With the spring sports season canceled at its very beginning (or before it even started, for some Union teams) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UnionAthletics.com will spend the next few months spotlighting many of the Union seniors whose athletic careers came to a premature end. Previous senior profiles can be viewed by heading to http://www.unionathletics.com/seniorspotlights.
 
Bri Stout is a four-year starter for the Union women's lacrosse team, appearing in all 47 games during her four-year career. She played her first two seasons in the midfield for the Dutchwomen, scoring two goals on three shots, before moving to defense as a junior. Stout was named an All-Liberty League honorable mention as a junior, starting all 15 games while leading the team in caused turnovers (13) and ranking third in ground balls (30). For her career, she recorded 77 ground balls and caused 38 turnovers in 47 games in a Union uniform.
 
Stout has also made an impact off the field as a member of Union's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as president during her senior season and spearheading multiple initiatives with the One Love Foundation. The political science major also is a Co-President of the Garnet Group and a Dean's List student.
 
What has been your favorite moment as a student-athlete at Union?
It is hard to just have one favorite moment because there are so many. But, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to build amazing long-lasting friendships with my teammates. 
 
A favorite game-specific moment was during my sophomore year in our last game at Vassar. It was back and forth the entire game and in the second half Vassar started to get the edge on us, but we fought back and had the lead, then Vassar came back and ended up tying the score, which sent us into overtime. Everyone was exhausted but we really came together as a team to get the win and Emma Lowery got the game-winning goal with a few seconds left on the clock. This game was such an amazing team win because every person on the team contributed to us getting the victory.  
 
How has being a student-athlete at Union benefited you?
As a student-athlete at Union, I have learned a lot of valuable life lessons. One of the big things that impacted me was the experience of only winning three games in one season; this is something that not many athletes face and it was not something I ever experienced as an athlete before. It enabled me to physically and emotionally learn perseverance, determination, communication, and teamwork. At the end of that season, we won our last game in OT, and it felt that all the hard work, perseverance and communication paid off, making it one of my most rewarding experiences.
 
As SAAC president, what has been your proudest accomplishment of the last year?
As the SAAC president, my proudest accomplishment was our work with the One Love Foundation. This year and last year we did three really big projects to spread and bring awareness of healthy relationships to the Union campus and community.
 
Who was/is your favorite professor at Union and why?
It is hard to say just one professor. So many professors that I have worked with at Union are really amazing. They have taken the time to get to know me in and out of the classroom, and that is what makes those professors really stand out. 
 
What advice would you give to younger athletes about their time at Union?
My advice to a younger athlete is to appreciate your sport through the ups and downs, and to play hard every minute that you are on the field because you literally never know when your last practice or game will be.