If you asked me at the beginning of the year if I thought Team 41 would be the 2016 America East Champions, I would look you right in the eye and tell you with full confidence that we would be. From the first day of school, to the last game of our season, this team never gave up on each other. People on the outside might refer to us as a team. But to us, we were so much more than that. We were a family. They were my family.

    Going into the season, there was what looked like a lot of change within our team. Mrs. Coach was in an administrative role, and Mr. Coach was the new head coach. While we missed her presence every day at practice, we hit the ground running with Mr. Coach and never looked back. Light the fire was an expression we used as our team motto, and if you looked at my equipment or travel bags, you would see at least one sticker of that slogan. To me, light the fire was a reminder to be a spark, and to play with so much passion that people can't help but watch you. That's how our whole team played, and that's why all eyes were on us by the end of the season.

    Championship weekend is usually associated with stress, anxiety, pressure, and a façade of other things. For me, championship weekend was another day for me to stay alive playing the game that I love. I'd be lying if I said I didn't know that there was a possibility it would be the last weekend I ever put on a University of Maine softball uniform, but in my heart I knew it wouldn't be. We had what some might refer to as a "quiet" confidence about us. No one made a bigger deal about these games than any other game we played throughout the season. That mindset was a testament to the mental training we had done all year, but more importantly, from the confidence that our coach had in us. Looking back on our championship game and how dominant we were perfectly summarizes how bad we wanted to win. A 1-0 win would have been great, but a run-rule victory made winning that much sweeter because we sent a message. We deserved to be there, and the culmination of our efforts came together to prove it.

    Our journey continued in Georgia, where we got to play some amazing competition. If anything, it was a chance for us to learn and grow more as athletes and understand that there is still more work to be done. That's what makes this game so much fun; we can always be better. Just making it to the regional wasn't enough. We wanted to make some noise while we were there. Even though we didn't win, we put Maine on the map. We were certainly thankful for the opportunity and look forward to working towards making it to another regional. Playing at the University of Maine was a privilege and an honor. While I will certainly remember the amazing journey Team 41 had this season, I will treasure the memories we made forever.