Vocal Pride travels for competition

Singing their hearts out

The Springfield College acapella group sang in its first competition since 2020 at the International Championship of Collegiate Acapella this past weekend.

Voacl Pride after it’s Winter Concert in Dec. 2021. (Photo courtesy of Voacl Pride)

__ By Jac St. Jean __ @jacsaintj

Six Springfield College teams competed this past weekend. Of those six, one team was not an athletic competition – unless using the thyroarytenoid, abdominal and diaphragm muscles to belt out notes counts.

Vocal Pride, the Springfield College acapella group, competed in the International Championship of Collegiate Acapella (ICCA) at the Berklee School of Music. The event took place in the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. This was the 2022 Tournament Northeast Quarterfinals, with the top two placing groups advancing to the ICCA Northeast Semifinal. Other teams the Pride competed against included the Berklee College of Music, Harvard University, Bentley University, Northeastern University and SUNY New Paltz.

The group’s directors Liv Tocchio and Alli Mowry were two of the twelve members that competed over the weekend. Though they represented one of the smaller groups in the event, Tocchio and Mowry were ecstatic to be on a stage performing.

“It’s kind of nice that we have a smaller group,” said Mowry, “because there’s more opportunity for a bigger proportion of the group to showcase [their talents].

“We kind of went in without too many expectations. We were going against Berklee College of Music, which is a music school, and some really big schools like Harvard and Northeastern who have a much larger pool [of students].”

This was Vocal Pride’s first competition in two years and Springfield College’s first time competing in the ICCA Northeast Quarterfinals.

“[It] was a huge accomplishment that we got invited,” Tocchio stressed, “because you do have to audition to get to the in-person round, so first you do a video audition and then you get accepted or denied from there.

“Hopefully we can try to get into some more [competitions], I have to do some research on what there is out there for more acapella competitions, but this is like the biggest one.”

Although Vocal Pride did not place in the top three, they were happy to meet other students from schools in Massachusetts and beyond, and share a collective passion for music.

“It’s a very welcoming environment,” Mowry expressed.

Tocchio added, “My favorite part about it is just how everyone shares a passion and it’s a very supportive environment. We were there for the whole day, so there were groups all day around us, and we got to talk to them, and we had so much time to mingle with people. It’s really cool to just meet all these people that are like-minded or at least share a passion for music and singing specifically.”

While Mowry, Tocchio, and the rest of Vocal Pride are uncertain about what’s next, they are hopeful that they will have more opportunities to showcase their talents and love for music and singing.

“We’re planning on having a spring concert before the end of the semester,” Tocchio said. “Looking into options for that, possibly outdoor… we’re still looking at options just because Fuller is booked, but we are planning on having a concert for the spring which is exciting because that’s something that I haven’t gotten to experience yet. I’ve only ever had a winter concert because of COVID and the timing of that.”

Mowry explained, “I think that with acapella, it’s not the type of program where groups are competing for money.

“It’s more about the competition and the fun of it, and the ability to showcase your talents and be recognized for that.”

If you are interested in joining Vocal Pride, contact director Liv Tocchio at otocchio@ springfieldcollege.edu or DM @scvocalpride on Instagram.

Masks

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Even with these masking policies not set to change for another week-and-a-half, a lot of students have already noticed their peers maskless in buildings – taking away from the excitement of when the new rules are established. Regardless, being maskless in Cheney or the Wellness Center for the first time in nearly two years is surreal for some students.

“The fact that there are some people that don’t wear masks already kind of takes away the anticipation,” said International Hall RA, Kevin Velazquez-Rivera.

“But this is something that’s needed to be done for a while, and it’s nice to see everyone collectively excited about something.”

Another change in Springfield’s COVID-19 regulations is quarantine being reduced from a 10-day period to a five-day period. The CDC made this change back in December of 2021 and the school has now decided to follow suit.

