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A year in review: College of Engineering Dean Ayanna Howard serves as an inspiration for women in STEM JILLIAN HARRIS Lantern reporter harris.339@osu.edu When Kavya Narayanan entered her first engineering class at Ohio State, she found a lecture hall full of only men — something she had never experienced before. Narayanan said she sought out fellow women of color in order to regain a sense of community she felt coming from a racially diverse high school, where women were actively encouraged to pursue careers in STEM. In March 2021, Ayanna Howard was hired as the first female dean of the College of Engineering, giving Narayanan, a fourth-year in biomedical engineering, a role model in her own college, she said. Howard has held roles in higher education and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and she founded Zyrobotics, a company that makes mobile therapy and educational products for children with disabilities, according to the College of Engineering’s website. Howard also made Forbes’ Top 50 Women in Tech list for being an innovator in the field. Howard said she has enjoyed her first year as dean and is excited about the direction the university is headed. “With all the new leadership that has come in, we’re really thinking about how we’re positioning Ohio State for the future,” Howard said. “We’re all aligned for growth and thinking about what’s the next step.” Narayanan said she was glad to hear Howard would join Ohio State faculty and is excited for the future of the College of Engineering. She said women like Howard make her feel more welcome in the field. “The best thing you can do to encourage other females is to see older females in high positions,” Narayanan said.
Ayanna Howard is the first female dean of the College of Engineering.
“We knew there would be some change within the College of Engineering that was definitely necessary.” Narayanan said as a woman of color with immigrant parents, she finds it easier and more comfortable to approach a female professor or a woman of color to ask questions in class. “I feel scared of feeling stupid if I go ask a white male because I don’t know how I’ll be judged by that because of how society is right now, and that’s what we’re working to break down, but unfortunately that’s how it is,” Narayanan said.
Howard said she felt drawn to Ohio State because of the wealth of engineering opportunities combined with University President Kristina M. Johnson’s experience in the field. She said she wants to ensure engineers can have a social impact in their careers after college. Narayanan said having Howard join the university is one step in a larger movement to diversify faculty so all students feel included every day. “Within my department, biomedical engineering, I think there’s a great balance between male and female, but I think for
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other departments the same cannot be said,” Narayanan said. “That’s who we have the one-on-one interactions with. That’s who we go to for help.” Howard said she hopes to inspire others to pursue careers in engineering as others did for her. “It’s always inspiring because it’s not as bad now as it was then, and if they can do it, then I can do it,” Howard said. “If I can do it, then anyone who’s following who’s younger is like, ‘Oh, I can do it too.’ ”
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Thursday, March 24, 2022
CAMPUS
Undergraduate Business Women’s Association to promote women’s health during wellness event
The Undergraduate Business Women’s Association at Ohio State will hold a “Women’s Wellness: Thriving Together” event Thursday.
PARIS JOHNSON JR. Lantern reporter johnson.8687@osu.edu The Undergraduate Business Women’s Association at Ohio State will hold “Women’s Wellness: Thriving Together” Thursday, open to all and promoting women’s health through dance, yoga and nutrition education. The Undergraduate Business Women’s Association is a student organization aiming to create a supportive environment for women both in and out of the business world. The organization will hold the event at Curl Viewpoint from 5:45-8:30 p.m.,
according to the organization’s website. Brooke Harvey, a second-year in finance and statistics and finance director of the organization’s Women’s Month Committee, said the committee was created to plan events in March for Women’s History Month. She said she hopes Thursday’s event will encourage the women in attendance to apply what they learn to their lives outside of the group. “We hope they can feel more confident in their own ability to do wellness on their own and have their own activity routines outside of just one event,” Harvey said. Harvey said the event will start with a session on how to keep the mind at
rest, followed by a cardio dance activity designed to enhance well-being through adrenaline release. After this 45-minute session, the event will move on to a halfhour of yoga, according to the event’s RSVP page. Victoria Holzwarth, a third-year in marketing and vice president of special events for the organization, said in planning the event, the group wanted to combine physical and nutritional wellness while creating a unique and comfortable group fitness experience. “A lot of people might not use the group fitness classes at the gyms, so we wanted to give them the opportunity to do a group
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fitness-style class,” Holzwarth said. At 7:30 p.m., clinical nutritionist Jessi Kilbarger will give a presentation on how women can maintain healthy diets in college. “How to eat well on a budget or if you’re still on campus, how to try to eat well using the dining hall, it’s an all-encompassing view of wellness, and we wanted to give our community a way to get all of those aspects,” Holzwarth said. Students can register for the event up until it begins at 5:45 p.m. Thursday.
