Sconnies Speak

Author: mbuerger

  • From Madison to McClimon: The Relentless Rise of Delaney Cox

    Written by: Peyton Cox

    It was a 50-degree September afternoon at UW’s McClimon Complex, and the young sophomore on the Wisconsin Women’s Soccer team finally heard the words she had been waiting for all her life.

    “And Number 8, from Madison, WI, Delaney Cox.”

    After years of hard work, despite setbacks and uncertainty, the Madison native earned her first collegiate start for her hometown team, representing the Motion W.

    Cox laced up her cleats a little tighter that day, not out of nerves but out of pride. Pride in every early morning spent running sprints when nobody was watching. Pride in every lonely rehab session when her knee ached and her future felt uncertain—pride in the simple, stubborn belief that she belonged here, even when doubts crept in.

    As the local talent jogged onto the field for her first start with the Wisconsin women’s soccer team, it wasn’t just a personal milestone. It was a moment years in the making, built through persistence, heartbreak, and a relentless drive to prove she was more than just another name buried in the recruiting files.

    For Delaney Cox, being a Badger wasn’t promised. It had to be earned.

    Growing up just a few miles from campus, Cox got her first taste of the game surrounded by young boys on the Madison Magic’s “Skittles.”

    It was clear, even from age 6, that this little girl would grow up to be a strong soccer star. From the co-ed team to the muddy fields of Madison’s 56ers Soccer Club, Cox began to turn talent into skill and interest into passion. Long before college dreams were even a whisper, she was chasing balls in her backyard and building a reputation for her natural athleticism and an even fiercer competitive streak.

    “I remember her coming home from three-day tournaments and running straight to the backyard to work on her shooting ability and shot selection,” shared Todd Cox, her proud father.

    But the path from local standout to Big Ten starter would be anything but straight.

    Madison Memorial High School saw her promise as a young freshman and offered her a spot on the varsity soccer team without attending tryouts. While Cox was away for a tournament across the country, the young player sent in her highlight reel, and that was all they needed.

    However, COVID stripped away her chances of showcasing what she was made of to the high school team and surrounding schools. As the world was paused, Cox continued to work and push for the day when she would make her mark.

    Finally, a year later, the second spring season was approaching, and Cox prepared to represent her high school for the first time. She had built solid relationships with the coaches and teammates, and the excitement of stepping onto Mansfield Field a year later than expected motivated her.

    To prepare for the upcoming games, Madison Memorial High School scheduled scrimmages against local teams to get experience facing real competition. On a sunny Saturday morning in spring, as her sister prepared for her senior prom and energy was high, Delaney pulled up her socks and untucked her green and white jersey for the first time.

    And then the unimaginable happened.

    As her teammate threw the ball in, Cox planted on her left leg while attempting to cut to the right when she heard a pop. As she fell to the ground, a silence broke over the crowd while screams echoed from the field, making it apparent what had just occurred.

    Another setback. Another year, she could not prove to coaches why she belonged—yet another opportunity.

    “My lowest moment was feeling like everything I worked for was slipping away. Watching from the sidelines and not being able to help my team was really hard,” shared Cox, who was set to rehab for 9 months and then could only hope she was the same player she was before.

    By leaning into the support of her family, teammates, and coaches, she was reminded why she loved the game in the first place. It was always about competing, growing, and proving not to others but to herself that she could overcome whatever was in front of her.

    And she did just that.

    Just one year later, as a junior, Delaney Cox was the heart of the Memorial Spartans soccer team. The offense revolved around her skill and on-field IQ. Being a varsity cross-country runner also helped her fitness and showcased to fans that she was more than just a good soccer player—she was a great athlete.

    In the months leading up to her ACL tear, Cox and her family decided to leave the local club team she had represented for years to increase her chances of being recognized nationally by college coaches.

    “We were at a tournament in Milwaukee, and Delaney barely touched the ball the entire game – just standing there up top, completely out of the action,” her father, Todd Cox, recalled. “That’s when I realized: if she wanted to play at the next level, we had to get her in front of coaches. So I asked her: ‘Are you really serious about this?’ Because if she was, it was time to make a change.”

    Although she transferred clubs and then faced the nine-month setback, she made the most of the first chance she got to make a difference for the Milwaukee SC Wave. Following an impressive high school season, Cox was finally able to contribute with her new club teammates and helped them win a national championship.

