DeSales University Athletic Profiles in Character
Table of Contents
Casey Opdyke ’08, field hockey...................................................34
Gina Lucrezi ’05, women’s track and field.....................................36
Marian Karnas ’09, field hockey...................................................38
Val Valach ’09, softball...................................................................40
Courtney McClurkin ’08, women’s tennis....................................42
Transcendence...............................................................................44
Dedication..........................................................................................4
by Dr. Gregg Amore
Foreword.............................................................................................8
by Dr. Gregg Amore
Brian Manning ’97, baseball.........................................................45
Brett Vargo ’04, baseball................................................................46
Lori (Schwartz) Olivi ’00, women’s track and field.......................48
Nathan Branosky ’99, men’s soccer...............................................50
Harry Morra ’04, basketball..........................................................51
Justice...............................................................................................52
Ted Gladue ’94, men’s basketball...................................................53
Temperance.....................................................................................10
Kelly Magrann ’10, women’s basketball.........................................54
Kim Rarick ’09, women’s basketball.............................................11.
Danielle Jenson ’06, softball..........................................................56
Kelly Moran ’09, softball..............................................................12
LeighAnn Burke ’09, women’s basketball......................................58
Jen Rautzhan ’04, women’s track and field....................................14
Shannon Mascio ’09, field hockey................................................60
Ashley Sparango ’08, field hockey.................................................16
Humanity..........................................................................................64
Wisdom and Knowledge...............................................................18
Gina Locke ’10, women’s soccer...................................................65
Erin Lynn ’98, women’s basketball and soccer...............................19
Kevin Hopkins ’03, men’s basketball.............................................66
Nolan Neiman ’05, baseball..........................................................20
Martin Brett ’98, men’s soccer......................................................67
Amy Yencho ’04, women’s basketball............................................22
Randy Sturm ’07, men’s soccer....................................................68
Sarah Lumi ’09, field hockey........................................................24
Liz Kelly ’04, women’s basketball..................................................70
Erica Ecklund-Piantone ’08, field hockey.....................................72
Courage.............................................................................................28
Bill Neal ’05, men’s tennis............................................................29
The Legacy of a Man—A Lesson on Humility...........................74
Jeff Clifford ’04, men’s basketball..................................................30
by Kate Steiner ’11
Phil Yetter ’07, men’s soccer..........................................................32
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3
Dedication
I
n our efforts to help students develop character,
we often suggest that they identify a positive
role model—someone who exemplifies the
virtue they are trying to grow. DeSales University,
and particularly the athletic department, has been
truly blessed with an incredible role model—Dr.
John Compardo. Typically, we encourage students
to find a separate role model for each of the individual character strengths. Conventional wisdom
Coach John Compardo
would be that we can’t be all things to all people.
However, I submit that Coach Compardo, as he is affectionately called,
comes as close to this as anyone I know.
First, wisdom and knowledge: the fact that Compardo had degrees from
Moravian College (B.A.), Springfield College (M.A.), and Lehigh University (Ed.D.), is more than sufficient to be a great role model. However,
Compardo also served in World War II, coached football, basketball, and
baseball at Allentown Central Catholic High School, and in 1965, became a
one-man show at Allentown College (now DeSales University)—serving as
physical education professor, trainer, equipment manager, athletic director,
intramural director, and sports information director. In addition, he has a
wealth of wisdom pertaining to everyday life that is unequaled.
Courage, our second character strength, is second nature to Compardo.
Perhaps his bravery is the result of his service in the Navy during WWII. It
certainly took courage to leave a secure position at Allentown Central Catholic
High School to come to Center Valley’s “field of dreams” to help convert corn
fields into a vibrant athletic complex. Students in his early physical education
classes removed rocks from fields—clearing the site for Billera Hall and its
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accompanying athletic fields. Compardo created weights from buckets of cement and broomsticks for the first exercise classes. Such vitality and persistence
is hard to imagine as we enjoy our current multi-million-dollar complex.
It would be hard to say that any one of the six character strengths
highlighted in this book was the most dominant for the coach. However,
the trait of humanity is most clear in my mind. First, Christian Humanism is
the signature strength of Salesian teaching at DeSales University. Also Compardo’s kindness and love of humanity is rarely surpassed.
Nearly four decades have passed since my first encounter with Compardo. I was a young, fresh-out-of-grad-school new kid on the block my
first year at Allentown College.That first year, I hatched a plan for a major in
psychology with an accompanying child development center for preschool
children. Classroom space for psychology was not a problem, but a place to
house a dozen preschool children with special needs was a greater challenge.
Someone suggested that Billera Hall might be a possibility. Imagine
the new kid going to the seasoned veteran who just spent a few years
picking rocks and teaching with broomsticks and cement blocks, asking to
share his new gymnasium with special-needs preschoolers. I suspect most
college athletic directors would have concluded that I was another nutcase
psychologist; but not John Compardo. Not only did he embrace the idea,
but he offered up prime real-estate in the front of the building with ceiling to floor windows next to his office and an adjacent wrestling room for
kid roughhousing. The most amazing thing is that Compardo enjoyed the
children more than anyone on campus.
We could fill pages of examples of Compardo’s humanity, but permit
me just one more. In addition to his vast array of responsibilities, he gave
freely of his time by doing physical therapy with people from the community. He was a model for community service long before that term was ever
used on campus.
The science of positive psychology suggests that the character strength
justice is made up of three virtues: fairness, active citizenship, and leadership.
There is no greater evidence of Compardo’s outstanding qualities is this area
than his having been recognized as the 1984 Teacher of the Year, having received the 1987 Fr. J. Stuart Dooling Distinguished Award, and having been
inducted into the Allentown College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
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The virtues of humility and gentleness are the cornerstone of Salesian
teaching.They are among the virtues that contribute to the character strength
temperance. Always a gentleman, always in control, prudent, kind, and humble,
Compardo always maintained his cool. In the arena of sport, where we see
daily displays of ill-mannered, bad-tempered, unprofessional behavior, Compardo was the quintessential gentleman and humble servant leader.
Perhaps it is only fitting to end with the character strength transcendence. To look at vast fields of corn filled with rocks and see athletic fields,
a new gymnasium, and thousands of students growing and developing into
young ladies and gentlemen in the Salesian tradition of humility and gentleness is the true test—a test Compardo passed with flying colors. Perhaps this
poem says it all:
That Man is a Success
who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
who has gained the respect
of intelligent men
and the love of children;
who has filled his niche
And accomplished his task;
who leaves the world better
than he found it,
whether by an improved poppy,
a perfect poem
or a rescued soul;
who never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty
or failed to express it;
who looked for the best in others
and gave the best he had.
—Robert Louis Stevenson
Dr. Gregg Amore
Associate Dean of Students for Student Development
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7
Foreword
I
sincerely hope you will enjoy this book—it is the epitome of team
work. What you are about to read is a series of stories about student
athletes written by students in courses offered by Dr. Angie Corbo, a
former faculty member in the DeSales humanities department. (Contributing authors: Chelsey Armstrong, Mary Azzalina, Justin Carbonari, Bridget
Charity, Antonette Ciccone, Sabrina Englot, Susan Gatanis, Amy Herzog,
Nathaniel Jastrzemski, Jessica Kloss, Andrew Leidig, Ashley Matisak, Nicholas Mondi, Peter Paavola, Amy Pulcini, Paul Rakszawski, Andrew Ritter,
Kimberly Schultz, Caitlin Scott, and Jenna Turner)
Each of the stories has been told to student writers by coaches who
had the privilege to coach the respective athletes. Stories are grouped according to six primary character strengths exhibited by each athlete: Wisdom and Knowledge, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence. These six character strengths are all exemplary of both Salesian
teaching and positive psychology.
Each of the six is made-up of its own set of special virtues.Wisdom and
Knowledge is made up of love of learning, curiosity, creativity, perspective,
and open-mindedness.The virtues for courage include bravery, integrity, vitality, and persistence. Humanity is made up of love, kindness, and social intelligence. Fairness, active citizenship and leadership are the virtues essential
to Justice. Temperance, one of the cornerstones of Salesian teachings, claims
the virtues of humanity, prudence, self-regulation, and forgiveness. One of
the most challenging character strength—Transcendence—lays claim to
the virtues of hope, humor/play, gratitude, spirituality, the appreciation of
beauty, and excellence.
The following stories are grouped on the basis of the primary charac-
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ter strengths exhibited by the athletes. However, as you might suspect, you
will find many athletes exhibiting multiple character strengths and virtues.
I hope you will be moved and inspired by the words you are about to read.
This is a true team effort, combining the work of faculty, staff, and most
importantly, students writing about former students.
There are those that would say athletics builds character, and I believe
this is true. Sometimes, when winning is the only thing, it builds bad character. Building good character is a challenge and a two-way street. Not only
do athletics build character, but good character builds athletics and successful teams.
Please enjoy these stories of our character-exemplifying athletes.
Dr. Gregg Amore
Associate Dean of Students for Student Development
2011
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“Have patience with all things, but first of all with
yourself.” St. Francis de Sales
Temperance
I
n the world of collegiate athletics, natural, God-given talent can only
take you so far. For athletes to truly reach their potential—both on and
off the field—they must master temperance. But self-regulation and
prudence in work is often hard.Young men and women face many distractions and obstacles between them and their goals.
St. Francis de Sales often preached about the value of temperance. He
knew that to become a better person, you must first know yourself. DeSales
University student athletes must learn and practice temperance on a daily
basis to compete on the highest level and pursue knowledge and growth.
It would be easy to fill these pages with stories of athletes who trained
very hard to achieve great things athletically. But being an exemplary
DeSales athlete is about more than points on a scoreboard. Student-athletes
learn and grow in very personal ways, and those who can connect their
personal growth with their athletic lives often have the greatest results.
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Kim Rarick ’09, women’s basketball
Temperance is needed in all aspects of the lives of DeSales athletes.
For some, it is not enough to simply
excel in their sport—they also work
hard to achieve in the classroom. It
takes dedication to excel as a student
and passion to become a top athlete. It
takes temperance to succeed in both.
Kim Rarick, a chemistry/premedicine major, was a Dean’s List student and an honor society member
while earning national accolades on
the court for the women’s basketball
team. Rarick’s teammate and the other half of their dynamite combo, fellow all-star athlete LeighAnn Burke
’09, said that during their four years playing together, Rarick proved she
had an incredible ability to balance the many facets of her college career.
