Over the coming weeks, we will catch up with and spend five minutes with a number of Cougar student-athletes. Next up is Washington State soccer's Elyse Bennett.

How's life at home and how have you been staying busy?
"Nothing much has really changed for me. I've still been able to go outside and do stuff here in Arizona, it's not locked down too much. I've been able to go to the park and go on runs. I've been cooking, hanging out at home for the most part but I try to get outside when I can."

Part of getting outside is your new fitness Instagram page, @ebf1tness. Tell us a little about that?
"I made it because people were always "'Oh Elyse make a page, make a page' but I was always too busy. But, then I got home and I thought now would be the perfect time to do it so I made it. I've just been posting some bodyweight workouts for people to do that they can do at home. I started doing some more stuff with dumbbells and treadmills if people have those. It's been a fun experience. I actually got a message yesterday from someone in the sorority system at Wazzu and she said 'I just want to thank you so much it's really been helping me transition from in the gym to at home.' Little stuff like that makes it worthwhile.

I'm going to just wait and see what comes out of this and if something does I'll keep doing it. If not I will just keep posting periodically for fun."

Graduating in three years and always excellent in the classroom, how has school been going for you online?
"Nothing much has changed for me. The only class that I have through Zoom is actually my nutrition class. I only have one class three days a week through Zoom which isn't terrible. All the rest of my classes were already online with classwork or recorded lectures which I can do on my own time which is convenient for me. The only difference is I don't have to work or anything else. 

I have always prioritized my school work first. Like, before we would leave for away trips I would always try to get as much done as possible. Then whatever I didn't finish I could get done on the road or on the plane so it wasn't consuming most of my time in the hotel. I haven't had too much difficulty with it. Obviously there have been some classes I have struggled with and had to focus more of my time on but I feel like I have been academically sound through high school so it wasn't that big of a transition for me when I got to college."

What are you looking towards after school and whenever you choose to hang up your cleats?
"I applied to PA school this July but I am not sure when they figure out acceptance and such. Interviews are actually through Septemberish time of year so we will see if I get an interview and go from there. If I get accepted I am most likely going to grad school. Todd (Shulenberger) has been talking to me about playing after college but I just want to see how this season goes before determining if I want to continue playing."

Speaking of the season, what did this past season mean to you, the team's successes over the past few seasons, and what are you looking forward to in your senior season?
"I feel like that it proved that we are a program that shouldn't be downgraded in any way as we continue to prove ourselves. When you are a part of the program you know that, we are always the underdogs and we enjoy that role, but outsiders looking in don't consider us a top program like some of the rest of the Pac-12. I think that this last year was a proving factor for us to know that we can create a legacy and do something big for Washington State. 

I think it is huge for us and that this program was built from the ground up, we didn't just walk into a top program. Obviously we had a lot of great components when we got here, but I think each year we have continued to build off the strengths of the players and have combined that all into one. It's not necessarily the system that everyone plays in or tactically how everyone plays and I think that's what makes us different and what some teams fear in us. They don't always understand how we're doing it, just that we get it done. 

I'm just looking forward to playing again. Obviously this break has been a little weird for us. We can't train the same way, but I'm just looking forward to being back with everyone and playing. I hope to end my senior season on the best note possible. It is going to be fun to come off the season we had last year, but it's also going to be a high standard for us and anyone that joins the program. I think we have done a good job as a class at continuing to carry the program and making sure that it remains a good program and will be great in the time to come."

What is your favorite moments throughout your career?
"Obviously for the team making it to the final four this past year. But, other than that one of the biggest things for me was playing my first game my freshman year coming off my first ACL injury in high school. It proved to me that I was still a good player and I could come back from an injury like that. When it hit me again my sophomore year I knew the process and I knew that I was going to be alright. I didn't have the same fear going into my junior year that I did going into my freshman year. That first game, just being able to go out there and play was huge for me."

What makes playing at WSU and being a Coug so special?
"I think the biggest thing for me is that Pullman is such a small town you have a lot of focus on the athletic program and it's super cool to have such big crowds at our soccer games. I don't think that's the case everywhere, especially not for women's soccer. The fact that we don't have a men's program is even bigger for us because it is more of an outlet for people who want to watch a women's soccer game. I think that it's huge and we always have a big crowd. It's something that brings energy to the team. We thrive in that environment and it's really fun to play at home in front of our home crowd."