“That’s a little weird, because if it was 10 days last week, why is it five the week after?” Velazquez-Rivera said. “It doesn’t make much sense, but the fact that it is shorter is better for students so they don’t have to miss out for too long on anything important.”

Any form of exercise (lifting weights, cardio, etc.) has had an increase in difficulty due to wearing a mask in the gym. Now, that difficulty will disappear, and the breathing struggles will no longer exist. Earle, who not only works out consistently, but also is an employee at the Wellness Center, is ecstatic about his future trips to the gym once the rules are updated.

“I’ve never been the biggest fan of masks, but I’ve always followed the rules,” Earle said.

“It’ll be nice to go to the gym and not have to enforce rules as an employee when people have their masks down. Not having to wear them at the gym makes my job a lot easier, and will make it easier for me as well when I’m working out.”

The buzz and emotion is back on-campus as nice weather approaches, and so are everybody’s smiles as masks begin to vanish.

Emma Baumhauer. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

Emma Baumhauer

Winning the Springfield Student Women’s Athlete of the Week overwhelmingly with 64.6% of the vote was Emma Baumhauer. The sophomore swimmer was the fastest finisher for the Pride in the 200-meter at the NEWMAC Championships on Sunday with a time of 2:06.80. Trailing her at 22.2% was Sidney Wentland, a graduate student on the women’s basketball team. She combined for 25 points with 14 assists and 11 rebounds throughout the week while shooting 48% from the field. Her shooting was highlighted on Saturday against Mount Holyoke when she shot 7-for-11 to gather 16 points. Junior track athlete Abigail Clinch set a new career best in the triple jump at 10.63 meters at the Triangle Classic on Saturday. This qualified her for the D-III New England regional meet. Along with that, Clinch was the fastest Springfield runner in the 400-meter with a time of 1:02.08. Junior gymnast Devon Rosier rounded out the vote after scoring a 9.625 on the floor exercise and a 9.600 on the balance beam in a dual meet against Cornell.

Brayden Grim

Sophomore wrestler Brayden Grim won this installment of the Springfield Student Men’s Athlete of the Week with 46.3% of the vote. This came after winning five matches at the NEWA Futures Tournament. Two of those wins ended on technical falls and one ended on a pin. Following Grim was senior men’s basketball player Daryl Costa with 24.2% of the vote. The guard combined for 45 points throughout the week, which included a career-high 28 against Coast Guard in a 91-81 victory on Senior Day. In third place was senior men’s lacrosse player Zac Schuette, who scored a career-high eight goals in an 18-14 win over Nazareth. Rounding out the list was senior swimmer Erik Jensen, who was tackling the school record books at the NEWMAC Championships. He broke the Springfield College record for the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 16:12.97 on Sunday. Prior to that, he was one of the four Pride swimmers in the 800 relay that broke the school record in that race. Be sure to follow The Student on Twitter (@TheSpfldStudent) to vote in the next poll!

Brayden Grim. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

Sharing their perspectives

Springfield College hosted a virtual panel discussion in which the panelists discussed what they experienced and how they felt as a student-athlete at predominantly white schools.

On Thursday, Feb. 17, Springfield College hosted a webinar entitled “Reflecting on the Lived Experiences of Black Student-Athletes at Predominantly White Institutions: A Panel Discussion.” The webinar featured three former student-athletes from different divisions; Kezia Conyers, Barak Henderson, and Sierra Whitlock. Conyers played Division I basketball at Appalachian State University and is now the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Motlow State Community College. Henderson was a dual-sport athlete at Alma College, as he participated in both football and track. He is now a financial advisor at the Michigan-based Hantz Group. Whitlock graduated from the University of Hartford and was a standout softball player during her time on campus. She is now the Assistant Director of Championships and Operations for the American East Conference. Dr. Calvin Hill and Adaeze Alaeze-Dinma moderated the conversation, as this webinar was part of the ‘Diversity Dialogue’ series that is hosted by the Division of Inclusion and Community Engagement. After a quick introduction from Hill, Alaeze-Dinma began

