The Springfield Student Est. 1910
January 27, 2022
scstudentmedia.com // @TheSpfldStudent
Volume 136 No. 14
Winners/Finalists for five Society of Professional Journalist (SPJ) awards in 2021
Historic Start The Springfield women’s basketball team is on pace for its best season ever. See page 12
inside Booster clinic on campus, Page 3 COVID forum held on zoom over break, Page 5 Sports management students get good experience, Page 7 Reflecting on the 2022 Spalding Hoophall Classic, Page 2 And more...
(Joe Arruda/The Student)
Campus News
January 27, 2022
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Arruda: Thank you, Hoophall Classic Co-Editor-In-Chief Joe Arruda reflects on another invaluable experience covering the showcase after its one-year hiatus.
Co-Editor-In-Chief Joe Arruda at the 2022 Spalding Hoophall Classic. (Photo Courtesy of Damon Markiewicz)
___ By Joe Arruda ___ @joearruda9
We did it… Finally. For two years, ever since covering the 2020 event, I’d waited for the return of the Hoophall Classic. It was the greatest journalistic experience I’d ever had – and I was just a sophomore. Now, this year, I had the chance to lead our coverage of the event with the help of some pretty amazing people. The Hoophall Classic is a five-day event in Blake Arena, chock-full with 30 games featuring 11 of the top 15 high school basketball teams in the country right now, according to ESPN. It is five straight days of early mornings and very late nights, work from start to finish. Remembering what our all-star team produced during the 2020 event, our first time covering the event as a staff, I knew we had set the bar incredibly
high – and, to be honest, I didn’t know if we’d ever be able to get close. But our 2022 team stepped up. We were at every single one of those 30 games. We produced over 30 human-interest features about individual athletes, coaches and more. We shot thousands of wonderful photos, and even upped our video content. I can’t thank the team enough. Irene Rotondo was the mastermind behind our social media all week with the help of Carley Crain, Cait Kemp, Garrett Cote, Chris Gionta and Collin Atwood. Nico Fiscella and Dan Curren joined The Student with their multimedia talents and really added an important layer to our coverage. Greg Procino, Director of Events at the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and Kathy Smith, Director of Special Events at Springfield College, played a major role in giving us this opportunity and I am extremely grateful for all of their help. Our advisor, Aimee Crawford, and legend, Marty Dobrow, were also an incredible help throughout the entire process, whether it be planning, helping to edit stories, throwing ideas out there or just some positive reinforcement. At the peak of my stress levels throughout the weekend, when we were minutes away from sending our 24-page special edition to the printer, I messed up. Hand up, it was my fault. I completely blanked on some pretty important information that was left in our office. We wouldn’t
have been able to print our paper if it weren’t for Irene breaking out her track speed from high school. She was wearing professional clothing, and probably some type of shoes that weren’t built for snow. Still, without a blink of an eye, she took off. Through the snow and the blistering cold winds, Irene sprinted down Alden Street to our office. Instead of simply taking a picture of what we needed, she picked up the piece of paper it was written on and bolted back. Before I knew it (literally minutes later), there was a piece of loose-leaf gracefully floating down onto the keyboard of my laptop. It was that kind of effort that made this event a success. Everyone stepped up, put to use the skills that we’ve all learned in
our Communications/ Sports Journalism classes and was willing to give it their all. The event was a culmination of hours of planning, immense stress and countless phone calls to members of that 2020 group. Whether it was sitting on the court directly in front of Celtics star Jayson Tatum and being probably the last person in Blake Arena to notice, interviewing high school superstars like Mikey Williams, Hansel Emmanuel and DJ Wagner, or simply watching our team work – and boy did they work – I was fulfilled. Finally, after two years without a Hoophall Classic, we did it. And we did it bigger than we ever expected.
Campus News
January 27, 2022
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Springfield hosts booster clinic The College is requiring students to be fully vaccinated, including the booster shot, by March 1. There will be a second clinic on Jan. 28. __ By Jac St. Jean __ @jacsaintj
Springfield College continued its commitment to providing its community with the opportunity to get vaccinated, as per the vaccine mandate the institution holds, yet again this past Monday. On Jan. 24, the College’s first COVID-19 booster clinic was held in the PE Annex Testing Center from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. partnering with the Behavioral Health Network (BHN)/Equity Vaccine Clinic, a regional behavioral health service provider. Recently, BHN has been rolling out community vaccine clinics in the City of Springfield and surrounding areas. Jessica, a nurse for BHN, helped administer COVID vaccines -- and the flu shot -- to members of the College community. “We came with all the vaccines,” Jessica stated. “It’s up to the person, and whatever stage they’re at, but we were prepared to give first (doses), second, and boosters so we had Monderna, Pfizer and J&J (vaccines).”
