Upper Dublin softball recognized its seniors with a special celebration on Tuesday night. Photos provided by UD softball. To have your senior event posted on the web site, send photos/information to SuburbanOneSports@comcast.net.
Senior Night has taken on a new look for teams this year with the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday night, Upper Dublin softball honored its senior players and managers – Taylor Avery, Korynn Bischoff, Julia Wolf, Hannah McKenna, Layne Frearson, Manaysia Hendricks and Sami McElhinney. Senior Alexis Concepcion was unavailable Tuesday night. Coach Heather Boyer and her assistants made stops at the homes of the seniors accompanied by a different group of students at each stop that included two juniors as well as sophomores and freshmen. At each home, Boyer introduced the senior as she would have on Senior Night, and each senior was on the receiving end of posters, baked goods and gifts.
Coach Heather Boyer said: “Our seniors, particularly Taylor Avery, Korynn Bischoff and Julia Wolf, have been a big part of that varsity core for the last three to four years. They have really been pivotal in creating a community that is inclusive and supportive of everybody. One of the things our underclassmen did – they put together an amazing video, and even listening to the freshmen talk about them and just saying, ‘Thank you so much for giving us a place where we felt we belong and for welcoming us into the program.’
“Even though we worked out since November a couple days of week, we have only been together for two weeks, so for them to be able to feel that connection and that community as a freshman just speaks so highly of the upperclassmen’s ability to establish that rapport, so the least we could do was try and give them something – even if it’s just 15-20 minutes of a tribute at their house just to say thank you - was really important.
“They worked really hard. They were poised to really compete this year. They were excited about the season. We were looking at it to be THE year, and the year is now one in the history books and something none of us would have ever imagined in our wildest dreams.”
Senior captain Taylor Avery said: “Last week the lacrosse team had their Senior Night, and they did the same type of thing, so when coach Boyer told us to be ready in our uniform by six o’clock, I kind of had an idea that was going to be what it was, but it was just incredible. I don’t 
think I stopped crying the whole time. When I walked out, all the cars were spread across my street and in front of my house. There was was a poster, a whole bunch of gifts from my teammates and a banner. Everyone was honking, my coaches were there. It was just an amazing thing. It was just awesome.
“I think the thing that made it so emotional was that they did something they didn’t have to do because we’re not in school. They didn’t have to come out, they didn’t have to make the posters, they didn’t have to get these gifts, and just seeing all my teammates that I haven’t seen in months and also my coaches – I think that’s what made it really special. Boyer and our other coach, (Ed) Jones, have both been the most supportive people ever. I consider both of them my mentors. I love both of them to death, and Tuesday night definitely helped. This didn’t have to happen, and they made it happen which was really special.
“When we first found out (that the season was halted for two weeks), we were getting ready for our last practice that we didn’t realize would be our last practice. No one knew the extent this would be at that time. I think in the back of my head I knew it would be a little longer than two weeks, but I would never expect the entire season and school to be shut down and finished.
“The day we found out we were actually supposed to have our first scrimmage, and it would have been our first time playing as a team. When that got cancelled, everyone was like, ‘Okay, it’s fine. We’ll have the next one,’ but once we found out everything was shut down, it was devastating. This is what you wait for your whole high school career. Korynn (Bischoff) and I were both freshman varsity starters, so coming all the way from freshman year, making it to our senior year and it just being taken away was the hardest part.
“I think having the year we had last year and with the underclassmen we had, we really had the potential this year. No one slacked off – everyone was so passionate about the sport, and we were all hoping we would do so well this year. We all had such a good bond too – there weren’t any cliques, there weren’t any groups. It was all one big group, and everyone got along. It was hopefully a good start to a season that ended up never happening.
Senior captain Korynn Bishoff said: “We didn’t know anything about it except coach Boyer told us in an e-mail that we were expecting something Tuesday night, and we just had to follow our parent’s directions. It was a great experience because even though we don’t get to be on
our field because of coronavirus, they still made it memorable for all of us and treated it the way it would have been if we were on the field. It was nice to see the girls because we hadn’t seen them in a while.
“When our school first shut down for two weeks, I always thought we would be able to get back on the field for at least a couple of games. Finding out later that it was fully cancelled, our team is so close to each other, and I knew they would make it memorable for us anyway.
“But it’s been very hard because we trained so much together during the winter and the fall. I got so close to the girls, and we were all so excited, and then to find out that news, it affected the seniors more. I was so looking forward to Senior Night and my last year of playing, but things happen. The seniors and I were talking and we still hope to come back to watch everyone else play because we’re so close with everyone just to see at least them getting to play their last year next year. I know they’ll do something special in the future, and when corona is all over, we can get back together and go to the field for one last time.”
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