Erika Woll, a senior on the basketball team, is an Erie native; she attended Mercyhurst Prep High School. She attributes a lot of her success to the opportunities she had in high school. “Mercyhurst Prep allowed me to grow as an athlete,student, and person. My high school was my second home and has shaped me into the person I am today.” She was a four year letterwinner in basketball in high school, and playing against great competition throughout her high school career has helped her prepare for the college game.

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She is the lone senior on the Behrend women’s team this season, and she will be asked to run the show once again for the Lady Lions. Her experience will be essential for the Lady Lions, as they have a lot of newcomers this season. Behrend will look to head back to the AMCC Playoffs again for a chance to compete for a conference title, and Woll will be surely be the leader and a huge contributor that may help the team achieve their goals.

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When I spoke with Woll about how playing a sport has benefitted her in college, she said, “The game of basketball teaches you so many lessons: time management, determination, teamwork, self-motivation, and leadership. How you play basketball reveals how you will react to real-life situations. Basketball has also allowed me to make endless memories with my best friends.” This sounds like an answer that her grandfather Eugene Tomczak would appreciate. She talked about her grandfather being someone she admired most growing up. He taught that family is the most important thing in life. According to Woll, he also preached, “‘Poise, Confidence, Hustle’: advice I follow on and off the court to this day.”

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Woll also talked about her trip to Italy with the team last summer to play two international teams. “Visiting Venice, Florence, and Rome with my best friends and also playing against two international teams was one experience I will cherish forever and would relive in a heartbeat.” She also talked about her favorite memory playing basketball. “When I was in second grade, I was the water girl for my sister’s JV grade school team. The coach always let me practice with them, and he even let me play in their home tournament, even though the athletic director told him he wasn’t allowed to. He really sparked my love for the game.”

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It was really interesting to hear how some of her earliest memories of competition can be some of her favorites and leave an everlasting impression. From an early age, it was evident that Woll was hooked and loved the game of basketball, and this passion has driven her to become a successful college play Woll apart is her work ethic as a student. She decided to change her major from nursing to finance after her sophomore year, and she still is an excellent student, and she is going to be an extremely successful in business. She never let the change of major phase her, and she has continued to work extremely hard to prepare herself well for a successful career.

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Erika Woll is undoubtedly a great basketball player, but she is also a great person who is going to be extremely successful because of her awesome support system and great work ethic. She hopes to stay involved with basketball after graduating, and she knows basketball will always be a great part of her life. Woll is one of the most athletically and academically gifted people right now at Penn State Behrend, and the Allegheny Tip-Off Tournament cannot come soon enough for Behrend basketball fans.