Jessica and three other nurses administered vaccines to over 100 Springfield College students and employees throughout the four-hour clinic. Despite their small staff, the patients moved quickly through the first line to fill out a medical form with BHN, and then entered a second line to receive the vaccine from a nurse. After receiving the shot, the students, employees and faculty members were provided chairs to sit in for a brief observation period. BHN is continuing to provide vaccine clinics to the Springfield area, hosting them currently in elementary and middle schools, and planning to host another one down the road at American International College. “Being in a college setting, it’s so many people,” Jessica expressed. “You’re around so many different people. There are people who go home and stay on campus, so with everybody being vaccinated and being in the same classroom together, it minimizes the spread and the
The booster clinic was held in the Springfield College PE Annex. (Jac St. Jean/The Student)
sickness so everyone can just stay healthy, go to school, and learn.” Criminal Justice major AJ Menezes received his booster shot at the clinic, and expressed how effortless the process was to get a vaccine on campus. “It was pretty easy,” Menezes said. “(Springfield College) sent out an email to us with a link to register, and it was really simple. You just clicked that you were getting a vaccine, you put down your medical information – it was pretty straight-
forward. I got the registration info done in two minutes.” The clinic was held at a critical time in this semester, as the campus is currently seeing a spike in positive cases within the community. As of Jan. 25, the COVID-19 Testing Dashboard reports 334 positive tests in the past 30 days, and over 11% of those were reported this past week. Menezes believes that the clinic will bring hope for a more “normal” semester down the road. “Hopefully, if the
booster proves to be effective, and a large majority of the campus is vaccinated and boosted, then I don’t see a reason for [the college] to have such a tight grip on the community,” Menezes stated. For more information on vaccine clinics hosted by BHN, head to www.bhninc.org. All information and updates regarding COVID-19 at Springfield College can be found at www.springfield.edu/covid.
Campus News
January 27, 2022
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Happy to be back Students return to Alden Street, excited to get back into their weekly routines while catching up with their friends after the month-long break.
CAB hosted a snowglobes and hot chocolate event in the Student Union to start the semester. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College)
_ By Braedan Shea _ @othafishinthes1
After nearly a full month away from campus for winter break, Springfield College students have trickled back to Alden Street. Many find themselves preparing for this semester’s workload, catching up with friends or even putting new additions onto their dorms. The community has come back to life. “I’m excited to be back,” said sophomore Madison Daly. “I missed my friends a lot, so it’s been nice to reunite with everyone.” Her sentiments are shared by many, including first-year student Lindsey Laughlan. “I am excited for the spring semester;
I missed everyone on campus over break, so I’m happy to be back and see everyone again.” For others, just getting back into the swing of things is all they need. “It’s good to be back and get right back into the same routine I’ve built over the past few years,” said junior Aymen Tayoubi-Idrissi. And for one student in particular, this semester holds a lot more meaning than others. “I’m excited to spend my last semester here with everyone, because I am probably not going to be coming back to the United States after this, because I’m an international student,” said Kenny Bui, a senior
in his final semester at the College. After graduating in May, he will return to his home country of Vietnam. It is especially important for Bui, not only because this may be his last time in the United States, but also because he wants to make some lasting memories to make up for his shortened time on campus. “I wasn’t here at school last year and I wasn’t here for the semester before that, so that’s already three semesters not being here on campus,” said Bui. The ever-looming pandemic is in the back of Bui’s mind as he works to make his last semester as memora-
ble as possible, but he thinks that the school is doing a good job. “I think our school is doing pretty good at making sure that everyone is testing negative, and getting their results back before they can go to classes or into their dorm rooms… I feel pretty safe to be on campus right now.” Lindsey Laughlan is one of the 72 students that tested positive for the virus in the last week, and said that she is nervous about the COVID situation as of late. Laughlin doesn’t want to fall behind in classes -- or even worse, to be moved back to online classes, just like last year.
Most students, though, are expectant and optimistic for brighter days ahead, including better weather and in-person classes. “The current COVID situation is obviously not ideal, but I’m glad we got to move in and our classes are still in person,” said Daly. “I think once the weather gets warmer and we can be outside our campus more, we will have more of a sense of normalcy.” As the semester progresses, and the community continues to learn to grow amidst the pandemic’s adversity, the revitalization of Alden St. is well underway.
Campus News
January 27, 2022
Clarifying COVID Questions
The Springfield College adminstration addressed updates to the COVID policy entering the spring semester.
Masks are still required inside all buildings on campus. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College) _ By Brady Cote _ @brady_cote3
Following suit of the past several starts to new semesters at Springfield College, the spring 2022 semester includes new COVID updates and protocols -- all adopted from both the CDC and the City of Springfield. The College held an open forum on Jan. 13 to answer frequently-asked COVID questions, including panel members President Mary-Beth Cooper, Dr. Slandie Dieujuste, Dr. Elizabeth Morgan and Dr.