__ By Carley Crain __ @carley_crain12

asking questions to each panelist about their experiences as former Black college athletes. All of the panelists spoke about how sports gave them the opportunity to pursue a college degree, however, instead of focusing on external opinions or ideals, each panelist embraced the opportunity of being a college athlete. The team culture of college programs tends to be extremely closeknit, which helped all three athletes build strong relationships during their four years of college. They did notice that since most of their time was spent focusing on their sport, the majority of people they surrounded themselves with were also student-athletes. Because of this, it was hard to be involved with other organizations on campus. Sometimes they felt they were secluded in an “athlete bubble.” However, sports helped them find meaning and purpose in life. “I couldn’t see myself fitting in the way I wanted to and once I did find my friends outside of sport it was great, but they also came through other teams, ‘’ said Whitlock. “I am not sure where I would have started if it wasn’t for my sport.” Each athlete also emphasized the importance of BIPOC representation. They noticed throughout their college experience, there weren’t many people that looked like them. “When I was 14, we had an all-Black outfield, and it was notable. I never had more than one or two Black teammates on my team since then,” said Whitlock. For Conyers, the environment was a wake-up call. Growing up in Florida, her childhood community consisted mostly of people of the same race. When she made the trip to college, her new surroundings were primarily white. “When I went on my visit I understood that the landscape of the scenery and the area that it would be different, ‘’ explained Conyers. “It was somewhat of a cultural shock coming from a predominantly Black high school.” When Henderson was a student-athlete at Alma College, he felt he had a chip on his shoulder as a Black male athlete. Henderson decided to go to a D-III institution because he wanted to focus more on academics. However, he felt that many viewed him as just an athlete and not as an intelligent student. “I wanted a college where I could challenge myself academically. As a stereotype, especially when I went to my last high school which was predominantly white, it was always ‘Oh you are the African American Student you must be really good at sports.’ For me, it was about showing people that I am not just good at sports and that I am actually very intelligent,” said Henderson. Since most of the athlete’s environments were white-dominated, they felt it was hard for coaches or other teammates to relate. “I didn’t go to my coach because in my head I thought he could not relate, ‘’ said Henderson. “I didn’t think he could point me in the right direction to get the help that I needed.” Because of the lack of representation at their colleges, each athlete noticed that many BIPOC students transferred early. “I think having a Black woman would have been life-changing for me,” explained Whitlock. A quick question and answer session followed after the conclusion of the panel discussion. Each athlete also offered advice for what they feel society can do more of to improve diversity on college campuses. The panelists emphasized that there is always more work to be done and that it is up to individuals to make changes and have tough conversations in their own personal life. With Black History Month wrapping up, the College still has numerous events lined up before the end of February.

The debut of the Diversity Dialogue Series was Feb. 17, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Office of Inclusion and Community Engagement)

Sliding into the new season

The Springfield softball team has returned most of its main contributors from 2021, and will look to showcase its full potential over a 40-game regular season.

The Springfield softball team went 9-5 in 2021 and played in the NEWMAC Championship. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics).

There is one general emotion that is circulating the Springfield College softball team as the season approaches – excitement.

“I think it’s just awesome to be preparing for a full season,” said Springfield head coach Kate Bowen.

Without any games played in 2020 and only 14 in 2021, the team is now preparing to play 40 regular-season games, and is hopeful to play more after.

Along with the excitement for a return to a regular playing schedule, there are new experiences to be had for many players on the roster.

“I think it’s really new to a lot of the players on our team because we have — if you think about it — our firstyears, sophomores, and juniors have never had a full season, never had an away season, don’t know what it’s like to go on spring break to Florida,” said Bowen. “So, I think it’s going to be a really interesting season getting back into it.”

The Pride is coming off a successful 2021 season in which it went 9-5 and made it to the NEWMAC Championship. The overwhelming majority of the team’s contributors are return-

__ By Chris Gionta __ @Chris_Gionta

ing and are ready to outdo what they did last year.

