Northland College wrapped up not only it’s school year, but its existence this past week, both academically and athletically. But, a special group of players got together for one last go-round.

There were tears, smiles, and every emotion in between this weekend on the campus of Northland College.

Students and athletes are forced to reconsider their future – but on the diamond – there’s one last chance for some LumberJills to get together and do what they love.

“I got an email from a co-worker and they had asked, they said ‘Hey, we’ve got a player that really wanted her dream to come true of playing college ball and so it would be really neat to be able to put one more game together.’ So that’s where the idea stemmed from. I put a thing out on Facebook and just the response is overwhelming,” said Dana Wiezorek, the head coach of the Northland College softball program.

In her 24th season as softball coach, coach Dana has seen it all. Something she prides herself on – and something her players love – is her inclusivity.

“I always walked out of the dugout smiling, so it was it’s always a great time with her and I was really bummed that we couldn’t have any games but I was really excited I got to stay for may term so I got to get one last go with her,” said Donna Jackson, a member of Northland’s softball team.

While it was a monumental day for the program, it was also a big day for the man behind the plate, as Dawayne Lampson umpired his 100th Northland College game.

“When I was asked if I wanted to do this game, I was like, yeah, I’ve worked with Dana for probably 20 of my 30 years of umping so I was like yeah I’ll do it and then I went back and looked at my records and realized, holy crap, I have 99 games that I’ve umped at LumberJill [field] so this is going to be my 100th. It’s going to be the last thing for Northland College sports on campus so I said no better person to be behind the plate than me,” said Lampson.

So with everything perfect, including the weather, the Jills gave it one last hurrah, and were surrounded by the people that meant the most to their journey.

“Go chase the dream. No doubt in my mind, if this is something you love to do, it chases you. Just go, go find a place where somebody else believes in you like Dana believes in you,” said Jackson.

“There’s a different path for all of us,” said Wiezorek. “Trust in that path and we’re all going to be okay and we’ll see each other again someday. Everything is meant for a reason. One of the silver linings of this whole thing is having this game here tonight.”