Mary Ann Coughlin. With the recent spread of the highly infectious omicron COVID variant, concern has increased amongst students and faculty. However, the panel was confident in their delivery of as normal of a semester as possible -while remaining cautious of the given circumstances. A large part of the forum revolved around confusion of the first day of classes, and questions
of testing and booster status. “We are planning a return to in-person classes, and as you all know, residential students will be tested upon arrival to campus,” Dr. Coughlin stated. Before heading to an in-person class, students were required to produce a negative PCR test to ensure the safety of themselves and other community members. Students have until March 1 to receive their
booster shot and upload verification of their shot to the Health Center as the definition of “fully vaccinated” has now been changed to both the initial two vaccines as well as the booster shot. “If you’re unable to receive the booster by then, we will work with those individuals to extend the deadline,” said Dr. Coughlin. The campus’s high vaccination rate can be credited for the mild symptoms that those who test positive have been experiencing, which is why Springfield College is enforcing the full vaccination mandate. “We want to make sure that we protect all community members as we continue to evaluate,” Dr. Dieujuste said. “But we need to get a balance of where we are in the spring if we are going to meet our goal of continuing in-person classes.” The panel unanimously stated that their goal of staying in-person was attainable for the semester, especially if everyone does their part by wearing their masks properly -- that’s above the mouth and nose. It is proven that this Omicron variant is easily transmissible; therefore, proper mask-wearing is of utmost importance for this upcoming semester. If students are to test positive or experience symptoms while on campus, it is up to that student to keep in contact with their professors to obtain the work and class information they have and will continue to miss in quarantine.
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Although the CDC reduced the recommended days for quarantine, the College is still requiring a 10-day isolation. Students are welcome to choose whether to quarantine on-campus or at home. There is no required testing throughout the semester – excluding athletes who follow NEWMAC criteria – but those who are feeling unwell or think they may be experiencing COVID symptoms can use the testing center when it is open and available for testing. This includes all students and faculty members. This past semester, students were able to have non-Springfield College guests in residence halls and for overnight visits, but guests are not permitted in the resident halls this semester. They are allowed on campus, qand are allowed to attend sporting events while following the mask and vaccination policies. The pandemic and therefore, the polices, are fluid, and rules can change rapidly -- especially depending on the status of the CDC. “It has no longer been just a daily conversation, it has evolved into multiple conversations [regarding campus updates] that take place daily instead,” said President Cooper. As long as those on campus follow the newly updated guidelines, adhere to masking policies, and get their booster shot, it appears the campus is in for a great start to the 2022 spring semester.
Campus News
January 27, 2022
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Swiping away hunger A grand opening is being planned for the food pantry’s new location on the main floor of the Student Union. __ By Garrett Cote __ @garrett_cote
In 2017, a group of Springfield College graduate students wandered into the office of Charlene Elvers, the College’s Director of the Center for Service and Leadership. They had a serious complication and needed assistance: they told Elvers they didn’t have access to enough food to get them through a month at a time and they were struggling with eating a sufficient amount. After further research revealed to Elvers that more schools in the area were also dealing with food insecurity, she knew action needed to be taken. “We started looking around at other campuses and what was going on, and realized that food insecurity was really something that has gotten more prevalent over the years,” Elvers said. “So we decided to start this food pantry, and we got it going very quickly with donations from mostly faculty and staff at the time.” The pantry was originally located in the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement on Eastern Avenue, about one block off of campus, and has stayed there for the past several years. Once the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the pantry decid-
ed to add an online and curbside pickup option to best fit students’ constantly-changing schedules and follow distancing protocols. Now, with the pantry relocating to the main floor of the Student Union (where the POD used to be), the curbside option will still be available, as well as the pantry itself being more visible and accessible being in one of the most highly trafficked buildings on Alden Street. “Given that we’re now in the Union, it’s just going to be that much more noticeable and easier to be open on the evenings or weekends if that’s what students are looking for,” Elvers said. Springfield College announced its new partnership with Swipe Out Hunger – a national program that is centered around finding solutions to food insecurity on college campuses nationwide – this year, thanks in large part to Bill Guerrero, Vice President for Finance and Administration, who introduced the program to Elvers. Swipe Out Hunger will allow students to donate leftover meals from their food plans directly to other students’ accounts on PrideNet.
“We’ve just started this on PrideNet, and it should be available in a week or two,” Elvers said. “There will be a button on the main bar of PrideNet that says ‘Swipe Out Hunger,’ and students are going to be able to click on that. It will take them to a form where they can request meals.” As far as donating the meals to those requesting, it can be done through the Springfield College GET App, available on all mobile devices. “A number of students should already have the app, because that’s how you had to get your meals last year,” Elvers said. “So through the GET App, somewhere in there it will say donate meals, and if you click on that you can donate as many meals as you have available.” Once a student requests a meal, it will automatically be loaded onto their account for them to use immediately at Cheney Dining Hall or a meal exchange at the Student Union. “We are going to be launching a campaign for students to donate meals, because obviously this is not going to work if we don’t already have some meals donated,” Elvers said. “After a student re-
The food pantry has moved into the Marketplace’s former location. (Garret Cote/The Student)
quests meals, they will be placed right onto their IDcard. So nobody is going to know which students have donated a meal or not, which is really a great way to do it.” The majority of the pantry foods are non-perishable, due to them potentially needing a long shelf-life. Elvers would love to expand to perishable foods such as eggs, cheese and milk, but she needs to know that there will be enough consumers before doing so. “If we start getting perishable foods, that stuff has to come and go much quicker,” she said. “First of all, we need to get those foods on a weekly basis, and we also need to have the traffic coming through that will take that stuff. It’s going to expand with the more people that find out about this and use it.”
