Caroline Wysocki on Senior Day (Photo by Shannon Dean)
Senior Reflections-Caroline Wysocki
5/27/2020 11:29:00 AM | Women's Soccer, Academics
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By: UNH Wildcats
By Seth McCullough Special to UNHWildcats.com
Recent UNH graduate Caroline Wysocki (Agawam, Mass.) made the most of her four-year career as a UNH student-athlete on the women's soccer team. Throughout the years she excelled in the classroom and on the field, as she appreciated the people around her and developed a love for the UNH campus. She reflects on her experience as a UNH Wildcat. BEING A STUDENT FIRST
"My favorite part about being a UNH student has been the people and places around campus. The students and faculty at UNH are full of amazing people, the ones who always say 'hi' or 'how are you' when walking by. Likewise, the physical UNH campus has so much to offer to us students, between coffee and food shops, quiet places to study, and beautiful outdoor scenery. The campus is built for students to not only succeed but also be happy and have fun when doing so."
Wysocki earned academic success as she was a consistent member of the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll and was a two-year member of the National College Athlete Honor Society. She put school before everything, but explains that in order to do what she did both academically and athletically, she needed a strong balance.
"Having honest and trusting relationships with my professors has allowed me to achieve success. They are always so understanding if I had an away game or getting back late from an away trip, and that has been so helpful in coping with the demands that come with being a student-athlete. Also, I prioritize what needs to be done during the week and go from there. Sometimes that means sacrificing things I want to do in order to finish what needs to get done. But also making time for the things I want to do is also super important to me. Finding a balance that works for me is key." Class of 2020 at the team's banquet DEVELOPING AS AN ATHLETE AND TEAMMATE
Wysocki played in every game during her career, starting in 71 of those 72 games. Being able to have a long and successful career like she did, Wysocki had the opportunity to develop that a lot of athletes don't get. Wysocki was named to the America East All-Rookie Team
"From the beginning, I was able to learn from my upperclassmen and understand first-hand the level of intensity/discipline it takes to compete at this level. As the years have progressed, I have been able to relay everything my upperclassmen had taught me as well as use my own experiences and use it towards positively impacting my teammates."
As a senior Wysocki had to learn how to go from a mentee to a mentor. She succeeded in doing this by putting in work on and off the field.
"Seniors are the people that everyone looks to lead, push and encourage the team and I feel I fulfilled this role (with my other seniors of course). Personally, I take pride in leading by example both on and off the field. I love to work hard, and I also love to be the person that my teammates find comfort in talking to." The team at its annual pre-season beach clean up SHOWING LOVE TO HER TEAM
The 2019 women's soccer team had 10 seniors, including Wysocki. The relationship she has with the nine other seniors is extraordinary.
"With such a big class, there are so many different personalities that bring so much to not only the team, but to our friendships. On the field we know how to be competitive and push each other as teammates to be the best we can be, but off the field we are such a goofy, loving and caring group. We have been with each other since the beginning, these girls were my first with everything at UNH; my first friends, my first teammates, my first to get coffee or lunch with. Overall, my first memories were made with these girls, and I really couldn't be more grateful for these nine best friends that UNH Women's Soccer gave to me." Class of 2020
She describes that her favorite memory on the team came against UNH's rival when she was a sophomore, the University of Maine. During this time she was still learning and growing as an athlete, while appreciating the celebration of a big win with her team.
"One of my favorite memories was beating our rival Maine in a 2-1 overtime win, in a home night game during my sophomore season. We were down 1-0 the entire game until we got a free kick with about six seconds left from maybe 30-40 yards out. After the goal, the whistle blew, and we were going into OT. One of the seniors scored with less than a minute into overtime, and we celebrated like it was a championship win, and so did our big crowd that night. Any game in-conference is super important, and this particular year we were predicted to win the conference which gave every game that much more pressure. Still being an underclassman at this time, I was learning and growing through each game. This game taught me the importance of never giving up and playing hard right down to the final whistle." Celebration after the Maine win THANKFUL FOR UNH
"With my senior year being cut short, I can't help but reflect on the amazing memories I have made over these years and think about the memories that could have been made this spring. Life is so unexpected sometimes, and this year has definitely taught me to never take things for granted."
Wysocki said she learned plenty of things while being a student-athlete, but this year specifically stood out to her as the COVID-19 pandemic is an incredibly rare situation. With that being said, she acknowledges how grateful she is for being a part of the UNH culture. Wysocki as a senior
"I will miss everything, mostly the people that make UNH such a special place. Between my teammates, friends, classmates, professors and coaches, there are not enough words to describe the impact they have left on my life. UNH is such a happy place where everyone wants the best for you, and that alone is so special. The memories I have made at UNH are ones that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my life."
Being at UNH, there are plenty of places to socialize and enjoy the non-academic parts of school. Her favorite place on the UNH campus is The Juicery, along Main Street.
"It's one of my favorite places to get a bite to eat and socialize with friends, but during other hours of the day you can find me there doing school work. Unlike typical study spots like the library, it's a mixture of a place where I can focus, but also have social interaction because of its location." WHAT IS NEXT
Although Wysocki is now a graduate, her UNH journey still continues.
"I am staying at UNH to get my master's in occupational therapy, in the accelerated master's program. After graduating this spring, I have one more semester of classes on campus, and two semesters of different clinical experiences until I graduate in December of 2021. Ideally, I would like to work with the geriatric or general population in a hospital setting."
Please check back to UNHWildcats.com as we continue our Senior Reflections series.
