From Campus Booth to NCAA.com: Springfield College Student Broadcaster Takes the National Stage
By Judith Kelliher
Three days into his first year at Springfield College, Communications/Sports Journalism (COSJ) major Dante Iafrate (Class of 2027) was already in the broadcast booth at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field providing color commentary for a Pride varsity football game. Fast forward to April 2026, and Dante was seated next to a professional commentator for ncaa.com as the two broadcast one of the Final Four NCAA Men’s Volleyball games, hosted by Springfield College at Blake Arena.
Dante’s trajectory in the broadcast booth and other journalistic endeavors can be traced back to all the experiential learning opportunities he has participated in since his first year. Sharing his voice and insight on ncaa.com was an incredible experience for a college junior.
“Being able to learn from a professional is cool. On campus, we have our production team, which is massive in the behind-the-scenes work, including a producer, but not the equipment that allows us to effectively communicate through headsets. And we don’t have a live replay,” Dante said. “So that was the biggest thing I learned from a professional aspect that I can maybe carry forward those experiences of having a real producer in my ear, in real time, saying ‘Hey in 5 minutes you’re gonna go to break’ or other instructions.”
The NCAA Championship Tournament provided other exciting opportunities for Dante to hone his journalism-related skills. In attendance during the Final Four matchups in Blake Arena was Charlie Baker, president of the NCAA. Springfield College President Mary-Beth A. Cooper invited Dante to speak with Baker near the end of one of the games. It was an opportunity that Dante appreciated, especially with someone in such a prestigious position.
“I wanted to gain his perspective on different things. I talked to him about what goes into picking a host location like Springfield College. What are the criteria you have to meet to be a host site. He talked a little bit about having two sons who played Division III sports, so I mentioned that I had a brother who played D3 sports. I treated it more like a conversation,” Dante said.
Even though it wasn’t a formal interview that led to a story or a broadcast moment, Dante still viewed it as a learning opportunity.
“It adds to the journalistic perspective of having to pivot and adapt on the fly. My biggest takeaway is to always be ready for the moment. You never know what’s going to come up,” he said. “Being deadline-driven, pivoting, adapting, everything is so quick in journalism. I think it goes back to experiential learning.”
Tied into the experiential learning opportunities is the support the COSJ students receive from faculty and other College staff. For Dante, the chance to review his broadcast work with Jeremy Menard, visiting assistant professor of Multimedia Journalism, helped him improve his skills in the booth.
“I was very grateful to have Jeremy Menard because he does a great job of reaching out and asking if we want to listen back to our broadcasts so we can learn from them. That has probably been the biggest reason why I have taken the steps I have as a broadcaster,” said Dante, who is currently serving as the College’s Student Trustee.
Dante notes that journalism is a different world now, with a greater emphasis on multimedia journalism. At Springfield College, students will have those varied opportunities in the COSJ program through experiential learning early in their education, unlike at other schools.
“If you go to another D1 school or any other that is very good in journalism, you’re not going to get the opportunities you get on that campus that you get here until you’re a junior or a senior,” he said. “It’s really important to succeed, and more importantly, to fail in your early years with the opportunities Springfield College provides for you, in terms of gaining hands-on experience.”
For Springfield College Men’s Volleyball Coach Charlie Sullivan, who led his team to the 2026 national championship title, he appreciates and recognizes the behind-the-scenes contributions students make to create an incredible championship experience for all participants and fans.
“In a big environment, not just home games, the students are getting championship experience with professional presentations, large numbers of people, the community, crowds, and observing. This firsthand experience is invaluable,” Sullivan said.