“She spent a lot of time in the library and had great time-management
skills,” said Burke. “Her major required a lot of time and effort.”
Rarick gave equal importance to her time on the court—she put as
much energy into practices as she did games. Before graduation, Rarick
earned 10th place in the women’s basketball program for average points
per game, and she tops the lists for 3-point goal and free throw percentages.
Rarick led by example and reached out to younger players to keep
them motivated. With humility and gratefulness, she won awards and recognition for her skills. As far as Rarick was concerned, the good of the
team was always more important than private issues, said Burke. She always
resolved conflicts with the team in mind.
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Kelly Moran ’09, softball
As a college freshman, Kelly Moran ’09 never dreamed she would accomplish so much by the time she graduated. Before playing softball for the
University, Moran had always applied her talents to the outfield position,
where she was most comfortable. But as the 2006 season began, Coach
Rachel Turoscy challenged Moran to take on a different role within the
Bulldogs’ lineup.
A native of nearby Bethlehem, Pa., Moran found herself in a predicament when she realized that she was one of four players vying for a starting
outfield position. Acknowledging that only three players could be chosen,
Turoscy viewed the dilemma as a major obstacle, finding it difficult to decide which player would get the bad news. But Turoscy put a positive spin
on the situation when she saw the potential for Moran to fulfill another
position on the team’s roster.
Tall and skinny, Moran had more power than anyone guessed. But her
coach encouraged her to focus her strength primarily toward batting, which
eventually lead her to become one of the best hitters the DeSales softball
team has ever seen. However, her new role as the Bulldogs’ power hitter
came at a price. Focusing on her hitting skills meant that Moran had to ride
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the bench when it came time for her team to play defense. While this was a
hard pill to swallow, she rose to the challenge and accepted her new-found
position on the team, never looking back at her days as an outfielder.
Moran’s actions demonstrate humility because she sacrificed her personal preferences to benefit the softball team as a whole. The decision to
focus on hitting paid off when Moran found herself a recipient of Regional
All-American honors two years in a row.
During her junior year, Moran achieved an incredible .400 batting
average, a statistic that has not been matched by any Bulldog since.
Moran’s collegiate softball career serves as an example of the rewards
that may come from selfless behavior. Deciding to bow out of the starting
outfield position was difficult, but it lead to a new chapter in her career—
one that will be remembered by many DSU softball players to come.
Moran’s hard decision showed positive results and allowed her to see
how her actions affected her team in a positive way. In these circumstances
it is easy to see that she made the right decision. Sometimes, however, positive results are not so visible—people must simply know themselves and
take comfort in the knowledge that they did the right thing in their hearts.
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Jen Rautzhan ’04, track and field and women’s basketball
Women’s Track Head Coach
Gordon Hornig ’92, has coached
many high-character athletes in his
14 years at DeSales University. One
of those athletes, Jen Rautzhan, stood
out in all of the right ways.
Rautzhan was a thrower for the
track team as well as a basketball player during the winter. She was one of
a few athletes who had the ability to
play two sports and be good at both.
As Hornig recalls, Rautzhan had a
special ability in the throwing events.
“Jen always had a lot of ability, and I remember when she was a
freshman and a sophomore, she did
very well at the MAC Championship
meet, placing in the discus throw,” Hornig said. “When Jen got to be a
junior, she really had a big break through and managed to provisionally
qualify for NCAA Nationals in the discus.”
Unfortunately, Rautzhan ultimately did not get to go to nationals, as
the cutoff was one inch beyond what she had thrown, and Hornig sat down
with her to talk about her upcoming senior year.
“I remember telling her that her involvement in basketball was limiting her ability to train over the winter for the discus,” said Hornig. “If she
wanted to continue to improve and make it to nationals, she needed to
focus more on track.
“But Jen decided to continue to play basketball, even though it probably meant giving up a chance to go to nationals. She just didn’t want to
quit on her teammates on the basketball team.”
In Rautzhan’s senior year, she once again missed a chance to go the
NCAA championship—this time by less than an inch.
“Jen was very, very quiet, and she was humble, too. The thing that
stands out about her to me is that most people didn’t recognize all of her
great qualities because she was so quiet. But she was probably the best
thrower I have ever coached,” said Hornig. “She just loved to throw—she
was always outside, practicing by herself even when her teammates had
called it quits for the day.”
Rautzhan set many DeSales records, some of which have since been
bettered. But regardless of whose name appears in the record books, Hornig
recognizes that Rautzhan was special and a very important part of the team.
“She brought so much to the team, in terms of leading by example
and determination. She was never very vocal, but the other girls saw how
hard she worked and how she never quit on her teammates—even when
it would have been to her benefit. Her character was outstanding. Looking
back, she was one of the most humble and hard working people I have ever
coached, and really, this is what made her into the thrower that she was,”
Hornig said.
“She was a fine example to all those around her, including the coaches
and track athletes who were with her every day. Jen was quiet and humble,
but she definitely wasn’t a quitter—that’s for sure.”
Each player can have an incredible affect on the rest of the team.
Rautzhan practiced humility in the choices she made and knew she could
not quit. Knowing what is right can be the easy part, doing the right thing
often provides the source of the struggle. Some athletes seek only glory
from others for their accomplishments—the tougher road is to seek honor
within.
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Ashley Sparango ’08, field hockey
There are times when great athletes must lead by example.Temperance
provides the humility and prudence to show others how to come together
and work as a team to achieve their goals.
Named offensive player of the conference her senior year, Ashley Sparango stands as, statistically, the best field hockey player at DeSales University.Though she may not have appeared to be the best or most athletic player,
standing at only 4'10", her skill and passion for the game made up for her
small stature. She was the best player out there, and she knew it. However,
she was always humble and never let her achievements go to her head.
Sparango, aside from having a great deal of talent, always displayed an
immense amount of support for her fellow teammates, both on and off the
field. Although mistakes were made, she always forgave those who made
them and continuously supported her team. She was a leader, and her winning attitude and knowledge of what needed to be done and how to do it
helped her lead her team in victory.
As a freshman, Sparango had the unique opportunity to be on the
inaugural field hockey team. Because the entire team was new, it felt as if
every member of the team was a freshman. “Because of this feeling, the
initial group was tied together in a
unique bond,” said Sparango. Every
year, as freshmen were added to the
team, the original team members accepted freshman as they improved,
made connections with teammates,
and gave their all out on the field.
At the start of her senior year,
Sparango was not pleased with the
freshmen who were added to the
team. It was not that they lacked skill
or ability that bothered her and the
other girls—it was their lack in motivation and desire to win.
“It was frustrating as a captain
and team member to watch our team,
who was highly skilled and capable of
winning, lose games,” said Sparango. It wasn’t until the homecoming game
that things turned around and the team stopped playing as individuals and
started playing as a team.
“I think that was the moment that made me proud to be the leader of
the team,” Sparango said. “All I wanted was for the team to follow my lead
and play every game as if it was their last, and finally that time came.”
New field positions and changes in the line-up were not made because
of the freshmen, but were made to benefit the whole team. “There might
be struggles, but at some point in the season, the team came together and
played for each other rather than playing to win. That is what every team
should strive for.”
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“Reputation is rarely proportioned to virtue.”
Erin Lynn ’98, women’s basketball and women’s soccer
In her freshman and sophomore
years, Erin Lynn played on the women’s basketball team. Then, in 1996,
when DeSales established a women’s
soccer program, Lynn quit basketball
to join the soccer team. Because she
was open to playing on a new team
and in a different sport, she learned to
better herself and, in turn, help others.
Lynn’s coaches saw her as the first
true leader of the soccer team. She was
not the best athlete or a starter, but she
was described as having the most heart.
She was the woman who welcomed
everyone—the one who didn’t care
what level of player you were so long
as you loved the game. While she did
not see much playing time, she had a presence on the field and on the team.
Whether winning or losing, she supported her teammates from the start of
the game to the final buzzer.
“Players looked to her for leadership, and she was always a help to
everyone, no matter what their skill level,” Coach Martin “Doc” Brett ’98
remembers. “She was the type who never looked down on anyone. She was
someone who helped a teammate no matter what. Erin was open to any
woman who loved soccer and wanted to be part of the team. She had a
perspective of the game that is lost for some players, and she loved learning
new tricks and new plays that could help her team win.”
In her senior year, Lynn was nominated by her coaches and teammates
to be a senior captain—a much-deserved honor. With her leadership and
her open-mindedness, she led her team to victory on the field and off.
As a math and secondary education major, she was a perfect leader and
teacher for a new soccer team. Lynn’s openness to others and to her own
strengths allowed her to fully develop into a knowledgeable individual.
St. Francis de Sales
Wisdom & Knowledge
Stories compiled by Sabrina Englot ’10
W
isdom is the deep understanding of people, things, events,
or situations. This understanding results in a choice to apply knowledge consistently and efficiently to create a desired
result. Wisdom can be an insight that requires controlling emotional and
passionate reactions to let knowledge and reason determine one’s actions.
Wisdom can also be knowledge of causes and why things exist the way they
do. Knowledge thrives through experience and education.
Wisdom and knowledge involve several character traits: open-mindedness, curiosity, and creativity. It is important to maintain open-mindedness—
without openness there is no room for innovation and new knowledge.
Curiosity creates opportunities to explore and investigate the unfamiliar,
which can lead to wisdom and knowledge. Without creativity, new ideas
and concepts do not flourish and revolutionary inventions are stunted.
Wisdom and knowledge require a sense of perspective, adaptation of
original points of view, and a love of learning. As their coaches attest, the
athletes in this chapter truly exhibit these qualities.
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Nolan Neiman ’05, baseball
From an early age, Nolan Neiman was destined to love baseball. As
a child, his younger brother, Deron, regularly wheeled out their baseball
equipment in a red wagon, complete with a stereo blasting the national
anthem to signal the start of their backyard ball game.
“I remember when I was eight or nine, my dad would throw with me
in the backyard, like so many other fathers in our country. But my dad was
a college baseball coach,” recalls Neiman.
Neiman’s father, Coach Timothy Neiman, has been the DeSales University baseball coach for more than 20 years. While Coach Neiman fostered Neiman’s love for baseball throughout his adolescent, is wasn’t until
Neiman joined the team at DeSales that he was actually coached by his
father.
“I tried not to coach him in Little League,” said he father, smiling, “I
waited for my turn.”
After joining the Bulldogs, Neiman proved to be an effective second
baseman, winning the Player of the Year award during both his freshmen
and sophomore years. He even helped lead his father’s team to the College
World Series in 2003.
