Seniors reflect on their careers as student-athletes
- Kyra Tolley
- Mar 14
- 16 min read
By Kyra Tolley
Asst. Sports Editor
Senior student-athletes epitomize university pride, having dedicated themselves to years of representing their school in athletics while simultaneously getting a college education.
Whether they are waking up early for practice, going to classes, rallying for games and races, or bonding with their teams, student-athletes have a lot on their plates.
Despite their busy schedules, collegiate athletes maintain a sense of joy for their sport and tackle a unique set of challenges every day.
For some student-athletes, this chapter is coming to a close, while others are planning on continuing to play, but for the following fall and winter Framingham State University seniors, a new phase of life is just beginning.
Kaylee Beck
Field hockey Captain Kaylee Beck’s future looks bright, with a master’s degree to be completed in the next three years.
Beck began playing field hockey in seventh grade and said, “It's what I've always turned to if I feel stressed or I feel mad or I'm upset - I just go work out.
“That's who I am as a person for the most part. I feel like it always gave me something that if I didn't want to push, I pushed for my team. I was trying to get better for them, not just for me,” she added.
Playing in the 2024 season wasn’t always a given for Beck. She said, “I got injured last spring, and I messed up my ankle so badly. I thought I wasn't going to be able to play my senior year, so especially after that, it was like everything I did, every rep I took, was 110% no matter what.
“If you're not going to do that, then what's the point of doing it at all?” Beck asked.
Luckily, her senior season gave her personal success. Beck played for her Senior Day game and said a highlight of her career was scoring the overtime goal to win the game.
She said after scoring the goal, the first people she saw were her family members and that celebrating with her teammates was a special moment.
“If I could go back to any day, every single time, it would be that one,” said Beck.
Her post-graduation plan of continuing her education is something she feels lucky to be able to do. Her master’s degree will be in applied behavioral analysis and she hopes to help kids with behavioral issues.
Despite her academic ambitions, Beck doesn’t plan on leaving the sport behind completely. She said she wants to coach in the future, too.
Beck said, “There’s something about being in an athletic setting that just changes my entire demeanor. Whether I'm watching it, playing it, coaching - it doesn't matter. I love it.”
The community Beck has built while in college is something she feels will be difficult to maintain, but she knows who she can rely on after graduation. “I lean on the people I love, and I lean on God. Those are really the only two things I need to carry me for the rest of my life.”
Beck said she thinks playing sports and getting a college education at the same time is what helped her succeed academically.
The busy schedule Beck had as an undergraduate was helpful and she will continue that in her master’s program by simultaneously working 40 hours a week.
She said, “Going into the career I'm going into and working with the mostly non-verbal autistic children I'll be working with for the next three years, they need to know that the person that's in their corner is going to advocate for them, and they're going to be safe around them.
“They want to have fun and I feel like field hockey and being an athlete in general, and being given those leadership roles, has almost steamrolled me the perfect path in order to go do what I'm going to do,” she added.
Beck said not being an athlete anymore will be difficult, but she believes she has mentally prepared enough for graduation that it won’t be as difficult as others might think.
As a teenager, Beck said she saw her older brother, Christian, who played basketball for much of his life, not be able to play anymore due to health issues.
Beck said, “I always looked up to him as not only my brother, but he was my hero. I always wanted to be an athlete like Christian Beck. … That’s what I aspired to be.”
She said that seeing what her brother went through helped her find that while she loves her sport and sees it as an outlet, it’s not her entire life.
During Beck’s time playing in college, she described herself as a ‘come with me’ player.
She said a ‘come with me’ player is a teammate who invites other members of the team to tag along with them. Whether it be to the mall or to the dining hall, she advises other athletes to always extend an invitation.
EJ Nichols
Football Captain and quarterback EJ Nichols hopes to help kids learn how to play football after graduation.
When it comes to his future, Nichols has a lot of options on the table. Whether it be continuing to play elsewhere or finding a place to coach, he has set himself up for success.
Nichols started playing football at the age of 6 and said his first memory of playing the sport was when he threw a football for the first time and saw the reaction of the parents around him.
He said his favorite part of football is encouraging people. “Being in a leadership role, you have to get the best out of your teammates. … I found joy in that and competing.”
What Nichols said he will miss most are “the little things” - bonding and being in the locker room with his teammates.
“In college, you’re around your teammates and your friends all the time, so if I were to play somewhere else after this, it wouldn’t be the same. … The brotherhood is the biggest thing that I will miss,” Nichols said.
He said, “We talk about how when we’re older, our kids are going to play with each other. … I think we’ll stick together.”
Nichols emphasized that football has consistently been the main part of his life and something he “could always hold on to.”
