Leaving Their Mark
2/5/2020 9:00:00 AM | Softball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
GW softball seniors have pushed program to new heights
Elena Shelepak called up Google Maps on her phone one more time – just to be absolutely certain.
Sitting in a local tattoo shop last November, the senior from New York typed “GW Softball Field” into the search box. Sure enough, she watched the arrow land right in the center of the GW logo in center field with the geographic coordinates 38° 55’ 1.20”N 77° 5’ 22.12”W.
Soon, teammate Kaitlin Buff had the precise latitude and longitude for the program’s home on the Mount Vernon Campus scripted on the inside of her left bicep. Then it was Shelepak’s turn, getting the same tattoo near her right elbow.
For Buff and Shelepak, the matching ink was a way to show their appreciation for a program that has meant so much to them over the past three seasons.
“It celebrates our softball four years together, but much more than that, it shows that we’ve grown into who we are together and what we’re going to be for the next however many years from this place,” Shelepak said. “We can always come back to ‘hey, this is where it all started.’”
It’s a fitting tribute for a pair of student-athletes who have already done so much to leave their mark on the program.
Buff and Shelepak, along with classmates Jenna Cone, Jessica Linquist, Priscilla Martinez and Faith Weber, have sparked the Colonials to unprecedented success. The squad has broken the program record for wins in three consecutive seasons, highlighted by last spring’s historic run to a share of the Atlantic 10 title and a berth in the National Invitational Softball Championship.
As the seniors get set to begin their final season in Buff and Blue, their prominent place in program history is assured. And they enter the campaign with lofty expectations for adding on a satisfying final chapter.
“It’s blood, sweat and tears all poured into G-Dub,” said second-year head coach Shane Winkler. “This place has meant a lot to them, and they’ve meant a lot to GW and this program. It’s a special bond that they’ll always have.”
All six seniors have made real contributions to stoke GW’s continued progression, led by Cone, who last season equaled the A-10 record with 20 home runs on her way to becoming the program’s first conference Player of the Year.
Shelepak and Martinez have been lineup staples since the beginning with a combined 301 starts between them, while Linquist enjoyed a breakout 2019 season, including a 28-game hitting streak worthy of the NCAA record book, to earn a spot on the All-Conference Second Team.
Weber and Buff have been fixtures of the pitching staff who figure to be counted on in the circle more than ever in 2020.
It’s a delightful bonus that they’re great friends who have enjoyed their time together every step of the way.
“These are definitely friendships we’re going to have for the rest of our lives,” Weber said. “It’s just really special to do it with this group of people. Winning is great, but at the end of the day, you want to be with the people that you love when you do it.”
It’s been that way since their first days on campus when they ate together, explored D.C. together and even crammed elbow-to-elbow around a small table at Smith Center to study together.
They made an impact right away on the field together, as well. Cone was named 2017 A-10 Rookie of the Year, and Martinez and Linquist were named to the conference All-Rookie Team.
The Colonials set a program record with 28 wins, yet they fell short of qualifying for the six-team A-10 Championship. It was a harsh lesson for a group with bigger goals.
“It was a little bit of a slap in the face for us,” Martinez said. “Just a wakeup call because we all know we could’ve done a little bit more.”
They’ve found ways to keep pushing the program forward.
The progress has been evident in the win totals jumping to 33 in 2018 with an A-10 Championship trip and 44 last spring with three victories at the conference tournament before the winner-take-all final vs. Fordham was rained out.
“The biggest difference is probably the expectations that we have for ourselves,” Linquist said. “There’s very much an expectation of winning. Coach has talked about it before: How we almost surprised ourselves at our ability to win a championship. Now it’s more that we know we can and we should be there.”
That championship attitude also extends off the field for a group of all-around high achievers.
Weber is an aspiring doctor who serves as GW SAAC community service co-chair and keeps the group active volunteering with groups like KEEN of Greater D.C.-Baltimore and A Wider Circle.
Weber, Linquist and Shelepak have been regulars on the Easton/NFCA Scholar-Athlete list for maintaining GPAs of 3.50 or better.
Their commitment to supporting other GW teams was rewarded last season with the Colonials Cup at the Georgey Awards.
“I hope (our legacy is) something about how well-rounded we are as a group,” Linquist said. “Because we’re not just close as a group of players, and we’re not just good at academics, and we’re not just good at softball. I want people to remember all the different things that we could contribute to a program.”
Under Winkler’s leadership, this senior class has hit full stride with its bond permeating the rest of the roster.
At his first team meeting in August 2018, the veteran coach outlined his three rules for the program: 1) Always do your best 2) Always do the right thing 3) Care about each other.
“I think we’ve really taken that and run with it,” Weber said. “If we have those three things, everything else will just fall into place.”
That was evident last spring when GW used a strong non-conference run featuring wins over North Carolina and Maryland to build momentum for A-10 play and eventually a title push.
The Colonials earned three straight one-run wins at the A-10 Championship to earn a spot in the final but had to settle for a piece of the conference title when the finale was washed out. They found out they’d share the crown on the bus ride home from Massachusetts.
That ending means they earned championship rings and a title banner for their home park, but they also enter the new season with a fire to push for a proper championship dogpile and an NCAA berth.
With the seniors leading the way, the journey begins this week in Mexico with perhaps the most difficult weekend in program history, including a Saturday matchup vs. No. 3 Oklahoma.
“I think we’re all trying to do a good job of really being in the moment,” said Cone, already the program’s all-time leader in home runs, RBIs and total bases. “Every time we step on the field, it’s like ‘we’re not going to get another shot at this, so let’s make the most of it.’”
Regardless of where the season ends, this senior group will leave behind an impressive legacy.
Their names already fill the program record book and their collective efforts have pushed the program to new heights.
The memories they’ve built along the way explain why Buff was immediately intrigued last summer when Shelepak made the suggestion of a GW-inspired tattoo. The California native has grown immensely, as a pitcher and as a person, on the turf located at 38° 55’ 1.20”N 77° 5’ 22.12”W.
“I was 100 percent in even before I knew what it was going to be,” said Buff, who fittingly decided to position her first tattoo on her pitching arm. “Just because this program and school are so special to us, I knew it was going to be very meaningful no matter what. Once we decided to do the coordinates of the field, it just all came together and felt right.”