Column: Crying in the Stands on Senior Night

Every year, many of our Loyola student-athletes take the court, field or track for the last time. We hear from the coaches about each graduating fourth-year, watch them receive a framed jersey commemorating their time as a student-athlete and maybe even tear up a little.

Last year, as I sat in the stands at the final home softball game, I saw a whopping seven team members receive recognition. Seven players I’ve watched during my time at Loyola I’d soon never see play again. 

As they walked toward the rest of their team holding their frame-encased jersey with announcers reading statements from the coaches, it hit me. 

Being The Phoenix’s softball beat writer last season, I attended every game and even traveled to Northwestern where I happily sat in the cold and rain, watching the team play. 

As someone who’s spent years cheering for our Rambler athletes, I can say the Senior Nights we’ve seen so far for our fall sports teams have felt different. Worse, even. 

This year, I’m a fourth-year too, and I’m not out there playing the game, but it still feels as though I’m on this journey with them. When they step off the field for the last time, the sense of finality is as real for me as it is for them. 

During my time with The Phoenix, I’ve done several features, many on graduating fourth or fifth-year student-athletes. Typically, I’d round off our interviews with two questions — the first inquired about their respective approaches to each game they play, and the last asked about their specific hopes for the remainder of the season. 

The answers to both of these questions typically involved some mention about how this was their final year to participate in their sport collegiately. Even as they neared the end of their seasons, no matter if it was a particularly good one or not, they’ve always mentioned savoring every moment. 

Whether it be on the field or special moments with their teammates and coaching staff, I’ve heard first-hand how many of Loyola’s fourth-years main goal for the season is to relish in every practice and game. 

For most athletes, their journey with their sport started extremely young — some as young as 3-years-old. Preschoolers and kindergarteners start their journey in something they’ll continue for over 15 years, making it to Division I athletics –  one of the highest levels of competition. 

They do this for four more years, sometimes five, and then one day, in November, April, March or May, it’s just over. 

For over a decade, they’ve had this constant in their lives —  attending daily practices, weekly games and, in a way, dedicating their lives to their sport. For most of our athletes, senior night marks the final chapter. 

Even as a fan, it’s hard not to feel the weight of the moment. At Loyola, a mid-major conference school, the weight is even heavier. While some of our athletes do end up playing their sports professionally, often in foreign countries, for a lot of our athletes, there won’t be a next step in their playing careers. 

Students play out of passion for the game, which makes watching them even more special. The same student-athletes we see on the court are part of our daily lives — we sit next to them in class, see them on the shuttle, spot them walking in Damen and even see them cheering on other athletes at our sporting events. 

As a sports writer for The Phoenix, I’ve probably spent more time combing through the Loyola Athletics website than the average person, analyzing rosters and collecting information. I could tell you the various hometowns and achievements of many of our Rambler student-athletes without even thinking. 

The Phoenix has given me a unique perspective on our athletes, enabling me to look past the team record, number of goals scored, assists made, blocks or race times. I’ve heard athletes’ unique journeys to Loyola — their passion and motivations.

I’ve written about individual success, failures, setbacks and everything in between. 

For many student-athletes, a Thursday night game is another chance to live out the dreams they had back in preschool, and every fan in the stands is there living that moment right alongside them.

Senior night signals the closing of a chapter in a book we’ve been lucky enough to follow from the stands. It reminds us how four years seems like a long time when we first arrive, but as those years go on, we realize just how fleeting these years are — both for the athletes and for the rest of us who’ve been here to watch, cheer and tell their stories. In so many ways, we’re on that journey with them, and when they step off the field for the last time, we feel that finality too. 

Attending games this year, I get the same sense of finality — the feeling that I too am running out of time. Just like the athletes, I know I’ll soon be moving on from the place I’ve been for the last four years, leaving behind routines I’ll never get back.

I think many of us see being a student-athlete as the best collegiate experience you could possibly have — the scholarship money, travel, those cool parkas — and senior night brings everything back down to reality. No matter who we are, our time at Loyola doesn’t last forever. 

Watching these athletes say goodbye on Senior Night is a preview of our own farewells. 

To all of our senior Loyola athletes, thank you for every game, every highlight reel moment and for deciding to play here at Loyola. By wearing the Loyola logo and the Rambler name, you’ve given everyone on campus something to root for and memories which will last far after we’ve all graduated. 

Even after the last game, you’ll always be a part of this school and its history.