    In just a few short months, she was named to the 2022 first-team all-conference, first-team all-area, and all-state honorable mention teams at Memorial before scoring the game-winning goal in the semifinals for FC Wave, which sent her team to the national title game.

    All of that hard work was paying off. She proved to herself that she could overcome any situation. However, her dream of playing at the Division 1 level had not yet been fulfilled.

    When asked what she would tell her junior-year self while repairing her ACL, Cox said:

    “I would tell myself that I am going to come back stronger, not just physically but mentally too. Continue to trust the process, even when it feels like nothing is going my way. The hard days are building you into someone you’ll be proud of.”

    Things had been going her way, and her father noticed. However, the first two years of setbacks undoubtedly played a significant role in her recruiting journey.

    Between her ACL tear and the COVID shutdowns, she fell off the radar of most top-tier college programs — something her dad, Todd Cox, understood.

    “I knew why schools weren’t calling — but I also knew she just needed a chance,” he said.

    That chance nearly came in the form of a full-ride offer from Loyola, but the excitement quickly faded. “On the way home, she broke down in tears,” Todd recalled. “She didn’t want to go there. That’s when I told her: if this is really about playing for Wisconsin, it’s time to reach out and see what happens.”

    Delaney reached out to Paula Wilkins, the University of Wisconsin Women’s Soccer Head Coach, to express her passion and goal of representing the Badgers and her recent success. Despite the recruiting class being full, Wilkins invited her to talk. Cox and her father walked into Wilkins’ office without expectations. However, the young player recalled that they spoke about soccer for about five minutes before discussing their shared love for Door County, sports, and family for the remainder of the time.

    Wilkins loved her and was given all she needed: an opportunity.

    “Nothing was promised, but it also made me want it more,” Cox shared.

    Ever since being given the chance to walk on and earn her spot on this team, Delaney has proven herself every step of the way.

    Delaney formed great relationships with her coaches, became close with her teammates, and became a stronger and more well-rounded college soccer player. While appearing in 7 games and playing just 44 minutes, she could still showcase what makes her unique. As a forward for her entire life, she brought a constant offensive threat to every team she played for. However, the Wisconsin coaching staff noticed her athleticism made her dangerous on both sides of the ball.

    Following her first season, she leaped from good to great, transitioning from offense to defense. Her ability to present an attacking force while defending the ball at a high level earned her minutes and the chance to fulfill her lifelong dream.

    At the beginning of her sophomore season, Coach Wilkins called Cox into her office and told her they saw Delaney as a pivotal player and a starter on the roster.

    After hearing her name over the loudspeaker and waving out to the little girls whose exact seats she grew up in, Delaney shared that “the feeling of finally seeing all the work, sacrifice, and belief pay off made everything worth it.”

    But just as everything seemed to click — the confidence, the minutes, the starting spot — another setback appeared.

    Cox was diagnosed with a stress fracture. The issue wasn’t her commitment or play; that was never the problem; it was the toll of giving too much without enough fuel in return. She had worked herself into the starting lineup for the season’s first four games, but her body couldn’t keep up.

    “It was draining,” she admitted. “After everything I had fought for, to be sidelined again was really hard.”

    Only this time, something was different.

    This version of Delaney Cox didn’t question whether she belonged. She already knew she did. Her mindset was stronger. Her body would be, too. And after everything she had already overcome, she wasn’t about to let one more obstacle keep her from doing what she loved.

    She’s spent this spring rebuilding carefully and intentionally to be even better in the fall. Not just physically, but as a teammate, leader, and example of what it means to fight for the jersey as a hometown hero.

    “I hope people see passion, grit, and joy when they watch me play,” Cox said. “I want to be remembered as someone who never gave up — and who truly loved being a Badger.”

    And as her sister, whether her name is written in record books or her college career ends with just 90 more minutes played, I will forever be proud of the girl who took a chance on herself, who didn’t just represent the Motion W, but carried the Cox name with honor, fight, and pride.

  • DR. ANDREA SPIKER: BREAKING BARRIERS

    Written by: Alex Dickett

    Who would you see when the television camera pans to the bench at a University of Wisconsin-Madison men’s basketball game? To answer, you would first see head coach Greg Gard, the starting players, the reserves, and the athletic trainer.  Not surprisingly, they are all men.  However, directly behind the bench in the second row, you will see a woman – a woman who is one of the most important and respected members of the men’s basketball program. That woman is Dr. Andrea Spiker, the orthopedic team physician for the men’s basketball team.

