QBSN The Magazine
Lights Out After the coronavirus Pandemic left the entire collegiate sports world in ruins, Quinnipiac coaches and seniors share their stories of loss, adversity and hope for the future
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Summer 2020
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Before Tanya Kotowicz could complete the rebuild of her program, she first had to keep them together during the darkest of times
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
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Taylor Herd After a bid for a fourth consecutive conference title was suddenly cut short, the heart and soul of Quinnipiac reflects on a legendary career.
20 Rachel Marchuk Quinnipiac softball’s super utility player discusses leading a young team through a cancelled season, and how she has come to terms with the end of her own career.
10 Men’s Hockey 22 Mason Poli 16
As one of the most successfull senior classes in Quinnipiac hockey history bids farewell, they warn athletes and students alike that nothing is granted.
John Delaney
After a turbulent 2019 saw Quinnipiac lacrosse’s head coach thrust into the spotlight, he looked forward to his first normal year - fate had other plans.
26 Megan Szawlowski
One year after shocking the college baseball world, Quinnipiac’s head coach reflects on a lost season and what it means for the squad’s 2021 title hopes.
Despite her final season being suddenly stolen, the star of Quinnipiac’s women’s lacrosse team talked about how she’s found the bright side in a dim situation.
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The Quinnipiac Bobcats Sports Network (QBSN) is a student-run organization at Quinnipiac University and was founded in 2010. QBSN offers students the unique opportunity to become active sports journalists, though we welcome folks from every major to come in and get involved in a fun and welcoming atmosphere. QBSN covers the majority of sporting events at Quinnipiac University with all broadcasts available either on Mixlr or via Quinnipiac Athletics. QBSN also offers game previews, recaps, feature articles, photography and live podcasts available through this website, as well as live social media updates. QBSN also works closely with other Quinnipiac Student Media organizations to further the coverage of all things Quinnipiac University. This includes the weekly show, Bobcat Breakdown that QBSN produces with Q30. After only two years of existence, QBSN gained noticeable recognition, earning the QU New Student Organization of the Year award in the 2010-11 scholastic year and the 2011-12 Quinnipiac Athletics Behind the Scenes award. Without the support of its passionate members, the Quinnipiac Bobcats Sports Network would not be able to flourish in all areas of student media, including pioneering the next phases of development as an organization. Thank you to all of those who have made this venture a reality. Happy reading. CHIEF EDITOR: Kevin Higgins PRINTED BY: TYCO Printing CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Will Fowler, Liz Flynn Cover Photo: Liz Flynn *Photo credits to Liz Flynn and Quinnipiac Athletics*
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Vice President: Liz Flynn Chief Editor: Kevin Higgins online Editors: Tom Krosnowski, Jacob Resnick social media manager: Anna Buonomo Broadcast managerS: Jonathan Banks, Steven Pappas
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Unfinished Business
By Andrew Meyers
Picture this:
You’re in the locker room before a big game. The music is pumping. The adrenaline is starting to ramp up. You’re ready to go. Then, in the blink of an eye, you’re told to stop getting ready. Not because you’re a long-time starter that’s being pulled out of the lineup. It’s because an invisible enemy has put a sudden halt to the sports landscape.
have the opportunity to determine our own fate. It was determined for us.” That sentiment rings true for a lot of teams throughout the country, but especially for this Bobcats squad. The 2019-20 season was one full of ups and downs, lefts and rights. Despite going into the tournament as three-time defending champions, the Bobcats felt they still had something to prove.
Now imagine you’re a part of a Quinnipiac women’s basketball team who was just minutes away from starting its quest for a fourth straight MAAC title.
“Our seniors felt that they had unfinished business,” Fabbri said. “But when we had time to look back on it with them, they had some pretty darn good careers.”
“It was like having the rug pulled out from under you,” head coach Tricia Fabbri said. “We didn’t
“Darn good” may be an understatement for a senior class of Taylor Herd, Jaden Ward and Paige Warfel that not only won
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three MAAC titles, but helped the Bobcats win three NCAA tournament games in that stretch. Those seniors unfortunately did not get to end their Quinnipiac careers on their own terms, but they certainly will not be forgotten by the program or the school. As for next season’s plans, there are still many unknowns. While professional sports leagues in America have started to lay out its plans for a return, the college sports world continues to wait for answers. For Fabbri and the Bobcats, both past and present, this pandemic will surely be a part of their story. “This is something that will connect us all, and we have to embrace that” Fabbri said. “It’s going to be a part of our story forever.” Summer 2020
Ever the vocal leader, Fabbri emphasized talking to her players about how they feel and how they’re dealing with the virus.
There are many teams, coaches and athletes alike whose final chapters were written for them rather than by them. According to Fabbri though, those stories should be told.
Quinnipiac Athletics
“I think we need to record and document these moments,” Fabbri said. “We should talk about what we’re feeling during this, both good and bad. We really need each other.” While the sports world has been on hold, it isn’t hard to see how much of an impact sports have on our society. Sports are an escape for a lot of people, and without them, much of the world may feel lost during these trying times. Summer 2020
As the world continues to fight the coronavirus, there is no denying that sports will play a major factor in the healing process of our country. “We’re finding out just how big sports are in life,” Fabbri said. “Heroes are made through sports and we will need those heroes through this.” Though it is still uncertain when the time will come, Fabbri is ready to get back to the grind and lead her Bobcats. “I can’t wait to put a ball in my hand and hear the sounds of People’s United Center again,” Fabbri said. “To be back on Lender Court, I cherish that day already.”
