From the Director of Athletics - Fall 2021
"Springfield takes the first set 25-7. And with that, Springfield College fall intercollegiate athletics is back." That was my text to President Cooper on Sept. 3, 2021. A three-set win over Westfield State for our women’s volleyball team was a great start to the Springfield College Invitational. But that result represented so much more. For our fall programs, this semester has been the first opportunity to compete in nearly two years, and our student-athletes in the winter and spring programs are training and developing knowing that they, too, are on the verge of getting their full seasons underway. As gratifying as that is, our head and assistant coaches, athletics support staff, and most admirably, our student-athletes, have done much to ensure the safety of others as we continue to navigate what competing in intercollegiate athletics looks like during a global pandemic. I am grateful for the daily effort and all that many have accomplished to represent THE jersey. While not the same as fall 2019, fall of 2021 has been so much better than one year ago.
During a very busy Homecoming Weekend in early October that included the dedication of the Diane L. Potter softball field, and a celebration of 40 years of women's soccer, I was honored to represent Springfield College alongside our archivist Jeff Monseau and President Cooper at the unveiling of the Tony DiCicco '70 Soccer Exhibit, which is a historic collection of soccer memorabilia from the former head coach of the 1999 World Cup champion United States National Women's Soccer Team and the 1996 Olympic gold medal squad. After leaving the museum, as I was walking toward Blake Arena for the start of the 111th Gymnastics Exhibition Show, I spotted former Springfield College student-athlete and athletic department graduate teaching fellow Heath Rollins '99, G'03, and his family passing time until the home show on Blake Track. Heath and I chatted through the wrought-iron fence between the track and Alden Street, and unbeknownst to me, the above picture was taken that serves as a metaphor for how our day-to-day work continues to face uncertainty.
Beyond the competitive opportunities and the ability to pivot when faced with obstacles that COVID often presents, we were able to promote Daeze Alaeze, who came to Springfield College last fall as part of the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women's Internship program, to the position of assistant athletic director for recruiting, retention, and student-athlete leadership development. Additionally, as part of the two-year NCAA internship program, we were fortunate to hire Gustin Saint-Fort '21 for the year as our coordinator of student-athlete leadership development and sports communications assistant. I’m encouraged at the strides we have made relative to providing programming to help our student-athletes grow through leadership training and opportunities to make an impact on their surrounding communities.
In an effort to advance the overall student-athlete experience, we continue to upgrade our top-notch strength and conditioning facility and have worked with our colleagues in IT and Facilities Management toward installment of additional remote filming capabilities.
I’ve said before, the financial support that we have received, particularly since March 2020, has buoyed us through very unique times. In November, our men's soccer team competed in and hosted the ECAC Division III Championship Tournament, our women's volleyball team received an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Championship, and our football team captured the NEWMAC Championship to earn a spot in the national tournament. It's great to have our student-athletes once again competing on their sports' largest stage.
