29 minute read
Public Safety Collecting Toys For Shriners Children’s Hospital
The season of giving is here
Springfield College’s Public Safety officers are collecting toys to donate to the Shriners Hospital in Springfield.
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___ By Irene rotondo ___ @irenerrotondo
With Thanksgiving approaching and numerous religious holidays to follow, the season of gift-giving and showing love to one another is completely underway. Springfield College’s Public Safety officers are spreading the joy through “Stuff a Cruiser,” a toy drive for children at Shriners Hospital in downtown Springfield.
Ofc. Richard Spaulding and Director of Operations for the Graduate Student Organization, Laura Cafaro, are heading the initiative to literally “stuff” a Public Safety officer’s police car with toys to donate. Tuesday, Nov. 16, kicked off the donation drive with Cafaro and Spaulding standing next to a parked cruiser in the walkway outside the Student Union building.
“The goal is to get as many toys inside the car as possible. Once the event is over, we’ll take the cruiser down to the Shriners Hospital in downtown Springfield and drop them off to the kids,” he added.
The Shriners Hospital, located on Carew St., specializes in pediatric care with a team of experienced professionals spanning multiple units.
“Any child can begin care with them at any age… and once you start care with them, they pretty much take care of you for as long as they can,” said Spaulding.
“I know they have a burn hospital, so they specialize with kids who have severe burns, or they help with disfigured limbs and prosthetics… they’re really an amazing organization, and it’s just all about kids,” continued Spaulding.
Donations for “Stuff A Cruiser” are being accepted from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18. However, Spaulding says that he and the officers will not be going down to donate the toys until late December, and his office will be accepting toy donations until then.
Students should also know that if they bring a toy with them to donate this week, their name is automatically entered into a raffle for a “Park Anywhere” pass. This parking pass, designed to look like temporarily-issued Public Safety passes, will allow the holder to park their car in any lot on campus until the end of the Spring 2022 semester. This excludes person-specific spots, parking for people with disabilities, or specially-reserved areas, but is an enticing incentive.
In his previous position with Western New England University, Spaulding led a similar “Stuff A Cruiser” drive that also benefited the Shriners Hospital.
“I like that we’re keeping it local versus some of the national donation drives… Everybody kind of donates to the same drive, or group, which is great, but I like that it’s more intimate keeping it in the community that we’re a part of.
“We’re going to go down, and we’re actually going to get to see the kids… It was a great event when I was at Western New England, and I’m so happy that we’re bringing it down here,” said Spaulding.
If any individuals have questions or would like to donate to the “Stuff A Cruiser” drive, please contact Ofc. Richard Spaulding at rspaulding@springfieldcollege.edu or Laura Cafaro at lcafaro@ springfieldcollege.edu.
Springfield College Public Safety officer, Richard Spaulding, collects toys from students in front of the Campus Union. (Irene Rotondo/The Student)
Rowanda
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and practicing the Humanics philosophy that she learned at her alma mater. She got a call from an old friend, Jane Gutman, who persuaded and invited Lerner out to a community school in Rwanda, the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV).
In 2016, Lerner first arrived in Rwanda, which was still recovering from the genocide that occured over two decades ago. The ASYV was founded by Anne Heyman, a woman from South Africa who traveled to attend college in the United States.
When Heyman discovered that there were millions of orphans in Rwanda left alone after the genocide, she traveled there and founded the ASYV, creating it based off of the late 1940s post-Holocaust Israeli villages that cared for orphaned children.
In her first visit, Lerner walked cautiously in the ASYV. The school was separated into families, with “mamas” as the head of the families. The mamas in the ASYV were mothers who lost their children in the genocide. Lerner took this sort of apprentice role as an “auntie” since she was not a native of the country.
During the presentation, Lerner showed pictures of the classrooms and curriculum at the ASYV, including a lesson on prepositional phrases that she assisted in, using some small objects in her backpack to demonstrate how to speak the English language.
A video showing a handful of alumni of the ASYV performing a touching cover of “Lean On Me” was played after. Lerner expressed that through this deep presentation of her experience, she hopes Springfield College will one day provide and offer an opportunity to a Springfield College graduate to travel to Rwanda on a fellowship, and Springfield College will connect with the ASYV, and create a relationship through the power of Humanics.
Hill added to close the lecture that “Phyllis is a prime example of committing herself to action.”
