April 20, 2016
By Mike Gilbert, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It isn't enough to have a 4.0 GPA since freshman year of high school. It isn't enough to have earned Academic All-Big Ten honors twice. It isn't enough to be a heck of a designated player, hitting a game-winning shot against Maryland last weekend. Softball senior Shannon Good wants to make a difference.
"I actually went on a mission trip to Guatemala last fall and really loved the reconstructive surgery they did there, so right now, that's what my interest is," she said.
Good will be attending SUNY Upstate Medical University in the fall as a graduate student after completing her pre-med program at Penn State. She is interested in all aspects of surgery, but has a special interest for helping out and doing reconstructive surgery in less developed countries. Her head coach, Amanda Lehotak, knows she is incredibly driven.
"She's just very 'this is what I'm going to do, this is how I'm going to do it' and nothing really seems to phase her. I know they all get stressed, but Shannon's one of those kids that, to me, it's hard to tell when she's stressed or overwhelmed," Lehotak said.
Good was originally a chemical engineering major, like her sister Courtney, until she realized she wanted to be more hands-on with her patients. She did know from a young age she wanted to be a medical professional. Since then, she has received near-perfect grades, and was considering Cornell before she chose Penn State and its chemical engineering program.
With the softball team heating up, she has proven she can be a key contributor to the team. In game three of last weekend's series against Maryland, Good pinch-hit with the bases juiced in the bottom of the sixth. She proceeded to rope a single up the middle, scoring two runs and securing the victory for her team.
So yes, she is a good softball player. But everyone around her realizes she is more than that.
"Shannon Good is just the highest integrity individual player that you could find. For someone to do what she did undergrad to go to being accepted to med school, it's pretty amazing," said Lehotak.
Intensity is a buzzword when talking about Good. She is intense academically and on the field, and accomplishes goals.
"I do like the word intensity for her. Her time management is excellent, that's just who she is," added Lehotak.
Good is looking to help propel her team to an NCAA tournament berth in her final season at Penn State, and after winning seven of the last eight games, the team is looking to keep that momentum going. As for Good, just like the team on the field, she is in great position to succeed in medicine going forward.