Many athletes dream of the day when their name will be called over the speakers, bright lights shining as the stadium erupts in cheers of appreciation while their parents walk them across the field on their special night. The tradition of senior nights is far from new, although it still remains meaningful to many, especially to athletes in the class of 2025 at DePaul Prep.

This year, ten fall sports celebrated their seniors with this tradition yet again. Senior Elsa Furjanic, a multi-sport athlete in swimming and bowling, celebrated her swimming senior night this past October at St. Patrick’s High School. The team competed against Resurrection College Prep at their home pool.

Furjanic felt that her senior night experience was very special, since she had begun swimming at a young age. “It really made it feel like it was an official sport, because we didn’t really have a senior night last year,” Furjanic said. The swim team, which became an official team at DePaul Prep in 2023, had gained additional recognition in the past season, even sending several swimmers to sectionals.

To make the night special, the swim coaches came in early to help the swimmers decorate the pool and display their senior night posters.

The girl’s swim team won their senior night meet, a particularly good feeling in the eyes of the seniors, as “it’s a really good feeling, to have our first senior night end on a big win,” says Furjanic.

Similarly, the girl’s cross country team was honored at halftime of one of the home football games. Senior Lorelei Travers says that she deeply enjoyed the experience of walking onto the field with her family as well as the friends she’s made over the years through her time on cross country.

“I always wanted to be like the seniors who got to walk onto the field and I finally got to,” Travers said. Additionally, before the football game, the athletic departments and coaches arranged a dinner to honor the team’s seniors. Once each runner’s name was called over the stadium loudspeaker, they walked across the field alongside their parents and were handed flowers from the coaches, as the crowd erupted in cheers.

Travers said that the experience “made me feel super thankful for my teammates and coaches.” Travers is considering joining a running club in college due to the positive experiences she had and memories she made while running for DePaul Prep. Travers believes that in the future she will miss the community that her sport gave her, as well as the team traditions, such as themed practices on Fridays, where the team dresses in fun and silly outfits or costumes.

As a whole, Travers believes that the tradition of senior nights helps “bring the team together” while also helping the school recognize these runner’s dedication.

Although the field hockey program at DePaul Prep was founded just last year, the senior night was very meaningful to the founding players of the program.

Senior captain Theresa Cunningham said, “having our senior night made it feel more real…it brought to an end in a nice way.” To make the night special, the seniors were walked out onto the field by their parents and given gift baskets and flowers, as well as handmade posters from their other teammates. Due to her positive experiences playing field hockey at DePaul Prep, Cunningham hopes to play club field hockey in college.

As for the tradition of senior nights itself, Cunningham is highly appreciative. “It’s important because it recognizes the seniors that have been a part of the team for so long,” Cunningham says.

Despite the sentiment of honoring these seniors in their final games, meets, and matches, it’s still a very bittersweet feeling for many athletes to say goodbye to the sports they love as they prepare to move on to college.

“It was also really sad, because we’re going to graduate soon,” said Furjanic.

Travers shared similar sentiments, saying that “it feels both nostalgic and surreal to finally be in the shoes of a senior.” Cunningham agrees as well, saying, “I’m really gonna miss all my teammates I have played with these past years, and especially all my younger teammates that I’m leaving behind.”

Even though the end may feel bittersweet, these athletes agree that the experiences they shared with their friends was worth the time and effort that they put into their sports. Though they may never see the court, field, track, or pool again, they all share the same sentiment that the memories will live on.