KN95 masks are now available for all students

A higher level of protection

Springfield College has made KN95 masks available to all students, faculty and staff in the Student Union and Learning Commons.

__ By Cait Kemp __ @caitlinkemp09

Upon the arrival to campus for the new semester, there was a noticeable change among the campus community in terms of masking. No longer were the blue surgical and cloth masks, but the KN95s seemed to be much more popular.

With the spread of Omicron, the CDC recommended KN95 masks due to their higher filtration and protection.

“They use synthetic fibers that act both as mechanical and electrostatic barriers to better prevent tiny particles from getting into your nose or mouth,” said Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, Interim Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs.

According to the CDC, N95 and KN95 masks are categorized as respirators, which are specialized filtering masks. They have the highest protection, and not only keep in oneself’s particles, it protects against letting particles in.

In regards to what type of mask the College wants people to wear, they have looked to the CDC guidelines. They encourage N95 and KN95 masks, as they have the highest protection, and have supplies of those around campus. However, they have not set a rule stating that it is required to wear a specific type of mask, just highly encouraged. “The College is following the CDC guidance with regard to masks for employees and students,” said Morgan. “The CDC recommends that people wear a high quality mask that fits you well and that you will wear consistently.” The masking rules remain the same that the College has seen since last semester. Masking for everyone despite vaccination status is required while indoors (excluding when eating, in one’s own dorm, or by themself in an office/room). Those who are vaccinated can remove their mask outdoors if social distancing is an option, but unvaccinated individuals must keep a mask on outside as well as inside. “We take masking as one of our multiple steps we take as a College to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said Morgan. “This also includes

Springfield College is providing KN95 masks for students and faculty around campus. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College)

vaccination and booster requirements, encouraging social distancing and limiting large social gathering, providing optional weekly surveillance testing, making available rapid testing for anyone with symptoms, and following conservative isolation timing for those affected by COVID-19.”

The conservative isolation timing Morgan referred to is the College’s policy to still hold a 10day isolation/quarantine upon becoming infected with COVID-19, despite recent CDC policy updates to a 5 day quarantine without symptoms.

Springfield College chose to stick with the 10-day period in order to keep cases low and remain as safe a campus as possible.

If you are in need of a KN95 mask, check out some of the buildings like the library or the Student Union to see if any are available for use. As Morgan said, they are encouraging the use of these higher filtration masks in order to contain the virus and have as normal a semester as possible.

“We recognize that these measures can be burdensome to our students and employees, and consistently monitor the COVID-19 landscape to alter our plans to help bridge our interest in providing the best possible environment for student learning and development as well as maintaining the health and safety of our community,” said Morgan.

Continuous success

Chris Trelli has dominated competition since his sophomore year and aims to be a Division III All-American for the second time in his career.

__ By Chris Gionta __ @Chris_Gionta

Since Springfield College senior wrestler Chris Trelli got a starting role his sophomore year, he has done more than everything to maintain it. In the 2019-20 season, he put together an overall record of 23-4, qualified for nationals, and was named a Division III All-American. Two years later, despite roadblocks, he is on the same track of excellence.

“My first year, I was a backup, and I didn’t love being a backup,” said Trelli. “But, I kind of understood my role and understood my place at that time — coming in as a first-year. So, I kind of wanted to change that.”

He came onto Alden Street with an already-impressive resumé. At Bristol Central High School, Trelli placed in the top five in the state tournament every year he was there and ended up winning the state championship in his senior year. Thus, a backup role was something to get used to for Trelli.

He competed in two matches in his first year at Springfield and won both. Competition was much more frequent for Trelli in his sophomore season; however, his first tournament did not ensue in an ideal manner and he lost twice.

Trelli only lost one more time in the regular season while winning 18 times in that span. At the Northeast Regional, he lost his first match and needed five consecutive victories at the event in order to qualify for nationals. He ended up doing exactly what he needed to do with those five matches.

Trelli credits a lot of his success from his sophomore year to committing himself further and shifting his mindset.

“A lot of stuff goes unnoticed,” said Trelli. “I was getting in extra workouts during the day. I would go in in the morning and work with coaches… my mindset changed. My first year, I was just kind of going through the motions. I wasn’t extremely dedicated. But after that, I just hit a groove and kept riding.”

The 2019-20 All-American rode a lot of momentum into his junior year, but unfortunately, there was no competition in the 2020-21 season. It took a surplus of mental strength to maintain his level of work ethic during that season.

“I actually talked to my coaches about this when we were going through it all,” Trelli said. “And at first, I kind of thought there was no purpose behind practicing and stuff like that — there was really no incentive to work out.