“Being able to help get my dad
to the World Series—that’s a proud
moment as a player,” Neiman said.
Neiman’s true test as a player
came the following year, however,
when an off-campus party left several
baseball players suspended—wrecking havoc on the team’s line-up in the
wake of their World Series showing.
With the team in disarray, DeSales
was left without a catcher. Coach
Neiman nominated his son to learn
the position.
“There was definitely a learning
curve,” Neiman said, “You’re catching all day long.” Because Neiman
had played baseball since his hands
were big enough to fit in a mitt, his
knowledge of the game allowed him
to be versatile enough to step-up to
the catcher position on the team and
adapt to the skills he had learned his
first two years of college baseball.
Neiman played the position so well
he received Player of the Year a third
time; this time as a catcher.
Neiman went on to lend his talents to the team even after graduating.
He served as a coach’s assistant under
his father for a year, before becoming
an assistant coach at the University of
Maryland.
While Neiman’s position may
change over the years, his love for the game remains unchanged. Without
his flexibility to step outside of his familiar territory, Neiman would not
have tackled new challenges. By keeping an open mind, he discovered new
talents and is now helping others find and develop their own skills.
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Amy Yencho ’04, women’s basketball
Amy Yencho is a wonderful example of how a person’s love of learning
and perspective can make that individual great. It’s hard to find players who
care enough about the sport they play to stay with it through the years and
stay in contact with their previous coaches.Yencho did just that.
Before Yencho became a DeSales Bulldog, she attended home games—
watching players as they ran through the plays. She saw so many games
that she was actually analyzed and memorized the plays.Women’s basketball
Head Coach Fred Richter said: “During her recruiting process, Amy was
unique. She dissected the plays occurring on the court and sometimes knew
the plays better than some of my players. She was such a surprise to the upperclassmen when, during one of her first practices, she said ‘oh this play is
when I get thrown the ball.’ Half of the returning players didn’t remember
the play themselves. Her knowledge of the game and eagerness to learn was
admirable.”
During her career at DeSales,Yencho scored 1,341 points. She is within
the top ten all-time high scorers for the University. “She was a good player,
but she lacked foot quickness,” said Richter. “But what she didn’t have in
foot speed she made up for with knowledge and her love of learning. She
was a four-year starter for the University—a ‘tell me what to do, and I will
do it’ kind of athlete, one you could count on to do what she was told. She
was tough and she didn’t allow herself to get bullied,”
Yencho’s senior year, the women’s team was invited to play in a Christmas tournament in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame.Yencho played a tremendous championship game.
When a girl from the other team messed up her hair, which she had deliberately placed the way she wanted, Yencho got mad. However, she focused
that anger into a drive to score.
“She got so focused after that,” said Richter. “The other girls had to
tell me what happened because Amy wouldn’t. She was quiet and reserved.
That game she drained so many shots.
I knew I could always count on Amy, no matter what I needed done.
She was well-respected by her teammates and by the coaching staff. I can
count on her today, as well. I called her the other day asking about an
alumni game, and she called up a bunch of her old teammates and got right
22
back to me about a potential game,” Richter said.
Yencho continues to keep basketball in her life as a coach at Liberty
High School in Bethlehem, Pa. With luck, her love of learning and hunger
for wisdom will transfer onto the players she coaches in the game she loves.
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Sarah Lumi ’09, field hockey
Freshman year is the hardest year for many college students. It’s a new
environment with new people, and it’s the time when many students are on
their own for the first time. Being a freshman on a college sports team can
be even more difficult. The athletes have to prove themselves not only to
their coaches, but also their new teammates—who can become like a family
who support each other on and off the field.
For Sarah Lumi, the DeSales field hockey team was that family. “As
a team, each and every player had to come together to succeed,” she said.
In 2007, the field hockey team was small. As a program, it had only
entered its fourth year—its third as a competitive program in the Freedom
Conference, and as a small team in a new program, the atmosphere was difficult for some players—particularly those who were asked to step out of
their comfort zones and play in less familiar field positions.
Lumi, a defensive player, wasn’t asked to take on a new position, but in
her junior year, she did her best to help a freshman, Amy, who was asked to
learn to play defense for the first time.
“I wanted to help a freshman learn a new position because that is what
being a teammate is about,” said Lumi.
Amy came onto the team as part of the offense but was later asked to
play defense—a position she had never played before. Lumi could see how
nervous Amy was when the starting line-up was called and she was named the
right back—the exact opposite of her comfort zone.
Lumi played sweeper, the position behind Amy’s and the last line of
defense before the goalie. The first game they played beside each other was
in August 2007 at a tournament in Ohio. Although the game did not count
for the season record, it was a test for the newcomer and Lumi knew it. So
she gave Amy a pre-game pep talk to calm her nerves.
During the game, Amy made a few errors, but Lumi assured her it was
okay, saying that one of the great things about the game of field hockey is
that one player may make a mistake, but there are ten other women on the
field who are there to back that player up for all 70 minutes of play. After
hearing this, Amy knew her team would be there for her and she would be
there for them.
Lumi helped Amy become a better player, although she moved back
24
to offense before the end of the season. Amy, who was honored as rookie of
the year by the conference, says that Lumi gave her a whole new perspective
on the field and that she doesn’t think she would have been named rookie
of the year without Lumi’s guidance.
In her senior year, Lumi wasn’t the fastest player on the field or the
most skilled, but she was the most supportive and the most vocal captain. In
the 2008 season, the three seniors on the team had a difficult task: the coach
who had been with them for the past three years had been replaced by a new
coach, Sarah Fosdick. Fosdick had a different coaching style and, though it can
be difficult for athletes to learn a new coaching technique in the final year of
their collegiate careers, it was their task for the season to adjust.
The seniors had a set way of doing things because they had played the
same way for nine or ten years. Lumi kept the team’s attitude positive even
though she had differences with the new coach’s style.
“Being able to focus on encouraging [my team] helped me not to
focus on my problems,” Lumi said.
Lumi knew she would never be the best athlete, but she also knew
she could be the athlete who worked the hardest. She knew her strengths
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and always wanted to improve—whether that involved conditioning a little
harder or asking a teammate for help.
She was involved in campus life both on and off the field—the president of the Student Government Association (SGA), a member of DeSales
Admissions Welcoming Guides (DAWGs), a Character U mentor, a DeSales
Delegate, and a member of PACE (Peer Advising, Counseling and Educating). Most students cannot handle that workload in addition to athletics, but
Lumi was an expert at balancing her responsibilities.
“Managing time with field hockey has always been a challenge, but at
the same time multitasking has come natural to me,” Lumi said. “I had to
stay organized, ask for some flexibility from my extracurricular groups, and
work at the times when I could be involved to make up for missed times.
“After a while, most people got used to my varied involvement, which
helped. They knew that what I occasionally lacked in attendance I made up
for in dedication and hard work.”
Fosdick’s favorite thing about Lumi was that she never appeared to be
anywhere else but the present. “She was always fully engrossed with field
hockey while at practice or playing in a game. She never seemed to be
thinking about how much she had to do later,” said Fosdick.
Lumi had a passion for her sport. She was a great player who knew her
strengths and knew when someone could teach her to improve a weakness.
She was the heart of the defense, a captain who conveyed the wishes of the
team, and a player with a positive attitude. She shared her creativity, love of
learning, and wisdom with her teammates.
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“Let your heart be full of courage and your courage full
of confidence in God, for He will never abandon you if
you do not first abandon Him.”
St. Francis de Sales
Courage
Stories compiled by Jessica Kloss ’11
C
ourage allows someone to face any situation without letting fear or
intimidation overwhelm them­. Courage, whether physical or moral, is having the emotional strength to pursue goals in the face of
external or internal opposition. Physical courage faces physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death. Moral courage is the ability to act rightly in
the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.
The character trait courage is made up of four important sub-categories:
bravery, persistence, integrity, and vitality. Bravery is standing up to threats,
challenges, difficulties, and pain. Persistence is continuity—it is finishing efforts and persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles, sometimes even
taking pleasure in doing it. Integrity is speaking the truth with honesty, presenting oneself in a genuine way, acting without pretense, and taking responsibility for one’s feelings and actions. Finally,Vitality is the capacity to live, grow,
and develop. It is about approaching life with zest, excitement, and energy.
Vitality is living life as an adventure—feeling alive and activated.
In sports, students face challenging hardships and painful injuries
that make them lose playing time. When athletes are injured, the pain can
sometimes be crippling, but the athletes profiled on the following pages are
unique in their courage. They demonstrated physical courage, which gave
them a boost to face the physical pain and finish what they started.
Here you will read several stories about the athletes from their coaches’
point of view.These athletes came from different places, played different sports,
and experienced different injuries, but they all shared two things—they loved
their sports, and their courage helped them stand out from their peers.
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Bill Neal ’05, men’s tennis
Bill Neal played four years on the men’s tennis team at DeSales University, but he found himself in a tough situation that may have made other
athletes quit. Every day throughout the tennis season, Neal went to practice
and challenged his teammates for the number one spot on the team—and
every one of those days, he lost.
Like anyone would, Neal became very discouraged but he never gave
up on the challenge. Through perseverance, by the end of his four years at
DeSales, Neal was the number one player on the team.
Neal knew that the easy way out of constant defeat is to give up, but
he wanted to make a difference and stand out. He challenged his defeat
day after day, and although Neal did not reach his goal until the end of his
fourth year at DeSales, he later went on to coach the DeSales men’s tennis
team for two strong years.
Neal transitioned from a tennis player to a tennis coach and he went
on to inspire his players with his story of persistence and determination.
His story has touched a lot of his players, encouraging them to follow in his
footsteps as a character with courage.
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Jeff Clifford ’04, men’s basketball
In his first year at DeSales, Jeff
Clifford was very excited to begin
classes and work towards his future
career. Not only was he driven, but he
was aggressive and competitive, which
made him a successful first-year point
guard on the men’s basketball team.
Scott Coval, the director of
athletics and head men’s basketball
coach, described Clifford’s first year
at DeSales as an academic and athletic success. “Jeff enjoyed classes, and
whether at practice or on a bus ride,
he always talked about learning,” Coval said.
Not only did Clifford enjoy his
academic work, but he was a dependable player on the court. Coval described
Clifford as an essential man on the team:“Jeff also enjoyed our ‘sixth man’ position.When a starter needed rest, he played consistent and reliable basketball.”
