Addie Wasikonis Has Always Been a True Student-Athlete at Heart

Photo courtesy of Pomona-Pitzer Athletics.

Just a few minutes into a conversation with Addie Wasikonis, a senior at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, is all it will take to realize her intelligence is remarkable. She can recall all of the softball camps she attended in her youth with little to no trouble at all.

This young woman not long ago was deciding between law school or to take on a masters program and later enter into the environmental policy and urban planning space. While she remains a senior softball player transitioning to centerfield in her final college season for the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, there is no question that this measly article from a freelance sports writer will be the apex, or even close, to what she accomplishes in her life. You see, being out on the diamond has always been one of her biggest passions since she began playing tee-ball on an all-girls team in State College at the age of five. A few years later at the age of nine, she started to get serious about the game and began playing for some local travel organizations in central Pennsylvania. Eventually, she would become a player for Rock Fastpitch out of Philadelphia, meaning three hour trips to Philly became common in her late high school years.

Playing with Rock Fastpitch allowed her to learn a great deal about colleges in general, including about Liberal Arts education which is what she grew to want past high school. Oddly enough, finding Pitzer College, a school that is a part of the Claremont College Consortium. The school is home to around 1,100 students and competes at the Division III level in a co-op with sister school, Pomona College. Interestingly, all five of the Claremont Colleges share borders with each other and it is common for students to take classes at each before graduation.

Photo courtesy of Pomona-Pitzer Athletics.

For Wasikonis, her own initiative is what led her to the west coast and to the Greater Los Angeles area. From attending Headfirst Honor Roll Camps in Long Island, New York, she had the chance to drill and workout in front of fifty of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation to showcase her skills and smarts. This experience is what led her to finding Pomona-Pitzer, an athletic arrangement that initially confused her. “I kept it in the back of my head that they were located in California and that would always be interesting,” explained the 2019 State College High graduate. One day, I just got super sick of the weather in Pennsylvania and decided to look at more schools in California. Eventually, I was led back to Pomona-Pitzer, and Pitzer in particular because of their program in environmental analysis.” A rather unique degree, she liked this program because of the four potential pathways that students can take advantage of within this degree. After deciding this was a place she could see herself at, she initiated discussion with the coaches about her intent to play college softball and start working towards a career in the environmental studies space. A little over four years later and her career is sadly winding down, but her life is truly just beginning. It’s been an odd three years of college softball as she has only played in 21 career games entering her senior year. Due to circumstances out of her control, including nearly two full years lost due to COVID-19 and a concussion that caused her to miss time in her third-season, she has not had the chance to fully experience college softball for all that it is worth. Fortunately, she has one last chance to do so in 2023. Transitioning from middle infielder to center fielder has been her offseason task that will help both herself and the team to be most successful. While this is a lot to take on so late in a softball career, she’s been happy to take on this challenge. But, it is far from the only challenge she is facing at the moment. Her other challenge is applying to graduate programs that can help her gain the additional education to be a successful city and urban planner one day. Hoping to stay local to Los Angeles, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) is her top choice for grad school. With one of the most reputable programs in the world, this would be a great addition to an already incredible degree from Pitzer. Looking back at what she’s already accomplished through softball, she graduated from State High with a District 6 title in her junior year, became a District 6 All-Star, was named the Barry Rossman Softball Award winner for outstanding leadership on and off the field, and was awarded the Billie Jo Pennabaker Award for sportsmanship and good spirit. However, perhaps her most impressive accomplishment was getting back on the field earlier this year to showcase the years of hard work on the college diamond after a tough two year start to her time as a Sagehen. From tournaments to college camps she attended throughout the country, Wasikonis does not take the opportunities she has had for granted in addition to the key people who have been instrumental in her athletic career and life. State College softball coach, James Schaper, is one mentor that means a great deal to her and her continued success in softball. However, it has always started with the support she had at home from parents Morgan and Mark. Their encouragement of Addie to chase her dreams both in softball and scholastics has been the fundamental support that’s given her the confidence to branch out and strive to make a difference in the world. Softball has been the key to unlocking a new world in California for this central Pennsylvnia raised girl, but now, the floodgates have opened and her mind continually wanders and is fed by the information she needs to work towards the change she wants to see in the world.

Photo courtesy of Pomona-Pitzer Athletics.