    Until recently, Dr. Spiker was the orthopedic team physician for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. She held that role for the women’s team for 8 years. Now, she focuses on the men’s team. Dr. Spiker attends all home games and must be ready for whatever injury may happen to either team. 

    “I am on call 24/7, typically communicating with the athletic trainer for the team, available to answer any questions about mostly musculoskeletal [issues]. . . We are responsible for the visiting team as well,” Dr. Spikers says. “So if anything happens to one of those athletes, as the physician in attendance at that game, we’ll take care of them.”  

    Dr. Spiker’s journey to her role as the orthopedic team physician was far from linear. Although initially interested in musculoskeletal medicine, she was quickly inundated with learning internal medicine and cardiology during medical school. She thought she would go into one of those fields. It wasn’t until her time practicing orthopedic surgery during the last two weeks of the third year of medical school that she found her passion again in the orthopedic surgery field.  

    “I rotated in orthopedic surgery and just completely fell in love with the ability to immediately fix what was broken, to restore in one instance or in one surgical episode, a patient’s ability to function.”  

    Dr. Spiker enjoyed learning the nuances of musculoskeletal medicine and surgical care, as they were not taught much in medical school. Despite the challenges, she enjoys the benefits that have come with it and hasn’t looked back since.  

    “It was opening this entire new world that hadn’t been shown to me before, which was really challenging and exciting. It’s a little bit more challenging than some other fields sometimes, but totally worth it.” 

    In July 2021, NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) was introduced into collegiate sports, forever changing the landscape. NIL has allowed college athletes to profit from company endorsements and private investors to pay athletes to play for their schools. This, in turn, has led to many athletes entering the transfer portal, which has also affected the patient/doctor relationship. 

    Dr. Spiker commented, “We’re seeing a little bit more of a rotating door of athletes coming in and out. I would say it’s kind of interesting because I think it’s detrimental to the students in not having continuity of care from their team doctors.” 

    Despite the existence of NIL, the transfer portal, and the accompanying difficulty in forming continuing care relationships with some athletes, Dr. Spiker knows how important it is to be physically present for the athletes.  During the basketball season, she works a few times a week with the men’s basketball athletic trainer, Brent Neuharth, who has a very close working relationship with the athletes.  Although the athletes desire to play, Dr. Spiker helps them understand that she always looks out for their best interests.  

    Neuharth said of Dr. Spiker, “She’s awesome to work with. She’s a great surgeon, a great orthopedic physician in terms of evaluating and developing plans of care for each individual . . . She cares about what’s best for that individual and thinks thoroughly about all the options and allows the student athlete to take part in making decisions that are best for them individually.” 

    The orthopedic surgery field, however, is seriously lacking in gender diversity. As of a few years ago, only 6.5% of the orthopedic surgeons in the United States were women. There is no other medical subspecialty with a lower percentage of women.  This lack of gender diversity can challenge women attempting to break into and succeed in the field. Indeed, being in such a male-dominated field, Dr. Spiker often feels the need to prove herself.  “You have to be better and more by the book,” she said. Dr. Spiker described being a female orthopedic surgeon as if there were only a single red dot in a field of 100 black dots.  

    “No matter what happens, all eyes are on that red dot. Everybody’s just paying more attention to you from the get-go, so everything you do is under a little bit more critique.” 

    Dr. Spiker notes, however, that the lack of diversity in the field is improving because 24% of the medical residents currently in the orthopedic surgery field are women.

    Dr. Spiker discussed the importance of having mentors for anyone interested in orthopedic surgery. As she began her career, she had several women as mentors and role models, as she was the residency program director, attending physicians, and other residents.  

    “I think it was very important for me as a female in orthopedics to see successful women in that role.”  

    Dr. Spiker singled out Dr. Tammy Scerpella as a key mentor in her journey to her current position. Dr. Scerpella is the Chair of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at UW Madison. 

    “She’s the one who recruited me here, and I would say she’s a huge reason why I ended up coming to Wisconsin. . . Excellent surgeon. It helped me see that it’s possible to be a woman in this field and have a life outside of it as well.”

