Lehigh University Athletics
Moving On To the Next Phase of Her Life Story
5/13/2020 12:49:00 PM | Softball, Student Athlete, Features, Flight 45, Intellectual Development
By Austin Clibanoff '20, Lehigh Sports Communications
The beginning of the spring season started out just like any other for the Lehigh softball team. The season was full of ambition and optimism for the chance to compete for a Patriot League championship. For a team in which seniors made up five of the 17 players on the roster, the Mountain Hawks had championship aspirations.
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Things were looking bright for the Mountain Hawks as they started the season by winning six of their first nine games.
Â
One of those five seniors is Emily Preble, whose off the field accomplishments might outshine her on the field ones. While Preble is finishing her degree in journalism and a double minor in graphic design and marketing, she is just as accomplished on the field as in the classroom.
Â
"I have always loved the art of storytelling in all forms," Preble said. "Be it the written word or image, combining different pieces of different stories and threading them into one cohesive narrative is a powerful skill to have, which, in essence, is what journalism is. I've always been drawn to this method of communication and hope to continue exploring new ways to expand my storytelling arsenal in my career as a designer."
On the field, she is a two-year starting catcher and a two-time team captain, who was looking poised and in command behind the plate this season. All of this while maintaining a 3.95 GPA is what makes Preble a standout example of a Lehigh student-athlete.
Â
"Emily, from when she first arrived at Lehigh through the end of her career, was relentlessly positive," Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan said. "It rubbed off on her teammates. She was incredibly approachable and a tremendous listener. And to top that off, nobody outworked her whether on the practice field, in the weight room or in the classroom."
Â
Preble prides herself on being the best leader she can be.
Â
"Although it's hard to truly define oneself as a leader, my commitment to going the extra mile and bringing others with me makes me a good leader," Preble said. "Leadership has always been important to me because I think when people are unified in their energy and effort, amazing things can happen, and for me, a leadership role was the best way to make that goal a reality."
Â
As the season continued Preble, and the Mountain Hawks found themselves in a bit of a rough patch finding themselves at an 8-9 record and less than two weeks away from the beginning of Patriot League play.
Â
Preble's career offensive tally included 24 hits, 18 runs, a home run, and nine RBIs, but where she excelled the most was behind the plate.
"On the field, she [Preble] was a true field general. She took command of every situation, Troyan said. "Emily was into every pitch. As a catcher, she set the defense, kept the pitcher composed and was able to settle the team down when someone made an error. Quite simply, she was invaluable on the field," Troyan said.
It comes to no surprise that Preble is looked up to by her teammates, both on and off the field.
It is her competitiveness that teammates say really helps separate Preble from the pack.
Â
"Emily's self-standard is defining," Troyan said. "She only accepts the best of herself. Everyone clearly sees that. And that is why people are willing to follow her."
Â
"Preble is the most team-first player I have ever met and is always looking for feedback - ways to improve in one way or another - either physically or mentally," sophomore Melissa Fedorka said. "Whether it is staying to take extra reps after practice for herself, or helping a teammate on the field or in the weight room, she looks to get one percent better every day.
Â
"You could say that she was basically the battery of the team to put it in a metaphor," Fedorka continued. "She provided a ton of energy in each and every practice, lift and game, and one of her nicknames on the team was even 'mucho habla' as she was always talking."
With the season looking bright, the world had other plans in mind. Suddenly, the world seemed to stop and freeze as the outbreak of COVID-19 took the world by storm.
The World Health Organization declared the global outbreak a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" on January 30. It was not until March 11, that WHO classified this as a pandemic.
A day later in the midst of a global pandemic, the final gut punch to many student-athletes, particularly seniors came. All spring sports seasons were canceled, ending the careers of Preble and her fellow senior teammates.Â
While it did take some time for Preble and her teammates to accept that their season was going to be cut short, Preble has stayed positive throughout all this adversity.Â
Preble has opted not to use her newly-granted extra year of eligibility and decided to graduate this spring and move onto the next chapter of her life. It is her hope to be working at a design agency on the east coast in the near future after graduating.
Â
"I hope to carry this love of storytelling into my career as a graphic designer, specifically in the branding and packaging industry," Preble said. "I love experimenting with design and finding new ways to tell inspiring stories and spread meaningful content."
Â
This being her final moments with teammates and coaches, Preble wants her teammates to come back hungrier than ever and get back to their winning ways and being back to champions.
"I'll miss my teammates, my friends and all the fun that came with playing softball," Preble said. "And if I was to give advice to both current and future Mountain Hawks, I would tell them to cherish every moment that they can as a student-athlete and continuously raise the bar for yourself on both sides of the mountain."