“But then, they said, ‘Yeah, we may not be competing this year, but you’re still working out, getting better, and training for next year.’ So I kind of put that in perspective and really thought, just

Chris Trelli is currently ranked No. 7 in the 141-pound weight class. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College Athletics) because we can’t compete, doesn’t mean I can’t get better.”

Inevitably, his continuous effort has led to him earning an 18-2 record so far this season. This is despite missing some competition due to testing positive for COVID-19. He was forced to miss a meet and quarantine, but this did not halt his momentum whatsoever, as he has been undefeated since getting out of isolation.

This did not come without its challenges, however.

“[The toughest challenge was] definitely cardio. I was exhausted,” said Trelli. “It was tough for me because I came back on Friday, and then we went to a competition that Saturday morning.”

Trelli knew that he had not trained in a significant amount of time, but he was still confident because of the amount of preparation he had done prior to the quarantine.

“With all the months leading up to that, I still felt confident in my talent,” he said.

Only a couple of weeks remain until regionals for Division III wrestling, which is something that is not lost on any of the top competitors like Trelli. He finished third in the region in his weight class his sophomore year and intends to take the top spot in 2022.

‘It’s never about him’

Casey Lane had to recover for 16 months from an ACL tear and another two months with an ankle injury, but it has not stopped him from being an inspiration to his teammates and coaches.

Casey Lane taking a shot in a November game against East Connecticut. (Joe Arruda/The Student)

__ By Garrett Cote __ @garrett_cote

Just over three years ago, first-year Collin Lindsay planned on trying out for the men’s basketball team. He wasn’t close, yet, with anyone at Springfield College – but all of that was about to change on one fateful day he chose to shoot around on a hoop in Dana Gymnasium.

Fellow first years – and recruits already on the men’s basketball team – Casey Lane and Daryl Costa strolled in and asked Lindsay to join them for a workout. Lindsay, perhaps making assumptions based on Lane’s 6’0 stature, asked him if he could dunk.

In response, Lane tossed a ball off the wall behind one of the hoops and timed his jump perfectly as it ricocheted towards him. He soared through the air and dipped the ball below his waist before slamming down an emphatic windmill dunk. And with that, Lindsay had the answer to his question.

Not only could Casey Lane dunk, but he could also shoot the lights out. And he was the future of the Springfield College men’s basketball team.

“I remember it perfectly, he just walked up to me and asked if I was trying out,” Lindsay said of Lane.

“It was cool of him to walk up to me and invite me to play because I was a walk-on. This kid was athletic as hell. He was a beast. After playing with him, I was like, ‘What am I getting myself into?’ He was that good.”

After getting settled into practice and finding his place on the team for the first month and a half, Lane was in a groove. He wasn’t playing a whole lot of minutes but he felt comfortable and confident as a member of the Pride. He was eager to earn a consistent role following winter break and acknowledged he had to stand out in practice to do so.

About 10 minutes into that first practice of intercession, he was split into a group with Jake Ross and Heath Post to perform a drill focused on defensive closeouts and driving to the basket. When Lane got the ball, he ripped through, drove baseline and came to a jump stop – a routine play he’s made a thousand times over the course of his career. Only, this time, his legs didn’t cooperate, and an odd POP sound accompanied his jump stop.

“I thought I landed fine, but my knee stayed where it was and my leg went out – and there was a pretty good POP. Jake (Ross) heard it because he was right there, and we both kind of knew something was up,” Lane said.

A few days later, following a handful of tests and an MRI, Lane was diagnosed with a torn ACL that required surgery and caused him to miss the remainder of the season.

The feelings of devastation, frustration and anger all circulated throughout his body. But self-pity was never an option.

Long, intensive rehab followed. The process was to take about a year to fully recover. But after only five days post-surgery, Lane was walking again.

“It was awesome to see I had already made baby steps really early,” he said. “It was a new challenge to take on and I loved it. A lot of people would say it’s a crappy thing, but tough things only happen to people who are tough enough to handle them. I was one of those people, and this was something I was supposed to overcome.”

Although the majority of athletes take roughly 12 months to overcome a torn ACL,

Lane took 16. Physically, he was ready by month 10. But to trust himself to move the same way he once did is what added time. To help with that he had his younger sister, Brooke, who was training for a big track-andfield event at the time, document his recovery process to see the significant improvements he was making.

“We did a ton of training together,” Brooke said. “At the time he was recovering I was training super hard. This was also during quarantine so nobody was really doing anything, so we were running and [working on ourselves]. We ended up doing a bunch of workouts on a turf field down the road from our house and I recorded them so he could see his progress and his range of motion. It was big for him to realize and see that he was getting better.”

