“Softball saves lives,” ovarian cancer survivor Lauren Mendenall said Saturday morning before the Geaux Teal Ovarian Cancer Awareness Walk. 
Mendenall is one of many survivors that were honored at the annual event put on but LSU softball coach Beth Torina and the Geaux Teal foundation. 
“It’s something that’s really close to my hear,” Torina said. “My mom is an ovarian cancer survivor. I’ve met so many women through this Geaux Teal foundation that are survivors or that have been affected by this disease, so it’s really important to me that we continue to spread awareness and honor these women and their fight.”  
Torina, whose mother is an ovarian cancer survivor, said it’s amazing to see this walk come to fruition every year as it continues to grow. 
In its seventh year, the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Walk at LSU softball’s Tiger Park continues to reach new heights. This year’s walk featured 1,080 walkers and $87,198.32 raised — which are both a new record for Geaux Teal. 
Sophomore pitcher Shelbi Sunseri said days like today put into perspective what it truly means to “Fight All the Way.”
“Yes, we come out here everyday to fight for a win, but there’s so many people that are fighting for so much more,” Sunseri said. “They’re fighting for their lives, fighting for their loves ones.
“Yes this is a game, but at the same time, it’s just a game. We’re representing something greater than ourselves and trying to use our platform to show what we want to do and raise awareness.”
“It’s really my favorite day of the year,” Torina said. “I think it’s so exciting to just to honor these women. They’re so inspiring to us and to see the people in this community support this cause is just really important to the program, to this team, and to me.”
“It’s a win. We won on the field, which is great, but we had already won the day by having all these women here and honoring them and their fights. Today’s a win and it’s inspiring to see all these women and we’re proud to do it for them.”

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Kennedi Landry

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