ARTS&LIFE
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Thursday, March 24, 2022
Ohio State student’s business sells upcycled and handmade clothing ON PAGE 4
From the Oval to Hocking Hills, green spaces provide oasis for students PRESTON HARMON Lantern reporter harmon.528@osu.edu A.J. RENNEKER Lantern reporter renneker.13@osu.edu As the weather gets warmer, Ohio State students may look to local parks and outdoor recreation to boost their moods. In a survey from the College of Nursing, Ohio State experts found rates of burnout in Ohio State students rose from 40 percent in Aug. 2020 to 71 percent in April 2021. Luckily, just 20 minutes spent sitting outside may lead to a reduction in mood disturbances, according to a study from Counseling and Consultation Services. Students have a range of upcoming opportunities to engage with nature, from a plant giveaway to off-campus outdoor recreation trips. The Office of Student Life aims to take advantage of the effects of nature on mental health through its Grow Kindness Project. Buckeyes can receive two free succulents Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the University Square at 15th and High, university spokesperson Dave Isaacs said in an email. According to the Student Life website, succulents will also be available for pickup at other locations, such as the RPAC Plaza and the South Oval, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday. Beyond campus, Buckeyes may consider visiting the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, which offer trails and other unique features such as a botanical garden at Inniswood Metro Gardens, Tim Moloney, SPRING CONTINUES ON 5
Bikers enjoying a sunny ride on the Scioto Mile located along the Scioto River.
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4 | The Lantern | Thursday, March 24, 2022
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Ohio State student turns passion for sustainable fashion into online vintage store MOLLY GOHEEN Lantern reporter goheen.29@osu.edu Anna Imwalle transformed a passion that started with sewing lessons in third grade into a clothing business, all while maintaining her status as a full-time student. Imwalle, a fourth-year in marketing, is the owner of the online vintage store RVVLshop and sells primarily feminine vintage clothing, in addition to her own handmade clothing produced from recycled materials. Imwalle said she began the company in 2016 as a junior in high school after shopping at second hand stores. “I just started going to thrift stores to try to find materials to make clothes out of because it’s cheaper than buying material at a craft store,” Imwalle said. “Eventually, I had too many clothes and sewing projects that I decided to start selling them.” Imwalle said she started her business secretly and completely by herself but later had to tell her parents about it, as she was underage and needed them to sign off on her Etsy account. After orders began to pick up, Imwalle expanded her Etsy store to her website and began building her Instagram presence as well. Since then, RVVLshop has amassed over 10,000 followers, partially through influencer marketing, she said. Imwalle used to reach out to influencers on Instagram whose style she liked or those she felt had a nice artistic sense, offering to send free clothing. “They might wear it and hopefully tag me on Instagram,” Imwalle said. “If you just have one really valuable person who puts a really good outfit together and tags you, you can get a lot of followers from it, and people will start to think your brand is cool.” When she first started taking classes at Ohio State, Imwalle said she ran into challenges while running RVVLshop from her dorm room due to lack of space and time. To remedy this, Imwalle said she recruited her younger sister, Claudia Imwalle,
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Anna Imwalle, a fourth-year in marketing and owner of online vintage clothing store RVVLshop, and her sister Claudia Imwalle model thrifted denim for resale on RVVLshop.