    While some may think that being the men’s basketball orthopedic team physician is Dr. Spiker’s only job, that could not be further from the truth. Dr. Spiker is on staff as an orthopedic surgeon at UW Health in Madison. She developed the hip preservation program at UW Health and treats many patients with hip, knee, and other orthopedic issues. Dr. Spiker noted that being a team physician often involves additional, unpaid time. For example, she commented that sports medicine surgeons usually have surgery or clinical appointments from 7 am to 5 pm. Then, they will attend evening or weekend basketball games during the season.  Despite the extra time involved with being the team’s orthopedic physician, Dr. Spiker has no regrets and enthusiastically embraces that role.  

    “It goes to . . . our love and our passion for doing this for the athletes.”

    Dr. Srino Bharam is one of Dr. Spiker’s colleagues in the orthopedic surgery field. Dr. Bharam is the Director of Hip Preservation at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, New York. He met Dr. Spiker when she started her practice because she trained with one of his colleagues in New York in hip preservation.  

    “I was impressed with her because she was driven, motivated, and dedicated to hip preservation very early on in her career.”  

    But even with all her accomplishments, the characteristic that Dr. Bharam admires most about Dr. Spiker is her relentless efforts to advocate for diversity in the field. “She’s a champion for female orthopedic surgery.  She’s very active. She takes an active role advocating for female orthopedic surgeons.”

    Although not the first woman to succeed in the orthopedic surgery field, Dr. Spiker no doubt had to overcome the challenges and roadblocks inherent in that field. Dr. Spiker has not just succeeded in a male-dominated medical subspecialty; she has earned the respect of players, athletic trainers, and the UW Athletic Department as the orthopedic team physician for the men’s basketball team, once unheard of for a female doctor. So the next time you are at the Kohl Center for a men’s basketball game, look for the woman in the second row behind the bench among a sea of men. That’s Dr. Spiker.

  • The Heart of a Champion

    Written by: Natalie Compe

    National champion volleyball player. Second team all-tournament. Honorable mention all-tournament. Future doctor. None of these personal victories would’ve been possible without a huge setback in Mason Durst’s life.

    At the age of 13, Mason discovered he had a heart condition called Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT). In this condition, your heart suddenly beats much faster than normal due to abnormal electrical signals in the upper chambers. It’s not life-threatening, but it can cause dizziness, shortness of breath, or even cause you to faint in some cases. 

    This would be Mason’s end of contact sports. He used to play football, baseball, and basketball, but had to change his passion to something else. This is when he found his love for volleyball. Luckily, he hit a growth spurt in his junior year of high school and rose to be 6’7. This was unstoppable in his game, and he soon took his team to the State in his senior year, where they were victorious. 

    His game was outstanding, with an average hitting percentage of .263% and a 44.9% kill rate. He was also an asset in his serve reception, with 152 receptions and only eight errors throughout the season. This opened up many opportunities for his team to put the point away. These stats were big indicators of the team’s extreme success, resulting in the team’s win in the state volleyball tournament. 

    Mason was offered a variety of D1 offers from schools, including USC and Ohio State, but he declined because he had always wanted to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison doesn’t have a men’s team, and he was unsure if he wanted to continue playing or focus on his school life. I spoke with a former club teammate of Mason, Dylan Macriola, and he greatly impacted Mason’s decision to play in college. Macriola quotes, “I remember playing against Mason in high school, and I was always mesmerized by how he played. When I heard he committed to Madison, I knew I had to get him to play club.” After several DMs, texts, and interactions, Mason continued this passion for volleyball throughout college, where he joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison Men’s Club Volleyball team. Macriola’s persistence and determination had the biggest impact on Mason’s decision, and overall, Mason looked up to Macriola on the court and elected him captain. 

    Ultimately, his decision to play impacted the team significantly, and he met some of his best friends through it. He proved his worth by being voted captain and holding various positions on the Executive Board over the past two years. After talking with one of his current teammates, Nathan Chung, some words he used to describe him were “accountable”, “persistent”, and “empathetic” – qualities that make Mason not just a great player, but a great leader. Chung and Mason played club together for years before entering college, and created such a great bond that they became freshman year roommates. They worked dynamically on and off the court and have made a great deal of impact on each other’s lives. 

    Chung continues to speak highly of Mason, saying, “he is one of the biggest reasons I still play today. He made the game more enjoyable with his contagious personality. We’ve pushed each other for as long as I can remember, and I am glad he will be my teammate for the last game of my college career.” 

    He has proven to be a leader on and off the court, and it is apparent that his teammates look up to him. 