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I can’t wait to put a ball in my hand and hear the sounds of the people’s united center again... i cherish that day already.” - Tricia FabbRi
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Bigger Than Basketball
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By Matt Nygaard
By: Jack Main
By now, we know the effect it has had. But some of us may not know the various stories about the resilience of senior student athletes, none more valuable than the life lessons taught to senior guard Taylor Herd over these last few months following the cancellation of the MAAC tournament and NCAA season all together. “I think it was a lot of initial shock and lot to process,” Herd said. “Even beyond a basketball standpoint just everything going on in the world and how this is our new norm.” 6
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brought on a lot more responsibility for Herd, who saw five critical seniors graduate last year, and had her role expanded not only on the court but also from a leadership standpoint. However, nobody could have expected a task like this. “It took me a while to process everything, and the fact that this was a result of not being able to finish the senior season with the MAAC tournament and also not having a senior spring as someone who wanted to expand her extracurricular activities.” With so many emotions to process at once, it may be hard to see the silver linings and life lessons through the hardship,
especially when you’re expecting to play then a couple hours later the season is over. “There was a lot of anticipation leading up to the conversation and decision talking to coach,” Herd said. “But, once they had told us to stay in the locker room at 2:15 we figured the tournament was called off. Coach coming and addressing us was the final stab, and as seniors we didn’t expect that to be our last address from our coach,” Herd said. With news like that, there are many ways to go about it. Taylor Herd knew that as her responsibility grew throughout the season, there would be teammates looking to her for help despite Summer 2020
After growing from role player to star scorer, Taylor Herd is ready to pass the torch after a stellar career in Hamden. (Photo: Kayley Fasoli)
whatever emotions she was feeling as well. At a certain point, it was time to get through the grief and find the positive life lessons in the situation.
Liz Flynn
“I learned that you have to celebrate the small victories along the way, you cannot wait until March to celebrate,” Herd said. “I think that goes in life too, just celebrating the people and the opportunities that life hands you because nothing is set in stone or guaranteed. I was so grateful I appreciated the smaller victories along the way this season with my teammates.” For Herd, that obviously comes with experience. She knows that each season is a grind and no MAAC tournament run is easy, so even though there was no conclusion to this season, she was able to enjoy the ride with her younger teammates since it was her last time doing the journey. Summer 2020
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I learned that you have to celebrate the small victories along the way... you cannot wait until march to celebrate... I think that goes in life too.”
- Taylor Herd
It is extremely admirable how Herd looked much deeper than basketball with this situation, as she was able to realize the deeper life lessons she could take away from this hardship, rather than solely being sad about it. Her role expanded so much this year both on and off the court, so it is a sense of closure in a season with almost no closure to have enjoyed the ride along the way. “I also am someone who appreciates growth,” Herd said. “Looking at my four-year career I think I made a lot of growth not only as a player but as a person, and I’m proud of that growth and that is something I can carry with me for the rest of my life. Looking at who as I was as a freshman as a player and person then now as a senior taking on a leadership role and transitioning from a threeyear supporting role, it is a big difference that I’m proud of.” theqbsn.com
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Apocalypse NOw By Jonathan Banks
It was around noon on March 12, just an hour before a scheduled shootaround for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team. Instead of preparing to head onto the court, Quinnipiac staff members were pacing back and forth in the middle of an Atlantic City hotel hallway. Everyone was glued to their phones, bracing for the inevitable alert of a promising season cut short. While the team was in a state of anticipation, Quinnipiac sharpshooter Jacob Rigoni took a ‘business as usual’ approach. “We had practice at 1 p.m. and it was about 12 o’clock, so I got in the shower to freshen up,” Rigoni said, reflecting on his experience during a 55 degree Australia morning in June. “I was thinking about the game, my role, what I 8
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have to do and getting ready to go.” But when the water turned off, so did the clock on his junior campaign. “Once I stepped out [of the shower] and Tyrese [Williams] told me they just came around and said the tournament was cancelled, it was pretty surreal and I obviously had a lot of emotions,” Rigoni said. Rigoni, who admitted in hindsight after learning about the impact of COVID-19 that cancelling the tournament was “the best decision”, expressed dissapointment his team would not have the chance to battle in the MAAC Tournament and beyond. Quinnipiac had dropped seven of eight contests in MAAC play before ripping off three
straight wins, including two games on the road the Bobcats won by a single possession. Quinnipiac, a number four seed in the MAAC Tournament, were playing their best basketball of the season at the right time. At 9:30 p.m., they were scheduled to play Monmouth in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament. But by 3:00 p.m. of that same day, they were on a bus out of Atlantic City. “It took me a week or two to even let it sink in. About three or four days after just finding out, I was on a plane home back to Australia when it would normally be another two months,” Rigoni said, pacing around a basketball court in his home country while talking. “I had two weeks in quarantine to wrap my head around everything, Summer 2020
and it was tough because we didn’t get any closure in our season.” Rigoni eventually had to make peace with Quinnipiac’s season ending without a final loss. It came down to acknowledging what the Bobcats went through off the court to contextualize what this season meant in his basketball journey as a whole. “The end of this season was a different feeling, and you are definitely a bit numb in a way,” Rigoni said. “I think we had a lot of challenges during the year beyond our record. I think a lot of teams could crumble at that point and split apart, but we really came together… I think that’s something we can take forward into next season and beyond basketball when times are tough.” While the team will be able to take lessons from this season into the next, Rigoni will be doing
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so as the only upperclassmen from this past season still on the roster. The three other upperclassmen on the Quinnipiac roster (Aaron Falzon, Rich Kelly, Kevin Marfo) either transferred or graduated. On top of that, the Australia native will need to find a way to give his Bobcats team an edge when every program will have the same motivation coming into a new season without closure from the previous one. But for now, Rigoni is solely focused on the growth of everyone wearing the blue and gold in Hamden. “For our team, we can’t worry about what other teams are feeling,” Rigoni said. “We’re really excited with the people that have chosen to stay at Quinnipiac and the guys we brought in and really believe in that group.”