Support from his family throughout the entire ACL rehabilitation was encouraging for Lane, and having people who care constantly checking in on him made it even easier. His father Stephen, mother Tiffany, older brother Tyler and Brooke never allowed the injury to affect their family dynamic. If Casey wasn’t going to let it get to him, they were to follow.

“They didn’t let it interfere with who I was as a person,” Lane said. “I wasn’t letting much of it bother me, so they weren’t going to let it bother them. We’re a sport-oriented family, but if it didn’t need to be brought up that I wasn’t playing, it wasn’t going to be brought up. They all supported me in different ways and had unique ways of showing it.”

Without his beaming personality and outgoingness in his Wilton, New Hampshire home during the school year, things are a bit empty in the Lane household.

“Overall, it’s a different atmosphere around him,” Brooke said of her big brother. “When he’s home, our family is in a whole different place – laughing, joking and playing games. That’s just kind of what he brings. Without him, it’s kind of a bummer around the house. He’s just a great kid.”

With rehab halting his ability to suit up in his sophomore campaign and COVID-19 shutting down his entire junior year, Lane had academically completed three full years on Alden Street while playing in just four games.

As the time came for the start of his senior season (2021-2022), he felt the healthiest he had been since high school.

“This year, we came up on the first couple weeks of school, and I felt like the best version of myself I had ever been,” Lane said. “Mentally I was ready to go and I was playing so well leading up to the season.”

On Nov. 17, Lane posted a career-high 13 points in 27 minutes of game action, the most minutes he had ever seen playing for Springfield. He was finally over the hump, and the light was bright at the end of the tunnel. Every struggle, internal and external, was just a moment in time and he could finally move past it.

However, three days later when the Pride traveled to Keene State for their yearly matchup with the Owls, Lane came down awkwardly and rolled his ankle – an ankle he had already sprained in the past and had been wearing a brace on for every game and practice. Afraid to get it looked at knowing he would have to miss more time, Lane kept quiet and continued to play through it.

“I kind of saw a difference in his play after the ankle injury,” said Springfield head coach Charlie Brock. “He wasn’t reacting with the speed that was typical for him and it was a product of his ankle not functioning properly.”

The more he tried playing on it, the more discomfort came with it. He needed to get this ankle checked out, so he did. The MRI came back and showed two fractures in two different spots in his ankle – an injury that required a two month recovery. Again, instead

Lane in Springfield’s opening game against Western New England. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

Lane preparing to return to play. (Garrett Cote/The Student)

Lane

continued from Page 11 of self-pity, Lane came to practice everyday and provided a positive voice on the sidelines.

“This year especially, because of the injury, he’s been like another coach,” Lindsay said of Lane. “He’s always telling me things. Him not being able to play all the time has led him to be more vocal. His IQ of the game is incredible.”

Presently, on a Feb. 7 Monday afternoon around lunchtime – which has most people a combination of sluggish and tired, hungry and grumpy and drained of any vibrancy as yet another week is kick-started by the most dreadful of the seven days – a typically calm Blake Arena at this time isn’t so calm.

A ball is bouncing. A JBL Charge speaker is set underneath the far basket blasting songs by Drake. And a figure dressed in all black with two gold chains – one holding a pendant of a cross – wearing black, red and white Damian Lillard shoes is darting from one side of the floor to the other, knocking down shots from behind the arc one after another, as if Lillard himself was the one shooting.

Only it wasn’t. It was Lane putting in extra work knowing later that day would be the first time he took the court for practice in over two months.

“His story and the way he’s dealt with everything is just so inspirational to people,” said Ben Kistner, assistant coach for the Pride. “He comes to play every single day with the same purpose and passion. There aren’t a lot of days where you see him down, he keeps his energy high, and that’s what I love about him. He comes to practice everyday as if he never had an injury in the first place.”

On top of Lane being a standout character, he can flat out hoop – he just hasn’t had the chance to show it.

“He’s got some skills and he’s got a lot of talent,” Brock said. “He brings intensity everyday, but it’s never about him. He always puts the team first and that’s huge. It’s a shame he’s dealt with so many setbacks.”

Whether Lane chooses to use his remaining eligibility to come back next year and give it one final shot at basketball, or he moves on from playing and tries his hand at coaching, he will bring his perseverance and willingness to overcome any circumstance with him.

“He knows a lot about the game, and it’s going to help him to one day be a phenomenal coach,” Lindsay said. “Just his mentality and everything he’s been through. A big thing about a coach is being able to relate to your players, and any players that go through a hardship he’s going to be able to relate to them. I just know he’s going to be successful because of what he’s gone through.”

