VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Villanova softball team added a new team member on Saturday, as Adie Westhoff officially joined the program.
After the Wildcats' fall contests on Saturday, Westhoff signed a national letter of intent (NLI) to join the softball team. Adie is a member of Team IMPACT, an organization that matches children facing chronic illnesses with college athletic teams to form life-long bonds and provide life-changing experiences for the families.
"I'm so happy that now I have another sister on the team," junior pitcher Caroline Pellicano said.
Westhoff, whose brother Elwood Westhoff matched with the VU soccer team, has spent the last six months with the 'Cats, but officially signed on to be the program's match for the next two years.
"We've developed a relationship with her for the past six months," Pellicano said. "This signing day brings a lot of emotions for us. It's going to be really good for the team, we all do things together and have a lot of fun with Adie and her family."
Last season, Pellicano served as a Team IMPACT fellow, representing the organization on Villanova's campus and raising awareness for the program. The Norristown, Pennsylvania, native earned Rookie Fellow of the Year, an award that provided a culmination of her work that year.
"It meant the world to me, it was a reward for all my hard work to pay off," Pellicano said. "It means so much to give back to the community. I see kids struggling because they don't get the opportunities that I had to play a sport, so seeing them be involved in any way is just so rewarding."
For Pellicano, the relationship with Adie allows her to be a big sister for the first time.
"Adie is my best friend, she's my little sister," Pellicano said. "I don't have any sisters, I only have two older brothers. It's really cool having a younger sister who I can teach, and she can teach me things, too. Sometimes I forget what it's like to be a kid, it feels good to just let go with her and be free again."
As a member of the team, Adie will get to join the team for practices and games. The Wildcats took part in a Team IMPACT game against Penn last year, where Adie and the Quakers' match Charlie both joined their teams.
"Adie was in the dugout with us and she learned all of our cheers. She got to experience what it was really like to be on the Villanova softball team," Pellicano said. "That was the coolest thing ever for her because when you're sitting in the stands, you don't really get that experience. You get to have a lot of fun being in the dugout."
Since their meeting at Penn Park, Pellicano says Charlie and Adie have become best friends.
Pellicano has been elevated this year to a BIG EAST team leader for Team IMPACT, which means she'll coordinate with other fellows in the conference to organize events like last year's Penn game.
But regardless of any formal duties in her position, Pellicano will focus on making more memories with her "little sister."
"Adie loves to run around. We had a tailgate after the soccer game and we were running around and racing on the basketball court," Pellicano said. "But her dad said, 'No running,' so we power-walked down there and she was trying to beat me. I have really long legs so it took a few steps, but she did beat me in the end."