By the end of his first year, Clifford had made an outstanding impression both academically and athletically, though the Bulldogs’ season concluded with a dismal 10 wins and 16 losses. Coval began preparing for the
following season and decided to make Clifford the starting point guard.
“The team needed a change, and I reviewed our individual records
and statistics,” Coval said. “Jeff was an intelligent and complete player. He
analyzed each situation and accurately passed the ball. He hit three pointers
from anywhere on the court.”
Though the 2001-02 season promised to be Clifford’s for the taking, he injured his left ankle before the season started. “In the beginning
of October, while at practice, Jeff fell awkwardly,” Coval said. “His ankle
immediately bruised and swelled, and we later found out it was fractured.”
Clifford was devastated and stood on crutches for six weeks as the
bone mended and his ankle returned to a normal range of motion. His goal
was to get well in time to compete in the season opener against Stevens
Institute of Technology, and he did get back on the court.
“According to our athletic trainer, Jeff ’s ankle healed,” Coval said.“However, throughout the game, he grimaced and seemed to be in terrible pain.”
Coval and Clifford knew the injury was worse than it first seemed, and
when Clifford consulted an orthopedic doctor, he discovered the bone had
never returned to a normal range of motion. He had permanent damage.
“I expected Jeff to quit,” Coval said. “Like many sports, basketball includes a lot of running, a lot of pivoting, and a lot of jumping. Such movements put a lot of pressure on the ankle.”
But Clifford surprised everyone when he stayed with the game he
loved, and even started every game.
“After games, Jeff spent long hours in the training room. He took Advil
for the inflammation and swelling and dipped the ankle into buckets of ice,”
Coval said. “It was courageous—he didn’t back away from the challenge.”
At the end of the season, Clifford was a statistical leader—he led the
Bulldogs’ with 72 assists and 262 points. The team’s final record was a reverse of the previous season—an improved 16 wins and 10 losses.
“Jeff competed with an incredible amount of pain, but he never performed halfway or halfheartedly. That
season, he was our best player,” said
Coval.
While Clifford’s ankle never improved, he played through his third
and fourth years. More significantly,
in the DeSales University record
book, he ranks 10th, with 108 consecutive games.
“Jeff ’s hard work and dedication
paid off,” Coval said. “He was an exceptional student—always wanting to
learn, and he was an exceptional player and teammate—always competing
with guts.”
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Phil Yetter ’07, men’s soccer
Phil Yetter never missed a game
during his college career, and he was a
stand-out athlete and student who led
the team for three years. He was the
youngest captain for the soccer team,
but according to George Crampton,
head coach of the men’s soccer team,
even the seniors looked up to Yetter.
October 7, 2006, was a brisk
fall afternoon, and the DeSales soccer team was excited to play against
The University Scranton. The Bulldogs had not lost in two years and everyone, including the Scranton team,
wanted a chance to beat the DeSales
team.
During the game, Yetter caught
an elbow to the face. Everyone watching, including Crampton knew Yetter
was severely injured, but he wanted to stay on the field, even when Crampton yelled for Yetter to get off the field, insisting he was hurt badly. With
determination, Yetter insisted he stay on the playing field, claiming he was
okay and that he must finish playing the game.
After the game, Yetter had to face his injury—a fractured cheek bone
that later required reconstructive surgery.The injury required him to sit out
for two weeks, meaning he had to miss four games. However, when those
two weeks were up, Yetter wore a facemask to protect his cheek and got
right back into the groove of the game in time to lead his team to the finals.
The finals were played on November 4, 2006, and ironically enough
was against The University of Scranton. Although Phil’s cheek was injured
in a game against Scranton, Crampton said: “Phil showed no fear. He wanted no revenge on the guy that injured him. It was all business.” According
to Crampton, instead of seeking physical revenge,Yetter knew “winning for
the team, was the best revenge.”
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The team beat Scranton in the finals. Not only did the men’s soccer
team win the championship, but more importantly the team learned never
to give up and to always try their best even in the face of adversity.
“Phil was always self-motivated,” said Crampton. “I never had to press
him to get back into the game.”
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Casey Opdyke ’08, field hockey
Winning a game is more than a win for an athlete—it’s an accomplishment. Even more of an accomplishment is winning with integrity, passion,
and persistence. Casey Opdyke is a DeSales athlete who played with integrity.
Opdyke was a strong player both physically and mentally. Her coaches
claimed that she had the hardest shot they had ever seen, and she had an
undeniable confidence and passion for the game. She played by the rules—
using her stick skills as opposed to false fouls to help her team succeed.
While there were times when she was hard on herself, Opdyke was careful
not to let her teammates know about it. She knew that teammates feed off
one another and, as a leader, she didn’t want them to pick up a doubting
attitude from her.
Opdyke was so dedicated and passionate about field hockey that she
refused to allow injuries to stand between her and the game. During one
particular important game, Opdyke was injured when she was hacked in
the hand by an opposing team stick. Opdyke didn’t want to let her team
down, so she played through her pain, determined to help lead her team to
a win. She wanted to prove to their
opponent that the Bulldogs were the
better team. “Teams in our conference had no respect for us,” she said.
“They didn’t take us seriously so we
wanted to give them a fight.”
While she was playing, however, her coach noticed that Opdyke’s
hand was bruising and very swollen.
The coach wanted to remove Opdyke from the game and tend to her
hand. Opdyke was the heart of the defense and didn’t want to sit out. So she
compromised with her coach—she
had her hand temporarily wrapped
by the trainer to avoid further injury.
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She then ignored the pain and continued playing. Once the game was over,
Opdyke discovered that her injury was worse then she thought—she had a
broken hand.
“I didn’t want to be the injured person,” Opdyke said. “I would’ve felt
guilty because my teammates were probably hurting as well, just in different
ways.” Opdyke knew that she had to be tough for her team and they in turn
were tough for her.
“When I play hockey I am in a totally different mind-set. My friends
know me as a light-hearted person off the field, but on the field it’s different. I hope I was able to inspire my team, because they inspired and pushed
me everyday.”
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Gina Lucrezi ’05, Women’s Track and Field
In the history of the DeSales women’s track and cross country teams,
there is one runner who stands above everyone—Gina Lucrezi, a highlytouted recruit in long distance running.
In Spring 2001, women’s track and cross country Head Coach Gordon Hornig received a call from the admissions department about a “pretty
good high school runner” who was coming to visit and was interested in
talking with him about the possibility of running for DeSales.
“Back then, Moravian College had a lock on the local prospects, and I
didn’t think that we would have a shot at getting Gina to come to DeSales,”
Hornig said. “When I got that call from admissions, I called Gina and found
out that she was looking for a good school with an established TV/film department. She said she wanted to schedule a visit, and we met the next week.”
When Lucrezi came to visit, she had some questions for the running
coach.
“She asked me why I didn’t recruit her for my program,” he recalled,
“and I told her that I assumed that she was going to Moravian. I had no idea
she was still looking at other schools. She got annoyed—not at me, but at
the idea that it was a forgone conclusion that she would attend Moravian.”
From that point onward, Hornig paid close attention to Lucrezi’s high
school season, and, to her new coach’s delight, by the beginning of May she
had decided to attend DeSales.
When the cross country season began in the fall, Lucrezi made her first
impression on both Hornig and her teammates.
“In the first week of practice, and we had a time trial at the end of a
particularly hard week of practice,” Hornig remembered. “Gina just blew all
the girls on the team away. But at the end, she was humble and encouraging to the other girls. They could have been jealousy or bitterness towards
Gina—because a freshman was running so much faster than the upper classmen. But instead, the team recognized how hard Gina worked, and that
work ethic rubbed off on everyone.”
Lucrezi went on to become a 10-time All-American in both cross
country and track and field. According to Hornig, her brightest moment
came in her senior year when she won a National Championship in the indoor 1,500-meters in a nail-biting photo-finish.This victory capped off the
career of a woman who is undoubtedly the most successful women’s track
or cross country athlete DeSales has ever had.
“Gina’s work ethic was unbelievable—she was just so persistent in
getting better at running,” Hornig said. “She did really well academically,
but everyone knew she was all about running and willing to do whatever it
took to get better. Her teammates wanted to emulate her and work as hard
as she did. Really, it was her persistent efforts to improve that stood out to
everyone who watched her.”
Lucrezi was an ultimate example of an athlete who led by example
and hard work. Her persistence in improving her running ability and raising the bar of excellence for her teammates was what made her not only an
outstanding athlete, but also an outstanding person of character
“Gina was the team leader, and all of the girls rallied around her. Even
though she graduated in 2005, Gina still calls my recruits to encourage
them to come to DeSales and she stays involved with our team,” Hornig
said. “Her 10 All-American awards were a testament to the hard work and
character that she displayed every day on the track.”
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Marian Karnas ’09, field hockey
Tearing an ACL is a horrible experience for anyone. Many athletes
would give up because the pain of
surgery and recovery is so great. But
that injury and recovery didn’t stop
Marian Karnas from returning to the
sport she loved—field hockey.
Karnas was injured in her sophomore season, but she never doubted
that she would return the moment
she got the go ahead from her physical therapist. In the off months, she
spent her time training and rebuilding
her strength so she could return for
her junior season.
“After the injury, I was devastated and felt like I had let my team
down. So while I was recovering and training to return, I felt a huge desire
and pressure to come back stronger than ever and prove myself,” said Karnas.
Karnas was not a key field player her freshman year or in the games
before her injury. She didn’t think she would have more playing time her
junior and senior years, but she worked to come back anyway. Even if she
wasn’t playing much, she knew the importance of supporting her team
mates on and off of the field and wanted to be there in that role, at least.
In Karnas’s senior season, the Bulldogs struggled to find a goalie. The
previous goalie had transferred at the last minute, leaving the first year
coach, Sarah Fosdick, a short amount of time to find a new goalie. Fosdick’s
efforts proved fruitless as the team entered pre-season with no prospects
for a goalie. So she picked two players who would not have received much
playing time and gave them the opportunity to learn goalie.
Karnas was not one of these players. She took her position as a substitute defender when the starters needed a break, and she never complained
because she knew she was an intricate part of that second string.
Six games into the season, Karnas had her chance to step up.The game
against Ramapo College of New Jersey was at an offensive halt, with Ramapo leading 2-1. One of the Bulldogs noticed that the goalie was hunched
over in pain and got the attention of the coaches. The goalie was injured,
and she was the last player left with any goalie experience.