The end of this season was not something Rigoni could have possibly predicted when he made the decision to come stateside to play college basketball. However, with lots of self-reflecting and constant support from his Quinnipiac basketball family, Rigoni has been able to see the growth he has made in the past few months off the court, an aspect of his life he prioritized to understand when in quarantine. “Obviously it’s not an ideal experience and something you wouldn’t wish for, but this has probably been the greatest challenge this year of my life and my career,” Rigoni said. “It’s been awesome for my mental health and finding peace outside of basketball and being happy with my life, regardless of how basketball is going.”
- Jacob Rigoni, on how his team handled the season’s cancellation
Liz Flynn
I think a lot of teams could crumble at that point and split apart, but we really came together.”
Summer 2020
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Take Nothing For granted
As a college athlete, your senior season is unlike anything else. You have become role models for the underclassmen that you once were, grew as a player and you hope to leave a lasting legacy on the program that has become your home for the past four years. The thought of it coming to an end crosses every athlete’s mind, but that usually comes when the season is wrapping up or games become a must-win during the playoff season. For Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey seniors Nick Jermain, Alex Whelan and Karlis Cukste, they certainly weren’t expecting their college careers to end before their final playoff journey even 10
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began. The three have had their fair share of success throughout their four years, including two NCAA games, appearances in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals and semifinals and the program’s fourth Clearly Cup. Even before they stepped on the ice at the People’s United Center, there were high expectations to live up to. “Coming in I remember my freshman year was right after they made it to the National Championship,” Jermain said. “We just worked as hard as we can.” Cukste credits his teammates for the growth and success he had over the years.
By Liz Flynn
“It’s a great group of guys and we have fun coming to the rink every day,” he said. “Having that bond with your teammates is very important.” When March rolled around, the men’s ice hockey team was preparing to play Yale in the second round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament. However, this was also the time where COVID-19 began to rapidly spread across the United States. Teams would begin to drop out of the tournament and the future of the tournament itself became unknown. “We found out Harvard and Yale both backed out,” Whelan said. “The next day we were at practice getting ready to Summer 2020
Alex Whelan proved to be one of the most reliable goal scorers in program history, whether it was through dangling or dirty work in front of the net. (Photo: Olamide Gbotosho)
play Princeton and then right after practice ECAC announced they were ending their tournament.” The team still had some hope that the NCAA Tournament could go on as scheduled and Quinnipiac would earn a spot. Unfortunately, that hope didn’t last long.
Liz Flynn
“About an hour and a half later, we saw the tweet from NCAA canceling everything,” Jermain said. “I’ve been imagining the end of my Quinnipiac career for a long time now and that’s definitely not how I saw it coming.” Summer 2020
Even before the tournaments were officially canceled, the seniors had a feeling things wouldn’t go their way and took in every moment that they could. “We had a practice that Thursday,” Cukste said. “We were just enjoying our time out there because we felt it was our last and that would be it for us.” Cukste has thought about his final moment as a Quinnipiac player, but he never saw this coming. “It was out of our control which is the hardest thing,” he said. “If you lose a game you know you can do something about it, but you can’t do anything about the coronavirus.”
Jermain, Whelan and Cukste imagined their last game being after winning the National Championship or at least after a loss where the team knew the end was possible. “It wasn’t the normal feeling where you get a final moment,” Whelan said. “It just ended and our last game was weeks ago.” Today, the coronavirus is a pandemic and hits close to home for many players, including the captain. “Seeing what’s happening now especially close to us in New York City, it’s a no brainer it was the right decision,” Jermain said. “There are a lot of bigger things theqbsn.com
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Nick Jermain experienced a taste of stardom after being named captain for the 2019-20 season, as he more than doubled his career highs in goals (12) and points (21). (Photo: Liz Flynn)
than hockey.” While their time at Quinnipiac has come to an unfortunate close, the three are still keeping busy and preparing for the next phase of their lives. Cukste is staying with Whelan and the two continue to train and wait for the light at the end of the tunnel. “I may have to go to a national team camp,” Cukste said. “So that’s my motivation to stay in shape and train pretty much every day.” Whelan is heading to Hartford to join the Wolf Pack. He finds it’s a little easier to leave 12
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Quinnipiac knowing that there is hockey on the horizon.
shape.”
The three have endless memories throughout their four “If I played my last years, but the comradery between competitive game with hockey it wouldn’t sit well with me,” he said. teammates and family support are some of their favorites. “Having certainty that I’m going to play somewhere next year “That’s one of the coolest definitely helps.” things about hockey,” Cukste said. “You have so many teammates Jermain doesn’t have that you create bonds with, and any set plans right now, but he’s taking every opportunity to spend they last a lifetime.” time with loved ones which does Jermain, a Norwalk, not happen often. Connecticut native, loved playing at a school that was close enough “I’ve been talking to to see family often. my agent but there’s a lot of uncertainty,” he said. “Right now “I’ll miss playing 45 I’m doing all I can, enjoying time with my family and staying in minutes from home,” he said. Summer 2020
With Whelan (left), Cukste (right) and Jermain’s final college games being taken unexpectedly, all three have echoed the sentiment of taking nothing for granted. (Photo: Quinnipiac Athletics)
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That’s one of the coolest things about hockey... you have so many teammates that you create bonds with, and they last a lifetime - Karlis Cukste
Summer 2020
“It meant a lot to have both my parents at every home game.” Whelan’s advice to teammates is to take advantage of every day because no one really knows what the future holds. “Don’t think because you’re a freshman or a sophomore you have time,” Whelan said. “As you can see, you never know what’s going to happen.”
“Don’t take anything for granted.”
Jermain, Whelan and Cukste each had their own journey to get to where they are today. While they are heading down new paths in the future, their message rings out in unison: theqbsn.com
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Long Gone Summer By Olamide Gbotosho
Loss.