A grand-opening is still being planned for the pantry, as Elvers wants to make sure as many people are available to attend it as possible. “We want to have a grand-opening during the day time so as many faculty and staff can attend,” she said. “But we also want students to be there, so we may tie something in with a student activity event that is already happening in the Union to have a grand-opening for students in the nighttime.” With the semester just getting underway, the days and hours of which the pantry will be open is still up in the air while Elvers seeks out student volunteers to work. She hopes to be open during the week during community hour, and adding in another day or two on the weekend.
January 27, 2022
News Campus
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Valuable Experience outside of the classroom Several Sports Managment students played a pivotal role in organizing and managing the 2022 Hoophall Classic.
ensure the success of the event. Junior Sophia Bucal was one of two head supervisors this year, and her experience gave her a chance to be involved in event planning, which helped her to see a similar path for her future. In 2020, as a freshman, Bucal was on the staff as a volunteer. She was a part of the media crew and also an usher, working in the bleachers to help file people in. The 2020 Hoophall Classic brought in some big names, with schools A group of Sports Management students posing with President Cooper and staff at the 2022 like Sierra Canyon Spalding Hoophall Classic.(Photo courtesy of Springfield College) making the trip all the way from California to play. There were huge crowds piled into Blake Arena, something no__ By Cait Kemp __ body is used to seeing @caitlinkemp09 anymore with COVID. “It was definitely harder, as a first-time real look at how to plan As the new semester presented by Eastbay volunteer in events and organize a profeskicks off, students are was back at Springfield working a huge event eager and excited to College from Jan. 13-17, sional event. like that,” said Bucal. “I The Sport Managefinally be back on Alden after a year-long hiatus never expected I would ment program has the Street and return to due to COVID. be able to work that privilege of gathering classes and activities. A This event, put on event until I got here.” handful of students are by the Naismith Memo- about 90-100 students As head supervisor to work the event. already settled in and rial Basketball Hall of for 2022, Bucal had Their roles vary from have been on campus an Fame, heavily involves many responsibilities extra five days. Springfield College stu- volunteers, liaisons and The 2022 Spalddents and provides them supervisors who all have over the weekend. She and her co-supervisor, vital responsibilities to ing Hoophall Classic an opportunity to get a
Grady Short, had to train all of the staff, which dwindled to around 85-90 students after issues with COVID. The lesser manpower made everyone’s jobs a little harder, but with good communication, they were still able to maintain a smooth experience. Sophomore Aiden Reilly had the opportunity to be a liaison, where he was responsible for certain teams over the course of the event. This included greeting them and leading them to where they needed to be. It was his first year at the Hoophall Classic, and he worked through the new situation of making sure everyone, even the coaches, listened and followed him. “It’s tough to tell a 45-year-old man that they have to stay with you, a 19, 20-year-old… that was a difficult thing, trying to overhead those guys. All the coaches were amazing, they were so respectful, See Sports Management continued on Page 8
Campus News
January 27, 2022
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Sports Management continued from Page 7
so they all understood that we’re all still kids and this may be the first time we’re working such a big event,” Reilly said. Junior Cole Crynock dealt with similar trials and tribulations when bringing teams up from the locker rooms to the court. Many games went over their allotted time, causing several games to be backed-up, so teams were ready to get onto the court before they were actually able to. “The biggest challenge was definitely making sure teams were on the court at the right time… there were times that teams wanted to go on the court, but there were still six minutes left in the fourth quarter, and you just can’t have them sitting up there for that long,” said Crynock. He had to keep the teams calm waiting for the game, while many players and coaches were just itching to get on the hardwood. Crynock learned from the hands-on experience, being able to take away things that students may not get from sitting in a classroom. “I found it was a lot of on-the-spot problem solving. A lot of the
stuff you learn in class is like communication, whether it’s like marketing, stuff like that in the classroom,” said Crynock. “But a lot of the event operation stuff is on-the-go thinking and problem solving, which is something that I feel like you can’t really prepare for in the classroom.” As a supervisor, Crynock was stationed downstairs where the locker rooms and media room were located. He set up the locker rooms and helped teams to get there, and brought players and coaches into the media room to keep it organized and calm, as many media representatives crowded the space. Bucal also recognized the opportunity to learn how to make decisions on the fly. It was a whirlwind of an event, and sometimes there wasn’t time to discuss with others or make sure a choice is right. She felt that going with your instincts and trusting yourself was a huge takeaway from Hoophall. “You learn how to problem solve on the spot…at the time you might think it’s the best decision and you’re just going to have to go
