By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director

MONT ALTO, Pa. - Freshman Spotlight: This Q&A will serve as a get to know you series for our Penn State Mont Alto spring freshman student-athletes.

1. Why did you choose to attend Mont Alto?

• I chose to come to Penn State Mont Alto because it is close to home and I like the small community, and that everyone knows everyone.

2. If you could change one thing from your first year, what would it be and why?

• I wish I would have gotten closer with the girls because you never know when the last time you all are going to play together and with Covid-19 that certainly happened this spring.

3. What is your major and why?

• Wildlife Technology. I have always loved being outdoors, as well as I am a member of the Woodsman team on campus. I also like being a conservationist and helping wildlife and the environment.

4. What has been your favorite course at Mont Alto and why?

• Wildlife Management 101. It pertains to my major, the instructor has been fabulous and I find all the material interesting.

5. What is your favorite inspirational quote and who said it?

• "Anything worth doing in life will come with resistance" - Eva Shockey

6. What is the hardest part of your sport?

• I think the hardest part of softball is the mental component of playing. You can practice all you want and repeat drills and hit balls over and over again, but the real challenge is when you are mentally in the game, thinking about everything going on around you, where you are going to throw the ball when it comes at you from five possible angles, who is on base, how far can your fellow players throw to know distance, trying to hit the ball in a specific place to get your teammates around the bases, the mental game goes on and on. I believe this sport is as much a mental game as it is a physical game, and sometimes even more mental.

7. Name one obstacle or form of adversity you have had to overcome.

• One obstacle of adversity I had to overcome would be coaches telling me I was not good enough to play, that I would never go past high school ball or that I would never play in college.

8. What advice do you have for a prospective Mont Alto student-athlete?

• One piece of advice that I have for prospective Mont Alto student athletes would be: just try it, give it a chance for the first couple weeks, don't quit when things get hard, because in the end you are going to regret the things that you didn't do or try and accomplish.

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