Remaining at the top of the lineup for Springfield will be senior outfielder Mackenzie Doyle. Last season, she hit .424 in 33 at-bats while only striking out once, and added seven stolen bases on nine attempts on the base paths.

Right behind Doyle will likely be sophomore second baseman Alli Olsen, who made a great impact in the eight games she played last year. She hit .385 and slugged .538 in 26 at-bats and did not strike out a single time. Olsen was also able to lead the team in runs scored despite missing six games.

Another solid contributor to the offense is also a key member of the pitching staff, with that player being senior Gillian Kane. She hit .333 with a .429 on-base percentage in 28 plate appearances, while also recording a 4.01 earned run average in 36.2 innings pitched.

The ace of the staff in 2021 was first-year Ashley Pugliese, who is looking to dominate her first full collegiate season in 2022. Last year, she completed all four games in which she started, which included two shutouts along with a 13-strikeout performance against Wheaton. Overall, she struck out 38 batters while only walking eight in 38.0 innings pitched, and sported a microscopic 1.11 ERA.

Pugliese, Kane and sophomore Emily Gell combined for a productive pitching trio in 2021, and have the opportunity to work together again this season. Bowen is particularly excited to have them back for their situational versatility.

“It’s awesome that we have three pitchers that can all start a game, and all come in and relieve,” said Bowen.

The team’s opening games will be at Potter Field in front of spectators for the first time since 2019. The season starts with a doubleheader on March 5 against Worcester State, and will then transition to Florida for spring break, with games starting on March 13.

Bringing the band back

The Springfield baseball team has four graduate students returning to the diamond in 2022, setting the Pride up for a productive season.

Noah Bleakley pitching in a 2020 matchup against Western New England. (Joe Arruda/The Student)

___ By Chris Gionta ___ @Chris_Gionta

The last two years for the Springfield College baseball team have been a major start-and-stop process. They began the 2020 season with five consecutive victories — carrying a lot of momentum into their annual trip to Florida. Like many teams, no trip was made, and like all teams, their season ended prematurely. The 2021 season started with a doubleheader split against WPI, but due to many cancellations, the team did not play for 34 days after their initial pair of games. After this lapse in action, they lost four games in one weekend to Clark. The Pride’s regular season ended with them sweeping Emerson in a doubleheader, which got them into the NEWMAC tournament. That was where their season ended in a best-of-3 series to Babson. Springfield played 10 total games in 2021, and have played 15 since the start of 2020. Now they prepare for 37. With the lack of closure from last season, four players are suiting up for their graduate year. The headliner of the group is outfielder Jack Cooney, who is in his third year being team captain. He carries into 2022 a career .345 batting average and .437 on-base percentage in 360 plate appearances for the Pride. On the base paths, he has accumulated 42 stolen bases in 81 career games. Also playing their fifth year this season is a rare two-way player in Noah Bleakley, who is a right-handed pitcher and first baseman. In 73.2 career innings pitched, he has 70 strikeouts and just 15 walks. On the offensive side, Bleakley has also driven 54 runs in 81 career games. The remaining graduate students playing baseball for Springfield this year are Jack Simonetty and Jacob Shpur. Simonetty has been the starting third baseman for the Pride since the 2019 season, and brings pop to the Springfield lineup. His power was displayed in the NEWMAC tournament when he hit a home run off of a Babson pitcher who earned first-team All-American honors that season. Shpur, like most Pride players, has not seen the most action in the past two seasons; however, he has made the most of his opportunities. In 7.1 innings since the beginning of 2020, he has not allowed a single run. Not all of last year’s seniors made the sojourn back to Archie Allen Field for 2022, which means there is some valuable talent that is no longer here. The most notable of the departed seniors was catcher Nick Fazio, who hit .400 with a 1.007 onbase plus slugging (OPS) in 39 plate appearances in his junior and senior seasons combined. Luckily for Springfield, the team seems to be in good hands with junior Cadin Maynard potentially taking over the starting role. He caught the latter games of the doubleheaders the Pride played last year and showed strong capabilities with the bat. Maynard was 6-for-17 with four walks, two doubles and a triple in 2021. Also not returning for the Pride is outfielder Conor Santoianni, who broke out in his senior year by hitting .286 with an .828 OPS and five stolen bases in eight games played. Much like last year, Springfield head coach Mark Simeone will likely be doing a good amount of mixing and matching with his outfield. Nine outfielders are listed on the roster, with five hitting from the right side, and four hitting from the left side. Along with Santoianni, Springfield will not be having Ryan Smith, who hit .280 with an .838 OPS in 32 plate appearances last season. Despite an impressive year offensively last season, one could argue that his defense at second base will be missed the most. Likely filling Smith’s role will be senior Joe Penkala, who sometimes played second base in the last halves of doubleheaders last season. He went 3-for10 with five runs batted in 2021. The Pride are largely retaining the main contributors from the past few years. They have had a relatively young roster the past couple seasons that has likely been growing skill wise, and the developing players are more ready than ever to contribute. They will need all hands on deck for the 37-game season that awaits them. It starts with five games in three days at home from March 4-6 against Nichols, Western New England and Westfield State.

