Athletics

Dear Spartan Student-Athletes and Athletics Community,

As I look out at Dave Wolk Stadium I find myself at a loss. Never in my 20-plus years at Castleton have I ever faced the start of a season knowing there will be no competition for any of our many athletic teams for the semester. Like many athletic directors across the country, I am working with our dedicated coaches to try to bring some normalcy to our studentathletes and their daily lives as they train for their sport not knowing what next semester will bring. Although all of our students are taking their classes online, I am thankful for those student-athletes that have had the opportunity to return to campus to train and be with their coaches and teammates.

NCAA guidelines as well as state regulations have been put in place to protect our studentathletes, and I am very proud of our student population as they follow new rules and regulations to keep everyone safe. As a former Division I field hockey player, I cannot imagine wearing a mouth guard and a mask over my face while running down our turf field on an 80 degree day, yet I have not heard any objections from our student-athletes. They are not allowed in their locker rooms, they have strict rules for using the athletic training room, they are working with their strength coaches outside on the turf instead of in the weight room, and yet they have no complaints. Our student-athletes came back to campus following all of the guidelines for COVID-19 testing procedures and are willing to follow any rules or changes that may occur so that they can practice. I am amazed at their commitment to want to be here on campus and to be able to continue to be a part of their team.

I am hopeful that our teams will be able to compete after January 1. Our winter sports plan on playing a limited number of contests that would include conference play only. Our spring schedule has not changed at this point and we are exploring options for our fall sports to play an abbreviated conference schedule as well. I cannot say what our stands will look like for our winter sports—and only time will tell—but I hope that you will continue to support our athletes as they get back to competition. I hope your enthusiasm for being able to watch our Spartans compete will be as strong as their excitement to be back in their uniform representing Castleton University! Please stay safe, all my best.

Go Spartans!

Deanna Tyson Associate Dean for Athletics & Recreation Castleton University

Rechberger Named to CoSIDA Academic All-America Team

Castleton University men’s alpine skier Paul Rechberger was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Division III Academic All-America Second Team At-Large in June, becoming the fifth Spartan all-time to earn the honor for the At-Large category.

Rechberger’s appointment to the Academic All-America Second Team gives the Spartans a representative on the award for the third consecutive year, following Trevor Hanna (men’s ice hockey, men’s tennis) on the Third Team in 2018 and Wyatt Pickrell (men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse) on the First Team in 2019. The At-Large category is comprised of 12 different men’s sport offerings.

Rechberger has an impressive resume to date, both on the slopes and in the classroom. On the mountain, Rechberger has landed five All-America accolades at the USCSA National Championships—three in the slalom, one in giant slalom ,and one in combined standings. He won the 2018 USCSA SL National Championship as a freshman and followed that up with a third-place SL finish in 2019 at the same event. In 2020, Rechberger won two races for Castleton in the regular season,and helped the men’s alpine and men’s Nordic programs earn the USCSA President’s Cup—awarded to the top overall combined program in the USCSA. In his three-year career, he has won 14 races and landed on the podium an impressive 30 times. He was also named the 2018 Vermont Alpine Racing Association Collegiate Skier of the Year.

In the classroom, Rechberger has been just as impressive, landing on the President’s List six times through his first three years at Castleton. He is also a three-time First Team USCSA Scholar All-American and a two-year community advisor on campus. In 2019, he was inducted into the Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society in Business Management and Administration.

Rechberger is joined on the Academic All-America At-Large Second Team by fellow Eastern Collegiate Ski Conference MacConnell Division racer MacIntyre Henderson from Babson College. The duo are the only two alpine skiers to make any of the Division III Academic All-America At-Large teams.

CoSIDA began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, has honored thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors.

Currently, CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) sponsors Academic All-America® programs for men’s soccer, women’s soccer, football, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and men’s and women’s track and field/cross country. Many other sports are eligible through the At-Large program.

Both the Academic All-America® program and the Hall of Fame are nominated and voted upon exclusively by members of CoSIDA. In total, less than 10 percent of all nominees each year go on to earn the prestigious title of Academic All-American.

The Spartan Way castleton softball gives back to those on the front lines

There is a common phrase around campus that says “Once a Spartan, always a Spartan,” letting members of the Castleton community know that even upon graduation, our students will be bonded forever as part of the Castleton family.

That saying rings true every single day—even in the face of a global pandemic—evidenced by the outreach and support members of Castleton’s softball program gave to former teammates working on the front lines to combat COVID-19 in March.