    Every year, hundreds of teams from across the country gather for the national club volleyball tournament, competing for the title of best in the nation. For Mason, this stage has become familiar. He has played in two national championship matches—one as a sophomore, one as a junior—each time in front of thousands of spectators, under the bright lights, with everything on the line. Thousands of people piling into the arena, taking their seats to watch him play the sport he once felt was a default. 

    Mason first stepped onto the championship court in his sophomore year. He was nervous and excited, but did not realize how big the crowd would be. Nearly one thousand people filled the arena, chanting for or against him. Everything about that game was memorable. 

    “The game was against our rival school, the University of Illinois. The tensions were so high, but we knew their team well since we’ve played them in several tournaments prior to nationals. We knew their weak spots already, and they knew ours; it was just a matter of who would do it better that game,” Mason recalls. 

    After a well-fought battle against Illinois, he and his team won the National tournament in Kansas City, MO, where he received the Second-Team All-Tournament award. The second time he was in the arena was his junior year, again in KC. That year, their team took second place in the nation. Even though Mason played through a fractured fibula, he still received Honorable Mention All-Tournament. He aims to finish his college career with another national championship win and get voted first-team all-country. 

    SVT did more than change his athletic passions; it also shaped his career path. Mason developed a love for medicine and chose the Pre-Med track to help those in his shoes. His biggest goal is to become a doctor, which requires dedication, resilience, and a deep commitment to helping others. Balancing high-level athletics with a demanding academic workload has strengthened his time management, discipline, and ability to perform under pressure—qualities that will serve him well in medicine. 

    After asking Mason how his heart condition changed his approach to life, he stated, “It pushed me to be more mindful of my body, manage stress better, and stay disciplined in both academics and athletics. It also reinforced resilience, teaching me to push forward despite challenges.” 

    Mason Durst’s story is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and a willingness to adapt in the face of adversity. From a life-altering heart condition to becoming a national champion volleyball player and future doctor, he has proven that setbacks are not the end—they can be the beginning of something greater. With his passion for helping others, leadership on and off the court, and unwavering dedication to both his athletic and academic pursuits, Mason’s journey is far from over. Whatever challenges lie ahead, one thing is sure: his heart, literally and figuratively, will continue to drive him toward success.

  • UW Track Club evolves with changing landscape of athletic facilities on campus

    Students struggle to make due with the Shell’s closure

    Written by: Maddox Durst

    MADISON, Wis. – One of the largest club organizations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is known for its consistent success, is facing nowhere to house them. 

    The UW Track Club was founded in 1991, and has produced numerous track & field and cross country athletes for the university and beyond—emerging as a place where college students could continue to run and be a part of a team without having to commit too much time away from academics and other aspects of their college lives. 

    Worries began to accumulate, though, as the indoor recreation center nestled into Camp Randall, known widely as the Shell, was set to close after April 2023. 

    “I was very upset because even including the outdoor season, we probably spent by far the most time in there,” Brenden Dieter, a fourth-year member of the club, said about the Shell. “So, it was a really hard transition out of it.”

    The Shell provided the lone resource for the track club during the winter months in Wisconsin, where performing half of the club’s events is necessary for them to train. 

    Sprinters, jumpers, and throwers were left with no facilities or resources by the time the 2023-24 school year rolled around, and winter began to set in throughout the middle of the academic year. 

    “It just kind of sucks, everyone was really disappointed because in the winter months, we’re training and we’re going to meets in March,” Vice President of sprints, Sam Culwell, said about the Shell’s closure.  “We don’t have the proper facilities to train.”

    To make up for that, the Track Club decided to take on the outdoors over this past winter, sprinkling a mix of a few indoor facilities whenever they could make do. 

    Jordan Ranum, a current medical student at the university, has been part of the club for five years and is experiencing this for the first time. 

    “It’s been rough, every Wisconsin winter is super unpredictable,” Ranum said. “We’ve been training outside in the cold, bundled up, trying not to die on the ice.”

    For these athletes, the indoor option remains available, but not without having to plan around the numerous activities on and off campus. 

    The Track Club has practiced on the McClain Athletic Facility turf, which houses the Wisconsin football indoor practice field. They have also practiced at Verona Area High School, about a 20-minute drive from campus. They aim to work out as a unit at least four times weekly. 