Learning from the pros

Jeff Place and Kaleigh Putnam are the latest in a line of Springfield students to take part in NCAA development programs.

Jeff Place and Kaleigh Putnam were each picked to take part in esteemed NCAA programs. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield Athletics)

With three different leadership programs for college athletes, coaches and administrators, the NCAA covers all bases when it comes to preparing authority figures for their roles in the world of college sports.

Just this month, two Springfield College graduate students, Kaleigh Putnam and Jeff Place, were picked out of a nationwide pool of applicants to be a part of the esteemed programs.

Putnam took part in a three-day virtual program – the Emerging Leaders Seminar, where she and 215 other students from around the country explored techniques to avoid burnout and stay motivated, elevate their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and gain confidence in their leadership expertise.

Place will take part in the Foundations of Fundraising program in June, where he’ll learn about one of the most crucial aspects of college athletics and introduce the idea of fundraising as a career.

Putnam brought more aspects about the program into light.

“The most valuable thing that I learned was the lesson that to be a successful leader, you have to embrace who you are, know who you are, and be confident in that – knowing that you’re a unique individual and that you can’t lead others until you understand it and learn yourself,” Putnam said.

The Humanics philosophy of Springfield College is a great primer for students looking for leadership opportunities like NCAA programs and countless other pathways for careers.

“This year I have taken two really impactful classes where we talked about topics similar to Emerging Leaders,” said Putnam, reflecting on the link between her educational experience at Springfield College and her experience at the seminar. “One [of them] was an inclusion class where we talked about having crucial conversations and how to navigate having important diversity, equity and inclusion conversations.”

Director of Athletics Craig Poisson said, “Leadership programs – be they through a national organization like the NCAA or of a more home-grown variety – foster skill sets that allow people to serve others, aligning with our Humanics philosophy.”

The small, close-knit community of Springfield College translates to programs like these and better prepares students for creating close-knit connections in real-life scenarios – athletic or not.

“[To be a great leader], effective communication – including listening skills – is critically important. A mix of the ability to think analytically and conceptually balanced by strong emotional intelligence cannot be overlooked. And, in the end, in my opinion, and it’s something I strive for everyday, the importance of building a climate of trust, understanding, respect, and confidence is paramount,” Poisson said.

Springfield College’s reputation remains strong as more students are developed into leaders and take hold of the opportunities they are provided with on Alden Street. Professional programs like these the NCAA hosts are ways for graduate students to branch out and realize full potential as a leader, all while developing their skill sets and growing as individuals.

