As the new academic year begins, a group of incoming freshman student athletes prepares to start their collegiate careers. These athletes, representing various sports, bring a range of skills and achievements from their high school careers. With their respective seasons set to begin, they start their transition to competition at the collegiate level,a new environment of challenge. The upcoming season offers their first opportunity to contribute to their teams and showcase their abilities on a larger stage.
“I’ve played soccer for as long as I can remember,” soccer player Jiselle Zavaleta said. “I was raised going to the fields every weekend because of my dad, so I was bound to fall in love with the sport and I am extremely fortunate enough to be playing at the college level now.”
Some of the athletes arrive with varied histories in their respective sports, and are now ready to adapt to the higher level of competition that collegiate sports demands.
“I started running my 8th grade year, that’s when I fell in love,” runner Lilyana Castro said. “My mom made me do it to start off. I then ran all my freshman through senior year. I was on varsity all four years, and I knew this is what I am good at, and that’s what I want to continue doing. I want to PR (personal record) this season, make it under 19 (minutes) for the 5K and just really push my limit.”
Others have thought to have a natural calling to their sport.
“I was that try-hard Pacer Test kid,” runner Arlo Gonazales said. “I remember joining a running club in fourth grade at my school, it gave me something to do. I started doing actual sports in 7th grade. I did all of them but cross-country was something that I was just naturally good at. I was terrible at basketball, terrible in football, just terrible in everything.”
Beyond the excitement of starting their athletic career on campus, these student athletes are still facing the challenges that come with the first year of college life, especially when it comes to balancing athletics and academics.
“It’s been pretty hard managing academics and my sport,” Gonzales said. “I am a Kinesiology major, so my teammates and I like to go to Holy Cross Hall and set aside time to study there. We’ll sit down for an hour or two and fill out our SLOs for biology and chemistry.”
Though most athletes looked forward to continuing their collegiate life on campus, others were not as enthusiastic.
“I’m gonna be honest. St. Edward’s was not my first choice at all,” runner Adriana Rodriguez said. “My mother was originally supposed to go here when she was younger but she didn’t. When I was sorting everything out and looking at my choices, this school was the last one on my list but I decided to do it for my mom.”
But with the support of family and others on campus, Rodriguez was quick to call St. Edward’s home.
“I really like it now, everybody’s been really welcoming and helpful,” Rodriguez said. “I’m a first generation student. I come from a big family, seven siblings with ages ranging from 20 to two months. So by the grace of God and the help of my parents, I am glad to be here.”
With all the support, the new recruits are setting their sights on what the future holds for their respective seasons.
“Some goals for the team are to win conference and make the playoffs,” soccer player Vincent Morales said. “This will take loads of work and commitment from the guys. A common phrase that keeps getting reiterated by the coaches is that ‘We have to buy in.’ I think if we got everyone to do this and truly commit we could be a very good team with potential for a successful season and postseason.”
For some, individual achievements such as learning new skills and stepping up as leaders are top priorities.
“I want to build stronger communication skills by having the confidence to speak to others,” Gonzales said. “ This year we have a good group of seniors, strong sophomore leaders, and an eager freshmen class. For our freshman class, it is really gonna be up to us to mature and become the new leaders once all the seniors graduate. I want to learn how to become a leader early on to help out all the new runners that come in next year.”
As our athletes gear up for the new season, the excitement on the Hilltop is palpable. With a mix of youthful energy from the freshmen and the seasoned determination of others, the St. Edward’s athletic programs are looking forward to a dynamic and promising year ahead.
“To anyone wondering if they should come check out a game, absolutely come and be loud,” Morales said. “The team feeds off the energy so we love it when fans come out to cheer us on.”
Gonzales would run “As corny as it sounds, I want to make it a winning culture,” Gonzales said “There is a huge history of cross-country here, it’s even been taken away and brought back before.”