a senior in high school, to help with packaging and sending orders from their hometown. But when the pandemic hit, Anna Imwalle said she was able to go home and had more time to devote to the business. “When we had to go home, I had so much more time on my hands and was at my house with so much more space and my sewing machine and everything,” Anna Imwalle said. “I think it was actually good because it let me get back to why I started doing it in the first place, which is to make my own clothes and try to design clothes.” The company’s name refers to the word “revival,” meaning taking items of clothing and revitalizing them into something new, Anna Imwalle said. “She can find stuff in the thrift store that she could see potential in and then kind of make it to what she thinks she or someone else could wear,” Claudia Imwalle said. “Like a dress that’s super long, she’ll cut
into a skirt and a top or something that she thinks is cute but might have not been right off the rack.” RVVLshop serves as both a creative outlet for Anna Imwalle and a way she can help protect the environment, she said. Upcycling and reselling clothing helps to decrease textile waste that ends up in landfills. Claudia Imwalle said her sister also donates a percentage of her sales on Earth Day to organizations focused on environmental protection. “That’s why I tried to turn towards secondhand because it’s still a way to, like, have fun with your style at an affordable price without, like, causing as much damage to the environment,” Anna Imwalle said. Anna Imwalle said she believes small businesses like her own can influence larger brands to start using more sustainable practices — such as Levi’s, who Anna Imwalle said recently began selling
recycled denim. Ana Kasumova, a third-year in neuroscience, said she attended the Ohio Vintage Fest in December 2021 and shopped at RVVLshop. “When I first came to her shop, I was actually just really surprised by how nicely everything was priced and seeing the size range she had was also pretty appealing because it wasn’t just size sixes or whatever,” Kasumova said. “She actually was pretty inclusive for vintage clothing, which I feel like is harder to find too.” After graduation, Anna Imwalle said she plans to pursue her love for fashion in San Francisco, where she will be working for Gap and continuing to manage her business. Anna Imwalle launched her newest handmade collection, Cherry Tree, on her website Wednesday at 10 a.m., which she said features cherry-patterned clothing handmade from entirely recycled materials.
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executive director of Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, said. Moloney said the newest metropark, Quarry Trails Metro Park, opened Nov. 30, 2021, at 2600 Dublin Road — becoming the closest metropark to Ohio State. With its addition, Moloney said there is now a metropark within five miles of every Franklin County household. “What we do here at Metro Parks is we try to get every single person in central Ohio engaged in the outdoors in a variety of ways,” Moloney said. “Whether that’s hiking, biking, running, taking classes, learning more about the environment, getting out in our lakes and rivers to go fishing, canoeing, kayaking or rock climbing.” The Columbus Metro Parks first opened 77 years ago, and Moloney said the parks are open every day to ensure central Ohioans are always able to enjoy the outdoors. “Our mantra has been, ‘We’re always open.’ So we’re open seven days a week, 365 days a year, whether it’s 90 degrees in the summer or whether it’s negative five in
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the winter,” Moloney said. “We’ve always been here since we opened for people to get outside for their mental health.” For students looking for adventure outside of Columbus, student organization Mountaineers at Ohio State offers weekend trips featuring climbing, caving, canoeing, backpacking, skiing and hiking, Sean Dowhan, a fourth-year in English and secretary of the organization, said. Members are able to join weekend trips to locations such as Mad River Mountain in Zanesfield, Ohio, Hocking Hills in Logan, Ohio, and Wayne National Forest in Athens, Ohio. The Scioto Audubon Metro Park also offers a close-to-home option, Moloney said. “As long as they go through the trip coordinator and make their case for the trip, any weekend anyone can go anywhere,” Dowhan said. Nonmembers of the club can attend larger 30 to 40-person events, such as the club’s hoopla at the start of every academic year at New River Gorge National Park in Glen Jean, West Virginia, Dowhan said. Mountaineers at Ohio State offer
introductions to climbing, backpacking, hiking and water sports during the trip. He said all trips are designed to cost as little as possible, ranging from $10-$15 a participant, with funds going toward gas and equipment rentals. The organization places special emphasis on walking newcomers through the necessary skills and making sure everyone feels as though they can participate in the group’s outdoor activities, Dowhan said. “I know it’s kind of a major thing for a lot of folks,” Dowhan said. “I definitely enjoy it, but I know for other folks, it’s essential just to get away from things.”