Poisson noted that Putnam and Place are just the latest in a line of Springfield College students who have taken advantage of NCAA programming.

“The Leadership Development programs - the one Kaleigh was selected for, or the brand-new offering that Jeff was selected for, or the one Gus St. Fort is thriving in through the (NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship program), or Colby (Wilson)’s participation at the NCAA Student Immersion Program – all of it augments the leadership development that is so ingrained in the mission of Springfield College,” Poisson said. “As I reflect on the students who took advantage of these opportunities over the years, I really see our mission come to life. And I’m confident the same will apply to Kayleigh and Jeff.”

__ By AmAndA Coelho __ Contributor

Finishing strong

The Springfield women’s basketball team looks to add to its successful season with deep runs in the NEWMAC and NCAA tournaments.

___ By Hayden CHoate ___ @ChoateHayden

The Springfield College women’s basketball team finished the regular season at 21-3 after getting off to a historic 16-0 start – the longest winning streak to open a season in program history. The Pride won its final three games of the regular season, but senior Grace Dzindolet knows that in the postseason, the team can’t rest on its record and must keep improving. “When you go 16-0 and stuff, it’s easy to think we’re the best but obviously there are things that we can still work on and places that we can improve on,” Dzindolet said. Springfield is the No. 3 seed in the NEWMAC conference tournament because all three of their losses came in conference play. The Pride’s first two losses of the season came back-toback at MIT and Babson. Wins at home against WPI and Clark – the latter by 44 points – helped the team boost its conference record, but on Feb. 9 top-seeded Smith, which went undefeated in conference play, handed Springfield its third loss. Dzindolet believes the losses were all learning experiences and showed the Pride that they have to work to be better. “The three losses that we did have showed us that,” Dzindolet said. “But I think keeping up every day, working hard knowing that there are teams that want to beat us, we have to keep wanting to get better and working together to get to a better spot.” After Springfield lost to Smith on Feb. 9, the possibility of the Pride being anywhere from the third to the fifth seed was on the table. “As a head coach, I stress about the numbers. I just want this team to be put in a position that they deserve,” Graves said. Springfield beat Emerson, Coast Guard and Mount Holyoke while outscoring its opponents 236-135, and got a bit of help from Babson, which beat both MIT and WPI last week to earn a No. 2 seed and clinch the third spot for the Pride. As a result of this, the Pride get a home playoff game, providing them with a rematch against the Bears on Wednesday night. Coast Guard finished the season 13-10 with a 5-5 conference record. After losing to Springfield on Feb. 16, the Bears had a commanding win over Emerson three days later, giving them the No. 6 seed while the Lions fell to the No. 7 seed. The winner of the quarterfinal between Springfield and Coast Guard will go on to play the winner of the quarterfinal between Babson and Emerson.

No. 1 Smith got a firstround bye and will play the winner of the No. 4/No. 5 game between WPI and MIT in the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals will meet on Sunday in the NEWMAC finals. The winner of the NEWMAC tournament earns an automatic bid into the 2022 NCAA tournament. Springfield hopes to get a bid one way or another into the tournament for the first time since 2014 – when the three current seniors on the team were in eighth grade. The NCAA released regional rankings last week for games through Feb. 13. Springfield was ranked No. 2 in Region II, while Smith was No. 1. Hosting a home playoff game after a year without any games is huge for the Posse especially as they went 12-0 in the regular season at Blake Arena. This will be the fifth NEWMAC playoff game Springfield has hosted since 2018-19. Two years ago, the Pride lost to Smith in the semifinals at home after beating WPI in the quarterfinals. In 2019, Springfield beat Clark at home in the quarterfinals, then went on the road to beat Smith before losing the championship game to MIT inside Blake Arena. This year, the goal for the team – especially the seniors who played in that game – is to get back to the championship. “I think now we’ll be ready for NEWMACs and ready to go,” Dzindolet said.

Sidney Wentland (12) getting fired up before a game. (Joe Arruda/The Student)