Sports management students get good experience

A group of Sports Management students posing with President Cooper and staff at the 2022 Spalding Hoophall Classic.(Photo courtesy of Springfield College)

__ By Cait Kemp __ @caitlinkemp09

As the new semester kicks off, students are eager and excited to finally be back on Alden Street and return to classes and activities. A handful of students are already settled in and have been on campus an extra five days. The 2022 Spalding Hoophall Classic presented by Eastbay was back at Springfield College from Jan. 13-17, after a year-long hiatus due to COVID.

This event, put on by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, heavily involves Springfield College students and provides them an opportunity to get a real look at how to plan and organize a professional event.

The Sport Management program has the privilege of gathering about 90-100 students to work the event. Their roles vary from volunteers, liaisons and supervisors who all have vital responsibilities to 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 like Sierra Canyon making the trip all the way from California to play. There were huge crowds piled into Blake Arena, something nobody is used to seeing anymore with COVID.

“It was definitely harder, as a first-time volunteer in events working a huge event like that,” said Bucal. “I never expected I would be able to work that event until I got here.”

As head supervisor for 2022, Bucal had many responsibilities over the weekend. She and her co-supervisor, 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,

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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 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 yourself 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.

Springfield College students played roles as supervisors, liasons and volunteers during the five day 2022 Spalding Hoophall Classic. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College)

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.”

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 Wellness 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

Cassidy Thompson performing a clean and jerk. (Photo Courtesy of Iron Sports club) 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.

Brennen Brandow prepares for a serve. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

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.

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

__ By Joe ArrudA __ @joearruda9

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 national 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

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 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.”

Summer Matlack looking for an open player on an in-bound play. (Gillian Dube/The Student)

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. 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

___ By Hayden CHoate ___ @ChoateHayden

“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

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 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 NEWMAC 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.”

Sidney Wentland (12) takes a shot. (Joe Arruda/The Student)

__ 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, 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.

Dominic Ramalho on the still rings (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

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.