    Both of those indoor options cost money and force the members of the Track Club to plan many of their evenings around practice. At McClain, the club is set to practice between 10:00 p.m. and midnight, which is not accessible for student-athletes with academics to take care of early in the morning. 

    On the other hand, Verona is a drive away, with many members not having a car, requiring car pools, or even requesting an Uber at some point throughout the year. 

    “We’re just trying to make the best with what we can,” Dieter said. “I won’t lie, my fitness has definitely taken a toll and my motivation has taken a toll with not having that facility because I relied on it so much.”

    On Feb. 12, 2024, the UW-Madison Board of Regents announced a plan to create what was proposed in the reconstruction of the Shell. That includes a state-of-the-art football facility and numerous workout areas, surrounded by a three-lane track. 

    While the workout facility will be expanded, the track is thrown to the side, as the newest track being laid down in this building does not meet the regulations for any track & field athletes. 

    During that time, the Wisconsin men’s Track and Field team acquired two indoor Big Ten championships, while placing third this past season behind two of the biggest national brands in the sport, Oregon and USC. 

    Taylor Kesner, a women’s thrower, just won an individual national championship in the weight throw, all while the men’s cross country team has secured seven-straight Big Ten titles during this process. 

    There’s a brand for success, yet this group was forced to practice in Lodi and Whitewater at separate sites, each requiring daily bus trips. 

    “It’s interesting that we have such a successful track program, and have no indoor facilities, especially as a Midwest school with pretty cold winters,” Ranum said. “I feel like it puts UW at a disadvantage for their Division I athletics not to have an indoor facility.” 

    While the university provides those resources for its student-athletes, it leaves the UW Track Club on an island. 

    Training is necessary for the sport, and the escape from the daily stress of school that it creates is vital to multiple people on campus, including Ranum, Dieter, and Culwell.

    Despite it not being in top-tier shape, the Shell was a place where bonds and memories were made, a facility that is going to continue to be challenging to replace in the next couple of years.

    “Just talking about the Shell, it really makes me miss the sense of community we had there,” Ranum said. “When I went to the Shell, I felt like I knew everybody there, you would say ‘Hi’ to everybody. There were still a lot of people who went there, but it still felt like a tight-knit community.”

  • Lead Off

    The Night Mares are building a softball community on and off the field

    Written by: Morgan Feller

    Savanna Rainey’s first season with the Madison Night Mares was a dream come true.

    Late in a game during the Night Mares’ inaugural season, a young Black girl from the Poynette Smash approached Rainey.

    She was worried she wouldn’t get her ball signed — a ritual the local softball team performs after every game — and asked Rainey if she could get it signed before leaving early.

    Rainey, the marketing and operations manager, promised to take the softball into the dugout and have the ball signed by every player. This was a special case, though.

    The young girl wanted Rainey to sign the ball instead of the players.

    “I was like, ‘Wait what?’” Rainey questioned.

    Rainey stood there, puzzled. She asked herself why the girl would want an autograph from someone who wasn’t on the team.

    “She was like, ‘Well, I mean, you’re amazing, you’re awesome, you’re on the field just like they are,’” Rainey says the girl said.

    “‘You deserve to sign it. You’re the reason why this is happening,’” Rainey recalls the girl’s father added.

    Teary-eyed, Rainey signed the girl’s softball. She was left speechless after the exchange with the young player.

    The introduction of the Madison Night Mares, one of four teams featured in the new Northwoods Softball League, couldn’t have come at a better time as the inclusion and popularity of women’s sports is starting to blow up, especially in Madison.

    After duking it out with the Mankato Habaneros late in the season, the Night Mares finished in second place with a 25-17 record. Although they weren’t crowned champions in their first season, the capital’s team will be remembered for knocking it out of the park by fostering a community in Madison.

    Rainey played a key role in the team’s success in a community with strong ties to successful women’s sports teams already, and the aspiring Night Mares aim to continue to create new audiences to foster a unique sports culture in Wisconsin.

    As a Black woman, Rainey is passionate about increasing representation in softball, which is a sport lacking diversity.

    “What I really care about is making sure that I’m able to see other young little girls that look like me that might have never had the opportunity to see something like this,” she says.

    Rainey articulated the importance of influencing young softball players — something she missed out on during her playing days.

    It got so bad that she eventually hated the sport she once loved.

    She now makes it her goal to give players and young girls what she didn’t have: a supportive coach figure to look up to and a revolutionary softball team.

