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Due to COVID-19 and the need to close colleges around the world, Elizabethtown College was one of these, leaving spring athletes with an unfinished season. Student-athletes of the College are eligible to participate in their sport for four years as part of their undergraduate career. With the recent changes, the Landmark Conference and Etown have made it possible for seniors who have missed out on their fourth year to play next spring. While some students are moving on to graduate schools elsewhere, or who have landed a job and will not be participating in their sports, some students such as occupational therapy students Claudia Jones and Jesse Sartor who will be completing their Master’s degree at Etown will have the chance to play once again.
“I am lucky enough to be able to get the chance to continue playing lacrosse in my fifth year because of the circumstances. I think this is something I never envisioned to do during my fifth year but lacrosse has always been a part of me so it is exciting I get to end this last year of college playing with my best friends one last time,” Jones wrote in an email interview.
Being in a Master’s program like that of Etown can bring its own challenges, being an athlete while taking on this feat may bring its own new challenges and stressors. These two lacrosse players are ready to take this challenge head-on.
“I think some challenges may arise with the workload, but we will figure it out when the time comes. I have been able to manage school and lacrosse for the past four years, so I don’t think it will be much harder to handle while getting my Master’s,” Jones said. “I’ve always been able to overcome any struggles with the help of my professors, coaches and teammates so I have faith that it will all work out.”
“I am nervous that it may become stressful when I get to the end of putting together our grad project in the spring, but I think that I would be bored if I didn’t play. My roommate will also be playing with me next year and we will both be grad students so I think that will help a lot because we can help each other out,” Sartor said in an email interview.
Being a student-athlete is a special time for many, and the four years spent in college brings a lot of memories. It is always bittersweet to have those final moments, Jones and Sartor along with others that may be playing during their fifth year will be soaking up this last year.
“Being a student-athlete has allowed me to pursue my dream career, participate in a sport I love and create long-lasting friendships all in four years, and now continue into the fifth. That is the special part about being a student-athlete. You have so many people that are rooting for you and that will have your back with whatever life throws your way,” Jones said. “Being a student-athlete at Etown has been greater than I ever could have experienced and has really molded me into the person I am today and has given me lots of life lessons that will help me in the future.”
“Being a student-athlete at Etown has had a huge impact on me,” Sartor said. “I couldn’t imagine what college would have been without playing sports. It has taught me a lot of life lessons including how to manage time, how to deal with hardships, and how to be a good teammate. Being a student-athlete has also given me life long friendships and memories that I will never forget”
