2003

In the past four years, members of Penn's sports teams have competed with the best athletes in the nation and excelled. They have won Ivy League titles and ventured deep in the NCAA championships.

All of this, of course, under the duress of an Ivy curriculum.

Over the past four years, Penn athletes have competed without scholarship, for the love of the sport and for no other reason. They have developed ties that will last a lifetime, bonds that were forged after hours of honing their craft on the hallowed Penn fields.

And now, as they enter the "real world" nearly all will leave behind the competitive sporting life that has largely defined their lives until this point.

These six Penn athletes have epitomized the concept of the Ivy League student-athlete in their four years at this University.

As they move to another segment of their lives, they leave us with their thoughts on the experiences of being a student-athlete at the University of Pennsylvania. Best of luck to everyone.

Ryan Harwood

Men's Tennis

Nobody can imagine how much these four years as a Penn tennis player have meant to me. The times I have spent with my coaches and all my teammates have been invaluable. I always gave myself a hard time about all the sacrifices I had to make as a junior and college tennis player. But the truth is, I would not give back one single moment, not one match, not one team dinner, not one bus ride. Nothing.

The knowledge a college athlete gains in his career is something that no one else will ever learn. Being a collegiate tennis player is a very demanding task, and it is not fit for most people. Throughout my experience, I've learned a great deal of discipline and extraordinary time-management skills.

To go a step further, the knowledge a tennis player gains is something that will stay with us forever and makes us mature beyond our years.

Tennis is the only sport in the world where you learned to compete alone your whole life, instilling an "every man for himself" mentality; and then when you enter college, you must learn the art of teamwork in order to succeed, yet still compete as an individual.

What other sport, aside from maybe boxing, is almost everything in your hands, and you must learn as an individual, to be so resilient, because the next match, no teammate can bail you out and you're alone out there?

And when things are going well, you're king, and nobody can stop you. But when you take a bad loss, which everyone does, I honestly think tennis is the sport in which you experience the ultimate disappointment.

For this reason, I am confident in myself and all my teammates entering the real world because we have experienced disappointment. We have experienced adversity, but no matter what, we always bounce back and ask for the next challenge.

No student who was not a student-athlete completely understood why I always stayed with tennis. Friends would often ask, "If you're so overwhelmed, can't you just leave the team?"

The best answer to that question is that the payoff that would come with leaving a college sport is not close to the payoff you receive while playing the sport.

Playing tennis gave me the opportunity to feel the adrenaline rush when my coach announced my name in the lineup, experience the true feeling of victory when you clinch a match for the team, not just get a win by yourself.

These were the emotions that I craved each and every match and worked hard for in practice so that when match time came, I knew I would be able to go that extra step for myself, my teammates, my coach and my school. These are the emotions that you can never regain, so I wanted to remember them for the rest of my life.

Now the unfortunate part is that I am not only leaving behind my collegiate career, but I am also leaving behind my little brothers and my coaches.

The relationships I have formed with my teammates have made my career the best one I could have asked for. They made a routine activity such as 2 p.m. practice an exciting part of my day. Because of all these ties that we have formed, I know they will always be there for me, as I will definitely always be there for any of them whenever they need me.

One of the main reasons I had success as a collegiate tennis player was because of my coach's contagious competitive spirit and constant guidance. Having the support of my coach and my teammates was an inspiration to never give up. These memories that I take away with me will last forever.

Alex Kopicki

Men's Lacrosse

Franklin Field, the Palestra, Rhodes Field -- these are the sanctuaries of any Penn athlete.

As Penn athletes, we come to know them well, from the touch of the floor in the Palestra, to the position of the sun rising and setting over Franklin Field. However, there's much more to athletics here than the mystique of their historically rich facilities. The true essence lies within the athletes.

Few Penn athletes will compete on a professional level. However, that's not what drives us. A passion for sport, a desire to win and a love of competition are what distinguish Penn athletes. For most, in the end, signing bonuses and professional contracts are pipe dreams forgotten long ago.

Instead of a big payday, we are provided with invaluable lessons as Penn athletes, lessons not learned in the classroom. We are taught to be just as hardworking and intense through a losing season as a winning one, to embrace both defeat and victory and to prepare for future competition with the same attitude and work ethic after both a win and a loss.

Many people have asked me why I devote my time and energy to athletics here at Penn. Why would I get up for team runs at 6:30 a.m. three times a week? The answer is that being a part of the Penn men's lacrosse team has been the highlight of my last four years at Penn. Catch words such as -- camaraderie, perseverance and dedication, once repetitive cliched phrases have now taken on a new meaning to me.

As a Penn athlete, I have come to appreciate the rich tradition of Ivy League competition. Whether as underdog or favorite, we as Penn athletes compete because we take pride in our skills, our teammates and most of all, our school.

Bradi Alexander

Field Hockey

Some people wonder why someone would put so much time and energy into a sport and sacrifice so much to play a game where there is no advancement for a career, no professional field hockey, no money in the sport. It is hard to put into words why I gave up the time and regular college experience to play.

It is a decision I would never hesitate to make again, nor would I doubt whether or not it was the right thing to do. Field hockey, especially here at Penn, has been more than just a game for me; it was an experience, another aspect of my education and personal development.

I could go on for pages about what I have learned through playing a sport at Penn -- communication, cooperation, leadership, perseverance, confidence, winning, losing and so much more. These things could be learned in other places, but I feel field hockey brought another element into the picture.