The event ended in a Q&A with the attendees, and brought hope to the potential relationship between Springfield College and the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. Lerner has been in conversation with the Office of Development at Springfield, and is hopeful that Springfield will continue the spread of the Humanics philosophy in Rwanda, and around the world.
Grace Moore during her 2018-19 first-year season. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield Athletics)
Grace Moore
Grace Moore dominated the latest Springfield Student Women’s Athlete of the Week poll as the senior swimmer earned over 50% of the vote. Moore was nominated after finishing in first-place in the 200 fly with a time of 2:15.97, and being part of the second-place 400 medley relay team that finished in 4:02.53. Moore has picked up several individual wins this season that have led the Pride to a 4-4 start. Rachel Vinton, a point guard for the women’s basketball team, finished second with almost 28% of the vote. Vinton has helped the Pride to an impressive 4-0 start and the team hasn’t given up more than 45 points in a game yet this season. Vinton’s defense was just part of the reason she was nominated, though she came up with a pesky 10 steals over two games last week. The junior also scored 37 points on 15-21 shooting during that two-game stretch to complement her 11 rebounds and eight assists. A pair of women’s volleyball teammates rounded out the four nominees as the Pride competed in the NCAA tournament last week. Camryn Bancroft, a graduate student on the team, edged Sara Labadorf, a senior, 14% to 7%. Bancroft led the way as the team defeated Rowan in five-sets to advance past the first round. The middle blocker compiled a team-high 16 kills to go along with two solo blocks and six block assists. Labadorf, the setter, dished 46 assists, received 20 digs, and hit four aces in that first-round win over Rowan. Springfield later fell to Johns Hopkins in its next match, but finished out the season with a strong 23-8 overall record. Be sure to follow The Student on Twitter (@TheSpfldStudent) to vote in next week’s polls!
Mark Montano
The Springfield College football team reflected it’s in-conference success with a dominant showing in The Student’s Men’s Athlete of the Week poll. The Pride had two student-athletes nominated after defeating Catholic, 28-14, on Saturday. That win clinched the NEWMAC Championship for the Pride, who went undefeated in conference play, and earned them an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The selection show on Sunday revealed that the Pride will head to Cortland for it’s first-round game on Saturday, Nov. 20 at noon. Mark Montano earned 46% of the vote to take home the honor. Montano, a senior defensive back, made a key diving interception in the win. Catholic’s quarterback looked left and fired a ball in Montano’s direction, forcing the senior to make a diving attempt to his right. Once he caught it, the packed crowd at Stagg Field erupted. Montano also had a key pass breakup and seven tackles to contribute to an impressive defensive performance. Aiden Lewin, a sophomore linebacker, led the defensive effort with 12 total tackles, including five solo, and finished with nearly 25% of the vote. Lewin also tipped a ball into the air in coverage and snagged it before picking up 21 yards after the interception. His first half interception built necessary momentum for the team which faced a tough test in Catholic’s offense. Third in the polls, James Chan from the men’s swim team earned almost 16% of the vote. Chan had an impressive first-year season before Covid denied the chance for his sophomore performance. Nonetheless, he has come out strong again as a junior. In the team’s meet on Saturday against Wheaton and Keene State, Chan found himself in first-place on four different occasions. He won in the 100 free (47.84) and the 500 free (4:55.50) and was part of the 400 medley relay team (3:34.25) and the 200 free relay group (1:28.26). Men’s basketball’s Collin Lindsay earned nearly 14% of the vote as he scored 19 points shooting 80% from the field in the team’s loss to Roger Williams on Friday. Lindsay added 10 rebounds.
Mark Montano (6) celebrates during an impressive defensive performance against Catholic. (Photo cortesy of Chris Evans/Springfield Athletics)
Tournament bound
Springfield College’s football team will head to SUNY Cortland on Nov. 20 for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
____ By Joe ArrudA ____ @joearruda9
After earning an automatic bid into the 32-team NCAA Tournament field following its NEWMAC Championship-clinching victory on Saturday, the Springfield College football team sat together to watch the NCAA selection show on Sunday, Nov. 14.
Players dressed comfortably and waited with a lessened sense of anxiety, knowing that their team’s name would be called at any moment. The last time Springfield earned an NCAA bid followed its undefeated 2017 season, before the NEWMAC was one of the 27 conferences holding rights to an automatic entry.
