Lehigh University Athletics
Hoopsters travel great distances to be home for holidays
12/23/2004 3:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Although there are just 15 players on the Lehigh roster, the team is comprised of student-athletes from an astounding eleven different states. Three of the four time zones in the continental
Take freshman forward Natalie Green for example. She hails from the small town of
“I have never been away from home this long before,” Green explains, “and it’s been tough sometimes. But the team is like a second family and they have made it easier to be so far away.”
“I can’t wait to see my friends and spend time with my family,” says Erin Greenberg, a freshman from
In fact, the weather may have been one of the biggest adjustments for Greenberg. While it was 11 degrees with a howling wind outside Stabler Arena on Monday night, weather.com reported 67 degrees with partly cloudy skies in her hometown.
Greenberg notes that while being away from her family has been tough, they have been supportive from afar. “I talk to them all the time,”
Freshman Kaela Pearce resides in
“Being away [for so long] has been rough at times, but for the most part I can’t complain,” Pearce says. “Everyone here has been so supportive.”
For junior Jenny Callan, being away from her family was difficult in the beginning. “I definitely struggled,” Callan recalls. “I thought about maybe going somewhere closer to home.”
So what changed her mind? “My teammates,” Callan, a Chicagoland native, says emphatically. “They are the best, and they helped me get through the difficult times.
“I know my family is very supportive, and that makes being away easier,” Callan continues. “They always listen to the games on the Internet. My parents come to games as often as they can, and it’s great to know they are out there.”
Family support seems to be an overriding theme with team members, and the support network amongst each other has also proven critical. On the court, Lehigh is off to its best start in six years, and the camaraderie within this tight-knit bunch makes it easy to see why this cohesive unit is playing so well.
