After successfully winning the play-in tournament, the Geneva softball team competed in two double-elimination playoff games on Friday, May 5th. They lost their first game and needed to win against Allegheny College to advance. Their game against Allegheny was a hard-fought pitcher’s battle that went into the 13th inning with Geneva ending victorious, moving the Golden Tornadoes to the next round of playoffs.
The next day, the team would again travel to the PAC Softball Championship to continue to fight for the championship. However, the six seniors on the team: Madison Forsythe, Sarah Johnson, Peri Ceasri, Haley Smith, Danielle Goodman, and Rachael Cardenas, all had to miss their graduation ceremony, scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, May 6.
The Geneva College community came together to honor these six seniors so they could still have their graduation. At 8:30 Saturday morning, before the girls had to leave for their games, a special graduation ceremony was held in recognition of the six softball seniors.
President Calvin Troup, Provost Melinda Stephens, and Vice President and Dean of Student Development Jamie Swank addressed the seniors, prayed over them, and declared them official graduates of the college.
Dressed in their cap and gowns, they were able to walk across the stage and receive their diploma. After officially graduating, they were able to celebrate with their friends, family, teammates, and the many faculty and staff that were in attendance until they had to load the bus for their game.
Although the team was not able to repeat their 2021 championship run, the graduation ceremony capped their season and their time as Geneva students in a memorable and celebratory fashion.