Baltimore, Md. – In this next Senior Spotlight, the focus will be on a two-sport student-athlete from California, Maryland. Hannah Woodworth has received her undergraduate degree in Education, while also playing soccer and lacrosse since entering Notre Dame of Maryland as a freshman in 2016. Graduating early this past December (2019), Woodworth has already started her Master's Year in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. She was looking forward to finishing her last semester of eligibility as captain of the 2020 lacrosse team.
On the field, Woodworth has been a crucial player for the Notre Dame Gators, especially on the soccer field. As a junior and senior captain, Woodworth led her team to host in the Colonial States Athletic Conference Playoffs, which was the best postseason play in program history. As a senior, she was considered the Most Valuable Defensive Player and earned Second Team All-CSAC recognitions from the 2019 soccer season. As a lacrosse player, Woodworth was a demanding defensive presence in the CSAC Championship Season. In 2019, Woodworth earned the CSAC All-Sportmanship title for her hard work and dedication to the team.
In addition to performing on the field Woodworth has made an impact in the classroom proven by holding a 3.83 cumulative GPA. While playing two sports, Woodworth has been on the Dean's list as well as earning CSAC All-Academic Team every semester since becoming a student-athlete her freshman year. Additionally, she was a representative of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee her freshman and senior year as well as being a SAAC Vice President as a sophomore and a junior. Woodworth has been an active member of the Gators Teach Club and became the President for the 2019 school year. As a member of Phi Delta Kappa she earned the Rising Educator Award in 2018. Woodworth is also recognized as a member of many honor societies including Delta Epsilon Sigma, Kappa Mu Epsilon, and Chi Alpha Sigma.
In the Future, Woodworth plans to graduate from NDMU with her Master's in Early Childhood and Elementary Education in December 2020. She wants to focus on teaching second or third grade in the classroom.
What is your favorite memory at NDMU?
Spending 4 years at Notre Dame has given me many friendships and memories that I will cherish forever. One memory that sticks out to me is from my junior year. There was a huge snowstorm in February so a group of teammates and I blew up pool floats and went sledding on the hill next to Alumnae field. Some of the floats were not lasting well in the cold so we had to keep blowing them up but we had a lot of fun and enjoyed our little break from classes.
What is one lesson or take away you will have from being a student-athlete at Notre Dame?
One take away I have from being a student athlete is to take chances without hesitation. For the sport that I hold near and dear to my heart, I took a chance reaching out to the coach at the time about recruitment even though I never thought that college soccer would be an option for me and I took chances each time I was out on the field. I wish I had taken a chance on lacrosse sooner especially now that I do not get to enjoy playing my senior season of this wonderful sport.
What is your favorite memory with your team?
This is such a tough question because each year and team brings new amazing teammates and new experiences. A memory with the lacrosse team that means a lot to me was our pre-game locker room singing and dancing, especially our rendition of Hannah Montana's- Nobody's Perfect. Winning the 2019 CSAC Championship is another great memory! I remember having terrible butterflies the entire game but the win was definitely worth it. The entire 2019 season of soccer was my absolute favorite. The team chemistry was the best and we had one of our best seasons- taking us to the CSAC playoffs for the first time since we joined the conference. We laughed, meme-ed and starbucks-ed through the season.
Describe the community here at NDMU.
The community at Notre Dame is very close-knit and supportive. On game days, professors that I had never had before would tell me good luck and some of the professors I did have made a point to come watch at least one game!
Why did you choose to become a Gator?
I chose NDMU because it offered the 5-year master's degree program for education. NDMU also gave me the opportunity to continue playing the sport that I love while focusing on my academics. When I toured the campus for the first time, I fell in love with the energy that I felt from everyone and knew that there was a strong sense of community here!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Instagram | @ndmgatorsports
Twitter | @ndmgatorsports
Facebook | @ndmgatorsports
YouTube | Notre Dame Gators
