Another year come, another year gone. Another groundbreaking set of seasons for Guilford College Athletics.

The golf team experienced another dominating year. They held onto the number one ranking in the country for Division III going into the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships.

This year saw the Quakers’ cross country and track & field team take huge strides as Derick Kosgei and Johnathan Smith both won ODAC titles. Kosgei won the title in cross country and Smith won his in track for the 50-meter-dash. Furthermore, both men and women broke numerous school records over the course of the season.

Still without a home pool, the women’s swimming team overcame great adversity and made a good showing in the ODAC tournament. They are, in my opinion, some of the most dedicated athletes on this campus as they fight to keep their team from falling apart due to lack of swimmers.

The volleyball team earned a six seed in the ODAC tournament and had their best finish in over a decade with a 16-13 record.

More than just these achievements, trials, and tribulations, this year saw relationships formed and teams built around loyalty and trust: teams that worked day and night to compete at the highest level they could.

Long after the lights are off and the years of competition done, these relationships will live on. These teams will still be unified by a common experience of striving for greatness.

All of the members of these teams went on a journey together. Whether they were successful or not, the journey was one of learning and character-building; it was a journey of bonding and memories. In the end, the memories are all you really have and the journey is where they are built, regardless of what the score is at the end of the game.

The hours that they spent riding on the bus or the practices that seem to grind on forever may have seemed trivial and inconsequential at the moment, but they will be recalled with fondness as the years pass.

I hope that every athlete enjoyed their experience this year and all of the seniors cemented their legacies before leaving.

Now, a message to all of the underclassmen athletes: it’s time to step up and make yourself better. Next year is a blank canvas ready to be made into a season of successes and victories. Take the summer to work and get ready for the challenges ahead. You only get one shot at this experience. Take advantage of it.