Near the end of the show, the Pride found out that they would be heading to SUNY Cortland for a first-round game on Nov. 20. The game is set to kickoff at noon on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Last weekend, though, was time for the Pride to lock it up. Following a 1-3 start, Springfield ran through the NEWMAC. The Pride purposely scheduled tough, non-conference games on the road to start the season. In doing so, the Pride not only were prepared for the competition ahead of them, but built up their strength-of-schedule resumé.
Any tie-breakers in line. Three plays later, Springfield defensive back Ronald Beard leaped at the goal line and made a clutch interception that allowed Callahan to run the clock out.
The bleachers at Stagg Field, filled with students, families and fans, erupted as the celebration began on the turf. Springfield College President MaryBeth Cooper delivered the NEWMAC trophy to the team as players posed for a picture. “The Brotherhood” erupted in song, scream-singing Eddie Money.
“Take me home tonight, I don’t want to let you go ‘til you see the light,” the huddle echoed as it jumped around with the trophy.
It was a celebration of the team’s hard work throughout the course of the season -- and the past two years, since the 2020 season was cancelled because of Covid.
“The time that they put in over the course of the last whatever it’s been and just committed to each other, and the program, and the school has just been amazing,” Springfield head coach Mike Cerasuolo said after the game. “Obviously it was challenging for everybody, and really challenging for athletes because they got something taken away from them that they loved and to be able to come back and where we were four or five weeks ago to where we are now – they committed to each other and they made it a mission to get to this moment and they did.”
The regular season was surely something to be celebrated, but the time is now for the NCAA Tournament. In 2017, the Pride came up just two points short in the first round to Husson University – a team that they fell to earlier this season by a score of 26-21.
Cortland (10-0) earned an automatic bid into the playoffs after winning the Empire 8 conference title and was ranked No. 13 in the country in the most recent D3football.com poll.
Springfield will face a challenge in getting past undefeated Cortland in the first round on Saturday, but the Pride are fired up.
the conference standings would lead to a mathematical solution that calculates strength-of-schedule.
In order to avoid a tie-breaker, Springfield simply needed to defeat Catholic in its final game of the regular season last weekend. The team came out fast, with the offense running up the score in the first half, and the defense consistently returning them the ball.
But the second half was all defense and special teams.
The Pride led 28-7 heading into halftime, following touchdowns from typical scorers in quarterback David Wells, running back Ryan Deguire and fullbacks Tim Callahan and Pat Ladas.
The defense forced three Catholic turnovers in the second half as both offenses struggled. It was a key diving interception by senior defensive back Mark Montano that returned the ball to the teeth of Springfield’s triple-option offense with just over six minutes remaining and a 14-point lead.
The second-half struggle with the ball snapped it back to Pat Touhy, the punter, after a quick threeand-out. Touhy blasted the ball 46 yards down the field, giving Catholic the ball at its own 31 yard
Aiden Lewin. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College)
Springfield’s women’s volleyball team had a season full of highlights the athletes will not forget.
__ By Chris Gionta __ @Chris_Gionta
After ending their 2019 campaign with five of six original starters injured and losing six consecutive games, along with not having a season of competition in 2020, the 2021 Springfield College women’s volleyball team knew nothing was guaranteed. Thus, they made sure to compete well and have fun doing it. “It was just so fun,” said graduate student, middle blocker, and team leader in kills, Camryn Bancroft. “When I think about this season, I’m just going to think about all the fun we had, like the bus rides, the locker room…” Part of what made the season especially enjoyable was that it was a return to competition after a long time away. “I think I talked a lot about just the pure joy of having volleyball again,” said Springfield head coach Moira Long. “Our players just brought a lot of joy into our lives because we all absolutely love volleyball and we’re just so excited to be back on the court.” There was reason to be joyous as a member of the Springfield women’s volleyball team in 2021 for a variety of reasons. It started with the Springfield College Invitational in Sept., where the Pride won all four games. They began the season with 11 consecutive victories which included their first victory against Babson since 2016, and after a four-game rough patch, they won seven more in a row. They earned their way into the NEWMAC tournament, but had to take a difficult route to advance. They came in as a No. 5 seed in the seven-team tournament, so their journey in the tournament began and evidently stayed on the road. Springfield went to Emerson and defeated them in four sets, and in doing so, avenged their first loss of the season. “I think when we went into Emerson, that match was really big because it was a little bit of redemption,” said Long. Then, it was on to the No. 1 seeded Babson, whom they had beaten at home in the regular season. Springfield’s NEWMAC tournament performance against the Beavers was a season-defining match, with the Pride winning in a five-set affair after three of the frames were decided by three or fewer points. It also sent them to the NEWMAC final. “We just wanted it so bad,” Bancroft said, reflecting on the team’s second victory over Babson. “Like that game was so much hype. We were just so happy. With it being five sets, it was a battle from the first point.” The performance in the conference tournament was a large reason why they were able to get into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Pride received a proper sendoff from the campus of Springfield College, then went to Baltimore to compete in the tournament. When they got there, they won another competitive five-set match; this time against Rowan University. It eventually took the undefeated Johns Hopkins University to knock the Pride out of the bracket. The 2021 season saw many great performances from a variety of
The Pride’s women’s volleyball huddles after a point. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)
Hitting the slopes
Students Meghan Driscoll and Jack Reetz revamped the Springfield College Ski and Snowboard Club after years of vacancy.