Even if Lane were to never play another second of competitive basketball at the collegiate level, it wouldn’t matter to him. He has accomplished everything through his personal battles with each injury he’s had.

“You’d think everyone who has gone through a serious injury would say it stinks,” Lane said. “But I grew so much as a person. I was personally impressed with myself, and it gave me a whole new idea of how tough I was. This is stuff I’m going to take with me throughout my life when, if, basketball and I ever separate.”

The streak continues

The Springfield College men’s volleyball team won its sixth consecutive International Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic after taking down Vassar and Endicott.

By Joe ArrudA @joearruda9

Blake Arena filled twice over the weekend for the premiere Division III men’s volleyball showcase in the region, the International Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic. The event, named after William G. Morgan featured four of the best D-III programs in the country – headlined by No. 1 Springfield College which won the event for the sixth straight time in 2022. “It’s a great time,” Springfield head coach Charlie Sullivan said. “It just has so much history, we’re always so happy to collaborate with the Hall of Fame to make it special and it just benefits our guys so it was good for them to have this. This advantage is normalcy as we’ve been missing for so long.” Morgan invented the game of volleyball at the Holyoke YMCA, just over 20 minutes away from Springfield’s campus, in 1895. It was first called “Mintonette” before the first public exhibition in Judd Gymnasia at Springfield College when the now-global sport was renamed “Volley Ball.” The first year of the Morgan Classic was in 1988 before the event found its new home at Springfield College in 1990. Since its beginnings, the only year without the annual tournament was in 2021, when it fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. Springfield brought the annual classic back with a thrilling match against No. 3 Vassar on Friday, Feb. 4. “We’re having fun out there, we have a good group and it just shows,” graduate student Johjan Mussa Robles said. “We’re working a lot, we’re working a lot on skill, but this core and the energy and the cohesion that we have is unmatchable.” Down two sets to one entering the fourth set with a blacked-out crowd doing all they could to will the Pride some momentum, Springfield earned it in the fourth. With the set tied at 13, the Pride rattled off four straight points after kills from Nate Reynolds and Brennen Brandow along with a pair of Vassar attack errors. There was a clear momentum shift inside Blake Arena which carried Springfield to a 25-18 win in set four, and continued to carry the Pride to a dominant 15-5 showing in the final frame. Jubilation filled the gym at the conclusion of the match, and that momentum carried over into the Championship Game the next day, when the Pride swept Endicott to win the tournament. The weekend was filled with multiple standout performances from junior Jarrett Anderson, a two-time First Team All-American and the 2020 AVCA Newcomer of the Year. Anderson tallied 26 kills while hitting over .400 and added 11 aces over the two tournament matches. “It’s funny how when he came in here, I was a senior and I’m still here. We’re still playing together and he brings the energy. He’s quiet, but he just brings the energy in his own way and we just love him,” Mussa Robles said. “He’s just a great volleyball player and he’s evolved as a player and a human being. We just love him and love having him around.” The Morgan Classic victory solidifies the Pride their spot at No. 1 in the national AVCA Division III rankings for at least another week. Undefeated at 7-0 with two wins over topfive opponents under their belt as of Wednesday, Feb. 10, Springfield will fill the Mecca once again this weekend for three matches highlighted by a heavyweight clash with No. 3 Stevens to open Saturday’s tri-match at 3 p.m.

Liam York (10), Matt Lilley (9), and Johjan Mussa Robles (3) celebrating after a point. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

‘The brain surgeon’

Springfield College assistant women’s basketball coach Colleen O’Connell has played a vital role on the team in her four years of coaching.

O’Connell (left) beside Springfield women’s basketball coach Naomi Graves. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

When Colleen O’Connell was a junior on the Vassar College women’s basketball team, she was preparing for the season when it all suddenly slipped away. She went down on a wet court, causing extensive damage to half of her knee that ended her season two weeks before it had even started.

Spending the season in recovery, O’Connell, a four-year captain, became a student assistant coach. She had never thought about coaching at the college level – at least, until one game where everything changed.

At halftime, O’Connell went out of her comfort zone and made a suggestion to her coach about adjusting a play. As the game went on, her coach called a timeout, turned to her in the huddle and said, “Colleen, come here and draw up on the board what you told me at halftime for the team.”

The team ran the play successfully and scored. It was at that moment that O’Connell knew she wanted to coach.

“I had goosebumps,” O’Connell said. “I had never screamed so loud in my life. I got lightheaded, it was such a rush and that gave me a tremendous amount of confidence during that season to start approaching my teammates in a different way as a coach rather than as their captain or as their teammate, and that inspired me to pursue coaching.”

