A libero with strong time management skills

Lauren Wethman is planning on finally enjoying some time off.

Maybe even a whole day.

Gloucester Catholic’s Class of 2021 valedictorian doesn’t plan on sitting idle long as she’s passionate about pursuing the next step of her medical career at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Definitely took an exhale,” Wethman said with a laugh. “But I have a lot to catch up on with credentials for nursing school next year and getting ready. I’m still going to stay busy for a little bit.”

Wethman had quite a busy high school career both in academics and athletics, starring as the team’s libero — the rearmost, roaming defensive player— in volleyball. She’s the school record holder for digs in a season (628) and digs for a career (1,337) — not bad for a player that actually convinced her coach as a freshman to bring the libero position to Gloucester Catholic — a somewhat complicated substituting strategy.

“She came to me and said, ‘Coach, do you think we could use a libero?’” Gloucester Catholic volleyball coach Pete Peterson recalled. “I said ‘Lauren, I have no idea.’ I didn’t know much about it or how to sub it in or track it during the game. She ended up coaching me.”

It helped build a strong foundation for the program for the next four years.

“I actually wrote my college essay on starting that position at GC,” Wethman said. “I wrote about it passionately because it really means that much to me and holds a big place in my heart that Coach Pete was able to allow me to introduce something that we had never seen in the program before.”

Peterson served as coach during Wethman’s  freshman and sophomore seasons before stepping down the following year. When the position opened back up prior to Wethman’s senior year, he agreed to come back — on one condition.

“As soon as they gave me the job I called Lauren right away,” Peterson said. “I said If I’m going to come back and coach, I want you to be my captain. It’s because of her personality and her leadership on and off the court.

“She agreed and the season got delayed and she did a great job keeping them together and keeping them updated on everything that was happening. It was amazing. And when it came to game day, it was her day. I just allowed her to run everything.”

Wethman was a leader both on and off the court, which included leading cheers and leading student government. Aside from volleyball, Wethman played lacrosse, was a captain of the cheerleading team, and helped manage the boys basketball team by keeping the stat book. She was the president of Student Council, a RAMbassadors, and was a member of National Honors Society and prom court, just to name a few.

“It was just time management,” Wethman said. “My parents were always a big help with that. They always told me and my brothers that it’s going to get busy as long as you’re a student athlete, which we all were. I guess I was able to nail those skills.”

Wethman said she plans to pursue a career as a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist. She’ll try to squeeze in a few intramural volleyball games on campus, but she’s directly focused on making a difference in the medical field. It’s a passion she’s had since volunteering during her summers at Cooper Hospital in Camden.

“I just did little things because we were only high school volunteers and couldn’t do a whole lot because of protocol,” Wethman said. “But we could help the nurses and technicians and restock the closets, talk to patients and little things like that. Just being in that atmosphere, it’s something I knew I wanted to do for a career.”

Most recently, seeing nurses deal with a global pandemic cemented her decision to work in healthcare.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to pursue something in medicine just because I’ve always loved science since I was little, but I just wasn’t sure exactly what (field),” Wethman said. “Then COVID really enhanced my passion for nursing.”

It was bittersweet for Peterson seeing Wethman graduate, knowing he had lost one of the best players his volleyball program had ever seen. But he knows she’s destined for greatness in other areas, helping the greater good in just a few short years — just like she did in high school.

“You never want to lose your seniors, especially when they play for four years,” Peterson said. “They are your part-time daughters. And players like Lauren, you only get so often. For her to juggle all those different sports and clubs and still be valedictorian, it just makes her an amazing kid.”