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Never out of style: Fashion degrees are good for more than design Studying fashion in college can lead to many career opportunities post-graduation despite common misconceptions about the industry.
KAYLA BUSH Lantern reporter bush.530@osu.edu Graduating college can be daunting regardless of the degree earned, but with misunderstandings about the opportunities afforded by a fashion degree, life after college can seem especially uncertain for fashion students. Caroline Farrell, a fourth-year in marketing and fashion and retail studies, said people sometimes have negative associations with fashion degrees, such as putting in lots of work for little pay. However, the Ohio State Fashion and Retail Studies program is designed to prepare students for the industry through opportunities within the university and the chance to gain real-world experience before graduation. “I think there’s definitely a stigma about, like, being underpaid or, like, overworked within the fashion industry, and also it is not a very sustainable industry,” Farrell said. “If it’s something that you’re passionate about, it’s never a waste of time.” Studying fashion in college can lead to an array of career opportunities after
graduation, Alexandra Suer, a senior lecturer in fashion and retail studies, said. With a fashion degree, students are able to choose from many different career paths, ranging from design to the business side of the industry. “With our program, in particular, merchandising — so becoming merchants or buyers — is probably the top,” Suer said. “A lot of them will probably fall into production and sourcing roles, so doing a lot of, like, logistics and costing of all the components of the products. Finally, product development is where I can see a lot of them falling.” For students interested in furthering their knowledge on the business of fashion, adding a business or communication minor is a helpful way to expand upon the degree, Pete Rex, advising manager in the College of Education and Human Ecology, said. “Any time you can add in, you know, some additional academic experience in something like business, it’s going to be helpful,” Rex said. “It’ll come up as a good point of discussion during interviews and skills that can be used in the day-to-day workforce. It’s definitely something that can catch someone’s attention as they’re
starting the initial stages of their career.” Graduating with a fashion degree at Ohio State requires an internship, and Rex said Columbus is conveniently home to large fashion corporations, such as fashion brand Express, where Suer previously worked, and small businesses and boutiques. Making the most of student organizations while in college is also a good way to gain fashion experience and make connections, Suer said. Joining the Fashion Production Association at Ohio State while in graduate school encouraged her to change her career path from architecture to fashion. “I, you know, ended up changing career paths. It was because of a student organization that really opened my eyes,” Suer said. “I think that being involved in student orgs just builds upon that networking and builds upon figuring out who you are, your happiness and what you want your future to look like.” Farrell said she recently accepted a job offer as an assistant buyer for Ross Dress For Less in New York City, which she said she was largely able to secure because of internships and networking completed in college. “I know it sounds cliché, but that’s the
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best way you can get any job,” Farrell said. “Really utilize the guest speakers that come in too. They’re more than willing to help, and that’s how I got my internship for last summer. Networking opens doors for new and unexpected opportunities, and Suer said it was the reason she was able to get a job as a colorist and textile technologist with Express. “Building relationships and making connections with people can come back to really help you,” she said. “The retail world is a lot smaller than you might think. It starts becoming a little family, and people all know of each other.” Suer said despite pervasive beliefs that a fashion degree isn’t as useful or lucrative as other fields, fashion students can make competitive salaries after graduation, and the industry is always growing. “It is a big, big industry, and I mean, a multibillion-dollar industry. This is not going away. Everyone needs to wear clothes. Everyone wants to feel good about themselves,” Suer said. “I think students who have this degree, the world is their oyster.”
