Welcome to the greatest time of the year, the postseason!
This past weekend we wrapped up our Big Ten Conference play with a trip to the East Coast to play Rutgers. There are a few off-the-field memories from this weekend that I felt were special to our team and wanted to share here. This first one was on Friday after our first win of the series, with that win, we outright clinched the outright Big Ten Title and celebrated it with some new jewelry to commemorate the occasion. We each received the best Big Ten ring we could have ever asked for, an enormous Purple Ring Pop, supplied by none other than Jane Wagner.
Now if you are involved with Northwestern Athletics, you know Jane. But if you are just a softball fan, you may not realize the tremendous impact she has on our program. Jane's title at Northwestern is Assistant A.D. for Compliance, but to us, she is practically another part of our team who shows up for us every single day. I do not know any other person who works in the front office of an athletic department who makes it a point to come to almost every practice, show up as we get off the bus from an away trip no matter how late it is, befriends all of us enough to know our families and lives so she can check in on us. Northwestern is special because of the people like Jane and countless others who show up for our team every day so that we can be our best selves and feel supported on and off the field.
The next memory from the East Coast, was when we were able to see different alumni, family, and friends than we normally would see back in the Midwest. Shoutout to the entire Nader clan for making the game feel like a home crowd for us! The second impactful moment was listening to two of Northwestern's greatest alumni, Ndidi Massay and Dr. Chinazo O. Cunningham, who both marked their legacy in our softball program and are now leading as powerful careers in their own respective fields as the Vice President of CBS Sports for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. After the game on Saturday, they both shared with us pieces of advice that went straight to the heart on how meaningful this part of our lives will always be in creating these life-lasting friendships and memories. The part that stood out the most to me is how they both mentioned the postseason is the part of your career that will always stand out the most when you look back years down the road. Postseason is the time when your months of hard work are brought to the light as you compete for a Big Ten Tournament title and a National Championship. Along the way, while chasing those titles, you build lifelong memories of what happened when the game was on the line, the feeling of undeniable trust that you poured into your teammate, and screaming and celebrating every little moment with them. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
This journey that we are all about to embark on together in the postseason is once in a lifetime. Together let's not take any step of the way or moment for granted. Our story is being written as we speak, and we are going for it all, starting with the Big Ten Tournament Championship. One day at a time, let's write this postseason story together.
Sincerely,
Sydney Supple #26