Hello all!
In this article, I want to highlight a few teammates who played with me at Arizona, but found homes at other universities as a part of their journey. These are a few people who made a massive impact on me, regardless of how much time we got to spend together. They deserve all of the love and appreciation for being Wildcats, while also prioritizing themselves and their own journeys. There are three people that I will forever be grateful for the fact that I was able to suit up and take the field with them as a Wildcat, and they are Giulia Koutsoyanopolus, Bella Dayton and Ali Ashner.
I’ll start with G. Giulia may go down in history as the funniest human being on the planet. We were roommates our freshman year, and had nightly dance parties and karaoke sessions. She was and will forever be my partner in crime. Not only was G one of my favorite teammates to be around, she is a phenomenal athlete. How many lefty catchers do you see in college softball? Not many, right? G has caught a large percentage of the games at her new home, the University of Tennessee. She is a freak athlete, and plays an insane first base as well. Oh, and outfield too. A true utility. I could talk about her athletic abilities for a while, but I could talk about her human abilities forever. Thank you, G, for making two of my collegiate years wonderful and for reminding me to enjoy these moments we have as student-athletes. Keep leading the Vols to victory.
Next, I have to shout out Bella Dayton. One of the most intense, competitive humans I’ve ever met and played with. Bella was a quiet kid while we were teammates, but I always had such a respect for her. I knew she was someone I wanted to succeed, because she showed up and put in the work the right way. Bella is now at the University of Texas, and has been the competitor I know she is as a Longhorn for the last couple years. Here’s one thing I’d say that describes Bella, that I will never forget and will always be the way I think of her. She sent me flowers for my senior day. I will never forget that. Such a thoughtful thing to do, by such a thoughtful person. I look up to you, Bella, and will always have a ton of respect and love for you too. Keep doing you and setting the tone.
Lastly, I’d like to shout out Ali Ashner. A teammate who I never expected to have but can’t imagine never having. Ashner joined us last year, and made a lasting impact on my life. She reminded me how important it is to enjoy every second. No matter what type of day I had, I knew I could leave the field with a friend that always made me smile. She is now at Utah State University, finishing out her last year of softball. I’ve been so incredibly proud of her and will never forget the way she made me feel as a human. I can’t thank her enough for that, thank you Ashner.
I’ll end this with one of my favorite quotes:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
Thanks guys, talk to you soon!
Allie
LINK: MORE IN THE ARENA WITH ALLIE SKAGGS
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