As the Class of 2025 prepares to conclude their undergraduate careers at Georgetown University, some took a moment to reflect on their experience in Georgetown athletics, sharing some of the key lessons they learned along the way. Whether it be skills of time management, communication, teamwork or resilience, each athlete had something valuable to take away from their collegiate athletic careers.

As women’s soccer senior forward Maja Lardner said the lessons learned, the hard work required and the experience were all worthwhile.

“Being a student-athlete at Georgetown, you obviously have to learn time management and discipline, and you definitely have to sacrifice a lot,” Lardner told The Hoya. “But in the end, it’s all worth it.” 

Lardner shared that, during her time playing at Georgetown, she has worked to overcome injuries and undesirable coaching decisions. After she graduates next month, however, Lardner will return to Georgetown for her fifth year to pursue her master’s degree in real estate, something she is more than excited for. 

Throughout her time at Georgetown, Lardner has grown tremendously as a player. This past season, Lardner was named Big East offensive player of the year after leading the Big East conference in points and garnered a spot on the United Soccer Coaches’ Division I women’s scholar all-America team, showcasing her excellence on both the field and in the classroom — among other accomplishments. Ladner said her overwhelmingly positive experience at Georgetown made all the challenges worth it. 

Owen Carapellotti, the baseball team’s senior catcher, echoed Lardner’s positive sentiment. 

“It has been four of the most fun years of my life,” Carapellotti told The Hoya. 

Carapellotti’s baseball career had been nothing short of impressive, from winning the first-ever Big East freshman of the year award for Georgetown as a first-year to breaking the program record for career home runs April 19, smashing his 50th.

Carapellotti said he has learned a lot from his time at Georgetown.

“There are so many things that playing a kids’ game is able to teach you about life.”

Carapellotti also shared his hopes to get drafted but said he is focusing on the present and enjoying his last months of college athletics. 

“We’ll get there when we get there,” Carapellotti told The Hoya. “It’s still a couple months down the road.”

Kelsey Ransom, graduate guard on the women’s basketball team, said she hopes to continue her playing career professionally either in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) or overseas before finishing her graduate degree in higher education administration. 

“I am pursuing my professional career, whether that’s in the WNBA or overseas,” Ransom told The Hoya.

Like Lardner and Carapolletti, Ransom has had a stellar collegiate career and impact on the Georgetown record book with over 2,000 career points, the most assists in program history and being the only player to record 500-plus assists, 500-plus rebounds and 1000-plus points. She was named the Big East Co-Defensive player of the year last season and awarded the Big East Sportsmanship award this season.

Ransom added that she initially feared her skills at Georgetown would not be transferable past her collegiate athletic career but later realized her basketball career has molded her as a person. 

“I realized that the traits of being a leader, communicating, prioritizing giving over than receiving, those are things that have transferred to being who I am,” Ransom said. “It was really, really motivating to know that those qualities that I thought were just stuck in the uniform that I wore for five years are actually who I am now as an aspiring professional athlete.”

Graduate middle distance phenom Abel Teffra, who is also planning to continue his athletic career professionally, was recently crowned National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) indoor 1,500-meter champion and boasts a string of successes cementing him in the Georgetown record.

Teffra said Georgetown athletics — especially cross country Head Coach Brandon Bonsey — shaped his future. 

“Without Georgetown, I have no idea what my life would be like,” Teffra wrote to The Hoya. “Bonsey was one of the very few college coaches that recruited me and took me out of Fresno. I’m thankful for that phone call he gave me because otherwise I have no clue what I would’ve been doing.”

Teffra said he also plans to continue running professionally after Georgetown and that he wants to focus on the present for now. 

“I have received interest from a few different professional teams and shoe brands that are interested in sponsoring me as a professional runner,” Teffra wrote to The Hoya. “Nothing is set in stone yet, but I am focused on the remainder of my eligibility in the NCAA.”

Graduate women’s golfer Megan Gormley has had a similar five-year experience on a small, successful team. Gormley, who was named the Big East female golfer of the year last season, also aspires to continue her professional athletic career while pursuing her master’s degree in sports business management.

Gormley has had a unique Georgetown athletics experience as she has been a member of the smallest team on campus with eight individuals, while also serving as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) co-president. Gormley said her role as SAAC co-president alongside co-president senior field hockey forward Sophie Towne was rewarding. 

“We wanted to bring the whole Georgetown student athlete community together, which we did,” Gormley told the Hoya.

Senior diver Wynter Bramao, who served as the co-vice president of spirit and student-athlete culture, echoed a similar sentiment of how the greater Georgetown student athlete community influenced her time at Georgetown.

“This athlete community is not just the 60 people on your team, but it’s the 700 student athletes here at this school,” Bramao told The Hoya.

Senior softball pitcher Kayla Dunn shared a similar love for the people she has met during her time in Georgetown athletics.

“People matter more than anything,” Dunn told The Hoya. “The relationships I have made have mattered a lot more than anything that has happened on the field. I’ve made some of my best friends on the team.”

One lesson Dunn credits to her time at Georgetown is how to deal with failure.

“I don’t know how much that is absorbed by people who don’t consistently go through failure and who don’t have to continuously work for every single performance that they have,” Dunn told The Hoya.

Dunn said sports taught her how to take the criticism necessary for the athletic and professional worlds alike after having her miniature thesis published in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Policy Studies Journal and as she prepares to pursue a master’s degree in digital sociology at the University of Edinburgh.

“I would also say the biggest lesson that I’ve taken away from Georgetown that will apply to my future is the piece of balance, and not necessarily in the sense of balancing all several commitments but the fact that you can’t do everything at the highest level that you want to all the time,” Dunn said. “Something’s always going to give.” 

From accolades on the field, to performances on the pitch, to hours spent in the pool, to thousands of shots on the court, to excellence in the classroom, Georgetown athletes’ drive and determination shine through.

As the Class of 2025 prepares to leave the Hilltop next month, they will take with them the knowledge of their friendships, their dedication and their Hoya pride. Ransom said she will always remain a Hoya in some respects.

“There’s a lot of pride I have in being able to say I played at Georgetown for five years,” Ransom said. “I know past my professional career that’s going to be something I rest on is that I’m a part of the Georgetown student athlete alumni and that’s something very, very special.”

And to leave you with some final words of wisdom, Dunn echoed the sentiment of other graduating athletes and said balance is the greatest skill she will take with her.

“Choosing how you balance the different things in your life and knowing that if you give a lot to something you have to take away from something is incredibly important to just being sane and living a happy and healthy life and being you in whatever capacity you show up in.”