It’s inevitable, but its pain lingers nonetheless. In sports, losing is common. But not only did the Quinnipiac University women’s softball team lose their 2020 season due to COVID-19 - they lost out on memories that weren’t made. This type of loss is something that only this year’s athletes are able to empathize with. This loss doesn’t only affect the players, but also the coaches and anyone else who wanted to see the team play.
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Head coach Hillary Smith explained how the coronavirus impacted her and her team, and recalled the heartbreaking moment she had to tell her players the season was cancelled. “My heart really hurt,” Smith said. “Just because I felt like as a team we were finally
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getting to where we wanted to be. It took a little while, but we were right where we were supposed to be. It really hit home.” “I knew I had to be the one to tell them the news. I didn’t want them to hear it from their friends or online.”
Adapting to the situation has been difficult, but they are thankful that everyone they know is safe and healthy.
Despite the pain she personally felt, Smith gave her players a message of hope.
“We try to meet all together at least once a week and do team meetings,” Smith said. “(The team) even did a zoom nutritional cooking class, which was really cool.”
“I cried when I told them the news. But I made sure to go around and give everyone a hug because I felt for them.” Due to the coronavirus, Smith and her players have been home and adjusting to their lives without softball. For Smith, that includes spending time with her family in Florida, walks with her son, and coloring to express her creativity.
What really matters to the team is their ability to be together during this challenging time even if it’s virtually.
As of late, Smith has been focusing on keeping a healthy mind - not just for her, but for her players too. “I think mental health is really important right now, as well as making sure (the players) feel as if they still have softball all around them,” Smith said. “It’s because that’s what they’ve been used to since they were little girls. Summer 2020
They’re not used to not having softball right now” “I think that it is important that we are always talking with one another and being there so they know that softball is still around,” Smith added. For next season, Smith continues to keep the team’s focus the same: to learn from the past and get better. “Our goals are just to keep building from where we are at,” Smith said. “We have been building a championship culture and a championship mindset. That’s the most important thing.”
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Smith (pictured left) was preparing to enter just her second season as head coach for the Bobcats in 2020. (Photo: Liz Flynn)
With no way to meet physically, Smith encouraged the team to try meeting virtually once a week, where the players could connect and feel a sense of normalcy during their time apart. (Photo: Quinnipiac Athletics)
Quinnipiac Athletics
We have been building a championship culture and a championship mindset. That’s the most important thing - Hillary Smith
Summer 2020
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Leave it all on the field
By Jacob Resnick By Will Fowler
Up until this past March, the most difficult conversation John Delaney had been a part of during his baseball life was when he was told that the Milwaukee Brewers were releasing him, effectively terminating his dreams of becoming a major league player.
That was ten years ago. So excuse him if it took more than a couple of minutes to collect himself before he told the Quinnipiac baseball team that its season had been cancelled due to the coronavirus, just 14 games in. “By far the hardest conversation I’ve had to relay to a team or player individually,” Delaney, the program’s head coach since 2015, said. “The fact that you guys have played your last game of the season, for seniors, you played the last game of your career. “I kind of rolled through it a few times before I talked to them, 16
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thinking what’s the best way to say it? There is no best way.” Delaney and the Bobcats were en route to Tallahassee, Florida, on March 12 when they found out that their series with Florida A&M and the other 38 games left on the schedule would not be played. While the announcement was a punch to the gut, suspicions of impending bad news began a day earlier, while the team traveled to Kennesaw, Georgia, for a midweek matchup with Kennesaw State University. On that bus ride, Delaney began receiving text messages from coaches at other Connecticut schools, including two scheduled Quinnipiac opponents — Yale and Central Connecticut State — that their seasons were being put on pause.
“I turned to one of my coaches, Pat Egan, and said ‘Hey, I don’t think this is going to go very well. It’s just a matter of time before it hits us.’” Though the Bobcats played — and won — the game against the Owls, the mood was far from cheerful. “During that game, the gut feeling was that this could be our last one of the season,” Delaney said. “I was hoping it wasn’t.” Perhaps the most difficult part of the unexpected cancellation to grapple with for Delaney and his team was the fact that the club’s seniors did not know that they were playing in the final game of their careers while it was unfolding. For some, that meant the end of a 15-plus year journey that was snatched away from them in the blink of an eye. Summer 2020
Those players knew they would have one final game during the 2020 season to celebrate the years-long path that had led them to Quinnipiac. Except they had expected it to take place in Hamden in May, not in Kennesaw, Georgia, in March. “I wanted to try and make sure I got those seniors in there,” Delaney said. “ I was lucky that they extended the game and we got a chance where Kyle Horton was able to pinch-hit in the last inning and get that game-winning hit for us in the last at-bat of his career.” With the news that their season had been cancelled, the Bobcats could do nothing more than ruminate on their future while traveling down the Georgia interstate, nearly 1,000 miles from home. “The biggest thing was the emotions of the fact that Quinnipiac baseball is no longer going to be a part of their life on a field,” Delaney said. “The one thing we did know is that we walked on the field and gave it our all for those 14 games we played. And our last five games were games where we showed that we can compete at a high level.” The leave-it-all-on-the-field mindset may ring harder now, with the events of the spring in the rearview mirror, but it isn’t new to Delaney’s coaching gospel.
Liz Flynn
“To be honest that’s been one of the things that we preach to our guys on a daily basis. One of my big things is if you walk off the field not exhausted or not tired, then there was more that you could have given back to the game. If you walk off the field mentally exhausted then you’ve done everything in your power to make yourself a better baseball player.” “That’s also true with how the season went. You never know when Summer 2020
Delaney felt particularly bad for his senior class, who didn’t even have the opportunity to go out on the high note that 2019’s seniors did when the team won its first-ever MAAC tournament. (Photo: Liz Flynn) things are going to end. Everyone has that conversation, and some find out in pro ball. For me, I got called into the office and was told, ‘Hey, you’re not going to be a big leaguer with the Brewers.’ That’s not a conversation you ever want to hear from someone but it’s the truth, and I don’t think any of our college players ever expected to have the conversation like we had on that bus. “But I think it just amplifies the aspect of every day on the field being a precious day, and one you want to cherish. You want to maximize your day as much as possible, and we do that as a group. I think that’s how you develop the program into an elite one.”
