NEW HAVEN, Conn. – This summer, the Bulldogs are embarking on experiences away from the Yale campus. Check in with some members of the Yale softball team and see how they are spending their summer break.

This week, hear from rising junior Meredith Henderson to see what she is up to!

Hi y'all! Allow me to formally introduce myself! My name is Meredith Henderson and I am a rising junior pitcher. You may be thinking to yourself: "I didn't see her much on the field last year." And you would be correct! Last season, I injured my knee, so I had to take time away. Luckily, thanks to a lot of hard work from my athletic trainer, Brandon, my strength coach, Bianca, my physical therapist back home, Ashley, and of course, the wonderful Yale Softball coaches, I have gotten this baby back in shape! We're ready to rock and roll (in due time, of course).

Thus began my summer of rehab. I flew back to Keller, Texas (shout out to the 817) where I spent the first few months with my family. I stayed on my strength and conditioning grind, but also enjoyed watching movies with my dad and seeing my sister finish out her last season of softball before her first year at The University of Texas! Hook 'em!

The Henderson family had our first break in normalcy when Kaitlyn Oikle came to visit from Clermont, Florida! I introduced her to the greatest team in the history of sports (the 2023 World Champion Texas Rangers), showed her around the Lone Star State, and ate all the Tex-Mex food I could afford. 

I have traveled a lot during this summer! I jumped two time zones back to visit alum Sam Goodcase and her family in Camarillo, California for a week, and later road tripped it with my family to Colorado for the IDT/Sparkler softball tournament. I guess that's actually all the traveling I did. 

Oh! I almost forgot. I'm studying abroad in Cambridge, England for six weeks! It has been the most insane experience: learning all their terminology, traveling on my own, figuring out how to be self-sufficient — all while getting to learn from one of the most prestigious universities in the world! Have I done this before? Anyway! Here are some of my highlights:

My first week here, Caitlin Laferney's program in Iceland was wrapping up, so instead of going home like a normal person, she came to stay with me! It was wonderful: we punted on the River Cam (it's like rowing, but you don't have to do it yourself!), traveled to London to see all the sights — Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, you name it — and had afternoon tea. I'm not one to hyperbolize, but it was maybe the best week of my life. 

Since then, I've been hitting the books. I'm taking three courses here, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it is. I'm knee deep in Jane Austen, Applied Forensic Psychology, and Shakespeare. I have three papers due on the same day in two weeks. I'm not nervous… are you nervous?

Tomorrow, I leave with one of my friends in the program to go to France! I'm most excited to see the Louvre and Gusteau's, which I heard has a bunch of Michelin stars and also a rat that can cook.

After these two weeks, I'm headed back home and I can't wait to be back in action with my wonderful teammates.



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