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Thursday, March 24, 2022 | The Lantern | 7
Sheldon shines for Sweet Sixteen-bound Buckeyes GABBY KHODADAD Lantern reporter khodadad.5@osu.edu Junior guard Jacy Sheldon has been the backbone for the Ohio State women’s basketball team this season while also accomplishing multiple career milestones. Sheldon moved to Dublin, Ohio, during her freshman year of high school. She grew up a multi-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and track, but she said she eventually decided to pursue basketball because of its competitive and physical nature. “I really liked volleyball, too, for a while. But I think at the end of the day, I just like to compete,” Sheldon said. “I kind of felt like that was easy to do in basketball. Volleyball, it’s not really any direct contact or one-on-one or anything like that.” It wasn’t until high school when Sheldon said she fell in love with basketball. “It wasn’t a chore; it was kind of like I wanted to, so I think that’s when I finally realized this is what I wanted to do,” Sheldon said. Sheldon led the Buckeyes to a 22-5 record, a Big Ten regular season title and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament averaging 19.8 points, 4.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game. In this season alone, Sheldon has earned two Big Ten Weekly Honor Rolls and one Big Ten Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 33 points along with averaging 6.5 assists and two steals the week of Jan. 10. Sheldon has also surpassed career milestones this season. On Jan. 20, when Ohio State upset then-No.12 Maryland, Sheldon scored her 1,000th-career point at the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter.
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Junior guard Jacy Sheldon (4) smiles at the free-throw line during the Ohio State-Wisconsin game Feb. 20. Ohio State won 59-42.
After the game, Sheldon said the only thing she was focused on was making the free throws and not about the reality of her 1,000th point. Weeks later, after Sheldon said she was able to process what she accomplished, she credited it to her team. “I think it’s a really cool accomplishment,” Sheldon said. “At the end of the day, I think it wouldn’t be possible without our whole team and everything we’ve accomplished. So honestly, I take that as kind of a team accomplishment.” Teammate junior guard Hevynne Bristow has been by Sheldon’s side since arriving in the program in 2020 and has watched her flourish into the player she is today. “They always say hard work pays off, but sometimes you might not see it. I get to see it for her,” Bristow said. “I see her in the gym all the time. I go with her to the gym to put in the extra
work.” Head coach Kevin McGuff said he knew when recruiting Sheldon that she would be a perfect fit for the Buckeyes. “I looked at it through the eyes of when we talked to people about her character and her work ethic; it’s just incredible all the way since high school, grade school, and then, too, just the way I viewed her, the way she would fit in our system,” McGuff said. “I knew she’d be a really great fit and could really thrive with what we do.” Sheldon’s dad, Duane, was also a collegiate basketball player at Baldwin Wallace. He began his college coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater and then left for a head coaching job at Heidelberg University before returning to the Yellow Jackets. The basketball legacy does not end there for the Sheldon family, as Sheldon’s brother, Ajay, will suit up for Ohio University next
fall. Sheldon said she accredits her continued growth on the court to her brother after spending countless hours in the gym together. However, Sheldon said her biggest motivator is her younger sister, Emmy. Emmy, who was born with Down syndrome, never misses an opportunity to see her older sister in action and is always cheering Sheldon on from the stands. “She’s awesome. I’ve watched her learn so much the past couple years, which has been really cool,” Sheldon said. “But she’s not going to get the same opportunities that I’m going to get, and I’ve realized that, and I think it just pushes me that much harder, even in school, doing my schoolwork, being out here competing or whenever I’m having a bad day.” As Sheldon trudges through her first NCAA Tournament run, she said the inability to compete
in the postseason has motivated and excited the Buckeyes even more this season. “I just think, obviously my freshman year, COVID, there was no tournament and then we had our postseason ban, which kind of motivated us even more, so it makes it just that much more special,” Sheldon said. “I think we’re excited and we know the potential we have, and we’re just going to have to go out there and play for it every night.” Although Sheldon is only in her third season, she said she wants to be remembered for her level of competition, winning and making an impact on her teammates. “I want to be remembered as someone who just goes out there and plays as hard as they can every night, and it’s not even about the points,” Sheldon said. “Winning games, for sure, is definitely something we want to be remembered for.”