The coaches were at a loss of what to do when Karnas stepped up.
She made her way to the coaches and offered to play goalie. “I knew I was
needed. Nobody else was going to step up, and as captain, I knew what was
expected of me” said Karnas.
“The half was winding down and Marian took a second to get into a
new mindset. She would be playing a new position and didn’t want to let
the team down. During half time, she suited up and took her place at the
end of the field between the pipes” said Fosdick.
The team had Karnas’s back for the last 35 minutes of play and did
their best to keep the ball on the offensive side of the field. DeSales scored
shortly into the second half—tying the score and fueling Karnas’s adrenaline. Although the game ended 5-2 and DeSales added a loss to their record,
Karnas was the hero of the game.
“I felt disappointed that I didn’t play better, but also proud of myself
for stepping up and going outside my comfort zone,” Karnas said.
Karnas was a player who didn’t take the easy route. She worked hard
on her fitness and tried to be in the best shape possible. Her old knee injury
sometimes bothered her, but she never let others notice and she didn’t let it
affect her playing—she could keep up with anyone on the field.
Captains are normally the most vocal players on the field, but Karnas
was quiet and reserved. Her teammates knew she had a heavy work load in
school, but that didn’t affected her on the field.The other players knew they
could come to her with anything, whether it involved field hockey or how
to do a math problem.
“Marian was the most well-rounded player her senior year” says Fosdick. Her attitude was her biggest asset on the field.
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Val Valach ’05, softball
In the Freedom Conference,
Wilkes University is usually one of
the DeSales softball team’s top opponents. The Bulldogs have always given
the Colonels a run for their money,
but from 2002 to 2005, one player—
Val Valach—really became a nuisance
for them.
A phenomenal second base player,Valach was tremendously persistent
during her four-year collegiate softball career. Her quiet personality was
contrasted by her powerful performances on the field as both a defensive and offensive player. Her achievements are legendary.
During her sophomore season,
Valach began to excel as a hitter—eventually leading the team in hits. But
while Head Coach Rachel Turoscy had always been impressed with the
young athlete, she became amazed by Valach’s skill after two days of double
headers against Wilkes.
On the first day in the first game, the Bulldogs lost to Wilkes. Toward
the end of the second game, with a close score, the Colonels maintained
a slight lead. Then Valach stepped to the plate. She had already delivered a
solid performance throughout the day, but in her final at-bat, she knocked
the ball over the fence for a homerun—winning the game for her team.
Pulling DeSales from a second loss in that first double header was an
outstanding feat in itself, but during the next day’s double header,Valach hit
another homerun! Just like the first time, the Bulldogs went on to win the
game, in large part thanks to Valach’s performance.
The double homerun weekend was certainly one of the highlights
of Valach’s career, but it was not her only notable accomplishment. In the
spring 2005 season, the softball team had made more double plays than
any other team within the Freedom Conference and was presented with
the double play award for that season—a first for the softball team. To this
day, Turoscy refers to that award as the “Val Valach Award” because Valach’s
phenomenal defensive skills as a second base player was the main reason the
Bulldogs garnered the most double plays. In that same season,Valach made
DeSales history by becoming the first ever regional All-American Bulldog
softball player.
After Valach graduated in the spring of 2005, the Wilkes University
coach said “She’s gone?” and then let out a sigh of relief. Even he recognized the tremendous talent and character that Valach demonstrated in her
persistent performances.
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Courtney McClurkin ’08, women’s tennis
Sometimes, the finest examples
of true character are developed from
life’s most demanding tests. Courtney
McClurkin is very familiar with some
of life’s intense tests, and she’s passed
with flying colors.
In 2008, McClurkin was honored as player of the year in tennis
by The Lehigh Valley Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
By the time she concluded her four
years at DeSales, she had racketed up
65 career single wins and 60 career
double victories—allowing her to
graduate with the honor of being the
most successful tennis player ever at
the University.
However, McClurkin faced a personal challenge during her winning
sweep on the tennis team. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer,
and McClurkin struggled to balance her life as both a dedicated daughter
to her family and a devoted tennis player on the courts.
She was known by her coaches as a young woman who would wear
out her opponents on the court with her relentless returns. McClurkin
didn’t miss a trick—she launched and returned the ball with such power
and persistence that many of her rival players would grow tired and eventually throw in the towel.
McClurkin’s teammates and coaches respected her persistence in the
face of her mother’s illness. They would have understood if she decided to
stop playing tennis to help support her family, but decided to stay and fight
her battles on the tennis courts. In her senior year, she collected many accolades on the courts and she graduated with honors. McClurkin not only
proved her abilities as a strong player and student, but as a loyal and dedicated member of her family.
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“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle
as real strength.” St. Francis de Sales
Transcendence
Stories compiled by Susan Gatanis ’10
T
ranscendence is achievement through beauty and excellence.
We transcend when we realize that success cannot be measured
through winning or losing but through appreciating our own life
journeys. Transcending helps us pursue personal growth, and through this
growth, we fulfill the natural human instinct to better ourselves.
Transcendence can happen through awareness of the splendor of the
world.We can be in awe of nature, knowledge, athletics, or the cases of some
DeSales University athletes, a combination of all these elements. Through
their journeys on DeSales athletic teams, many students have found deeper
meanings in their athletic experiences. Some have transcended through
their hope and ever-present optimism. A blend of spirituality, faith, religion,
and purpose guided others toward their goals and achievements. Other
athletes found humor in their high-pressure situations, constantly bringing
smiles to other people’s faces.
By keeping their lives and situations in perspective, these extraordinary
athletes have paid proper gratitude to the mysteries of life. As philosopher
and ethicist Sissela Bok said, “To mature is in part to realize that while complete intimacy and omniscience and power cannot be had, self-transcendence, growth, and closeness to others are nevertheless within one’s reach.”
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Brian Manning ’97, baseball
Brian Manning, a member of the
baseball team at DeSales, struggled
to balance academics and athletics.
Heading into his midterm exams, he
held an abysmal 0.9 grade point average and was in danger of losing his
spot on the baseball team.
Tim Neiman, head baseball
coach at DeSales, was upset and frustrated with his player during a practice and told the young man that he
was letting his teammates down.
Even Manning’s mother was
ready to give up on him because of
his poor academics. Neiman remembers her calling him saying, “You can
do anything you want with him, even
kick him off the team.”
Without the support of his mother or his coach, Manning had to decide: would he stay on the team and earn his degree, or would he fail and
let everyone down?
In the end, he took his studies seriously. He changed his attitude and
studied hard leading up to his exams. After taking his exams, Manning also
increased the effort he put into baseball practice—dedicating himself to
improving his game. This showed Neiman that Manning truly valued his
spot on the team.
Manning’s attitude change, both academically and physically, was important. He turned the semester around and proved to his team, coach, and
mother that he was as dedicated to both baseball and academics. From that
point on, according to Neiman, he kept his head in the game.
After graduating, Manning played baseball professionally for several
years in the minor leagues. He was later drafted in the ninth round by the
San Francisco Giants major league baseball team and has been inducted into
the DeSales Athletic Hall of Fame.
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Brett Vargo ’04, baseball
Brett Vargo embodied transcendence through his dedication to baseball and his teammates. He loved nothing more than playing the game and
remained optimistic when it would have been easier to give up.
Vargo was not a typical baseball player. Unlike most of his teammates,
who were tall and strong,Vargo was short and less robust. However, this size
difference didn’t affect Vargo’s effort and attitude on the baseball field. As of
2010, he held the all-time record at DeSales University for homerun hits in
a NCAA tournament, with an outstanding 27 homeruns.
Vargo’s skills extended beyond his time at the plate and into the outfield. During an away game against Ithaca College in 2003, he dove for
a ball even though his team already had a ten run lead. After making the
catch, Vargo remained lying on the field for several moments before his
teammates realized something was wrong. Ithaca’s medical trainer ran onto
the field to evaluate him and found Vargo in a great deal of pain. The medical trainer examined Vargo’s collarbone and advised him to have it checked
by a professional as soon as he returned to Center Valley.
After the medical trainer finished, Head Coach Tim Neiman approached his player.
“How ya feeling?” Neiman asked.
“I’m great!”Vargo beamed back.
Contrary to the medical trainer’s suggest,Vargo decided not to have his
injury checked. A week later,Vargo was up and ready for the next game of
the baseball tournament.
Though mentally ready for the game, Vargo’s body showed signs of
continued injury. Vargo had difficulty throwing the ball to his teammates
during the pre-game warm-up. Neiman noticed Vargo’s uncharacteristic
struggles and advised him to be cautious of his injured collarbone.
“I want to play, coach,”Vargo responded, and Neiman didn’t argue.
Vargo went on to play the entire game, hitting three homeruns. Although DeSales lost that last game of the tournament, Vargo had reason to
be pleased with his effort and performance.
A week after the tournament ended,Vargo finally had his injury examined by a doctor. That was when his stellar performance during the tournament became even more amazing. The doctor found that Vargo had a
46
broken collarbone and had been playing injured for the past two weeks.
Even with this painful injury,Vargo managed to hit three homeruns during
the last game of the tournament.
Vargo’s tremendous aptitude and exuberance for the game were such
that he not only continued to play with a broken collarbone, but he excelled in the sport. Vargo’s appreciation of the game helped him overcome
his pain. His determination was an inspiration not only to his teammates,
but his coaches as well.
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Lori (Schwartz) Olivi ’00, women’s track and field
Overcoming challenges often goes beyond sports and into an athlete’s
personal life.These challenges add a new dimension to being an athlete. For
Lori (Schwartz) Olivi, the greatest challenge to overcome was her health,
which put in perspective her role on the team and the simple joy of participating in an activity she loved.
When she first came to DeSales, Olivi was interested in playing soccer.
But after she sustained two serious head injuries, she was no longer able to
continue to play. Still, she loved sports and looked for a new athletic outlet
that her body could handle.
Olivi approached Gordon Hornig, head coach of the women’s track
and field team, during her sophomore year in hopes of joining his team. In
that first meeting with Olivi, Hornig noticed her bubbly personality, knew
she was something special, and welcomed her to the team.
Olivi’s transition from the soccer field to the track was not easy. She
had trouble understanding how different running for track was from the
running she had done for years in soccer. Even with an initial learning
curve about the technique of track running, she always gave phenomenal
effort.
