By: Samantha Steinberg, Susan San, Gabby Delgado

At Westborough High, we are all about perseverance, passion, and sportsmanship, and when one individual represents those three things so profoundly, of course we have to highlight their journey through four years, and in her case, twelve seasons. Senior Bethany Woodcock has been an active and strong participant in sports throughout her whole life.

When she came to the high school, she started off the fall season on the soccer field. Naturally, playing soccer her whole life, she was awarded a spot on the junior varsity team as a freshman, and then joined the varsity team as a sophomore amongst only two other girls. She seized the opportunity to go to the district playoffs for all years of soccer. Woodcock notes that soccer was one of her most favored sports of her twelve seasons. As a senior, she became a captain to lead the team, adding that she thought it was a “very special [experience] to close out my high school experience.”

Another sport that she dedicated four seasons to was indoor track. She got the chance to participate on a team that was undefeated all four years and won leagues her freshman, sophomore, and junior year.  Adding to the accomplishments, Woodcock set the one mile record and the distance medley relay school record. Woodcock also earned the title of a Mid-Wach B all-star as well as a league all star for three seasons of indoor track.

A big part of being a participant on a high school sport team is the relationships that you make along the way with many different people throughout the school. She has had the opportunity to make connections with people in other schools and even was selected as the MIAA student ambassador by Ms. Dicarlo, the WHS athletic director.

In the spring, her freshman and sophomore year, Woodcock was on the outdoor track team, and then decided her junior and senior year to join the girls lacrosse team. She had played club lacrosse previously, but decided to play on the high school team saying that she had to work extra hard before and during her junior year to earn her spot on the team. She noted that high school sports are highly competitive and there is no holding back which she loves to be a part of. She says that the moment she receives her twelve season award, it will feel “surreal, especially since my sister also got the award when she was a senior, and I know how much time and effort she put into WHS athletics.”

A twelve season high school athlete not only requires a lot of hard work and dedication, but it takes up a lot of their time. Although many players like Woodcock have had some external setbacks, such as the school start time change, affecting when practice starts and ends, they have adapted well; she claims that more sleep is good for athletes’ performances. Her structured schedule allows her to be more productive and helps manage her time.

Although she will not be continuing her sports career of soccer, track, or lacrosse in college, she hopes to have the chance to join a club or intramural basketball team since she didn’t have the time to play during high school. As she goes on to continue her education at the University of Pittsburgh, she will also he joined by her friends who were involved on the track and lacrosse team from other towns.

Sports has been a huge part of Woodcock’s life, and she is excited to see what the future holds for her in college with her studies and sport involvement. She’s also eager to see the underclassmen get better and see how the team changes overtime after she leaves Westborough. “I see all the freshman who have four years ahead of them, four years of sports and memories, and then I’m just done with it; it’s gonna be weird to put everything behind, but I’m very excited to see what the future Westborough sports has.”