Over the month of April Morton West hosted several Senior Nights for the Lady Mustangs, including events for rugby, track, and soccer. The rugby Senior Night took place on April 11th, track on the 21st, and soccer on the 24th. Many lasting memories were created, and The Sterling would like to highlight what Senior Night really meant for some of these athletes. In order to get a better understanding of how memorable Senior Night was, one athlete from each sport was selected to be interviewed by The Sterling.
Senior and two-year varsity Flanker, 8man, and Lock, Nadia Perez was chosen for Girls Rugby. The Morton rugby team is currently placed as the second seed in state, holding a record of 2-1. So far Perez has notched up 5 tries, last season she scored 7 tries (top tries) with a team record of 4-3 and finishing 2nd in state. Perez reflected on her season by answering a few questions:
1. How does it feel to be done with your last senior night?
“My Last Senior Night was bittersweet. It was sad to be reminded that this is my last year playing with this team, but it was nice seeing how many people came to support me.”
2. What’s been your favorite memory with the team?
“My favorite memory with the team was last year during our playoff game because it was a close game, and if we would have lost, it would have been the last game we had last year. When the last whistle was blown, the whole team celebrated together and it was the best feeling being able to play with my best friends once again.”
3. What was it like to have known it was your senior night?
“Realizing it was my senior night was very sad because that meant it was my last season playing with this team. My teammates and the underclass made me feel better because they motivated me to give it my all one last season. During our ceremony, and walking out to all of my family and friends in the sidelines felt nice, after seeing all the support.”
Senior and two-year varsity sprinter, Nayeli Hernandez was selected for Girls Track. Last season, she ran 14 seconds in the 100m and 32 seconds in the 200m. Since then, she has improved her times, running 12 seconds in the 100m and 30 seconds in the 200m this season. She answered a few questions about her experience:
1. What’s something you learned from being on this team?
“One thing I have learned from being on the track team is to always push yourself no matter how tired you are. At the end of the day, it’s all mental.”
2. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your sports career?
“One of the biggest challenges I’ve had in my sports career would have to be telling myself, or hearing from others, that I’m not able to do something.”
3. Is there anything you wish you could’ve done differently this season?
“Something I wish I could have done differently was change my mindset and the way I think about things.”
Senior and three-year varsity defender, Romina Lopez was chosen for Girls Soccer. The only recorded stats for the left back are goals scored, (2) and minutes played last season; about 1,360. The Morton soccer team is currently placed 4th in conference (2-2) with an overall record of 11-3. Hoping to get back into form from last season as they went undefeated in conference placing 1st with an overall record of 15-7. Lopez took some time to share her thoughts on the season:
1. What’s the best advice you’d give to someone starting out in your sport?
“The best advice I’d give to someone starting out is to just have fun, prioritize your enjoyment. Prioritize the small things in training because things like your touch to the ball, your poise on the field, etc., are what truly make someone a great player.”
2. What are you going to miss most about being on this team?
“I’m going to most miss my teammates, everyone I met while being part of the program. They really have become like a second family, so I’m definitely going to miss them.”
3. What’s next after high school? Still planning to play sports?
“After high school, I’m planning to go to Dominican University to study biology. In regards of sports, I will definitely still be training outside of the university, joining any leagues to keep playing without pressure.”