It’s that time of year again: classes are ending for breaks, holidays are beginning, and snow is accumulating. This year, Springfield College students can add another positive to the winter list, as the Springfield College Ski and Snowboard Club will finally be back in full swing. After a few years of vacancy, Co-Club Presidents Meghan Driscoll and Jack Reetz have revived the club. When Reetz was touring here at Springfield College, he noticed that there was something missing from the campus - a skiing and snowboarding club. This was something that as an avid skier, he found egregious. In order to fix the problem, Reetz and Driscoll met with Club Sports Director Tom Verrico, in hopes to continue skiing in college himself and bring it to others. Verrico encouraged the pair to revive the club, and they did just that. “It’s kind of been my baby,” said Reetz. Reetz also stressed the importance of having the club available to all. “We want the club to be open to anybody interested in snow sports whatsoever. It would help if you’ve skied or snowboarded before, prior to joining the club, but we want to open this up to anyone who’s interested.” “This year was easier for us, because we had put so much work in in the past two years,” said Driscoll. “We luckily got a bunch of involvement in the club fair and a lot of kids are excited; I think a lot of people are just ready to get back to normal as best as they can… we’re starting lifts this week, we’re having all sorts of students from people who have competed in high school to people who have never skied before, and we’re just ready to start getting in shape and getting ready for our season,” Driscoll added. The return of the club will be starting up the first weekend of the spring semester, where members can expect the season to last about 10 weeks. “We go up on Saturday’s and Sunday’s for pretty much the first ten weekends of the spring semester,” explained Reetz. The club competes for the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) under the McBrine division, which includes all of the colleges on the East Coast. Competitions can run for about an hour, depending on which competition the member has signed up for, and the rest of the day is free for skiing. The presidents have worked hard to make the club as financially viable as possible and offered different “brackets” for students to fall into based on their experience and what they personally want from the club. “The pass that will allow you to ski two weekends will be about $200, and it goes in increments of two, so you could ski two, four, six, or eight weekends. The most you’ll pay is a little bit over $500, and that’s including a ski jacket,” said Driscoll. For those not really into competition, though, there is no need to worry. “The rest of the days, on Saturdays and Sundays,
__ By Braedan Shea __ @bshea@springfield.edu
Co-President Jack Reetz. (Photo courtesy of @SC_skiandsnowboard on Instagram)
are for free skiing and snowboarding,” assured Reetz. A terrain park will be offered for students to try out their jumps and tricks on their skis and snowboards, and Driscoll said the club plans on visiting mountains like Okemo, Mt. Snow, and Whiteface Mountain. Things will be run differently than times of the past, however, thanks in part to the ever-lasting COVID-19 pandemic which has kept the team from competing the past two years. Members are expected to follow guidelines that the USCSA has put in place in order to keep the community safe. The required guidelines can be found on the USCSA website, underneath the “COVID-19 Information” tab. “Masks are required everywhere - that means in lodge, on mountain, while you’re racing, et cetera,” said Reetz. “Luckily, though, skiing and snowboarding are the kind of sports where you can socially distance, so you don’t have to worry about being near other people when you’re out there,” added Driscoll. The best way to get involved is through their Instagram page @sc_skiandsnowboard, where students can find all the information and updates on the team. A sign-up form is also located in the account bio, making it easy for students to join. The students’ excitement of restarting the club is only escalated by their happiness to get back out on the slopes, especially with new members. “We are so excited to return. We’ve been slowly getting to this stage for years,” emphasized Reetz. For more information, Jack Reetz and Meghan Driscoll can be reached through email at jreetz@ springfieldcollege.edu and mdriscoll3@springfieldcollege.edu.