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I think it just amplifies the aspect of every day on the field being a precious day, and one you want to cherish.” - John Delaney
Though 14 games doesn’t seem like much, it isn’t wrong to say that the Bobcats took another step towards becoming an elite program in 2020.
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The wheels on the bus
By Tom Krosnowski The bus is a special place for baseball players. A group of men becomes a team over several hours-long journeys on beat-up buses with bouncy suspensions and touchy pedals. For squads like the Quinnipiac Bobcats baseball team, the bus is a way of life. Before conference play begins (which still features bus rides as long as seven hours), the Bobcats and other cold-weather teams embark on journeys from Hamden, Connecticut through the American south, playing non-conference opponents to get some reps in. It’s almost like MLB Spring Training, only these games count, and the student-athletes still have classes to take. Bobcats senior relief pitcher Colin Donnelly has spent 18
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a fair amount of time on the bus. He’s traveled as far as Texas, Mississippi, the Carolinas and Florida over the past four years just to play ball. His latest expedition, a five-hour jaunt from Kennesaw, Georgia to Tallahassee, Florida, was just another long trip at this point, a reason to punch up some music and zone out.
hopes of defending their MAAC title.
For the Bobcats though, this was no ordinary bus trip. On the afternoon of March 12, 2020, the Bobcats, as well as every other MAAC spring sports team, found out that their seasons were canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everyone was really emotional,” Donnelly said. “I think it didn’t fully set in until Coach [Delaney] told us. Once he told us, that’s when the emotion really set in, and everyone was very upset, obviously.
The Bobcats had just one more tune-up series in the South before heading back up to Hamden to start conference play. But, after just 14 games, the Quinnipiac Bobcats saw their season end prematurely, along with their
Some of the Bobcats heard the news on Twitter before head coach John Delaney could even address his team. For Donnelly in particular, seeing his senior season ripped away was extra difficult.
“The uncertainty of everything just made your stomach really uneasy.” T here have been a lot of uncertainties for Donnelly and the Bobcats to deal with. First and foremost, the eligibility of Summer 2020
the student-athletes. The NCAA decided to grant an extra year of eligibility to any spring athlete who saw their seasons canceled. Of course, this requires an extra year of academic eligibility as well. Donnelly was already planning on returning to Quinnipiac to pursue his Master’s in Business Analytics, and will now also be able to play a fifth year of NCAA baseball. He’s far from the only one – Donnelly confirmed that at least eight of Quinnipiac’s 11 seniors will be returning next year. Though the Bobcats never had the chance to see where they ranked among their MAAC foes this year, Donnelly still had a good feeling about the team’s chances. “I think that’s the biggest reason why everyone’s coming back, because we know that we had a very good chance of [defending the MAAC title],” Donnelly said. “We have a great group coming back next year. I think we have a real chance to repeat what we did last year.”
Liz Flynn
That, of course, referring to the Bobcats’ remarkable run to its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2005, which Donnelly played a central part in. Last season, he pitched the most innings of any relief pitcher on the team (59.1), including 16.1 frames over four playoff games in the MAAC and NCAA tournaments. In those playoffs, Donnelly compiled a stellar 1.10 ERA, highlighted by a gutsy 7.2-inning marathon of scoreless pitching vs. Fairfield for a trip to Summer 2020
the NCAA Tournament. It was the most innings Donnelly ever pitched in a single NCAA game, but it proved he’d do whatever it took to advance his team. After such a breakout season, Donnelly focused on training to become even better. Unfortunately, the pandemic has forced him to change how he prepares for his next time out on the mound. After working all day in Hamden, Donnelly tries to find a teammate to throw with (while observing social distancing guidelines), but sometimes has to throw alone or work with free weights by himself. “If you’re trying to get bigger and stronger right now, it’s not really the time for it,” Donnelly said. “It’s more maintaining what you have and making what you have work.” One advantage of the pandemic is the increased amount of time that Donnelly has to study film. “The mental side is one of the things I’ve been trying to focus on,” Donnelly said. “Just watching video and seeing what small things I can change, so then when I do actually go out there and throw or do a certain movement, I know that I prepared myself as much as I possibly can to do that, given the circumstances.” Although Donnelly would normally be bonding with his team over long bus rides this time of the year, he’s still found ways to stay in touch with his teammates.
“It’s weird because this is the time when we’re supposed to be together the most,” Donnelly said. “Sure, we got through those four weeks of constant travel that we have at the beginning of our season, but that was supposed to bring us together for this time of the year. We should have been getting ready for the MAAC championships right now, and it’s crazy that we’re not in that position right now.” The Bobcats will not be able to defend their MAAC crown this year, but the hope is that Donnelly and his teammates will get that chance next May. The roster will be a bit bigger, a mix of returning players and new recruits, but they’ll still have those all-too-familiar bus rides to get to know each other. “We all want to go out and finish what we started,” Donnelly said. “That’s really been our main focus, talking about that. It’s just finishing what we didn’t get to this year.”
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It’s weird because this is the time when we’re supposed to be together the most... that was supposed to bring us together.” - Colin Donnelly
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Utility by trade
By Connor Ullathorne When a utility player ends a weekend of playing softball, they never know what position they’ll end up playing next. Sure, they aren’t like specialized position players, who do one thing well in one position, and constantly play in one spot. They have to be able to adapt and change to a completely new position from game to game, sometimes switching positions and tactics around mid-game.
(7), as well as the third-highest onbase percentage (.321) on the team.
