Softball winds up with spring break training

by Allison Grande

Friday April 28, 2006

Fourteen Sarah Lawrence students spent the last five days of their Spring Break practicing on Marshall Field twice a day (including a 10 a.m. practice each day), visiting the batting cages in White Plains, ordering cheeseburgers the size of their heads at the Argonaut Diner, and spending quality team-bonding time together.

These five days constituted the first ever Spring Break training session for the softball team. In only the second year of competitive conference play, softball at Sarah Lawrence has grown from an intramural team that played its first game against the Athletic Department Staff in May of 2003 to the defending Invitational Tournament Champions at the start of this season. Although this year’s team features only two returning players from last year’s team, which graduated ten seniors, it boasts many of the same qualities as last season’s squad.

“Like last year’s team, everyone just works hard at every practice, whether they’ve played before or whether they’ve barely even heard of the game, and there’s none of the cattiness that happens on so many sports teams at other places,” returning senior and Co-Captain Kerri Hunter said.

“What hasn’t changed from the beginning of the team’s formation [in 2003] is the level of commitment and passion that all of those involved have consistently demonstrated,” said senior Co-Captain Anna DiBiase, who was a member of the inaugural intramural team three years ago.

Coach Mary LeVine, who has seen the team through every step of its journey to become a full-fledged league competitor, recognizes the potential of this team.

“The team is a great group of people that work extremely hard,” LeVine said. “They have a lot of passion for the game, and I’m looking forward to the season because I feel like we learn more with every practice. The attitude of the team is very positive.”
Besides DiBiase and Hunter, this year’s team consists of seniors Catherine “Tex” Bailey, Ella Haselwerdt, Ashley Lewis, Cammy Middour, Kyla Massey, Andi Mudd and Annika Shore; juniors Paige Rentz and Nina Sorheim; sophomore Allison Grande; and first years Katie Rau, Lauren Glowzenski, Georgia Bendat and Liat Alon.

Over the course of the seven doubleheaders the team will play throughout April, the team hopes to continue to learn and improve. Even before its first game, they have shown great improvement from their first practices held at the end of February.

“Everyone works hard, and I have noticed major improvement throughout the season thus far,” said Rau, who attends every practice even though a broken wrist prevents her from participating in most of the drills.

LeVine, who is helped by Assistant Coach Alyson Berman, believes that this commitment and improvement can be attributed to the team’s impressive work ethic thus far. “People are on time, they work hard, they pay attention, they’re listening, they’re hustling, and they’re enjoying the process, so I think the outlook for the season is good.”

Both captains agree that the season ahead looks promising and that the team chemistry that has developed this early in the season is impressive.

“I think that our dynamic as a team is incredible. We are all friends, and we all obviously want to be here, playing the game with each other at every practice and every game,” DiBiase said.
“I am so impressed with the way the team has come together,” Hunter agreed. “The two things that strike me the most about playing with this team are the level of dedication and the cohesion of the group.”

Ultimately, the team remains focused on enjoying each other’s company and working together toward achieving a successful season.

“I certainly want people to feel like they’ve developed friendships and learned something from being involved in the program,” LeVine said. “Success to me is not wins and losses; success is what you learned along the way and what memories you will keep.”

DiBiase exemplifies this goal and echoes the sentiments of her fellow teammates as she recalls nothing but positive lessons and memories from her time as an SLC Softball Gryphon.

“I believe that I speak for all of us when I say that softball has been one of the most significant and enjoyable experiences of my college career, and to be able to participate in my final semester at Sarah Lawrence is an exceptional pleasure,” she said.

The softball team will play two doubleheaders at home on Marshall Field this season on Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29.

Allison Grande is a member of the Sarah Lawrence softball team.