Springfield College students played roles as supervisors, liasons and volunteers during the five day 2022 Spalding Hoophall Classic. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College)
with that,” said Bucal. The Hoophall Classic is a unique opportunity for Springfield College students. With the tight-knit community, students get chances for valuable experience that people at larger colleges might not have. It gives the Sport Management students a real look into the industry. “This event is a huge learning experience. There’s a lot of people that don’t get to have this type of experience and get to work with such a high-profile event at a young age, so just being able to work directly with the special events and the Hall of Fame kind helps me know what I want to do
within the next couple of years,” said Bucal. Springfield College offers this idea of hands-on experience not just in Sport Management, but in all of its programs. The connections Springfield has to the Hall of Fame and other organizations serve students in their academic journey. Bucal also took the chance at Hoophall to network with people, something that might not seem like a big deal now, but is extremely important as students get closer to graduation. “Whether you’re a head supervisor, supervisor, liaison, volunteer, you can introduce your-
self to anyone and you make connections that way. People are going to remember who you are,” said Bucal. “Since it does take place at Springfield College you are already going to stand out. You don’t realize how many people have gone to Springfield College, so that sets you apart from other people.” The 2022 Spalding HoopHall Classic was a huge success, and the Springfield College Sport Management program deserves much of the credit.
January 27, 2022
Sports
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Pumping iron
Three nights a week, Springfield College’s Iron Sports club goes to the varsity weight room to accomplish goals in general fitness, powerlifting, and Olympic-style weightlifting. __ By Chris Gionta __ @Chris_Gionta
Three nights a week, the Springfield College varsity weight room fills up. Barbells, along with safety squat bars collect five, 10, 25, and 45-pound plates, waiting for determined hands to take hold of them. This particular weight room is host to the school’s athletic teams for most of the day. However, on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m., people of different backgrounds, interests and fitness goals find themselves there with one common task — to improve. The Springfield College Iron Sports club has been in existence for several years, and has been an avenue for people to lift with high-quality equipment with support from fellow club members. It certainly varies from one’s average gym experience on their own. “We have a more team dynamic,” said Cassidy Thompson, president of the club. “So we’re all down there. We all want to get stronger. We all want to lift. As opposed to in the Wellness Center (where) you don’t really know anyone and you all kind of just mind your own business.”
Cassidy Thompson performing a clean and jerk. (Photo Courtesy of Iron Sports club)
Many factors entice people to join the Iron Sports club on campus. Along with the equipment and the comradery of the group, the club also brings organization to people’s fitness goals. Thompson, Vice President Aidan Howell, and powerlifting coach Carlo Frunzio are all sophomores majoring in exercise science, and actively write exercise programs for those in the club. The trio divide and conquer to help every member accomplish their objectives.
“It really depends on what an individual person’s goals are,” said Howell. “Because if someone wants to do powerlifting, they’ll go with Carlo. If someone is more looking to be generally strong, healthy, and general fitness stuff they go with Cassidy. And anyone who wants to do Olympic weightlifting or anything weird would be with me.” Another difference from the average gym experience is the ability to perform Olympic-style weightlifting. The Well-
ness Center, along with many commercial gyms, do not allow exercises like the clean and jerk, or the snatch. Many gyms do not allow them due to potential damage to equipment, and also the loud noise from the necessary dropping of the bar after the rep is completed. But, Springfield College students are encouraged to perform these exercises in the varsity weight room with the club, as the bumper plates and rubber surfaces on the lifting platforms make it
possible to do these lifts without damage to equipment. The Iron Sports club on campus is well-established, yet still carries a lot more potential. “I think a lot of people on campus would love to join if they knew it existed,” said Thompson. “And a lot of people just don’t know. So (a goal is) showing people that we’re there and we’re an option.” The club also envisions significant events in the future that may bring more exposure to the group. “A goal for the club altogether is that we’re hoping to host a meet for both people in the club and not in the club some time this semester,” said Thompson. “We want to just be able to have some of our new people that have never competed before get that experience of competing at home, where they’re not going to be stressed out.” The club does well staying in as good of shape as its members and will likely remain that way with its ambitious sophomore leaders, who maintain the spirit of the club while looking for more experiences and opportunities for their members to have.