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SPORTS
Jacy Sheldon shines as centerpiece for Buckeyes ON PAGE 7
‘This is what it takes’: Wilson reflects on offseason, Pro Day JACOB BENGE Assistant Sports Editor benge.30@osu.edu
As he watched his teammates play in the Rose Bowl from his home, wide receiver Garrett Wilson was already well into the NFL draft process. Since declaring for April’s draft in December 2021, Wilson said the offseason has been different compared to ones in the past. Wilson said during Ohio State’s Pro Day Wednesday that he’s been challenged as he focuses on moving to professional football, but it’s “good stress.” “I can’t lie, this has been the most stressful three months of my life,” Wilson said. “So much is riding on how you perform on a certain day. You can wake up not feeling good that morning and then what? I’m a competitor, I love doing this. Getting to that next level is my dream. This is what it takes.” Wilson said he’s had multiple team visits and private workouts with prospective franchises ahead of the NFL draft beginning April 28. Plenty of executives and representatives from NFL teams attended Pro Day at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center where they saw 11 Buckeyes take part in drills and workouts. Receiving passes from teammate and sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud, Wilson flashed his catching ability during Pro Day. He didn’t participate in other drills like 40-yard dashes or bench press, but measured at 5-foot-11 and 184 pounds. Wilson projects to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, and said he wants to prove to teams he’s worthy of being chosen early. “I’m so blessed. I don’t want to say “lottery ticket” because it took a lot of things to get here,” Wilson said. “People got to make decisions, my
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Junior wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) hauls in a touchdown reception during the Ohio State-Michigan game Nov. 27, 2021. Ohio State lost 42-27.
family had to make sacrifices for me to get in this position. All those things. I can’t say lottery ticket, but I’m just super blessed. And I’m super thankful.” Wilson said he felt his Pro Day went well, making note of one pass he missed that pushed him to put more effort into the following one. Another source of motivation, Wilson said, came from his teammate who also participated at Pro Day. Wide receiver Chris Olave is also a first-round hopeful ahead of April’s NFL draft. He and Wilson combined for over 4,700 receiving yards in the last three seasons, including First Team All-Big Ten selections across the last two seasons. While the two receivers used Pro Day to showcase their skills for the draft, Wilson said instead of competing against one another, they pushed each other and embraced the process together. “We both want to see each other go to a team that we can succeed at and be in the best scenario,” Wilson said. “I’d say it’s more pushing each other than competition. We’re not too caught up in where we go.
We just want to get the right situation and make plays once we get there.” Similar to Wilson, Olave said the offseason and focusing on professional opportunities has been demanding. He said prospects began training for the NFL Combine in March quickly after the regular season, which presented a “huge opportunity.” “It’s been a long, stressful offseason,” Olave said. “We didn’t really have an offseason, so it’s been a stressful time. It’s a huge blessing to be in this position that we’re both in.” Playing in a national championship and declaring for the NFL draft after three seasons represent two things Wilson said he wanted to reach at Ohio State, and he said wide receivers coach Brian Hartline helped him do that. Spending seven seasons in the NFL, Hartline said he knows what it’s like to perform in front of NFL scouts and teams. He said he told Olave and Wilson to take deep breaths throughout the process and he understands the grind of it all.
“Just to understand that they’re definitely now the CEO of their own brand,” Hartline said. “They have great parents and great support systems. They know what it looks like. If anything it’s probably a little harder because there’s nobody controlling their time.” There’s still over one month left until the NFL draft, but Wilson said he’s done his due diligence of the class. He said he wants to see “who my competitors are” and he’s studied other receivers entering the NFL draft. Ohio State hasn’t had a wide receiver selected in the first round since Anthony Gonzalez in 2007, and Wilson said having the chance to flash in front of NFL scouts and potentially rewrite history is something he will hold dearly. “When you come out here and work hard every day and put footwork in on the field and then go home all day and think about the game still, you want to make sure everything’s perfect,” Wilson said. “It’s always a chase to perfection. That’s what I’ve been doing.”