Her persistence on the track led to eventual improvement. As her running got better and better, devastating news from her doctor changed Olivi’s
life. During her sophomore year, she was diagnosed with cancer. From that
moment on, she was not only battling other runners on the track, but also
battling for her life.
With a strong will and positive attitude, Olivi never let cancer slow her
down. She never gave in and never complained. “Lori didn’t give up with
anything we did. She would do anything for the team,” said Hornig.
He also remembers Olivi’s modesty.
“I would tell her how well she did, but she would always say,‘you know
what, so-and-so did really well, too. So we established the Bird Award.”
The Bird Award was given to an outstanding runner after a meet. The
runner could then choose to keep it or pass it on to a teammate. “It just
became a nice team-building tool. We were a team who flocked together,”
Hornig said.
Olivi wasn’t the best runner on the team—she never qualified for
championships—but her presence alone was inspiring. For Olivi, it didn’t
matter how well she did—she was proud just to be a member of the team.
She was an encouraging motivator and the team respected her for that. She
traveled to every meet, even if she didn’t run, to give her teammates support.
“She was the first athlete to really make me realize that the teamwork,
motivation, and leadership of my team wasn’t only on the track,” Hornig
said. “She made me realize how much of an impact one young woman
could have on her team.”
Hornig also remembers how Olivi placed great value in her spirituality
and was never afraid to show her faith. It was through her trust in a higher
power that she found the strength to battle cancer and continue running.
“She didn’t take chances when it came to her spirituality. She practiced
her faith in everything she did,” Hornig said.
By the time she was a senior, Olivi’s running and endurance drastically
improved, and it has continued to improve since then. In 2004, Olivi ran her
first marathon as a cancer survivor. She has since moved to Maryland, where
she teaches high school theology. She continues to stay active in the DeSales
community by speaking about her fight against cancer and spreading her
philosophy of living each day to its fullest.
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Nathan Branosky ’99, men’s soccer
Harry Morra ’04, men’s basketball
Some athletes forget that sports should be fun, but not Nathan Branosky. He found joy in encouraging his team and worked hard to stay positive and lighthearted. He was a true team player.
Dr. Martin Brett ’98, director of the sports management program at
DeSales and a former teammate of Branosky, can’t help but laugh when he
remembers his time on the soccer team. He said Branosky’s most valuable
contribution to the team was his ever-positive attitude.
Perhaps not the most skilled player on the team, Branosky’s role was
primarily a supportive one—he showed spirit and dedication to his teammates. His presence inspired others to remain persistent and to keep bigpicture goals in mind rather than focusing on small setbacks. Branosky also
kept the mood light through his sense of humor.
Brett said Branosky often laughed and make jokes about soccer with
the other players, even though his athletic skills were often far from perfect.
“Sometimes he’d make a mistake and someone would rib him over it,
and he’d try to shoot back and then mess that up, making it even funnier,”
Brett said. “He’d trip over the ball during drills, things like that. We were a
year older than him, but we knew if we saw Nate out there practicing alone,
we had to work harder.”
Brett said Branosky’s greatest strengths came from his pure, infectious
joy with being on the field.
“He loved being out there—bringing energy and helping whenever
he could.”
Brett also admired how Branosky joined anyone working individually
on their skill drills to give them a partner. He also offered support if he
saw someone falling behind their goal time while on a run. Even if he had
already finished the run himself, Branosky didn’t hesitate to run back to his
teammate’s side and offer encouragement.
“He had fun. He approached the game the right way.”
Branosky’s pleasure in participating and helping others continued after
graduation when he became a nurse and served in the Army Reserves as a
medic. Today, Branosky is a Pennsylvania state trooper in the Fogelsville area.
“Those facts speak to what kind of person he is,” Brett said.
Harry Morra struggled to find
a place he felt comfortable until he
came to DeSales and found his niche:
basketball.
In his first year, Morra had
plenty of playing time and his love of
the game was apparent to everyone.
However, during his sophomore and
junior years, Morra began to his see his
time on the court decline. Instead of
giving into his frustrations or quitting
the team, however, Morra remained
hopeful and positive.
Men’s Basketball Head Coach
Scott Coval said Morra “stuck it out”
through those two years of reduced
playing time and emerged as a leader in his senior year. Coval commended
Morra’s transcendence, describing him as a good teammate with an “ability
to reach everyone on the team.” According to Coval, Morra embodied the
values of community and togetherness.
After graduating from DeSales, Morra continued to exhibit strong
moral character and tie them into his love of basketball when he began
working for PeacePlayers International (PPI.) PPI is an innovative global
organization that uses sports to unite and educate adolescents in divided
communities. The organization was founded under the mission that “children who play together can learn to live together”—a statement that reflects the values Morra developed while playing basketball at DeSales.
Through PPI, Morra has worked in a variety of segregated communities in South Africa and Ireland teaching children to play basketball. In
Ireland, children used the game as an escape from the constant quarreling of
religious groups. Likewise, basketball brought joy to less fortunate villages
in South Africa, where some children’s families could not even afford shoes.
Today, Morra is active in both PPI and at DeSales, returning to speak
with basketball players about PPI and the importance of giving back.
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“No one is esteemed before God for having lived long,
but for having lived well.” St. Francis de Sales
Justice
Stories compiled by Chelsey Armstrong ’11
N
ot everyone is just. Justice requires a person to engage themselves
in the qualities of leadership, teamwork, fairness, and active citizenship. People who demonstrate these qualities promote unity
and help form a society’s sense of community. Because justice helps society
function, a person of character who shows justice benefits the greater good
of society.
DeSales athletes are often noted for their qualities of justice. For a team
to function successfully, all of the qualities of justice—leadership, teamwork,
fairness and active citizenship—must be present. Characterics of justice help
a team form a special bond, creating a union among team members.
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Ted Gladue ’94, men’s basketball
As a fourth-year shooting guard on the DeSales men’s basketball team,
Ted Gladue hoped for personal glory. He wanted to play in more than 100
games and score more than 1,000 points.
As a first-year coach on the men’s basketball team, Scott Coval hoped
to win games. He wanted to enforce teamwork and to earn respect.
There were times when the player’s sense of self and coach’s sense of
team conflicted. “I walked onto the basketball court noticing several problems. The players competed as individuals, not as a team. Overall, there was
a lack of discipline and obedience,” Coval said. “I was an inexperienced
30-year-old, but I needed to change the team’s culture.”
Changing the team’s culture, however, was challenging and overwhelming. “Some players ignored change and abandoned the team. Other
players acknowledged change but remained self-centered.We had four wins
and ten losses,” Coval said. He was desperate for improvement and sought
leadership.
“Ted was an all-around player. On offense, he shot from inside and
from outside. On defense, he read the zones and stole the basketball,” Coval
said. “If Ted understood my philosophy, the entire team would follow suit.”
Gladue accepted the leadership position and the Bulldogs found success. On January 24, they defeated Ursinus College 86-56.
“Ted became a dedicated player, and competed for the entire team.
The other players followed him,” Coval said. “Defeating Ursinus College
was inspirational—it was our season’s turning point.”
The Bulldogs rallied, defeating opponents by large and small margins.
They defeated Catholic University 90-70 and defeated Wesley College 9390.
“Ted encouraged our team to compete for 40 minutes. We concluded
the season with eight wins and one loss. It was a miraculous improvement.”
Moreover, Gladue still earned personal glory. Throughout the season,
he scored 264 points. In the DeSales University record book, he ranks 14th
with 105 consecutive games and 20th with 1,053 points.
“For a fourth-year player, comfortable with one culture and one philosophy, change was difficult. Nevertheless,Ted remained dedicated and encouraged,” Coval said. “His leadership salvaged my first season.”
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Kelly Magrann ’10, Women’s Basketball
Kelly Magrann showed her
character through justice when she
stepped up to the plate when her
team needed her the most.
The 2009-10 season for the
DeSales women’s basketball team
began well enough, but games became harder and wins started to slip
through their fingers. The team was
sinking, and after the season’s 11th
game, the starting captain of the Bulldogs suffered an injury.
Then in mid-January, Magrann—a heavily used reserve player—came off the bench during a
game against Florham University and
sprang into action to score a careerhigh 21 points. In that game, she led the team to victory and took over as
captain, matching her scholastic excellence with as-yet untapped potential
as a team leader.
“Things happen,” said Fred Richter, head women’s basketball coach.
“When a key player gets injured, you either let it slide or someone can step
up and be the voice.”
That voice was Magrann’s, and the reservist quickly found herself in
the pivotal central position of the team, both on and off the court.
Magrann became a respectable presence during games, again topping
her own best score and leading by example. On her 22nd birthday, she
scored 30 points to cement a resounding 81-52 win against FDU Florham.
Between games, she did whatever was necessary for her team and teammates’ success­—including an ever-increasing number of administrative tasks.
Through the second half of the season, Magrann led the team to 13
straight wins and deep into the NCAA tournament for a final record of
11-3. She did this while maintaining a 3.97 GPA and was named the MidAmerican Conference Women’s Basketball scholar-athlete for 2010.
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Richter said that Magrann’s
coming to the forefront of the team
was exactly what the Bulldogs needed—someone taking initiative and
responsibility to fill a need for their
friends and fellow student-athletes.
“And if that’s going to happen, it
should come from within the team,”
Richter said.
Richter is certain their opponents sat up to take notice of Magrann’s transformation on the court.
“If you look at her statistics for the
year, you see that she raised her level
of play. If you look at the game stories
over the course of the season, you see
that Kelly had a tremendous impact
on the court after her teammate was injured.”
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Danielle Jenson ’06, softball
Since beginning her softballcoaching career at DeSales, Head
Coach Rachel Turoscy had never seen
a better leader than Jenson.The player
was more than a leader, however. She
also demonstrated active citizenship.
Jenson played all four years at
DeSales, and by the time she was a
junior, she had been named co-captain—an honor typically reserved for
senior athletes.
A hard-throwing right-handed
pitcher, Jenson exemplified justice
through her natural leadership qualities. While many of her teammates
were quiet, Jenson was quite the opposite. She engaged in active citizenship—encouraging all of her teammates to work together. She kept the
team in shape, correcting her teammates when they were out of line, and
didn’t avoid confrontation. This uncanny knack for communication not
only impacted the DeSales softball team during her tenure but for years
after.
In was the 2006 season—Jenson’s senior year—the pitcher really
stepped into her leadership role. She was not pitching well because of
chronic shoulder pain, and the team’s win-loss record was suffering. However, that season turned out to be influential in determining the future of
the women’s softball team, primarily because of Jenson’s efforts.
