WASHINGTON, PA (May 5, 2020) – Michael Heinl and Hunter Neely were at the 2020 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ready to cap off stellar collegiate wrestling careers when the announcement came: the Championships were canceled, 由于冠状病毒.
华盛顿 & 澳门葡京博彩软件 seniors had wrestled since their freshman year, racking up accolades along the way. They’d helped lead the Presidents to the team title at the PAC Wrestling Championships in February - the wrestling team’s first PAC team title since 1999 ——并准备好了下一步. 但后来，一切都变了.
“一开始我简直不敢相信. 我很震惊，”海因尔说. “Then I started thinking about all the months of hard work and sacrifice that went into the season. Everything was for the NCAA tournament and now we wouldn’t have the chance to go out and compete. 我甚至无法解释我当时的感受.”
Knowing that many students missed out on finishing senior seasons with their teammates, the W&J Athletic Department has been honoring seniors each week with Spring Sports Senior Recognition posts on the W&J田径网站，以及在社交媒体上. 教练也将球队团结在一起.
Head wrestling coach Tommy Prairie knows that this semester is really tough. He leads individual and team checkups each week via Zoom, and used the platform to give away awards from the season. Team members are on individual workout plans based on the equipment they have access to at home, and Prairie checks in regularly to make sure they’re on track athletically and academically.
Prairie said his athletes are upbeat on group chats, but he knows the seniors have been affected more than others this season. The end of their college athletic career feels anticlimactic, and they’re experiencing an unprecedented feeling of being “in-between.”
“Most of them said their dorm rooms are exactly as they left them before break, but they know they will never live in them again,普雷里说. “They are stuck in a place where they cannot move onto the next step in their lives, 但其实已经不在大学了.”
Lacrosse player Jenna Allen knows how this feels. She said she never thought she’d miss her residence hall room, but now would give just about anything for some more time there with her friends and teammates.
“As a senior, I always knew the day would come where I would have to say goodbye to the sport I love and the school that changed my life, but I didn’t realize that it would come in early March,” she said. “因为澳门葡京博彩软件输掉了这个赛季, to not having professors there in person to help with an assignment, it has definitely been a big change from the last four years.”
对于这些学生, their coaches and teammates have kept them going, 带来舒适, support and routine to an unusual semester. Allen, 他住在佛罗里达, said she always leaned on her team to be her family away from home, and is grateful the coaches have been making the effort to keep everyone together. 她的长曲棍球教练, 艾莉森Valerio, 使用GroupMe保持联系, 加入她的团队进行在线锻炼, holding individual check-ups and team meetings, and celebrating what would have been Senior Day.
“I love being able to see my teammates and hear them talk about their weeks, 即使发生的事情不多,” Allen said. “I think this time would be a lot harder if I didn’t have them.”
Heinl agreed. “They’re my second family and I’m so grateful to know them,” he said. “I still don’t feel closure to my wrestling career, but I know I’m prepared for the next part of my life. My family, teammates and coaches have prepared me for my true goal – not to just be a champion in wrestling, 而是要成为生活中的冠军.”
本文是《澳门葡京博彩软件》的一部分, a series of articles and videos showcasing the ways in which W&J community members are adapting to new situations and supporting each other during this unprecedented time. 阅读本系列的其他文章 W&J新闻板块.
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Washington & 澳门葡京博彩软件, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. 欲了解更多关于W&J, visit khi2.sushipizza.net，或致电888 - w -和-杰.