The biggest lessons Nichols said he learned from playing football are, “When you fall, get up,” and to learn how to lose.
In Nichols’ time at FSU, he contributed to two MASCAC Championship wins as a wide receiver, an achievement he said he came to college wanting.
Nichols said getting an education while being an athlete was stressful. “It’s great if you know how to manage your time and if you can exert the right amount of energy in both, then it’s a great experience.”
The leadership advice Nichols received from his coaches and his experience as a captain is what he said has prepared him for his next step in life.
He said the different personalities he has played with over the years have taught him how to work with people and he thinks this will translate into his future job working with kids.
Nichols aims to instill confidence in young players to be able “to do whatever you need them to do to help the team.”
He said his football journey isn’t quite over yet, but he wants to find his “next purpose.
“That’s why I say I want to help kids because I feel like if I couldn’t make it to the top, then at least I can help somebody, and that will fulfill me,” Nichols said.
In terms of advice for younger student-athletes, Nichols said using your resources is important. He said to use “CASA, talk to your advisors, get familiar with your professors, and whatever sport you’re in, make sure your coach knows you.
“Build good habits, find good people, a good friend group, and stay on the right path - stay focused,” he added.
Bryce Borletto-McCray
Men’s soccer Captain Bryce Borletto-McCray has played soccer for the past 20 years, starting at the age of 3.
He said he has plans to continue playing soccer for a semi-pro team in New Hampshire and also has a coaching opportunity lined up.
Borletto-McCray said, “I’m going to be coaching youth soccer for now and obviously, the goal is to see how far I can take that.
“I know my abilities and my commitment isn’t there as much as it used to be and I’d like to put it into coaching and make youth soccer as fun as it was for me,” he added.
He reflected on his years of playing U10 soccer and the teammates he has maintained friendships with for all these years. “Those were probably my most favorite days,” Borletto-McCray said.
He said soccer has been a huge aspect of his life because of the year-round schedule. “I feel like it’s literally been my entire life.
“My mom always jokes that I live and breathe soccer. There’s nothing else I do. I watch soccer on the weekends if I’m not playing soccer,” Borletto-McCray said.
He said both high school and college game days are events he misses.
He said his team’s sense of community came naturally. “Especially my first three years of college, I was always with my team - I never got tired of them. I literally spent night and day with them, and just had a great time,” Borletto-McCray said.
He said while his senior season didn’t go as planned, the first three years of his collegiate career were “something special.”
Borletto-McCray said his grades were better during soccer season and being a student was “so much easier” when he had practices and games to go to.
He said his professors were understanding and helpful when it came to missing classes for games and making up assignments later.
The lessons he has learned in his time playing collegiate soccer are to never take anything for granted and there’s always room for improvement.
Borletto-McCray said his advice to freshman student-athletes would be, “Don’t entirely focus on sports. Sports are definitely important … but also focus on your grades because that is important because if you don’t get that, you can’t play.”
Megan McAuliffe
Women’s soccer Captain Megan McAuliffe aims for a role as a teacher in the future, but looks fondly on her days of playing soccer.
Beginning the sport at the age of 3, McAuliffe said she was a defender early on and that being part of a team is an aspect of athletics she has loved from the start.
“I’ve always had the best girls on my team. They’ve always supported me on and off the field. It’s just a sisterhood,” she said.
Missing her teammates and the “tight bond” she has with them is something McAuliffe said will be hard after graduation.
Making it to college-level soccer is a marker for how important the sport has been throughout her life, McAuliffe said.
“It was something I didn’t want to ever say goodbye to. … It’s been a part of me for so long, and there are so many things that I’ve given up to play. It’s just crazy that it’s over now,” she said.
McAuliffe said getting an education while being an athlete was “definitely hard, but I’ve been a student-athlete my whole life, so I wouldn’t really see it any other way.”
McAuliffe’s ambition for post-graduation knows no bounds. She said, “I just got accepted to the Merrimack College fellowship program so I’ll get my master’s in moderate disabilities.”
The fellowship will completely fund her master’s education, said McAuliffe, and after that, she plans on teaching wherever she can.
This semester, McAuliffe is a student teacher for fourth-grade students at a school in Ashland, she said. “Even when I have tough days and I don't necessarily want to get up and go, my kids make it worth it,” McAuliffe said.
Using the teamwork skills she learned from athletics, McAuliffe is able to contribute in group settings while teaching.
She said, “At the school I’m working at right now, I’m working with a fourth-grade team that works together so seamlessly. Everyone has a job and everyone gets the job done.”
McAuliffe drew similarities between her love for teaching and her love for sports. “I’m always everyone’s number one fan on the field, so I like to be my students’ number one fan as well.”
Having been an athlete her whole life, McAuliffe said moving on from soccer is hard to think about.