Now in her fourth season as a graduate assistant coach with the Springfield College women’s basketball team, O’Connell got her Master’s degree in 2020 in Athletic Administration from Springfield and is currently in the PhD program studying Physical Education with a concentration in Teaching and Administration.

Before coming to Alden Street, she was the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Montclair State University close to her hometown of Maywood, New Jersey. O’Connell knew one of the former graduate assistants at Springfield and met head coach Naomi Graves at a recruiting event over four years ago.

“The mentorship that I’ve received from Coach Graves has been instrumental,” O’Connell said. “She’s someone who has helped me develop as a person, as a leader and then as a coach.”

Since she came to Springfield, O’Connell has tried to gain as much knowledge as she can from everyone around her.

“It’s been a learning process for me,” O’Connell said. “What I think Springfield has taught me is that you can learn from every experience and you should be learning from every person.”

“You don’t know it all; I learn from the players everyday, I learn from Coach Graves everyday, I learn from Carolee Pierce everyday, I learn from my professors everyday. Through learning, we’re able to coach better and be better leaders.”

In the past four years, O’Connell has made

__ By Hayden CHoate __ @ChoateHayden

plenty of memories with the team, but the ones that stand out the most are the little moments, day in and day out.

“It’s all the little moments and those moments happen in conversations and staff meetings,” O’Connell said. “The way that we laugh about things, the way that we strategize about things, we get frustrated about things, those are some of my favorite moments. Being able to be with the players, little moments in practices, answering questions, helping them, making them laugh, sometimes just taking the pressure off, bumping into them on campus, just being there for each other.”

Since joining the coaching staff four years ago, O’Connell has tried to not only be a coach but be a source of support on and off the court.

“I think that’s what makes a difference, being able to have a player listen to you on the bench and look you in the eyes and trust you and believe what you’re saying to them and rely on that.”

“She’s a great friend, mentor and role model to the team,” senior Grace Dzindolet said. “Everyone knows that they can turn to her for advice, regardless if it’s about basketball, life or school.”

In addition to the relationships she has built, O’Connell loves to watch and study film of other teams and her own. O’Connell finds and breaks down every little detail possible when it comes to strategizing for games.

“Sometimes I forget how long I’m in front of the computer,” O’Connell said.

“I love watching film, I love breaking it down, I think that it’s incredibly valuable. It came from first having my injury in college. I started watching film really intensely then.”

“I’ve learned so much from her it’s unbelievable,” said fellow graduate assistant Carolee Pierce who is in her first season as a coach.

“We lost that game to MIT and the first thing we did was like, ‘Okay, we got to watch film,’ and she puts so much work into this too.

“When we scout, she stays up late and gets all the sets, every set, every call, any different tweak that they put in a set. What Grace said is true; she is the brain surgeon, she’s so meticulous and so tactical.”

O’Connell graduated from Vassar with a degree in Neuroscience and Behavior. One day at practice, Dzindolet labeled O’Connell “the brain surgeon” because of her immense attention to detail.

“She mentioned how she did neuroscience for a little and wanted to be a brain surgeon,” Dzindolet said. “It made perfect sense, because she’s a perfectionist with her basketball plans. She does scout for us and she understands every play, every cut, sprint, or read to the basket.”

Preparation is something that O’Connell has worked hard at since she started coaching because she has seen how it can be beneficial for her team.

“Information builds confidence as a staff and our strategic plan and also in players, knowing what’s going to happen when it happens now. That’s not to say we need to know everything, but knowing the right thing at the right time and knowing when to do the next right thing is a skill, and I think that comes from studying your opponent and ultimately studying your own team.”

“I just think anytime she’s explaining something you can see how much work she puts into understanding and dissecting every single play and it blows my mind,” Dzindolet said.

Being able to be a part of a game she has loved since she was five years old, O’Connell is grateful for the people that have come into her life through basketball.

“It’s really about the connections,” O’Connell said. “I was talking to my old college teammate earlier; the people are the best part, hands down it’s why I do what I do.”

“Honestly, I would trust Colleen with my life,” Pierce said. “She keeps me going a lot of the times when I come in, I struggled a lot in the first semester and I was pouring emotions and she was always like, ‘Listen, you’re smart, you’re a good person, you know basketball.’”

Having been able to play and coach basketball, O’Connell considers herself fortunate to be with people who enjoy it as much as she does.

“Love the game,” O’Connell said.

“It’s one of those things that just runs in your blood. There’s no comparison to it, and to be with a group of people that love it as much as you do is really awesome.”

O’Connell (left) speaking at the Maroon Club ceremony for Sam Hourihan (right). (Photo courtesy of Springfield Athletics)