As senior co-captain of the team, Jenson gave that season her all. She
focused on the game and gave all of her energy—both physical and emotional—to every game, regardless of how badly her team was being beaten.
Ending with a record of 17-18, Jenson’s role as leader may not have
helped the Bulldogs’ record that season, but her impact on the team’s morale
has since been indelible. Four freshman players that year, Maddie Roxandich, Kelly Moran, Jamie Pfitzenmayer, and Amanda Kensecki, witnessed
the example set by their senior captain and took it to heart. By the end
of their senior year—spring of 2009—the softball team’s reputation and
record had improved significantly and three players were named regional
All-American athletes.This was a dramatic improvement compared to three
years earlier when the Bulldogs couldn’t earn a winning record.
Jenson’s leadership role inspired younger players, and her impact on
the team has helped the softball program become stronger over all. She was
not only a leader, but a role model.
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LeighAnn Burke ’09, women’s basketball
LeighAnn Burke, a four-year
member of the women’s basketball
team, was also determined to improve
as an athlete. Fred Richter, DeSales
University’s women’s basketball head
coach, described Burke as one of his
“all-time great players.”
“She was one of the best players
I’ve ever had. She worked to become
a better player for the benefit for the
team. She was awarded for her personal performance but her main concern was getting the team ready to do
their best,” said Richter.
During Burke’s senior year, the
Bulldogs went to the Sweet 16 round
of the NCAA tournament. It was the
first time in school history that the Bulldogs had advanced that far in the
tournament.
While Burke’s many talents and her just character helped the team
during her senior year, it was not always the case. In her sophomore year,
Burke had trouble focusing. Knowing she wasn’t keeping her head in the
game, she approached her coach for help.
“She came to me and asked me how we could fix her problem. We
met and evaluated her game and got a better understanding of what she was
doing wrong and how we could fix it to work better in our system of play,”
said Richter.
Burke and Richter then came up with what was known as “LeighAnn’s
focus sheet”—a list of things for Burke to focus on during the game.
“She was a great player before we made the focus sheet, but after we
did she became a superior player,” said Richter.
Burke soon became more dedicated to improving her whole team.
“She was in my office constantly. We watched game film and tried to
figure out how we can be better as a team and what she could do to lead
the team in a more dynamic way,” said
Richter.
Despite the fact that her coach
was tough on her, Burke took the
constructive criticism that he gave
her and made the necessary changes
in her game. She would do anything
to win—whether it was out-working
or out-thinking her opponents.
Burke played for DeSales for
four years and gained multiple titles
as a student. She finished her career
averaging 20.4 points per game her
last season and led the team with 113
assists and 77 steals. Burke broke her
own school record with 81 threepointers, and she shot 44.6 percent
from the field in her senior year. In addition, she had a school record 46
points with another school record 10 three-pointers in a late season win
over Delaware Valley College in her senior season.
Burke was named to a D3hoops.com Second-Team All-American and
WBCA Honorable Mention All-American as a junior and was a pre-season
First-Team All-American by D3hoops.com at the start of her senior year.
That same year, she was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic SecondTeam All-American, a Jostens Trophy Finalist, and the D3hoops.com MidAtlantic Region Player of the Year.
Because of dedication to active citizenship and teamwork, she was able
to improve her skills as an athlete and become an asset to the team.
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Shannon Mascio ’09, field hockey
Shannon Mascio was not known
in field hockey because of her captain
status or for her number of defensive
saves. Instead, she was known for her
ability to speak her mind and to use
humor in tough situations. During
her senior year, Mascio faced a situation that challenged her to stand up
for her beliefs.
“Shannon had to deal with a new
coach her senior year and a new way
of doing things. That’s hard for any
player, especially a senior,” said Sarah
Fosdick, head field hockey coach.
The one thing Mascio wouldn’t
change was her block tackle—a defensive skill in which the defender
puts her stick flat on the ground to stop the ball from being driven down
the field by the offense. It’s a hard skill to master because it is easy to foul
in the attempt.
Fosdick tried to show Mascio a new way of doing a block tackle.
However, Mascio knew she had great success in the way she’d block tackled
for ten years. So instead of conceding to the coach, Mascio kept to her old
method. Once Fosdick saw that it worked, she asked Mascio to show the
rest of the players the technique.The players, in turn, saw Mascio’s defensive
skills and began looking to her for help and guidance. Her greatest contribution to the team was not her skill but her willingness to speak up.
Mascio also had a sense of active citizenship. Not only did she empower her team through leadership, but she also encouraged a special bond
among her teammates. Her personality helped boost the morale of the team
and created a community.
“She was silly—fooling around to lift the spirits of her teammates during
the rough times. She was the comic relief on the days when practice consisted
of just running and sprinting,” said Laura Gibbs , a former teammate.
Her teammates knew they could look to her for advice on how to become a better player, but they also knew she could put a smile on their faces.
“I don’t like to see people stressed or in a poor mood, so I try to find
positives or make the best of things no matter what the situation,” said
Mascio.
Athletes often get frustrated with themselves when they make an error
on the field, and Mascio was there to help. She made it a point to cheer her
teammates up, and there were times when that was more important than
scoring a goal. Mascio kept the mood light and the team fed off of her positive attitude.
Besides being looked up to on the field, Mascio was involved outside
of field hockey. She was the team leader when they were involved with
Cops N Kids, which is a program to help improve a child’s reading skills.
The team became involved her senior year and she quickly stepped up as
the leader. She met with organizations to help collect books and took time
out of her busy schedule to categorize and label each book.
“I loved being a part of Cops ‘n’ Kids. It was wonderful to see how just
giving a child a book that was just there was amazing,” said Mascio.
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As a team, the players traveled to Bethlehem to read to elementary
school students during their Christmas break. Mascio was loved by the children she read to, as well as the leaders of the Lehigh Valley division of Cops
‘n’ Kids, because of her enthusiasm to help and her positive attitude.
Mascio was a player to look up to. She took time to help others who
were in need and could find a positive in every situation.
“Even though my senior year was not what I expected, I really tried to
find and focus on the positives in a situation,” said Mascio.
She knew when to step out of her comfort level and stand her ground
with an authority figure and gained respect in the process. Mascio was an
all-around good athlete and caring person whose teammates respected her.
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“It is wonderful how attractive a gentle, pleasant
manner is, and how much it wins hearts.”
St. Francis de Sales
Humanity
Stories compiled by Jenna Turner ’10
C
ertain characteristics come from our humanity and separate us
from others in the animal kingdom. Three of those characteristics,
love, kindness, and social intelligence, are components of the character trait humanity.
Love transcends the limits of language—humans share the capacity
to love and be loved. Intimate relationships are at the core of a healthy
lifestyle—whether it is love for our spouses, friends, or even pets. Loving
relationships depend on reciprocal closeness and is essential in life.
Like love, anyone can be kind. As a Catholic university, DeSales values
kindness, caring, and generosity.The University operates in accordance with
Christian Humanism—the idea that every aspect of the human experience
can be enlightened by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and acting with kindness
personifies Christian Humanism.
Humanity also comprises social intelligence. Having a high social intelligence involves awareness of others in social interactions; it has everything
to do with understanding the feelings and motives of others and using that
understanding to better relate to each other. Socially intelligent people are
sensitive to these around them. This skill is at the center of human nature.
The following stories each represent humanity in one of its forms. All
of these athletes were recognized by their coaches or peers for demonstrating their humanity throughout their athletic careers at DeSales University.
Though the stories may be different, the messages are all the same.
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Gina Locke ’10, women’s soccer
In 2010, senior nursing major
Gina Locke was finishing her last
year on the DeSales women’s soccer
team. She loved her sport and always
showed up ready to support her team,
regardless of the score. Although she
wasn’t a starter, Locke’s attitude made
her a team leader, both on and off the
field. She encouraged her teammates
and offered her help in any way she
could. Locke’s heart secured her place
as a member of the team.
Regardless of the situation,
Locke was a hard worker who supported her teammates, something that
made her stand out in the eyes of her
coaches.
“They had to run a certain distance in under a certain time. Gina
would finish under the time allowed and then would go back and run
with the women who may not make the time,” said Martin Brett ’98, the
women’s assistant soccer coach. When playing soccer, Locke didn’t believe
in individualism—she believed in the team.Therefore, she tried to create an
environment where her teammates were united and successful.
Even though Locke didn’t start every game in her soccer career at
DeSales, she continued to practice hard. In 2006, she appeared in 7 games.
In 2007, she appeared in 13 games and was named to the MASCAC Fall
Academic Honor Roll and Fall MASCAC women’s soccer sportsmanship
team. As Locke worked hard to improve her game, she began to see results.
Locke was and is a true humanitarian. Although she had to work hard
to play, her desire and willingness to help her friends made her the ideal
teammate.
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Kevin Hopkins ’03, men’s basketball
Martin Brett ’98, men’s soccer
The DeSales men’s basketball team has many memorable players. Some
athletes are remembered for the records and statistics, but others are remembered for their generosity and kindness. One of those players, Kevin
Hopkins played only three or four minutes per game, but he enjoyed the
camaraderie of playing on a team.
“Kevin was a good player, but we didn’t recruit him. He earned a position on our junior varsity team,” said Scott Coval, athletic director and head
men’s basketball coach, of Hopkins’ first year on the team.
Hopkins excelled on the junior varsity team, but as a second-year and
third-year player, he was determined to practice and compete with the varsity team.
“I admired Kevin’s determination and toughness,” Coval said. “Nevertheless, he didn’t compare athletically with his classmates, and he stayed on
the junior varsity team.”
Before Hopkins’s fourth year, however, the athletic department terminated the junior varsity team. Hopkins worked doubly hard and finally
earned a position on the varsity team.
“That year, at tryouts and at practices, Kevin competed for a position,”
Coach Coval said. “He pushed our star players to their absolute limit.”
Still, during scrimmages and games, Hopkins didn’t see much court
time. “If the scrimmage or game was close, he sat on the bench,” Coval said.
“If we were ahead by 20 or 30 points, he played five or six minutes.”
Even though he didn’t hold a integral position on the team, Hopkins
understood his coaches’ and teammates’ motives and continually encouraged and supported them
“Kevin never questioned the game plan and he never abandoned the
team. He clearly valued being part of a team—valued the friendships and
the relationships,” Coval said.