Â
The beginning of the spring season started out just like any other for the Lehigh softball team. The season was full of ambition and optimism for the chance to compete for a Patriot League championship. For a team in which seniors made up five of the 17 players on the roster, the Mountain Hawks had championship aspirations.
Â
Things were looking bright for the Mountain Hawks as they started the season by winning six of their first nine games.
Â
One of those five seniors is Emily Preble, whose off the field accomplishments might outshine her on the field ones. While Preble is finishing her degree in journalism and a double minor in graphic design and marketing, she is just as accomplished on the field as in the classroom.
Â
"I have always loved the art of storytelling in all forms," Preble said. "Be it the written word or image, combining different pieces of different stories and threading them into one cohesive narrative is a powerful skill to have, which, in essence, is what journalism is. I've always been drawn to this method of communication and hope to continue exploring new ways to expand my storytelling arsenal in my career as a designer."
On the field, she is a two-year starting catcher and a two-time team captain, who was looking poised and in command behind the plate this season. All of this while maintaining a 3.95 GPA is what makes Preble a standout example of a Lehigh student-athlete.
Â
"Emily, from when she first arrived at Lehigh through the end of her career, was relentlessly positive," Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan said. "It rubbed off on her teammates. She was incredibly approachable and a tremendous listener. And to top that off, nobody outworked her whether on the practice field, in the weight room or in the classroom."
Â
Preble prides herself on being the best leader she can be.
Â
"Although it's hard to truly define oneself as a leader, my commitment to going the extra mile and bringing others with me makes me a good leader," Preble said. "Leadership has always been important to me because I think when people are unified in their energy and effort, amazing things can happen, and for me, a leadership role was the best way to make that goal a reality."
Â
As the season continued Preble, and the Mountain Hawks found themselves in a bit of a rough patch finding themselves at an 8-9 record and less than two weeks away from the beginning of Patriot League play.
Â
Preble's career offensive tally included 24 hits, 18 runs, a home run, and nine RBIs, but where she excelled the most was behind the plate.
"On the field, she [Preble] was a true field general. She took command of every situation, Troyan said. "Emily was into every pitch. As a catcher, she set the defense, kept the pitcher composed and was able to settle the team down when someone made an error. Quite simply, she was invaluable on the field," Troyan said.
It comes to no surprise that Preble is looked up to by her teammates, both on and off the field.
It is her competitiveness that teammates say really helps separate Preble from the pack.
Â
"Emily's self-standard is defining," Troyan said. "She only accepts the best of herself. Everyone clearly sees that. And that is why people are willing to follow her."
Â
"Preble is the most team-first player I have ever met and is always looking for feedback - ways to improve in one way or another - either physically or mentally," sophomore Melissa Fedorka said. "Whether it is staying to take extra reps after practice for herself, or helping a teammate on the field or in the weight room, she looks to get one percent better every day.
Â
"You could say that she was basically the battery of the team to put it in a metaphor," Fedorka continued. "She provided a ton of energy in each and every practice, lift and game, and one of her nicknames on the team was even 'mucho habla' as she was always talking."
With the season looking bright, the world had other plans in mind. Suddenly, the world seemed to stop and freeze as the outbreak of COVID-19 took the world by storm.
The World Health Organization declared the global outbreak a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" on January 30. It was not until March 11, that WHO classified this as a pandemic.
A day later in the midst of a global pandemic, the final gut punch to many student-athletes, particularly seniors came. All spring sports seasons were canceled, ending the careers of Preble and her fellow senior teammates.Â
While it did take some time for Preble and her teammates to accept that their season was going to be cut short, Preble has stayed positive throughout all this adversity.Â
Preble has opted not to use her newly-granted extra year of eligibility and decided to graduate this spring and move onto the next chapter of her life. It is her hope to be working at a design agency on the east coast in the near future after graduating.
Â
"I hope to carry this love of storytelling into my career as a graphic designer, specifically in the branding and packaging industry," Preble said. "I love experimenting with design and finding new ways to tell inspiring stories and spread meaningful content."
Â
This being her final moments with teammates and coaches, Preble wants her teammates to come back hungrier than ever and get back to their winning ways and being back to champions.
"I'll miss my teammates, my friends and all the fun that came with playing softball," Preble said. "And if I was to give advice to both current and future Mountain Hawks, I would tell them to cherish every moment that they can as a student-athlete and continuously raise the bar for yourself on both sides of the mountain."
Â
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