With the school year coming to an end, the class of 2022 is getting ready to say goodbye to their favorite sports. Since freshman year, seniors have been putting in the work in order to perform at their best.

Megan Degrand ’22 is a captain on the girls’ track and field team. Degrand joined the team freshman year and was moved by the wide range of events and the team atmosphere.

“I was really taken in by the sense of community and unity in a way,” Degrand said.
“There were a variety of events that I wanted to continue doing, and I wanted to see how I would progress over the next four years.”

Degrand believes that playing her sport all four years has improved her ability on the track.

“It’s linear progression, and I’ve improved a lot,” Degrand said. “My confidence and preparation have gotten better and I feel like I’ve just gotten better at handling my races.”

Degrand said participating in track all four years has also allowed her to improve her team support.

“I feel like I know what I’m doing more and I can be a support system for other people, like incoming underclassmen,” Degrand said. “I can help lead them in the correct direction since I have had experience for all these years.”

Molly Wysocki ’22 has also grown as an individual through her sport. Wysocki is a member of the girls varsity tennis team. She has continued to play her sport because she enjoys seeing her team members and their progression.

“I think it’s a really good way to de-stress and I like the people on the team that I’ve grown the past four years with,” Wysocki said. “It’s been an influential experience to see the progress of the team and it’s brought more of a team environment to tennis, which I really like.”

Wysocki said her sport has also taught her to be tough-minded and how to work well under pressure.

“I had never really experienced the pressure that comes along with playing in a competitive match before playing on a high school team,” Wysocki said. “So I’ve learned a lot about being able to calm myself down in a pressure situation, but also to work through it with my partner and communicate in order to help us overcome that pressure and win the match.”

Alex Tigges ’22 believes his 4 years on South’s baseball teams have helped to increase his motivation to perform well on the field.

“Practice is more so repetition than learning new stuff, and when you’re learning new stuff, it’s on your own time,” Tigges said. “High school gets you motivated to work on your own and get better for the team and everybody else.”

Tigges is grateful that he has continued to play his sport and believes that it has significantly benefited him.

“It’s kept me in shape and helped me keep my dream of maybe going on to play in college,” Tigges said. “It’s kept me active, kept me doing things I love to do, and improved my friendships.”