, and I love them all! As a team, we have each other’s backs and are truly able to celebrate our successes with each other. This team is different, as these girls strive to be successful while supporting the girl next to them to be equally successful. There’s a level of tenacity that these girls have, they’ve taught me to be proud of myself and to push myself to the next level. Like my coaches, I’ll always remember these girls as amazing and loving (and definitely crazy).”
Men’s Golf
Cameron Berthold
Jarret Fultz
Jacob Hanchett
Read about his time at Southern Virginia here.
Women’s Golf
Brinley Pulsipher
To all of our senior athletes, we want to say thank you for representing our school and for your dedication, sacrifice, and determination in your respective sports.
Honoring our Seniors: Senior Spring Athletes was originally published in The Herald on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