Quinnipiac softball senior Rachel Marchuk played in various positions on the field. From third base and second base, where she played most of her career, to even filling in behind the plate, Marchuk learned how to adapt to benefit her team the most. Whether it was on or off the field, the senior knew how step up and lead her team.
“None of us knew to the extent of what was going to happen, but we knew that coach (Hillary Smith) was in and out of calls all day,” Marchuk said. “So, then we’re all hanging out in the lobby playing card games and our coach calls us into her hotel room. She goes ‘I have something to share with all of you.’ That’s when we got the news.”
Marchuk also looked like she was going to be one of the pivotal players for the Bobcats in the upcoming season. Through her first 11 games, the senior led the team in homeruns (2) and RBIs
Even though the NCAA would later extend every spring sport athlete’s eligibility by one more playing year, Marchuk knew what her decision would be months before. She just never thought the
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Then came COVID-19.
The Bobcats were supposed to head to a Major League Baseball spring training game, which was cancelled. The players and coaching staff instead had a typical off day that turned into the end of their season.
end would spring up on her so quickly. “For me personally, it’s sunk in the moment our coach said that the season was over,” Marchuk said. “I realized I will never play again with these girls. No one knew what NCAA eligibility was going to look like, but I knew that I had a job lined up since October. So, I knew that when this season was over, I was going to be done.” The three-time MAAC All-Academic team selection was finished with her collegiate softball career. While she never was one to headline the stats section, Marchuk was an asset to the Bobcats’ locker room. She had to truly step in and be a veteran presence in a locker room with 15 total underclassmen. Leaving that young team is what hurts her the most when she is moving onto the working world. “There’s nothing else in this world that’s like winning with the team. You will you’ll always work Summer 2020
With Marchuk having been on the team even longer than her head coach Hillary Smith (pictured left), most of the mentoring - and eventually comforting - duties fell on her shoulders (Photo: Liz Flynn)
like on a team, whether it’s in a work environment on a team or with another person on something, but there’s nothing like winning a team in a sport that you love.” The team gave back to their versatile player. Coming from California, Marchuk said it was tough to get back home, but she was taken in by junior Brighid Douglas and her family. She said that Douglas’ family would take the two players to dinner and she would sometimes celebrate holidays with them.
Liz Flynn
“I didn’t want to leave my team. Every time someone would bring something up it’d make me want to cry.” Marchuk, like all of the spring sport seniors who are not returning to Quinnipiac and their respective universities, did not receive a senior day. Summer 2020
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I didn’t want to leave my team. Every time someone would bring something up it’d make me want to cry.” - Rachel Marchuk
Instead, Marchuk had a different send-off. It was down in Florida, against Central Michigan. Marchuk hit a three-run homerun to put the Bobcats up 8-0 over the Chippewas. It was the final hit of her career. Marchuk left the team with a message that she constantly preached, and made the most sense with the season ending early “I told this to them ever since last year, to appreciate every second you have with each other on and off the field,” Marchuk said. “It’s not just because we’re a female sport that doesn’t have a big professional league, but it’s because you never know how much time left you have to play on the field and with each other.” theqbsn.com
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Making the best of it By Bryan Murphy
It’s been an absolute whirlwind in these last few months.
The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the nation, impacting every single individual one way or another. Sports were cancelled left and right, businesses were shut down and stay-athome procedures are now the norm. For the Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse team, this meant the cancellation of their 2019-20 season. “It happened so fast, I didn’t really know what to think,” freshman attack John DeLucia said. “You didn’t really have time to process it. We just had to pack up our stuff and get out of (Hamden.)” 22
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On March 12, the NCAA announced the cancellation of all spring sports, as well as any remaining winter sports competition. With the virus spreading rapidly, it didn’t come to the team as a big surprise. But Quinnipiac head coach Mason Poli explained that it was still difficult to accept. “You knew this was coming, but we hadn’t really seen the impact yet,” Poli said. “It was a hard pill for the players to swallow. When you try to communicate that with them, it was a little tough. You felt bad for the seniors not having that finale, that build up to your final game, that last week of practice.
“But now we’re close to two months into this, it’s an easier pill for some of those guys to swallow. I think they see the impact in their local communities, their family members, it’s something that we’re all going through and dealing with.” It was an abrupt end to a season just getting underway. The Bobcats were 0-6 in non-conference play, but were getting prepared to kick MAAC play off on Saturday, March 14. While its conference schedule never was able to begin, the team was able to share one final moment on the field before having to leave Hamden. “In that moment, it was tough, We were trying to prepare them to head home,” Poli Summer 2020
Though 2020 was only Poli’s second season as head coach, it wasn’t hard to make connections with his players - Poli has been on Quinnipiac’s coaching staff since 2015. (Photo: Quinnipiac Athletics)
said. “Luckily, heading into practice, we had that opportunity to get out on the field one more time. Messed around a little bit, played some box lacrosse and got them to enjoy each other as a team one last time.”
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As for the time in quarantine, Poli said the focus is for the players and staff to spend time with their families, as well as making their health a top priority. However, Poli also emphasized that the team is still communicating together. “I think our biggest message is stay in contact,” Poli said. “Stay in contact with each other. Let’s go through this together ... Let’s come out of this stronger together.” Summer 2020
While the seniors do have the option to come back for another year thanks to the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility, it’s not a guarantee that every senior will take that opportunity. With plenty of other factors going into that decision, Poli knows that for some of his players, they’ve stepped on the field for the last time as a Bobcat. “It’s something I’ve been struggling with,” Poli said on what he wants to tell those seniors. “I think for them, it’s to have that sense of accomplishment. We kind of went through this the other day as a team. I asked the guys what they were proud of. Think back on those good times. What are you proud of, what have you accomplished with this program.
Think of all the relationships you’ve built, all the bus trips and the moments in the locker room.” “Those are the moments that we need to hold on to and those are the important things in life.”