“I’m trying to see the positives in it and doing things more on my own terms, but I know I’m going to have to sign up for workout classes because my team is what motivates me in everything I do,” she said.
One piece of advice McAuliffe lends to freshman athletes is, “Make Framingham State better than you found it. … Leave a legacy behind.”
Ben Hurney
Men’s cross-country runner Ben Hurney ran competitively for three years in high school and returned to the sport for his final two years in college.
Hurney said cross country has had a “pretty big impact” on his life due to all of the friends he’s made through running and the meets he’s enjoyed.
“I really liked the Mass. Maritime meet this year. It was fun setting up by the bridge and running on the canal, which is something I could do, but not in the same way,” he said.
There isn’t an end to running for Hurney. He said after graduation, he wants to continue running and make more time for it by finding a better schedule.
During his time at Framingham State, being a student-athlete actually helped Hurney. “I feel like cross country helped give structure, like eating three meals a day and getting up early-ish for class.”
Hurney said not stressing too much and listening to his body are lessons he learned from cross country. He said, “It’s hard to know when to run and when not to run,” but to “go with your gut.”
Hurney said there are multiple advantages to running, including help with being “anxious or irrational.
“I just feel like my head space is better in phases of my life when I am running, but it's also just a nice community, and it’s good for you,” he said.
A key moment Hurney remembers from his career was running the New York Marathon in 2023. “I felt pretty good for the most part - for the first half, at least, but it was very fun.”
Memories aren’t all Hurney has to rely on - he has lots of videos of that day. He said he’s excited to revisit those videos at some point in the future.
Hurney said his participation in the New York Marathon was his priority during his junior season, so he didn’t feel as much pressure to be competitive, but he still put in the effort to pass the competitor in front of him during cross-country races.
Hurney emphasized that cross country is a team sport and said being friends with his teammates is part of being an athlete. “There's a bond there of just having gone to practice every day.”
Hurney explained the importance of knowing when to rest. He said, “I feel like the mental side of it is obviously a big part of it, but it's so much more than you expect.”
Hurney said he would like to work at FSU at some point after graduation, but he also wants to write a musical and already has an idea.
His advice to freshmen athletes is if you’re “not enjoying it, take a step back. You'll probably be better at it by doing that, or you'll be happier, so it's a win-win.”
Hurney said he appreciates how understanding Head Coach Mark Johnson and Assistant Coach Glenn O’Connor have been of him being busy with both school work and club membership and he is thankful for the team he’s been running with for the past two years.
Katie Haselton
Women’s basketball Captain Katie Haselton started playing basketball at 5 years old and has been on an upward trajectory ever since.
Haselton played on many teams growing up, but her transition from middle school to high school basketball was particularly impressive. She went straight to varsity in her eighth-grade year and also played for AAU travel teams.
Her skills helped her break 1,000 career points in high school. “My name is currently on Greenfield High School’s banner, and I finished with 1,438 points,” Haselton said.
Haselton said she started playing basketball at a young age with her dad and brother in their driveway.
Haselton said there's a lot she loves about the sport, but the friendships she’s made are the most important and “will go on past the game of basketball.”
She said she puts a lot of “hard work and heart” into playing and that “no matter what was happening in my outside life - outside of the court - basketball has always been my outlet.”
A lesson she learned from basketball is to “put one foot in front of the other and control your controllables.”
Haselton said the highlight of her career was winning the MASCAC Championship during her junior year and the entire 2023-24 season holds her favorite memories to look back on.
After graduation, Haselton said she will get her master’s at Merrimack College “while attending the Lynnfield Police Academy in June.”
She has opportunities to play basketball overseas, but she said as great as that is, it’s more realistic to focus on getting her master’s.
While at Framingham State, Haselton felt that the typical description of a student-athlete was reversed for her.
Haselton said, “I was an athlete-student, and I always put the game of basketball sometimes ahead of my school work, but it was definitely a life lesson of time management and trying to juggle all of those aspects at once.”
She said her days were very busy and mostly consisted of basketball. “At night was when I had to buckle down and grind on my homework, but I was able to successfully do both at the same time and be on the dean's list since my sophomore year.”
Taking what Haselton learned as a player and channeling those lessons into her future career is something she said is “a work in progress.”
She said she wants “to translate the big heart I have with the grit and the hard work that I've put into the game of basketball - those three components - and continuing to just try to do my best every single day in my next career.”
Haselton said her advice to freshmen is “to just work hard and enjoy every single moment. The four years really do fly by.
“I remember being a little innocent freshman myself and feeling defeated in a way. You go from playing high school basketball, where you're the star of your team, to then coming to college, where you're joining a team of all-stars. So remain confident in yourself, and if you put the work in, the results and the payback will be more rewarding,” she added.
