Senior athletes gave a response about how playing a collegiate sport has impacted them personally, athletically and more. Players from spring sports were represented, including baseball, softball, tennis, golf and track & field. Some seniors received scholarships while others were walk-ons. However, all seniors expressed the huge impact playing a collegiate sport has had on their lives. Many made lasting relationships with fellow athletes on their team and expressed a bitter-sweet feeling to leaving SLU and their Lion family.
Jermisha Frazier: Track & Field
"Playing a collegiate sport has molded me into a well-rounded individual. Thanks to track, I understand how to separate business relationships and personal relationships. I have learned that as long as you do your job and try to exceed expectations, you will be taken care of. I have made life long friends, had great memories and traveled to places that I never thought I would see. Track opened me up to a world beyond New Orleans, La, and I am forever thankful for that."
Lawrence Allan: Golf
"Playing a collegiate sport has helped me to manage my time very effectively. I love the team atmosphere and the sense of family our team has. It has helped me mature greatly. I will remember all the great trips we went on as a team and all the good times we had."
"My time here at Southeastern is something I will always carry with me, and I am lucky to have gotten a chance to continue my softball career at a great university. Hammond has given me so many memories and I’ve achieved so many great things with the help of my coaches and teammates. I have enjoyed the new atmosphere that Coach Fremin has brought to the softball program. He will definitely change the face of Southeastern softball and I was very fortunate to be under his direction for my final season."
Domenick Carlini: Baseball
"This is the reason I went to college. It impacted me. The relationships impacted me a lot, all the guys I’ve met. I have a lot of good relationships here. That’s probably the biggest impact I’ve had and hopefully, I left a good mark on the guys I met too."
Jimmy LeBlanc: Track & Field
"Being a part of collegiate athletics has impacted me in so many ways. It has been a blessing to be a part of something bigger than me. I have created so many relationships with coaches and teammates that I would not trade for the world. It has been a long, tough journey for me. Maintaining a high GPA and dedicating a lot of time to track was a hard balancing act for sure, but it pushed me to work even harder. I was a walk on here at Southeastern. Having to battle that adversity to earn my keep here really shaped my character as a person and an athlete. Forever and always a Lion #lionup."
Kyle Cedotal: Baseball
"Playing a collegiate sport is probably the best thing that ever happened to me because not only is my college paid for through baseball, but I probably would have never gone to college if it weren’t for baseball. We’ve had a forty men roster for four different years, and you meet so many different people. You meet everyone in the community, brothers you played with, different coaches will come through, so you’ll build relationships all over the state. Not to mention, you get your name out there if you want to play the game for a living and for me, the most important thing about us and the Lions as a community is that we’re closer than most. We’re all going to be friends for the rest of our lives and we do things like that and we have game nights and fantasy football and all these things we do together. It’s truly a Lion family and that’s why I feel like this is the greatest place for me to be."
Taylor Bishop: Softball
"Playing a collegiate sport has impacted my life in many ways. It has given me another family to be a part of. It has helped me stay motivated to do my best in my classes and it has helped me learn how to become more dependable."
"Playing a collegiate sport has impacted me in a lot of different ways. It has taught me about the value of playing for a team and the character needed in order to drive the team to success. I think the relationships that I have made so far have shaped me into the person that I am today: a determined, disciplined and hard working person. On the court, I have also grown tremendously. I came playing a defensive game. I am leaving being an aggressive player and all of this goes to my coach and the faith he bestowed upon me."
Sharon Ann Ourso: Track & Field
"Participating in college athletics has opened up my world. I have met many friends and formed many relationships that are dear to me. I enjoy going to other collegiate sporting events at the university because I know the time and dedication that they have put into their sport and their academics to bring them to the point they are at in that moment. I have learned how to perform a skill and test my body in ways that I never did in high school. Through my past four years I have been able to get to know my university body and myself through the experiences that come with being a student athlete. I am grateful for every minute because it has been an amazing and unique experience."
Daniel Midyett: Baseball
"Getting to know all the guys is going to be great down the line, keeping in touch with them and seeing how the team is doing. Personally, it has shown me what kind of person I am. I feel like I am more resilient now that I have been here four years. I’ve been around the block being a senior and I think that will help me down the line."
"Playing softball in college has helped me grow as a person by teaching me to have respect for everything. It has also taught me that everything is not going to go your way all the time, and sometimes you have to just go with it and make the best out of any given situation. It has taught me how to work hard, communicate well with teammates and to never give up, even when it seems like you are losing. The things I am going to remember most are the fun moments spent with teammates in the dugout, on the bus, at each others houses and just getting to see them everyday. It has been a great opportunity to get to play for Southeastern."
Eamon Bradley: Golf
"Playing for Southeastern has changed my life. If you knew me when I first arrived and compared me to who and what I am now, you would be amazed. I cannot thank this school enough for the opportunity, to all the people I have met that have made my experience what it has been and to my teammates who have seen the best and worst of me and still stuck with me. I’ve loved every minute of my time here and I wish it was not ending."