2017 vs Furman. Photo by Hayden McAteer
Kara Salvo, from Waxhaw, NC, has been Westerns third basemen and has seen time as a catcher since she came to Cullowhee in 2014. In her freshmen campaign, she was on the 2014 SoCon All-Conference Second Team as well as the SoCon All-Freshman Team. In Salvo’s eyes, these accolades wouldn’t have been possible without achieving one major goal first.
“My biggest accomplishment is being less than the 1% of the population that can say I worked hard and lived my dream of playing softball at a Division 1 level for 4 years,” Salvo said in an email.
Her bonds with fellow seniors Courtney Buchanan and Courtney Price started long ago but are still strong and continuously growing.
“I’ve known Courtney Price and Courtney Buchanan for 10 years, and I can’t imagine my career without them. When we all got to WCU it was basically a family reunion. Even after softball is over the bond I share with them will continue to be strong and grow stronger.”
Courtney Price expressed the type of person and teammate Salvo has been for Western. “Kara is the firecracker of the team. She’s not afraid to get on anyone when she knows they need it. She is the one who fires everyone up and gives us that “kick in the butt” when things are going wrong.”
WCU softball head coach Jim Clift praised her skills and her devotion to the team.
“Kara Salvo is the leader of the infield, and one of the finest third basemen I have ever seen and is the best I have ever coached,” Clift pointed out. “She is a fiery competitor. She also puts the team first.”
Above all this however, Price values one trait more.
“She is someone who you can trust to be honest with you no matter what. She is someone who has also become one of my best friends throughout the years of knowing her and I am extremely thankful for her.”
Buchanan describes the consistent tenacity that Salvo has on the field.
“Kara has definitely been the outspoken leader out of the three of us. She is fearless and I have never seen her back down from a challenge, said Buchanan in an email. “I have seen her transform in four years and become stronger and more relentless than she ever has and I know she always has my back.”
Salvo says the thing she will miss the most is, without a doubt, her teammates.
“I am going to miss all the girls. I am going to miss the bus rides, the get together’s, and the support we’ve provided for each other. This team has become my family away from home. Even though players leave every year, these girls will always feel like my sisters.”
Salvo, and her teammates, all know they have one more goal to accomplish. That goal is to leave Western as the 2017 SoCon conference champions.