January 27, 2022
Sports
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Brennen Brandow prepares for a serve. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)
A season for redemption
After the pandemic ended the Springfield College men’s volleyball team’s 2020 season prematurely and the team was denied a shot in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, the Pride look for their 12th national title in 2022. __ By Joe Arruda __ @joearruda9
The 2021 Springfield men’s volleyball season ended similarly to 2020 – with a gruesome combination of pure devastation and confusion. In 2020, the team was ranked No.1 in the country nearing the final stretch of the season before COVID-19 shut it down. Last season, the team had 18 of its scheduled matches cancelled because of the virus and was only able to compete six times. Still, they were ranked
No. 2 in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament selection show with a 5-1 record. Needing an at-large bid as an independent competitor, the Committee determined that the team hadn’t played enough games to make the tournament. “It definitely was taken back for all of us,” senior Brennen Brandow said. “I think that’s a huge reason why a lot of guys came back. Just to prove that that’s
not who we are; that’s not what we came here to do. If we lose one game and don’t make it, it is what it is, but we’ll just prove to the other schools that we’re not losing then.” This year, Springfield is doing all that it can to make the season as ‘normal’ as possible, including making the tough decision to cancel their annual beginning-of-the-season trip to California. “That included the
guys deciding that going to California was too risky,” Springfield head coach Charlie Sullivan said. “When we looked at all of the pros and cons of going to California it was too risky to catch COVID and get stuck in California. Thanks to the guys for staying low risk as much as possible and trying to make the season as normal as possible.” One year removed from back-to-back na-
tional championships after winning in 2017 and 2018 before falling in a tough match to SUNY New Paltz in 2019, the 2020 team was 19-2 with six matches left before the tournament. “I think 2020 would have been special,” Brandow said. “Just the group we had and the way we were performing, it was something different.” That group was highlighted by Brandow, who was named the
Sports
January 27, 2022
Springfield men’s volleyball players look onto the court before the 2021 season opener. (Joe Arruda/The Student).
TeamSnap and AVCA Division III National Player of the Year and a first-team All-American in 2020, and Jarrett Anderson, who received AVCA Newcomer of the Year recognition and was also named a FirstTeam All-American as a first-year. Guys like Johjan Mussa Robles, Chris
Parker and Matt Lilley have all returned to Springfield to utilize their extra eligibility because of the pandemic. Nate Reynolds, who transferred to the Pride after playing three seasons at Stevenson University, earned Second Team All-American honors in 2019, and has also returned
for a second stint with Springfield. For Mussa Robles, 2022 will be his sixth season in the maroon and white. “Johan and I, our relationship has lasted six years, which is longer than the average marriage in America,” Sullivan said, jokingly. Still though, with all
PAGE 11 of their individual accolades, Sullivan’s team doesn’t have the “big match experience” that he would like. To the program’s standards, that experience only comes from playing in a championship game and only Mussa Robles has (in 2017 and 2018). “It’s one thing to know the culture but you don’t really learn a culture until you experience it under a championship event,” Sullivan said. Sullivan, a legendary coach not only on the Springfield College stage, but also nationally, recently earned his 450th career win with the Pride – something only nine other coaches have done in the history of collegiate men’s volleyball. His resumé, highlighted by several stints with the United States National Team and a bronze Olympic medal, helps him attract many players who could have made a Division I team. Still, even with his roster highlighted by a handful of All-Americans, the goal is to play championship-level volleyball, game-in and game-out. “We have this expectation of ourselves to perform at a high level,” Brandow said. “We might not have that (championship) experience, but we definitely have the experience of playing volleyball a lot and have a tight group.”
That group has expanded with eight first-year additions, who have a chance to learn from the best coach in the country and some of the best players at the same time. Brandow said, “I just kind of explained that we’ve had the same group for three years, how special that is for us and just showing the new guys, ‘Hey, this is what Springfield volleyball is.’ And then just being open and vulnerable, and taking that culture and just running with it too.” The program has more national championships (11) than any other school, and hopes to get a fair shot this year. If they don’t have to battle COVID in addition to their tough schedule, the Pride certainly have a chance at another tournament push. “Obviously coming in, you know that the team has to perform to high levels, and I think that we’re just ready to do that this year. I think the group that we have definitely can, and I think that we – as a group – made that decision to push that next level,” said Brandow. “If we play our game and our side how Coach tells us to play, I mean, we could be lights out. We could really shock the world with how good we can play.”
January 27, 2022
Sports
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A historic start
Springfield College women’s basketball jumped out to its longest winning streak to start a season and its first top-10 national ranking in program history.
Summer Matlack looking for an open player on an in-bound play. (Gillian Dube/The Student)
___ By Hayden Choate ___ @ChoateHayden
For the first time in program history, the Springfield College women’s basketball team has started its season with 16 straight wins. The Pride (16-0) are tied for No. 9th in the Women’s Basketball Association Division III National Coaches Poll, and No. 15 in the D3hoops.com National
Top 25 poll, as of Jan. 26. The Pride have passed every test they have been given, including beating rival Babson in a non-conference game, 75-71, on Jan. 12. During this incredible run, Springfield head coach Naomi Graves has seen the bond between her players strengthen.
