To my older teammates,

I came to college uncertain — uncertain of how to adjust to a new life, a new school, a new state — and generally uncertain of myself. I came to college nervous, not sure I was ready to shoulder the title of "NCAA student-athlete." You guys took away all those worries as soon as I stepped on campus.

Thank you for making me feel at home right away.

Immediately, you stepped forward as a whole team of open arms to take me in. Every text to get a meal together made me feel welcome. Every outing after practice helped me feel included. Any time you reached out to me individually, I felt special. To come in wanting your approval so bad just to be taken in as a friend meant the world to me. The number of familiar, genuinely friendly faces that you added to campus made a new place feel like home.

Thank you for making me feel supported.

Your encouragement from day one has been invaluable. There was an extra security knowing the whole team had my back with anything. Your celebration of the highs and help through the lows, from our games, to grades, to guys, only made navigating my whole first year that much easier. I never doubted that I could come to any of you if I needed to, and that bond you all bought into for each other's sake is something I will never take for granted.

Thank you for being my role models.

I came into college nervous about too many things to count, but you guys were all walking examples to show that I could do it too. You didn't just talk it, assuaging my worries with advice and input, but you lived it too, paving a way that made it easy to follow in your experienced footsteps. I watched you all succeed at the student-athlete balance and offer a helping hand to help me along. What could have been an overwhelming commitment became the best balance of school, sports, and social life I ever could have hoped for — and all under your guidance and inclusion.

To my fellow freshmen:

Thank you for bravely taking this on with me. Your efforts to make sure we met each other early on, got to tryouts and practices as a unit, never ate a meal alone, did all our workouts together, and gelled as a class made everything easier. I never felt better facing something so brand new than with you all facing it beside me. From being terrified at tryouts to ecstatic in our official gear, we shared so many moments that only make me more excited for the next three years together.

To my sophomores:

I hope I can be for next year's freshmen what you were for me. You just came off the first year experience and understood it best — not once did you belittle me for it, offering more help than I could have imagined and all the answers to those dumb questions I was afraid to ask. You were the reason I felt like more than a freshman — because you took me under your wings. Thank you for being a friend when you easily could have treated me as someone lesser. I'm so happy we have two more years together.

To my juniors:

I cannot wait to play under a team led by you. I watched you guys learn the ropes of being upperclassmen leaders this year and know you are going to bring a new heart and soul to this team next year. Your status as hardworking, steady figures in the program is admirable, and although I only have witnessed one year of it, I hope to follow that same positive trajectory. I looked forward to next year knowing we will be in good hands all over again. Thank you for being the anchors to this group.

To my seniors:

I will miss you all. Terribly. You were the ones who worked to create this whole environment that made me feel so welcome and loved. You led this team in a way that not only made me want to be a part of every aspect of it, but pushed me to achieve and be what you had exemplified. I can never thank you enough for helping me through a whole year of so much uncertainty. I wish I appreciated my time with you more. It was so easy to spend so long stuck on my not-knowing, trying to figure out every practice routine and pre-game ritual that I could glean from you, that I forgot to appreciate everything you were teaching me along the way. I want you to know that I am so, so thankful for every second with you. The real world is lucky to have you guys, but I was luckier to get to play on your team. And I will forever be avidly following your careers and successes, looking up to you as much as I did on that first day of tryouts.

I want you all to know that I couldn't have done it without you.

The late, long practices, the sweat-through-your-shirt workouts, the hours of volunteering and fundraising, the never-ending bus rides and busy overnights, the wins and the losses and the double- and triple-headers all were worth it because they were with you. And on top of all those team commitments, my first year at college was the fantastic year it was because of you guys. Your presence in every aspect was noticed and appreciated.

So, from your teammate who is missing you all really badly this summer...

Thank you.