Athlete Spotlight: Journee Henry and Will Richards
Story and graphics by Tommy Briner, senior
Journee Henry
Journee Henry is a senior tennis player. As the number three player on the varsity team, she has high aspirations for the year.
“Our biggest goal as a team is to make it to state this year,” she said.
However, tennis is not the only thing that Journee is invested in. She is one of the busiest and most involved students at Westminster.
“My main involvements are that I’m president of AV Club in addition to being executive producer of Broadcast Journalism. Those two are where I dedicate the bulk of my time.”
As a member of the broadcast team, Journee has a wide range of skills. She can be seen in front of the camera as well as behind the scenes in production.
Aside from just broadcast, Journee excels in the classroom. She holds a 4.12 GPA and is enrolled in four advanced placement courses. However, it’s not necessarily the academic rigor that inspires her.
“What I enjoy most about school is the relationships I have with my teachers and classmates. Honestly, it’s the best thing about coming to school every day, plus I’m getting a really good education so I’m incredibly blessed,” she said.
Relationships are also the main reason Journee enjoys tennis so much.
“This year, we had a small squad and I absolutely loved it. We’ve all grown so much together since the season began and we’re literally like our own little family.”
Journee is an involved Westminster student who understands the importance of relationships and appreciates the ones she gets to form with those around her.
Will Richards
Will Richards is a sophomore three-sport athlete. He swims in the fall, plays basketball in the winter, and plays lacrosse in the spring. As just a freshman last year, Will qualified for the state Championship in swimming. This year, he wants a repeat.
“My goals are just to make it to state again and beat my times from last year,” he said.
The swim team is looking to improve their times, too. This year, they hope to have more state qualifiers than they’ve had in recent years. Just this week, they took first place at the Lion Relays at the St. Peter’s Rec-Plex featuring teams from all around the area. Will attributes the team’s recent success to the swimmers’ camaraderie.
“I love the team so much. We are all like brothers and pick on each other but we all care about each other. We are like a family and encourage each other and push one another.”
However, swimming isn’t even necessarily Will’s main sport. Last year, he played both basketball and lacrosse, and he was well-known on the court for his relentless effort. He was one of the most valuable players on the freshman team simply for this reason.
Will loves playing team sports at Westminster because of all the benefits they offer, both on and off the court.
“I love being on teams because you get more involved with the school and get to know more people through sports and clubs. I also love the coaches in every sport I play because they really care about you spiritually and physically,” he said.
Outside of sports, Will stays involved. He’s a part of student council and is a member of a service team at his church. He is strong in the classroom and holds a 3.52 grade point average.
Will Richards is the type of athlete that teammates love to play with and coaches love to coach.