The end of an era
Melissa Sharpe calls it a career after 18 years as the field hockey coach at Springfield College
Melissa Sharpe played at Springfield before becoming a coach in 2004. (Photo courtesy of Springfield Athletics)
__ By Carley Crain __ @carley_crain12
The final game of the 2021 fall season for the Springfield women’s field hockey team marked the end of an era for head coach Melissa Sharpe. A tough 6-0 loss to city rival Western New England was the final game for Sharpe, as tears rolled down her cheeks, reflecting on her time coaching for the Pride. While Sharpe’s announcement of her resignation came a few days after the season ended, she knew that was it for her. It was the last time she would ever coach for the Pride on Stagg Field. After 18 years of leading the women’s field hockey team, Sharpe is choosing her family — as she has missed out on time with her kids over the years because of the commitment it takes to be a college head coach. Sharpe explained to the Athletics department how difficult it is to step away from coaching. “This has been the absolute hardest decision of my life but it is what is right for my family. Having the opportunity to be at my kids’ sporting events and activities is something I have missed out on the last several years, and now it’s time to focus on my family,” explained Sharpe. Sharpe first stepped foot on Alden Street as a student-athlete herself in 1998. During her time playing on Stagg, she lit up the field and cemented herself as one of the best field hockey players Springfield College has ever seen. With 128 points (59 goals and 10 assists), Sharpe is still the second all time scoring leader in program history, and was also named as an NFHCA/STX First-Team All-American during her undergraduate years. After a successful career playing for the Pride, Sharpe became head coach after her stint as a graduate assistant for the team. While she could have gone anywhere and coached field hockey, Sharpe felt that Springfield was home. It was where she was meant to be. Springfield College Director of Athletics Craig Poisson enjoyed his time working alongside Sharpe, and has seen her grow not only as a coach, but as a person. He explained to the Athletics department about her lasting impact on the field hockey program. “From her time as a student-athlete to a teacher coach on Alden Street, Melissa has left a lasting mark at Springfield College. For nearly two decades, she was a role model and leader to all those involved with our field hockey program and helped our young women grow and develop on and off the field,” Poisson said in a statement released by the Athletics department. In 2004 Sharpe was announced as the head coach for the Pride, as the team then traveled and competed in the NCAA Elite Eight Championship in both 2005 and 2007. Those two seasons were some of the most memorable for the program, as Sharpe played a huge role in the team’s success during this era. In fact, both years resulted in 21-win seasons, the most in single-season program history for Springfield. Sharpe is also an assistant professor in physical education, and is planning on teaching for the remainder of the school year. Success for the Pride continued throughout the years both on and off the field. In 2018, the team averaged a 4.29 goal-scoring margin, which was the sixth highest across all collegiate divisions in the country. The 2018 season also marked the most successful era in the classroom for the team, as the combined team GPA was a 3.78, which was the best in the country at the time. This past fall season was tough for the women’s field hockey team, as they had many away games, long days of traveling, and matched up against some nationally ranked teams. For Sharpe, however, this year will always stick with her. “I have been blessed to have my dream job for the last 18 years, to coach amazing young women at Springfield College and to work with incredible and supportive coaches and our Director of Athletics, Dr. Craig Poisson,” Sharpe explained in a statement released by the Athletics Department. A national search is now being conducted to replace Sharpe, but her legacy and contributions to Springfield College will never be forgotten.
A long road to Springfield
Springfield graduate student Sidney Wentland played basketball in Division I and Division II programs before joining the Pride this year.
___ By Hayden CHoate ___ @ChoateHayden
When Sidney Wentland made a layup to get her first points as a member of the Springfield College women’s basketball team, the lively Blake Arena crowd gave her an enthusiastic welcome.
The Birthplace is the third stop in Wentland’s college basketball career, playing for all three different NCAA divisions. Her first stop was at the University of Denver in the 2017-18 season.