JD Okafor
Men’s basketball player JD Okafor began playing when he was 11 years old, but his first memory of basketball was sinking two 3-pointers at recess in third grade.
Okafor said the friendships he has made because of basketball are what he cherished the most and he emphasized how “accessible” the game is.
He said, “No matter where you go, you're going to see a hoop, and then you just start playing, and more people are just going to come.”
Basketball has been a huge aspect of his life, Okafor said. He grew up playing every day after school, but he said injuries he endured in college have impacted his consistency with playing.
Okafor said the biggest lesson he learned from basketball is, as an athlete, you are one injury away from not being able to play again so don’t “put all your eggs in one basket - make sure you have other things going for you.”
During his freshman year, Okafor said he won MASCAC Rookie of the Week Feb. 7 2022 and “was second for Rookie of the Year voting.” This accolade was one of the highlights of his career, said Okafor.
The environment college provides to student-athletes is an aspect of basketball Okafor said he will miss after he graduates - “having your people and your classmates come to the games and show support.”
Okafor marked his team’s recent playoff win as a great moment for him personally as well as the program. It was their first playoff win in 15 years.
He said, “For us to come together as a team to have a successful season - to try to turn the tide for the future at Framingham State - that was really, really good to be a part of.”
In terms of his future, Okafor said he is trying to play professionally after college and is hoping to get in contact with a team in Switzerland, but he wants to keep his options open for now.
He is currently working at a local courthouse, but said, “I don't know exactly what one profession I want to pursue after college, but it's good I have that as an option.”
Okafor’s undergraduate degree will be in criminology, but he said that wasn’t his original plan. “I was originally a math major, but I had to switch it to my minor. … Math is my real passion.”
He said those he played basketball with from his hometown and the friends he made in college are people he will stick with after graduation.
“I'm still going to be playing basketball within my community in Hyde Park. It's still a brotherhood where I'm from, and so everyone, no matter what age, they're still playing basketball. We still have tournaments and leagues going on,” he said.
His advice to freshmen is, “Do all the little things because it all matters.
“Make sure you're taking care of your body, eating right, getting extra shots up every day, and don't lose track of that, because you have enough time to do everything,” Okafor said.
Ashton Collazo Men’s ice hockey Captain Ashton Collazo was introduced to hockey at 3 years old and has since landed himself a position on a professional team in Virginia. He said, “My first actual memory is playing pond hockey in the winter with my friends. I grew up in rural, northern New York, so the ponds froze every winter, and that was what we did.” Collazo said what he likes most about hockey is, “It's more free-flowing and you get to create a lot more than other sports.” He described hockey as “my whole life. “Honestly, once I graduated high school, hockey basically took me everywhere I've lived. … It's given me an avenue to explore the country and continue doing what I love, so it's been a part of my life since I can remember,” Collazo said. He said the biggest lesson he has learned through the game of hockey is “how to socialize and treat others, and how to get along with people from different backgrounds with different personalities.” Collazo has two memories from high school and college hockey that he feels are highlights of his career. He said, “Winning the state hockey tournament my senior year in New York was probably a bright spot for me,” and the playoff game the FSU team won his freshman year “signaled a turn for the program.” Additionally, Collazo said signing his first professional contract was “surreal - something I’ve wanted to do my whole life and it became a reality.” Collazo has maintained his youth hockey community all these years later. “I'm friends with five or six of my teammates that I grew up playing with my entire career, and they're lifelong friends I'll have forever,” he said. He also described his college team as “a family. “Just because I'm done in college, these friendships and relationships with these guys, they don't just end,” Collazo said. Getting a college education while simultaneously being an athlete wasn’t too difficult, Collazo said. He credited Framingham State’s small class sizes and helpful professors for making student-athlete life easier. He said, “Your teacher knows your name. So I think that's the biggest thing about Framingham State that I enjoyed, and that allowed me to be successful as a student and an athlete.” Collazo said getting to the pro level he is at currently or the collegiate level he has played at previously takes a lot of hard work. “I think if you can carry your work ethic over into the real world … you'll be more successful than other people that didn't really have that experience,” he said. In terms of being an athlete, Collazo said, “I definitely think it's my personality. … You try to be more than your sport, but if I'm being honest, hockey’s been everything I've known. His advice to freshmen and younger players is to not treat any optional opportunities as optional. “Don't skip the workouts. Don't skip extra ice. Anything that's provided to you that might seem extra, just go do it. Go to the extra skate. Go to the extra lift. … Go and put in the extra work and you'll be better off in the future,” Collazo said. [ Editor's Note: Ben Hurney is the Illustrations Editor for The Gatepost. ]