    “If I would have had this as a kid, you would just think opportunities are endless,” Rainey says when describing the impact the Night Mares have on young girls who play softball. “And not that opportunities weren’t endless when I was a kid, but we just didn’t have anything like this at the time.” 

    The softball star on the Poynette Smash wasn’t the only athlete who was inspired by the Night Mares’ inaugural season.

    Bryn Hommowun, a seventh-grade softball player for the Sun Prairie Savage, was lucky enough to practice with the Night Mares.

    “It was really cool to see older girls that also played softball and it was really cool to see a competitive team come,” Bryn says. “It was really cool to see another older girl’s team that plays, that is now pretty well known out of Madison, come to help us learn.”

    Sharing the field with the Night Mares wasn’t the grandest field the 13-year-old stepped on though.

    Bryn’s team was lucky enough to throw out the first pitch during the first home game of the inaugural season.

    Erin Hommowun, Bryn’s mom, was elated to see her daughter throw out this first pitch — something she never got to do as a young Little League Baseball player.

    “To watch my daughter have opportunities, not only to play competitive softball with really supportive women so early, but then to be able to watch older women who have grown up in the game, is amazing,” Erin says. “I feel like this whole community has just done better for girls in sports. And so it really meant a lot to our whole family.”

    UW Softball star Hilary Blomberg, who had the league’s second-best batting average, assisted at the Little League team’s practices.

    “I was helping one girl hit, and I was like, oh my God, she’s good. She just needs to use her legs,” Blomberg says, as she recalls a practice with the Sun Prairie Savage. “I was helping her on the side, and sure enough they were hitting live off their own pitchers, and then the next time she went up, she hit her first-ever home run.”

    Carly Oliver, a National Fastpitch Coaches Association Gold Glove second baseman from the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky, reflects on her connections with fans and teammates and the lessons she learned from the Night Mares’ games.

    After seeing a dog retrieve a bat during her first team meeting at a Mallards’ game, she was worried the Night Mares were like the Savannah Bananas, a popular baseball team from Savannah, Georgia, with circus-like antics and funny dances during games.

    She had no idea what she had gotten herself into.

    Once the season was in full swing, Oliver says the fun games taught her a valuable lesson.

    “Even if you’re having a bad game, you still have to be that role model, you still have to put a smile on your face and interact with the fans,” Oliver says. “That I think is gonna help some of these players when they go back to school, be like OK, at the end of the day, this is just a game.”

    One of her biggest takeaways on the playing field, though, was her impact on not only little girls but little boys as well.

    “The biggest thing for me was when a little boy would come through a line and they would just look at you like you hung the moon,” Oliver says. “Growing up as a young female athlete, we had those baseball players that we were like, oh, he’s really good, but you don’t see the other way around a lot.”

    Samantha Rubin, the Mallards and Night Mares general manager, is proud the softball team gained such loyal fans after one season.

    Rubin and Rainey had lofty expectations for attendance records, but after cross-referencing how they stacked against other teams, they dusted the competition. 

    According to the league’s website, the team averaged 1,250 people every game, 78% higher than the next team in the Northwoods Softball League.

    Not only did the Night Mares dominate attendance among their softball peers, the team also outdrew 14 Northwoods League Baseball teams in average attendance, more than half of the Northwoods League Baseball teams.

    What makes this attendance feat even crazier is the front office only had six months to prepare after the initial thoughts of hosting a softball team in Madison surfaced.

    “Not many people, especially at my age, have the opportunity to not only run a summer collegiate baseball team, that’s basically a minor league team, but to also launch a team,” Rubin says. “There’s nothing out there like Northwoods League softball, there’s nothing out there like the Night Mares and there are other summer collegiate softball leagues, but they don’t do the fun.”

    Rubin is paving the foundation for other leagues as the first female general manager of the Mallards and only one of four female general managers in the Northwoods Baseball League.

    According to Rubin, exceptional softball players all over the Madison area travel to other cities to play in more competitive leagues. It’s her goal to change the landscape of Madison softball by creating a youth softball league in 2025 to increase the sport’s popularity.

    This is just the beginning of Night Mares softball and the growth of women’s sports.

    “Being able to work around such awesome people, that just love what they do and love sports and love being around their job is awesome,” Rainey says. “Especially seeing this on the field and transpire to what it has been, and I can’t wait to see what it will be in the future.”