Everyone on the team shares one specific thing that makes the experience so much more fulfilling. Everyone is here by choice. We are not on scholarship, so we would not lose money if we quit. We all are here because we share the same love and passion for the game.

I learned that in order to be successful in anything, you must have this love of what you are doing and be happy and willing to put in the hard work, sweat and tears that is demanded for success.

During my first two years at Penn, I was not very happy, I had no idea what I was doing academically and field hockey was becoming more of a chore than anything fun.

In my junior year, I finally found something I loved academically, and my happiness in the classroom helped me rediscover my love for hockey. Everything fell into place. My last two years were the best. By the end of my junior year, I had started all season, earned Most Valuable Improved Player of the Year and was named a co-captain. Life was good, and I was finally happy because I was doing everything I loved.

It was mostly through the support of my teammates that I was able to gain confidence in myself and grow as a player and a person.

They knew that I had the love for the game, and they had confidence in me and that gave me a reason to work harder for them and to prove to myself that I can, and so I did.

I worked over the summers to improve my game, playing as much as I could. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it and wanted to be the best player I could be to help my teammates be successful -- I owed it to them. With each little success I had, they encouraged me even more, and I also gained more and more confidence in myself.

I learned the value of hard work and self-confidence as well as the importance of family and friends.

The girls on the team have become my family and my best friends. Without them, especially my fellow seniors -- Mandle, Chunks, Col, Eiss and Ky, my coaches Val and Lauren and especially our goalie coach, my mom, I would probably not have made it through four years of college, or at least not have had the very best experience I did have. Thank you Penn Field Hockey. Love, B.

Sunny Pitrof

Women's Basketball

Being a Penn athlete is an amazing experience. It is a challenge every day to balance athletics and academics, but for those of us who are lucky enough to play a sport at Penn, the rewards far outweigh the difficult times. I was lucky enough to have played on a great team that contended for the Ivy League title every year with some of the most amazing people I have ever met. I formed bonds with my teammates that will last forever, long after we spend our last days on the court together. Through the struggles of being a student-athlete, we created a bond of sisterhood that can never be broken.

From the first pre-season early morning sprint workout my freshman year to the moment the final buzzer sounded on senior night, I relied on my teammates more than anyone else in the world. We all shared a love of the game and a dedication to match. I knew that my teammates would be by my side through thick and thin, through practices when I thought I couldn't take another step, through 10-hour bus rides that seemed to never end, through personal crises that I would not have survived without their help.

We depended so much on each other, but the driving force that created our allegiance to each other was our coaching staff. Our coaches preached that to become successful, we must first become a "true team," a group that is committed, disciplined, competitive and loyal. We have a great group of coaches who care about each and every one of their players.

I know that I was profoundly influenced by the time I spent on the Palestra floor over the last few years. I learned many life lessons that I will carry with me after I graduate. I will miss being a Penn athlete for many reasons. I will miss the opportunity to travel for free just to play basketball, as well as the complimentary basketball sneakers. Most of all, however, I will miss my teammates and coaches.

My senior class will leave Penn with more wins in four years than any other group in history. We never finished below second place and in 2001, we captured our first-ever Ivy League title. I have memories from being a women's basketball player at Penn that will be with me forever. I could never forget the many nights spent at 3914 Delancey Street and Smoke's.

I just want to thank my coaches and teammates: it has been a great ride, and I will deeply miss each and every one of you.

Jessica Anders

Women's Swimming

I have a picture of the women's swim team celebrating after Ivy Championships on my dresser. Whenever I look at that picture, I just have to smile.

That picture, with all of my wonderful teammates, brings so many memories of my past four years at Penn to mind. Being on this team wasn't just about staying in shape, swimming countless laps or even the races and meets. Yes, the meets were amazing and going 10-3 this year was one of the accomplishments that I am most proud of.

However, for me, the best part of Penn swimming clearly was developing the amazing friendships with the people I've had the pleasure to swim with. Without being on this team and creating the friendships I have, I doubt I would value my experience at Penn half as much as I do now.

Certain things stick out in my mind when I reflect on my time at Penn. My first college meet. When we beat Cornell to win our first Ivy meet in recent memory. The next year pummeling Harvard and how they had no idea what had hit them. Watching someone on our team step to the top of the podium at Ivy Champs.

Over the past four years, Penn Swimming has established itself as a force to be reckoned with and has done so with style. This team has come such a long way in the past four years -- from the basement of the Ivy League to a legitimate powerhouse. I have enjoyed every second of it and want to say thank you to everyone who has made Penn swimming the wonderful program it is today. Get up Bombs!

Nick Italiano and Andrew McCreery

Baseball

Looking back on our time at Penn, we could never have imagined that we would reach this point so quickly. As dormmates at Hill House during our freshman year, we were uncertain as to what the future in baseball and the classroom held for us. From fall baseball to the end of the 2000 season, we began to evolve as players and ascertain certain goals that were unbeknownst to us at the outset.

Coming back from our summer endeavors, we decided to live in a house with 10 other baseball players. This set the tone for the bonds that would be created throughout our careers at Penn. Three years have passed, summers have flown by and our friendships on and off the field have grown to the point where we understand that whatever life may bring, we will always remember the time we had as teammates.

Of the successes that we have had here at Penn, nothing can compare to our overall enjoyment of playing on the team for four years.

The baseball field as well as the classroom have provided numerous challenges for both of us and made us reach our limits. We were so fortunate to have had an opportunity to play the game that we love at a high level and get a top-quality education. We just hope that in our small amount of time here that we were able to give a little back to the school that has given so much to us.

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