“I think that there’s a trust, so it’s amazing, it’s rare. … Being 16-0 is awesome. These kids deserve that, they work hard,” Graves said. Senior guard Stephanie Lyons believes the success has come from a lot of things. “Being 16-0 feels like everything we have done through our
COVID season, our summer and leadership workshops, and hard work every day is showing on the court,” senior guard Stephanie Lyons said. Over the course of the season, the Pride’s biggest strength has been their depth. Whether it’s graduate students Sidney Wentland and Summer Matlick — who are playing in their fifth collegiate seasons — or the sophomores and first-years in their debut season, everyone contributes. “It’s not about one person; it never has been,” Graves said after the team’s 73-18 win over Wellesley on Saturday. “I think this year everyone has bought into that, and everybody steps up at different times. We share the ball — you saw today — but you could see that against Babson.” Springfield, missing two key players in the game against Babson had four players score 12 or more points and
five players with two or more assists. “It just feels good, everyone wants everyone to do better,” sophomore Riley Robinson said. “It’s not that we just want one person to be the star of the show, we all want to equally have our time to shine and have our moment to feel like we’re contributing to the game.” Every team deals with injuries throughout the course of the season, but in addition to players getting hurt, they’ve also had to deal with the challenge of players being out with COVID. In the last few weeks, Springfield has had to overcome some adversity dealing with players being out because of the virus. “It’s an ebb and flow. When someone goes down, somebody steps up and then when they come back they step in,” Graves said. “I just think that it goes back to what Riley said, that we’re a team and we faced adversity head-on
January 27, 2022 and it gives other people opportunities.” Younger players such as Robinson and firstyears Angela Czmeremcha and Emma Glaser have stepped up in their first seasons with the Pride. “It’s awesome to see the hard work and all the adversity we have overcome show positively on our record,” senior Amanda Carr said. Coming into the season, the team wanted to make the bond between the players strong and build the overall team chemistry. “I think it comes from both on and off the court we bond with each other,” sophomore Kayla Madden said. “Off the court, we’re able to learn each other as people better and understand each other and that helps us translate it to the court and we trust each other on the court as well.” Even though the majority of the group came into the season having never played a game in a Springfield uniform, the team has been on the same page thus far with a high level of respect and love for one another. “I believe that our team chemistry is the reason that we are doing so well,” Lyons said. “We have such great chemistry off the court, it leads to on the court.
That’s why we play so well. These girls are my sisters and we are a special family.” Carr agreed. “Every girl on this team is close and knows the role they have and having this is so special,” Carr said. “This group of firstyears has been amazing with attitude, our grad students have transitioned onto our team so well. Everything is flowing great and I feel the love coming together from all grades. That love is showing on the court and plays a big part in our undefeated record right now.” “You would never click with a better group of girls,” Robinson said. “I know each one of us treats each other like we’re family, like we’re sisters and I think it goes out through the whole team, we’re all so tight-knit that it just makes sense that everything is going our way right now.” Robinson credits the senior leaders of Carr, Lyons and Grace Dzindolet for buying into what Graves and coaching staff have preached to get the team to connect. “I also think that our senior leaders are very good. I know our seniors have bought into the process,” Robinson said. “They’ve kind of guided us throughout to make everything
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Sidney Wentland (12) takes a shot. (Joe Arruda/The Student)
so good and even the coaches, we have meetings to talk to make sure everyone is on the same page.” The team enters the heart of its NEWMAC schedule with games against MIT, Babson, Clark, WPI and Smith as their next five matchups. Carr knows that having the 16-0 start makes other teams even
more eager to hand them their first loss, but the Pride only enjoys the competition. “It keeps us hungry with the target on our back, and we are taking it one game and one practice at a time,” Carr said. The Pride have eight games left in the regular season before they hope to battle for a NEW-
MAC championship. Regardless, Lyons is grateful for what has already been a historic season. “I will never forget this season,” Lyons said. “No matter what happens.”
January 27, 2022
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Competing on another level The Springfield College men’s gymnastics team is the only non-Division I program competing this year, and bring a solid roster to match their top competitors. __ By Carley Crain __ @carley_crain12
The Pride stands alone as the only Division III men’s gymnastics program in the country. This means that this season they will go head to head with the nation’s best Division I programs since there are also no Division II teams. “Technically we are Division III, but we see ourselves as just another men’s gymnastics program. We never let that dictate how we see ourselves,” said head coach Matthew Davis. Two new teams have been added to Div. III, Simpson College and Greenville University, but won’t be competing
until next year. Hope is in the air, but uncertainties about the sport as a whole still loom. Because of this, every opportunity to compete wearing The Jersey is a privilege. “Being the only Division III men’s gymnastics team in the country is something I am incredibly proud of,” explained junior Billy Welsby. “We are right up there with the Division I teams that we compete against throughout the season and continue to turn heads as we are more of an ‘underdog’ team with a lot of talent.” The Pride, however,
Dominic Ramalho on the still rings (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)
are ready to compete again fully in-person for the first time since early 2020 and have a roster filled with talent. “It’s a good experience for us to get back out there. There is nothing like competing with the other team in the same arena with that energy. It’s an exciting opportunity that we are very grateful for,” said Davis. So far, Springfield has competed in two meets and is easing into the difficulty scores and routines. Since it remains early in the season, the current focus is to develop and perfect routines for the later stages of the year. The Pride added some key gymnasts to the lineup this year, some including firstyear Germany native Felix Kriedemann, vault specialist Ray Bridges and Jaden Laubstein, who has been a valuable asset in numerous events so far. “It’s exciting to have many gymnasts from all over the country.