Chelsea Grady ’16 graduated from Castleton with a bachelor’s degree in Health Science before later obtaining her master’s degree in Nursing from DePaul University. Grady then took a nursing job in Chicago, where she stepped into a role in the hospital’s COVID-19 unit. Grady’s former teammate Brooke Naylor ’16, ’17, who earned both her associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Castleton, also found herself facing new challenges in her role in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the UVM Medical Center in the midst of the pandemic.

Both women grappled with new procedures at their respective hospitals, including mandatory social isolation that kept them away from family and friends for multiple weeks. It was at this time that Castleton softball head coach Eric Ramey began reaching out to his alumnae, checking on them and their respective families to see how they were holding up in this challenging time.

“I sent a group message out to the 2016 team as the virus started to take over, just as a way to say hello and check in on them,” said Ramey. “That opened some back-and-forth between the students, and they enjoyed hearing from one another. About two weeks later, I checked in with Brooke, and she was pretty beat down by her shifts and she had not seen her family in over two weeks. I let the others know that Brooke could use a boost, and the team took it from there by sending her encouraging messages. It really lifted her spirits.” “We then started checking in on some others that we knew were working in healthcare, and stories started to be shared amongst the group,” Ramey continued. “I remembered that Chelsea returned to nursing school, and she was working on a COVID-19 floor in a Chicago hospital. I think, overall, we had eight members of this group that were in the fray in one way or the other.”

The encouraging notes and uplifting conversations sparked something further from the softball alumnae, however, as Kristi Lawless ’16, ’17, organized a way to help not just their former teammates, but also their co-workers.

“I knew we had two nurses really working on the front lines and struggling a bit with the isolation and everything they were facing,” said Lawless. “We were—and still are—a part of their team, so it was time to step in.”

“I reached back out to everyone, minus Chelsea and Brooke, and asked if they would be willing to donate $10, which would be split between the two nurses for them to buy themselves and their staff members a meal for their next shift,” Lawless recounted. “We received a minimum of $10 from every member of the 2016 North Atlantic Conference Championship team, as well as donations from a couple of parents, the coaches, and even some other softball alum, bringing the total to $350.”

That money was then split evenly between Grady and Naylor, allowing them to share the love with their co-workers.

“I was overwhelmed when the Castleton softball team made such a generous donation to our unit,” said Naylor. “This donation provided our staff with a breakfast buffet, snacks, coffee, and a pizza party. Most importantly, it provided our unit with a morale boost. Sometimes coming into work is daunting and anxiety provoking, but the smallest things make the 12 hour shifts so much better.”

“Social distancing during the stay at home order was more difficult than I anticipated,” Naylor continued. “I am constantly paranoid about what germs I am coming in contact with on my days off and what germs I will bring with me to the hospital and to the immunocompromised babies.”

Even though they admittedly don’t keep in touch as much as they’d like, members of the Castleton softball program still have a fondness for one another due to the strong bonds created during their time in Spartan green. Furthermore, the group still feels just as much a part of a team as they always have. “This was a full team effort, players and coaches alike,” said Lawless.

Naylor echoed the team sentiment, saying “I would give anything to be able to go field some ground balls with all my teammates again on the Spartan Softball field.” Castleton Classic Bolsters Athletics Support August 14, at the Rutland Country Club featuring an array of alumni, University supporters, and local community sponsors. The annual event, which began in 2007, has now raised more than $550,000 in support of the 28 varsity teams and 600+ student-athletes at Castleton University. Event proceeds are directed to Castleton Athletics, ensuring funding for comprehensive and diverse programming that provides opportunities for student-athletes to develop as individuals and leaders, while promoting a tradition of academic and athletic excellence.

The ongoing global pandemic has been a challenge for everyone, but a little kindness can go a long way to making someone’s day brighter. “Don’t forget to check in on each other,” Lawless said. “You never know when your family, friends, or teammates might need it the most!”

“This group will always be connected through the championship,” said Ramey. “But four years later and with some time passed under the bridge, when a couple of their teammates needed to be lifted up and encouraged to keep swinging—they were there for each other. The work they put in together through softball will never leave them alone. This virus brought out the best of qualities of these women. They

The 14th annual Castleton Golf Classic was held on Friday,

still have each other’s back when times are tough.”

Save the Date for the 2021 Castleton Golf Classic: Friday, August 13, 2021