Senior Circuit...Cayley Wetzig
Colorado Springs, Colo., is 1,260 miles west, 220 miles north, and one mile higher than Spartanburg, S.C. Wofford College may not be a household name there, but something about it caught Cayley Wetzig’s eye.
“Wofford captured my attention because it had everything I was looking for in a college,” says Wetzig. “It’s an academically acclaimed school, it has a family-like bond with its tennis team, and it offered me the chance to break out of my comfort zone by attending a school where I didn't know anybody and forcing me to experience a new culture.
“I was offered a tennis recruiting trip to visit, and after driving into the campus and seeing the fountain near Burwell, I immediately realized how striking Wofford's campus was. I had applied to other schools, but Wofford was a completely unique experience. Not only did the campus grab my attention because of its intimate size, sense of history and prestige, but the southern hospitality, of which I wasn't familiar, really grabbed me. No other school I visited left such an impression.”
Four years later, Wetzig has left quite an impression on Wofford. A four-year member of the women’s tennis team, she has also been involved in residential peer mentoring, the Campus Union, Wofford Athletics and Recreation, and the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.
Academically, she did the equivalent of switching to her backhand.
“I came to Wofford wanting to be a biology and pre-med major,” she says. “After my freshman year, I changed to finance because I realized my interests were more in the business world instead of the medical field.”
When she graduates next month, she will likely stay in finance, if not in South Carolina.
“As of right now, I plan to work for a few years and then go to graduate school for my MBA,” she says. “Ideally, I'd like to get a job in some area of business, whether it is consulting, advertising, sales, marketing or real estate. I don't know if I'll stay in the south, but the south will always hold a close place in my heart.”
The memories of her time in Wofford will be a major reason why. One in particular stands out above the rest.
“My favorite memory happened last fall,” she says. “I've always enjoyed helping recruit students to Wofford because of my great recruiting experience. When I came on my recruiting trip before my freshman year, I had the usual day tour but my host and her friends gave me a night tour of the campus. I could really tell through that experience how much they loved Wofford and really appreciated the small intricate details most don't know about.
“Since I've been here, I've always wanted to share that experience with incoming freshmen who might be undecided and need that "additional push" to give Wofford a chance. Therefore, whenever the football recruiting begins early in the fall and in January, I really like to help out.
“When our football team played Furman this year, I committed to helping out with the recruitment. I didn't realize exactly what that commitment entailed. Usually it involves a few girls like myself hanging around at the back of the line answering questions for the parents and potential players. But to my surprise, I had unintentionally committed to actually GIVING the tour.”
She was the proverbial deer in the headlights, surrounded by potential Terriers.
“There weren’t just a few football players and their parents, but more like 50 football players and their parents,” recalls Wetzig. “There were other Wofford football players there, but for some reason they looked to me as the boss, so I had to start dictating what was going to happen. Here I was, someone who'd only given a few informal tours, giving a tour to a massive load of people all over campus.
“The tour ended up going well because I just tried to recall what I heard on my recruiting trip and what activities/resources the school would provide that football players would like, but the process was one of the funniest situations I've ever experienced…not only because I was being followed around campus by close to 50 people, talking loudly enough that everyone could hear me, but because I found out about it five minutes before I was going to give it. Now I can only look at it as a humorous situation because this year they have said that the football recruits are the best in history. Way to go beating Furman, guys!”