Spreading Springfield College across the U.S. and now internationally is very cool for us,” said Davis. A good portion of student-athletes on Springfield’s roster are also returning upperclassmen that will help guide the team this year both on and off the mat. Captain and All-American Dominic Ramalho has proven himself to be one of the Pride’s most valuable gymnasts. As an all-around specialist, his combination of strength, flexibility and speed is special. His approach and dedication to the sport has been a key factor in the overall success of the team. “Having what I would consider the most depth we have had in years allows for our coaches to craft a 15man lineup each meet that will put us in the best position for success,” explained Welsby. “Having athletes that cover multiple events also allows for specialists that may only cover one or two events to
find a spot in the lineup.” As only a first-year last season, sophomore Colton O’Brien made a name for himself on the pommel horse. His quick turns and combinations didn’t go unnoticed. All eyes will be on O’Brien within the conference and the division as a whole. In arguably the Pride’s best event, the vault, Springfield has many athletes that are expected to make an impact. The duo of first-years, Andrae Butler and Ridges, have already put up solid numbers this season, and will likely be regular faces in the lineup. The Pride will compete this upcoming Sunday, Jan. 30, for their first home meet in Blake Arena at 1 p.m. vs Army, which is anticipated to be close in scoring since Army has always been one of Springfield’s toughest competitors.
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Growing and learning With half the Springfield College women’s gymnastics team not having competed collegiately, they are looking to gain experience while facing tough opponents.
The Springfield College women’s gymnastics team competing in 2020 (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics). By Collin Atwood @collinatwood17
The long competition drought for the Springfield College women’s gymnastics team ended this past Saturday when the team traveled to Collegeville, Penn. to face off against Ursinus, Ithaca and Cortland. The 686-day hiatus caused by the pandemic is over and the season is officially underway. The entire 2021 season being cancelled still has some lingering effects to the current roster. Not only are the first-year
students experiencing collegiate competition for the first time, but so are the sophomores. “It’s really exciting,” said Naya Robinson, a sophomore studying health science. “The atmosphere is so much different than competing in high school,” she added. For Robinson, having a season off helped her prepare for college-level competition. She not only missed her first season in college, but
COVID-19 cut her high school senior season short as well. “Gymnastics takes a while for you to get your skills back, so it was nice to kind of ease into it,” she said. Senior Kaitlyn Lindsay also turned the negative aspects of missing a season into a positive. “It gave us a lot of time to build our skills separately,” Lindsay said. Currently, 12 out of the 24 student-athletes on the team are either
a first-year student or a sophomore. The inexperience on the team has set this year’s focus on growth and learning. “A good goal for us is just to improve upon every meet. A lot of us don’t really know what to expect because it’s our first season,” Robinson said. Although the many new members of the team haven’t seen how the other schools compete, the other schools also don’t know about the new members, and have no idea what they are capable of. “We have a lot of inexperience, but we also have a lot of new faces that are able to contribute that other teams haven’t seen, so I think that can also be beneficial,” Lindsay said. The newbies were able to step onto the collegiate stage for the first time on Jan. 22, which allowed them to get back into their routine of competing. The Pride finished in third place with a total of 181.7 points. “It was a lot of getting nerves out of the way,” Lindsay said, “We can only get better from here.”
While the upperclassmen are always learning and growing as well, they are used to this type of competition and have another goal in mind. “Our goal would be to qualify for nationals. We are hosting the big regional meet where that can happen, so we’re really excited to have that home experience,” Lindsay said. The regional meet she is referring to is the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association East Regional Championship, which will take place at Springfield College on March 12. The team may have goals and expectations, but the most important thing is that they have the chance to compete against other schools again. “When we do get to do gymnastics, we have to appreciate that and be grateful for every opportunity,” Lindsay said. Their next competition is on Saturday, Jan. 29 at Rhode Island College. The team’s first home competition is on Feb. 6 against Yale, Ithaca and Ursinus.
SPORTS The Springfield Student
VOL. 136 NO. 14
(Joe Arruda/The Student)
JANUARY 27, 2022
Hungry for the title
The Springfield College men’s volleyball team is looking for redemption after being denied a tournament bid in 2021. [See Page 10]
Men’s gymnastics competes as only Division III program in 2022.
Women’s gymnastics is excited to return after 686 days away.
Iron Sports club serves as sanctuary for lifters on campus.
