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By Ashleigh Sargent

What a week of hoops! As a college player and fan, my observations about the tournament mixed strong emotions (one of the stars of women’s basketball ends her college career with a 72-63 loss) with excitement for the way the final game unfolded. It is meaningful to see a new team win it all.

Why did Texas A & M win? Texas was tougher down the stretch and Notre Dame didn’t have an answer for Danielle Adams, with her strong body and soft hands. Even when Notre Dame went on runs, Texas A&M; never let that shake their confidence. To win close games, you have to win the battle of the intangibles. Both teams went on runs and faced lulls. It requires focus, hustle, and toughness (mental, emotional, physical) to outlast a very evenly matched opponent.

What does it mean for other college teams? Knowing that on any night that any given team can win will make teams more competitive. In the off-season, teams will work harder and look at teams like Texas A&M;, which has never won the championship, and see themselves. Players can no longer settle for mediocrity thinking it doesn’t matter because UConn or Stanford will win it anyway…

Why Maya Moore is so great: Remember the streak? 90 wins. In a row. That means showing up 90 times and being the better team. That’s 90 times teams throw everything that they have at you – but you answer. This brings me to:

— The Exposure. Maya Moore has become a name that people in the athletic world know (maybe not as well known as Kemba Walker or Jimmer Fredette), but in a tribute to her legacy on Sunday, some of the most dominant male and female athletes in sports recognized her ability as an athlete, not simply as a “female athlete.”

— Add in The Fanbase that turns out and tunes in to UConn because people love to watch Maya Moore play (and yes, she can lead SportsCenter). But the most critical to a player like me?

— The Competition. Moore challenges her opponents in every possession of the game. Geno Auriemma challenges coaches to find a strategy to beat his team. Teams have put their best effort on the floor for 40 minutes because UConn demands it. Maya Moore challenges other teams to match her greatness, which means challenging women’s basketball to be better.

Maya and Me: No, I don’t know her personally, but I see a player I strive to be like. I will not reach her skill level (not many ever will), but her work ethic, attitude, leadership and character are something every player at every level can work on. She epitomizes the right way to lead and represent your team. She puts her team on her shoulders, making sure she leaves everything on the floor. I respect that and have raised the bar for myself, trying to emulate not her skills (impossible), but the way she plays the game.

Ashleigh Sargent is a sophomore at Wellesley College majoring in Psychology and minoring in Mathematics. She is on the varsity basketball team, a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and a head of the Wellesley Athlete Mentor Program.

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