“I committed with a different coaching staff then the one that was brought on at Denver so my senior year of high school they got let go and I stayed committed and once I got there, it wasn’t what I wanted,” Wentland said.
A year later, Wentland transferred to Div. II Concordia University at St. Paul, which is located 30 minutes away from her hometown.
“My parents got to come to like every game, it was awesome,” Wentland said.
Wentland played three years there including last year where unlike Springfield, Concordia was able to have a full season.
Even though she played all 17 games last season and was named to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference All-Academic Team of Excellence, she still received an extra year of eligibility when the NCAA announced that the year could be made up due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wentland wanted to go to graduate school for sports psychology so she applied to a few different schools around the country and looked into playing one more year of basketball.
“Last year I was debating what to do and they (Concordia) didn’t have the grad program that I wanted so I got accepted here, got into the grad program here and I reached out to Coach Graves,” Wentland said.
Although she has a lot of experience playing at the collegiate level, Wentland wasn’t sure if Graves would let her play.
Wentland wasn’t sure what to expect as a graduate transfer only having one year left of eligibility. She sent Graves some film of her and Graves gave her the chance to try out for the team.
Not only did Wentland make the team,
Sidney Wentland being introduced for her first game with the Pride. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)
but has been a major contributing factor. She scored 17 points in her first game, which earned her the NEWMAC Women’s Basketball Offensive Athlete of the Week honor. Wentland was also selected to the New England Women’s Basketball Association honor roll after scoring 23 points in last week’s win over Maine Maritime.
“It was surprising, I was not expecting that at all,” Wentland said on being NEWMAC Athlete of the Week. “Then Coach Graves came up to me and was like, ‘Do you even know what that means?’ And I’m like ‘I don’t know,’ then she explained it to me. I was very honored, very surprised and thought it was awesome.”
Wentland and fellow graduate student Summer Matlack are each playing in their fifth years, but are just like the first-years on the team, in that they are new to Springfield College basketball.
“I don’t usually take a lot of transfers, and
part of why I really looked at her was first of all, she’s talented, but second of all, she was really receptive to doing the paperwork, getting everything set, trying to get to know us and our program early on,” Graves said. “I’m just really grateful to have her in our program, she fits perfectly, her dedication, her enthusiasm there’s no separation between her and the rest of the team, her and Summer.”
“I think there are a lot of different ages but I trust everyone, we’re all very reliable on the court,” Wentland said. “On my past teams, it’s been like people will sub in and the game will kind of change a bit when you go away from the starters but here we’re very level, we’re very consistent and that’s very awesome to have in the young players.”
When putting her journey as a college basketball player into perspective, Wentland has gone through a lot of ups and downs but feels that right now with this Springfield team is certainly an “up”.
Wentland’s personality helps her fit into the team’s culture seamlessly.
Wentland is excited for what the rest of the season has in store for the team.
“It’s been really special for me to be able to come in and feel so welcomed,” Wentland said “Everyone’s been really willing to help me if I don’t know where a class is or something all the girls are like ‘I got you’, and I’m just happy that I have been able to help the team as well in anyway I can. I was so nervous coming in not knowing anyone, but this is the best possible group I can come into.”
The women’s basketball team is 4-0 for the first time since 1998-99 entering Wednesday’s home game against Endicott on Nov. 17.
WVB
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individuals. Sara Labadorf collected honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Region II as part of the AVCA All-Region Team. The senior setter was an elite passer, as she got over 1000 assists in a season for the second time in her career. Her 1,070 assists this year ranked in the top 25 in the nation. Two of the main student-athletes Labadorf was passing to ended up being honored among the region’s best as well. Outside hitter Natalie Billet became the second Springfield women’s volleyball player to earn AVCA Region II FirstYear of the Year. She led Springfield in points with 417.5, which were earned through 354 kills, 45 serving aces, and 35 total blocks. Billet also provided quality back-row defense with 280 digs. The player who received the most praise was Bancroft, who earned AVCA Region II Player of the Year honors. She not only led the team in kills, but did it in an extremely efficient manner. Bancroft’s .357 hitting percentage ranked in the top 30 in the nation. Springfield is destined for continued success, as their roster this year was comprised of 10 underclassmen on a team of 17 players. “I know what their talent is,” said Bancroft. “And I just can’t wait to see them get better every year.”
Springfield women’s volleyball during their NEWMAC semifinal win over Babson. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)