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I think our biggest message is stay in contact... let’s come out of this stronger together.” - Mason Poli theqbsn.com
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Coming out the other Side By Ryan Flaherty
March 11th, 2020 began as any other normal day for the more than 30 members of the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team. They woke up in Norfolk, Virginia to get set for their school’s first-ever matchup with the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Bobcats would win their third game of the season in convincing fashion, but as the team walked off the field, there was something else on everyone’s mind. As the day wore on, news broke that the sports world had its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive and the NBAsuspended the remainder of its season. The NCAA announced March Madness would be held without fans, and suddenly it seemed like college sports were in jeopardy. 24
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325 miles away in Atlantic City, Rich Ensor, president of the MAAC, was preparing for a press conference that no one ever thought he would give: the MAAC basketball tournaments and all spring sports were cancelled, effective immediately. “I found out like everyone else,” said women’s lacrosse head coach Tanya Kotowicz. “We heard from colleagues first that their seasons were getting cancelled… and then it came down from the president that there were decisions being made…that our season was coming to an end.” Instead of heading back to Hamden to prepare for their last non-conference game, the Bobcats and all Quinnipiac University students found themselves heading home to quarantine with their families to help flatten the coronavirus curve.
For the eight seniors who were gearing up for their last shot at a conference tournament championship, it seemed all for naught. That is, until the NCAA granted all seniors who played a spring sport an extra year of eligibility in order the finish their careers on their own terms. Kotowicz is unsure of what the future holds for her seniors. “We’re working through that right now…what I love about Quinnipiac is it prepares student athletes to be leaders in their careers…my senior class has done an amazing job preparing for that, and so a lot of them had grad-school or jobs lined up and it’s a difficult big-girl decision that needs to be made.” With new social distancing rules and no physical contact, staying connected with her returning players has become a major point Summer 2020
Kotowicz lamented the fact that her 2020 seniors have some tough decisions to make about eligibility, but she gushed over the scholatic and career opportunities they have in front of them. (Photo: Quinnipiac Athletics) of emphasis for Kotowicz and her staff. “We check in as humans, just how are you doing and hope you’re managing your assignments and studying, but prior to [quarantine] we had been able to get together via zoom and did a couple team activities”
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As the months pass and America and the sports world begin to climb their way back to a “new normal”, the cancellation of spring sports has left a major mark on college programs and their day-to-day operations. Everything from normal team activities to team meetings have been changed. Even major changes to the sport are not being ruled out. “There’s been discussions, everything from changing conference structures to tournament Summer 2020
structures to simple daily operations, let alone how we handle our training room and how we handle our weight room…our daily lives are going to be very different, which I can only imagine will impact the bigger in terms of the NCAA and trickle-down from conference to conference.” Despite all these new challenges, Kotowicz has been extremely impressed with her team and how well they’ve handled these last few months. “The maturity they’ve shown in handling this, the team overall, I attribute it to the people they are…I just hope we come out better on the other side, and I truly believe we will” Although there is not much to be hopeful for in the college sports world right now, Kotowicz
hopes to be back with her team and back on the field as soon as it is safely possible, and she’s excited for what the future holds. “We have to move forward. Staying present and training hard daily, our mind and our bodies and now especially just that spiritual side of things is really important, because I do believe we now have a team that’s ready to take us over that five-win season…hopefully more than that”
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I just hope we come out better on the other side, and I truly believe we will.” - Tanya Kotowicz theqbsn.com
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Silver Lining
Like many collegiate athletes across America, Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse attack Megan Szawlowski’s promising senior season was abruptly cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Szawlowski, 22, transferred to Quinnipiac from Central Connecticut State University after her sophomore year and was an essential part of the Bobcats in her first season with the team. The Holyoke, Massachusetts, native was second on the team in goals and assists. In seven 2020 contests, Szawlowski led the Bobcats with 17 goals, 21 points, and 40 shots. Then on March 12, 2020, MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor canceled all spring sports, effective immediately. One day earlier, the Bobcats snatched a 16-11 win over Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia. Little did the Bobcats know it 26
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would be their season finale. “We were in Virginia and this is kind of when things started to escalate,” Szawlowski said. “We didn’t really know what was happening. We heard of other schools shutting down. We played our game and everything was fine, we didn’t know anything.” “When we were in the airport coming back we found out that school was going to be canceled, but we didn’t know what it meant in terms of our season, and that next day - which was our off day – we found out that we were basically going to be done. There still were a lot of unanswered questions, but I think that everyone felt it on that day because we were told we probably weren’t going to get anything back,” Szawlowski said.
By Max Schreiber
It’s a tough pill to swallow considering how much work the team put into this season since last summer. The Bobcats were just starting to connect, winning three out of their last four games. But Szawlowski acknowledges that adversity is part of life. “Life throws you curveballs all the time -- it’s how you react to it," Szawlowski said. “How else can we benefit from this in the best possible way despite how sad it is? I think we’ve done a pretty good job in responding and reacting.” The team is still communicating often, whether it’s a team Zoom meeting or reaching out to each other individually to check up on their mental health. Szawlowski emphasizes that everyone on the team is always there for one another. Summer 2020
However, Szawlowski needs to be there for her family as well. She is one of five siblings. Sports runs deep in the Szawlowski family: her sisters, Courtney and Ashley, played lacrosse at UMass and her other sister, Bridget, played lacrosse at AIC. Her brother Michael also played football and lacrosse at AIC. But now Szawlowski’s siblings are essential workers at the pandemic’s forefront – both as police officers and doctors. “I’ve been kind of running around trying to help them as much as I can,” Szawlowski said. “Whether that’s babysitting their kids or even going grocery shopping for them, just little things.” Szawlowski will graduate from Quinnipiac this spring – with or without an official ceremony.
