Pictured: nine future Northwestern players (l-r): Morgan Newport (P/OF, 2016), Kenna Wilkey (P/1B, 2017), Rachel Lewis (MIF, 2017), MacKenzie Dunlap (MIF, 2017), Jordyn Rudd (C/3B, 2018), Sydney Supple (P/1B, 2019), Maeve Nelson (SS, 2018), Lauren Caldrone (UT, 2018), and Eva Stees (C/3B, 2016)

Sydney Supple from Oshkosh, Wisconsin is one of the top 2019 players in the country and last year committed to Northwestern when she was just 13 years old.

The tall lefty, who is also a standout hitter, is a freshman at Oshkosh North High School and plays for the Beverly Bandits-Conroy/Terrell 16U team that is one of the top club teams in its age division.

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In Sydney’s latest blog, she looks back at her verbal to the Wildcats exactly one year ago and what that has meant to her…

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On November 16, 2014 I committed to Northwestern University.

It has been 365 days… and 365 more reasons why I am even more in love with my future school decision!

It is so hard for me to explain how special Northwestern really is to people, because you just have to experience it. You have to be at all my travel softball tournaments, and see how the coaches are always in attendance supporting me.

Not a single game that they have attended has gone by where I am not beyond grateful that they taken the time to watch me.

Listening to Coach Kate Drohan talk about what it means to wear the school name across your chest with such pride. Having the alumni and current players take such interest about the future players putting on the jersey. Really making us feel a part of the family already.

I just returned from spending an entire weekend in Evanston, Illinois—home of the Northwestern campus. I have been looking forward to this opportunity for weeks, to get to spend the day with 9 of my 11 fellow commits.

We have a group message where we can all stay in touch, even though we live in different parts of the country, but it is great to see each other in person, building those friendships now and knowing in a few years we will become sisters!

After having an awesome time at the football game seeing everyone and then attending a camp, I went out to dinner with Eva Stees—a senior who just officially signed her NLI---as a celebration for her signing to Northwestern this past week.

Afterwards we walked together to the favorite frozen yogurt place, Andy´s. We ran into the sophomore class and immediately when they saw us they came over, gave us hugs, and asked how we enjoyed our weekend there.

After getting our desserts, they proceeded to call us over and pulled up two chairs, asking us to join them! It is moments like that I will never forget.

I have learned over the past year what it truly means to be a “Cat.”

The ¨C¨ stands for Culture… the legacy that has been passed down year after year. It is the reason I say, that once I committed to Northwestern, I didn't just commit for four years, I committed there for life! That is what I have seen in all the alumni who come back often, because they loved it so much there.

The “A” stands for Achieving… everyone here is working for success on the field and off. My motivation on the field, in the workout room, classroom, and in everyday life is thinking about the school I am attending. In a few years my four-year journey will begin and I want to be the greatest all around athlete and person I can be for when my turn comes.

Lastly, the “T” stands for Teammate… being a part of this school and program someday I have realized I will be a part of something so much bigger than myself. After listening to Coach Caryl Drohan say how many times at the end of the day the most important thing you can always be is a great teammate.

I believe the relationship all the commits and I have already will only grow stronger as we add in more players in the future, leading into something very special once we get there!  

My favorite question to ask other players who are committed is, “Why did you choose this school?” and seeing the big smile on their face talking about their decision.

My advice for everyone who is going through the recruiting process is to choose the school that puts a smile on YOUR face every time you think about it.

When you speak to the coaches, you get those small butterflies because you care about impressing them and making them proud and, most importantly, when you walk on campus you should get that feeling of being home.

This is how I have felt for the past 365 days and it is a feeling I hope every athlete can someday experience!