“Where Are They Now” – Brooke Benedetto
The "Where Are They Now" Wells College Athletics series puts a spotlight on the alumni and alumnae to give the Wells community an inside look at some of its many special student-athletes from years past. We would love to tell your story knowing that part of you journey began with us! Today's segment features Brooke Benedetto.
Brooke Benedetto was a member of the Wells College women's tennis (2013-16), women's basketball (2012-16) and mixed golf (2012) teams and graduated from Wells with a major in psychology and minor in women and gender studies in 2016 as a Henry Wells Scholarship recipient. On the tennis court, Brooke was a three-time most valuable player, competed in 68 basketball games on the basketball court and was the lone female on the mixed golf team that saw her finish in the team's top-three in the majority of matches and helped the team take a men's tournament at Cazenovia with one of those third-place finishes. Brooke left her mark on the tennis court where she often led the team in season victories in both singles and doubles play over multiple seasons and built a player portfolio that left her as the top-ranked player heading into the conference championships in her senior year. She won the No. 4 singles title in 2014 as a sophomore and also took the No. 2 singles title in her junior year. She finished her tennis career with a combined 60-plus wins at singles and doubles play for the Express.
In a brief question and answer segment with Brooke, we asked her to reflect on her time at Wells in looking back, while at the same time offering some advice to current and future Wells College student-athletes:
Wells College teams participated on and years of participation: 2012- Mixed golf; 2013-2016- Women's tennis; 2012-2016- Women's basketball.
Athletic and/or academic awards: Academic Awards: Dean's list 2016; Henry Wells Scholar. Athletic Awards and recognitions for tennis: Tennis Captain (15-16); MVP (2014-16); Express Award 2016; First Team all-conference singles play (2014-15); First team all-conference doubles play 2015; Second Team all-conference singles play 2016. School record for most doubles wins 2016.
Current occupation: I am a security treatment aide at Central New York Psychiatric Center in Marcy, N.Y. My job is to provide a therapeutic and safe environment for incarcerated individuals needing to focus on their mental health in an environment away from prison. I oversee men and women in the 24-hour care secure facility.
Professional and/or community clubs/associations: NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association.
Reasons for choosing Wells to continue your athletic career: I chose Wells because I grew up in a very small community and went to a small high school. I knew I wanted to continue to play sports but was not sure if I could balance academics and athletics. After my first overnight visit to Wells, I knew it was the place I wanted to continue my education. Wells made it possible to continue to play the sports I love, (and learn a new one, tennis!) all while furthering my education at the same time. A lot of my success and the fun memories I have come from Wells being such a small community that reminded me of home.
Favorite memory of Wells College: I have many fond memories of Wells College that include all of my athletic accomplishments for tennis and basketball, the dances on the weekends, and all of the other unique traditions you could only find at Wells. Honestly though, one of my favorite memories will always be going down to the boat dock and hanging out with friends or watching the sunset. The view is something I will never forget.
Advice you would give to current Wells College Student-Athletes: Advice I would give is to never take those moments with your teammates for granted because the seasons and years go by so quick and it is one of the things I miss most about college. Your teammates really become your family in a lot of different ways, so it is important to realize that before it is all over.