Before the pandemic, she planned to get her masters in forensic psychology at AIC. However, she is now hoping to come back to Hamden next year and play her final eligible year in a Quinnipiac uniform. If this is or isn’t Szawlowski's Quinnipiac farewell, she will still always be grateful for her short time as a Bobcat. “I would say it was definitely the best couple years of my life,” Szawlowski said. "I met great people, made great relationships, connections in the job world, just friends I’ll have for the rest of my life and memories I’ll save forever. I’m really thankful for that and it taught me how to go through adversity as well.”
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Life throws you curveballs all the time... it’s how you react to it. How else can we benefit from this in the best possible way despite how sad it is?” - Megan Szawlowski
Quinnipiac Athletics
While Szawlowski only spent two seasons in Hamden, she made quite the impact on her team: she finished second and first on the team in goals and points in 2019 and 2020, respectively. (Photo: Quinnipiac Athletics)
Summer 2020
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Over Before it started As we roll through the summer months of this strange and uncertain year of 2020, we are starting to see more dominos fall in the collegiate sports world. The college football season is being threatened and countless conferences are cancelling their fall sports seasons in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While your heart goes out for the athletes who have had their upcoming senior seasons cancelled, this feeling has been all too familiar. It started back in March, when the graduating senior class of 2020 had their senior seasons ripped from them in the middle of their playoff runs, or at the beginning of their seasons. 28
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By Steve Pappas
For the Quinnipiac Bobcats men’s lacrosse team, their season was taken from them just six games into their 2020 season, leaving their five seniors wondering what was going to happen next.
a position where we really had nothing to lose. I wouldn't say that we were getting desperate by any means, but certainly with MAAC play coming along. We were feeling really confident about our play.”
Senior midfielder Tyler Mackay was trying to build off a 21 goal, six assist campaign in 2019 in which the Oakville, Ontario native shot 32% in his junior season.
“We had Marist the upcoming game, a team who we had just been defeated by in the MAAC championship the year before, so we knew anything could happen there, and we were definitely really looking forward to some MAAC play. But unfortunately, we never got the chance to get there.”
With the team starting off about as cold as you could get, losing all six games before the cancellation, Mackay believes that when the team hit MAAC play, their fortunes would have turned around.
The shock of having the season end was something that took some time for not only Mackay, but the entire team to “I definitely saw us trend- digest and fully comprehend. ing upward, we were kind of in Summer 2020
After finishing fourth on the team in goals (21) and fifth in points (27) in 2019, Mckay hoped to take another step forward in his senior campaign - those hopes were dashed all too quickly. (Photo: Quinnipiac Athletics)
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Like so many seniors who had their athletic careers cut short, the next step for these individuals is finding a “real-world” job. But with coronavirus still being a very prominent problem in the United States, many have found it very hard to find companies that are hiring, and former athletes are no exception. “After that (school), it's going to be looking for full time employment. I know the coronavirus and all that going on right now it's been pretty difficult searching for a full-time career, but that's what I'm going to be looking for. After this is all over.”
tough pill to swallow. But for Tyler Mackay and too many others of the class of 2020, it was made even worse by their inability to write the endings to their stories.
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“We were definitely looking forward to some maac play... unfortunately, we never got the chance to get there.” - Tyler Mackay
Having your athletic career come to an end is always a Summer 2020
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QBSN here.
Let’s just face facts
u I n n i p i a c
o b c a t s
Right now, Quinnipiac is a mid-major school. Right now, almost all of the university’s athletic teams play in the MAAC, which is a mid-major conference, albeit a fairly celebrated one. Right now, success for many Quinnipiac programs is not measured by the amount of banners or championship rings they have, but whether they can even get into NCAA tournaments in the first place. Right now, Quinnipiac is better known for its polls than its prowess in athletics. But it looks as though that is finally starting to change. For years, Quinnipiac students and alumni alike have collectively exclaimed “But hockey!” every time the athletic merits of the school are questioned. And that’s obviously a very fair point: what Rand Pecknold and Cassandra Turner have done for the men’s and women’s hockey teams is nothing short of spectacular. They have almost single handedly put Quinnipiac on the NCAA map, with the men’s team twice coming just a game away from that elusive first Division I title for Quinnipiac.
Most other Quinnipiac athletics programs, though, struggled mightily throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, with contenders and trophies hard to come by outside of the hockey teams. At long last, they finally have company.
team. Fabbri’s teams dominated the NEC (basically an even lower-tier mid-major conference) for years before finally getting the chance to play in one of the best mid-major conferences in college basketball, the MAAC. A bit of an adjustment period was expected, as the level of competition was raised quite sharply.
p o r t s
e t w o r k
Unfortunately for the rest of the conference, Fabbri must have lost that memo in the mail. Quinnipiac instantly became a juggernaut in the conference, and they are currently the three-time defending champs. The 2016-17 season will be remembered as one of the most important in the history of Quinnipiac athletics, as Fabbri’s Bobcats shocked the world with a run to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. This helped to lead a rise in power for other mid-majors like Quinnipiac and an increase in parity as a whole across NCAA women’s basketball, which in turn has skyrocketed the popularity and support of the women’s game across the United States. Although the men’s jump to the MAAC hasn’t been quite as fruitful, it has still been a great benefit to the program as a whole. Recruits are now enticed to play for a team that will have its games on ESPN2 on Friday nights, for a conference that produces nationally recognized highend entertainment each year, especially when the calendar flips to March. These recruits include program-defining leaders like the Robinson twins, Chaise Daniels, Rich Kelly and Cam Young. Young himself thrust Quinnipiac into the national spotlight last year by leading off SportsCenter, unanimously winning MAAC Player of the Year and even earning votes for the All-American
Your home for all Quinnipiac Athletics It started with the great Tricia Fabbri and her work with the women’s basketball
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Summer 2020
Summer 2020
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