In return for his camaraderie, Hopkins’ coaches and teammates respected his effort. According to Coval, his effort at practice and in encouraging his teammates was an important aspect to the 23-7 season.
“Many players wouldn’t work hard at tryouts and at practices only to
sit on the bench during scrimmages and games,” Coval said. “Overall, with
a competitor like Kevin, we had a great team.”
As a member of the DeSales men’s soccer team, Martin Brett was
described by his teammates as being loyal, caring, and a true leader. During pre-season practices and games, Brett’s relationships with his teammates
developed into a strong bond as he supported them in their preparation for
the upcoming season. More importantly, he did whatever he could to get
the new students accommodated to college life at DeSales.
Every semester, as course work began to pile up and students became
busy with homework, Brett made it a priority to spend time in recreation
with his soccer friends, whom he would otherwise have seen only during
practices. Maintaining strong friendships was obviously important to Brett.
Nate Branosky ’99 (see Nate’s story on page 56)—a fellow soccer
player and a good friend of Brett’s from their years at DeSales—remembered a time where he was running late for lunch and everyone was ready
to leave by the time he got there. Brett was the only one that chose to stay
and keep him company.
“It was the little things that Martin did that made him such a great
person. You realize after you graduate that the big things that happened to
you in college aren’t really what you remember. It’s the little things. Martin
just waiting with me at lunch is one of those things,” said Branosky.
Another example of the little things that Brett did that meant a lot to
Branosky: “We didn’t get to see each other a lot, so every Sunday night he
would call me and ask if I would walk to church with him. It gave us the
time to talk about our week and what happened.”
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Randy Sturm ’07, men’s soccer
In fall 2003, Randy Sturm was
preparing himself for a one of a kind
experience. He had recently started
what many consider the best four
years of your life as a college student
at DeSales, but on a misty autumn
morning over Labor Day weekend,
Sturm was gearing up to play his first
away game against the men’s soccer
team at LaRouche College. The bus
was packed, and as the anticipation
mounted for the big game, Sturm’s
emotions whirled from nervous tension to crackling excitement.
George Crampton, head coach
for men’s soccer, always asked his
team to be polite and cordial to everyone they meet in their travels to and from different games. Each team
member not only had the responsibility to do their best out on the playing
field, but also to conduct themselves in a way that represents the values of
the DeSales University and makes their teammates proud.
The bus stopped at a rest stop and the athletes, wearing their game-day
polo shirts, filed off the bus. As Sturm approached the building, he noticed
an elderly woman ahead of him. Remembering Crampton’s words to the
team about acting as representatives of the University, Sturm opened the
door for the woman.
The red and blue team polo shirt he wore said DeSales University in
bold font.The old woman noticed the shirt and asked, “Are you in college?”
Sturm, proud of his recent move to DeSales, answered her: “Yes, I play on
the men’s soccer team at DeSales University.” The woman replied, “DeSales
University—where is that?” Joking with her, Strum said, “I’m not sure. My
parents just dropped me off on campus!”
After hearing about the incident, Strum’s teammates laughed and accepted him as a member of the team. As they made their way back to the
bus, people jokingly said,“Don’t let Randy give directions back to campus!”
It was a moment that broke the ice for the team.
Despite his goofy answer that day, Strum did not have his head in the
clouds. During his years at DeSales, he was praised for his skill and dedication on the playing field. He earned a spot on the Regional American and
All-American soccer teams.
“Randy never let any accolades go to his head. He showed up and gave
his best each practice and each game,” said Crampton, remembering Strum
for his hard work and excellence on the field.
In addition to being a star athlete, Sturm excelled in the classroom.
He graduated in 2007 with an education degree and a 3.8 GPA. He went
on to work in southern New Jersey as
an elementary school teacher, where
his sense of humor stayed with him.
“As a fifth grade elementary
teacher, I incorporate humor everyday in my classroom,” Strum said. “I
want my students to want to show up
every day and have a positive attitude
about school. A little bit of laughter
in a subject such as math can make a
world of differences in both the attitude and effort of the students.”
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Liz Kelly ’04, women’s basketball
Of the many players that DeSales women’s basketball Head Coach
Fred Richter has coached over the years, few have stood out for their character as much as Liz Kelly, both on and off the court.
“When Liz started her freshman year in 2000, she wasn’t the best athlete or a vocal leader,” Richter said. “But she played hard when she got the
chance and she was very positive, even as a bench player.”
As her college career progressed, Kelly became more and more of a
presence on the team as she learned new roles. She was comfortable in
every position on the court, except for center. However, Kelly struggled
with severe asthma and was limited to playing only three to four minutes
at a time.
“Even though Liz had asthma, she never let it stop her from playing as
hard as everyone else,” Richter said. “She played on our basketball team for
four years, and she was a very positive influence on the rest of the girls. I never
once heard her complain, and she just continued to work and improve.”
By the time Liz was a senior, she made the starting lineup, and at the
end of the season, as the entire season hung in the balance, she gave Richter
one of his favorite memories of her.
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“It was the last game of the season, in the ECAC Regional Championship game—held on our home court,” Richter remembered. “We were
trailing by one point as the clock ticked down, and with only a few seconds
left, I called time-out to draw up a play. The play was supposed to go to
someone else, but their shot missed and Liz grabbed the rebound and got
fouled with almost no time left.With the game on the line, Liz had to make
both foul shots for us to win, and she did. We won because of her.
“It just seemed so poetic that she got the chance to win the game for
us. She was always the hardest worker and the girl that everyone respected.
She deserved it.”
Something that really made Kelly stand out, according to Richter, was
her kindness to the other girls on the team and her constantly positive attitude.
“Liz worked really hard to get into our starting lineup and showed a
tremendous amount of leadership—even though she wasn’t one of our best
players,” Richter explained. “She was always positive, always. She was very
mature, and more than anything, her positive influence was her legacy.”
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Erica Ecklund-Piantone ’08, field hockey
One of the kindest people her
teammates ever encountered, Erica
Ecklund-Piantone seemed to bring
smiles to the field. Even during the
extremely long, hot, and tiring preseason practices, she encouraged and
motivated her teammates to be the
best that they could be. Even off the
field, Erica supported her field hockey teammates in every way she could.
She supported her team and gave
whatever advice she could.
Although
Ecklund-Piantone
had a particularly full schedule as a
student-athlete and a nursing major,
she didn’t let it distract her while she
played. She was persistent and motivated when it came to working out and being in good shape while inseason. Everyday, both in and out of season, she woke up early for morning
workouts and encouraged her teammates to follow in her footsteps.
On one particularly hot pre-season day in Ecklund-Piantone’s senior
year, the team conditioned by doing track work—sprints, long-distance
running, and strength training exercises like sit-ups, cage sits, and push-ups.
Because of the difficulty of these training seasons, many of the underclassmen who were not used to this level of conditioning began to fall behind.
They were sore, tired, and lacked the motivation to keep up with their more
experienced teammates.
Ecklund-Piantone noticed that these girls were on the verge of giving up, and she couldn’t stand to see her teammates give up on themselves.
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She had finished the drills, so she became a cheerleader for the players who
were lagging behind. As tired as she was, Ecklund-Piantone decided to run
with her teammates and encouraged them to push themselves further. Each
of her teammates finished their drills that day thanks to her support and
guidance.
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By Kate Steiner ’11
The Minstrel
mazing. Humorous. Competitive. Humble.
Giving. Inspiring. These are just some of
the many words that describe DeSales’ former tennis coach and teacher Albert ‘Al’ Senavitis.
Sadly, on the morning of November 5, 2010,
Al, 70, passed away from a short battle with leukemia at Hershey Medical Center. The news of
his illness and passing is such a short time period
shocked the DeSales community.
Al Senavitis 1940-2010
“We were called in for a staff meeting on
Thursday and were informed about Al,” said athletic trainer, Nan Miller.
“He passed away the next day. It’s heartbreaking. I guess the only way you
can look at this unfortunate passing is that it was fast and he didn’t suffer.
But I will surely miss the moments where he strolled in [to the office] and
just humored us with his jokes.”
Throughout his life, Al was an outstanding athlete, playing basketball at
Liberty High School and Seton Hall University. In 1980, he was inducted
into the Lehigh Valley Basketball Hall of Fame. Later in his life, he became
a master on the tennis court and was ranked in the Mid Atlantic Region
in his age group. However, one would not know any of these achievements
because Al never talked about his successes.
“He was an amazing player and a great athlete,” said DeSales director of Athletics and men’s basketball coach, Scott Coval. “He was always
humble of all of his accomplishments. From the years that I have known Al,
his stories have been about everyone else, never himself.”
Al was the former head coach for both the DeSales men’s and women’s
tennis teams, as well as the golf team. Under his guidance, the women’s
tennis team won the Freedom Conference Championship in 2005 and the
men’s team reached the playoffs yearly. Al also taught the tennis class offered
at DeSales each year.
Giving and helping was always part of Al’s nature and he showed that
when the women’s tennis team was in need of a coach in the beginning
of their 2009 season. The retired tennis coach stepped in and took control
of the team. He bonded with the girls and made them feel as if they had
known each other for years.
“He came into coaching us and was ready to make us work,” reminisced senior and former tennis player, Amelia Lloyd. “Through that I think
we not only bonded with each other by pushing one another, but also with
him, too. He was the definition of ‘tough love.’”
Even though he was only with the team a short time, the connection
between the players and Al was undeniable, and his loss is hard.
“I am really upset that he is no longer with us,” said Lloyd. “Although
I did not know him long, he certainly was an inspiration.”
Al was also heavily involved with Special Olympics Pennsylvania
(SOPA), for which he volunteered, coached, and served as a board member
and chairman. Working with special children because his life, his passion,
his calling. He became a special education teacher at Liberty High School
in 1969 and became involved with SOPA in 1970. Al had a desire to assist those who just need a little bit of extra help from others. Doing special
things for the kids was important to him.
“Every year, Al would take the seniors, get all dressed up, and go to
New York City. They would go to dinner and see a play because they were
not going to prom,” said Coval with a smile. “I mean, what guy does that?
He just treated them the right way.”
It is hard to replace a man like Al, who was truly one of a kind, who has
touched the lives of thousands, and who simply cared and loved. Doing all
those things day in and day out may seem like a handful and be exhausting
to some. However, Al made it look easy and forever will be remembered for
his gentle soul.
“He lived a good life,” said Coval. “If your life is judged by the impact
and legacy you left,Al’s was extraordinary. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
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The Legacy of a Man—A Lesson on Humility
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