Bryn Athyn College Alumni Magazine Fall/Winter 2017-18 | Page 5

CAMPUS LIFE
“The fireworks were a fantastic
opportunity to get our students
excited about the upcoming
academic year and get alumni
back to the College.”
–Matt Kennedy, Vice President of Business
Development and Athletic Director
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT
By Angella Irwin
O
n Friday, September 1, the night sky above
Bryn Athyn College exploded into streaks
of dazzling color. Loud, earthshaking
booms punctuated each burst with that familiar lag
time as the eye took in the light before the sound
could travel to the ear. The fireworks show was a
full-fledged display; the pyrotechnics from the first
burst to the grand finale were thrilling to behold.
The show painted the heavens and shone against
the upturned faces of families and sports fans as-
sembled on the hill overlooking the General Ron-
ald K. Nelson Field. The wonder and delight reflect-
ed in those faces proved that the inaugural Light
Up the Night was a resounding success!
Matt Kennedy, the vice president of business
development and the athletic director of Bryn
Athyn College, conceived the idea for the event. He
said, “The fireworks were a fantastic opportunity
to get our students excited about the upcoming
academic year and get alumni back to the College.”
Matt was able to get longtime partner, Monty’s
Sandwich Shop, to sponsor the fireworks and bring
sandwiches and refreshments to the full-day sports
extravaganza.
Four College teams participated in the day’s
events that led to the fireworks show. Women’s
soccer kicked off
Inaugural field hockey game.
with the first game
of the day. Then the
men’s soccer team battled Cairn University while
the cross-country team hosted a race that wound
through North Campus. To cap off the day’s ath-
letic events, the field hockey team played under
the lights, marking the first match in Bryn Athyn
field hockey history. A day for the record books, the
teams and their fans kept the feeling of excitement
and unity going strong.
Men’s soccer player Edgar Rodriguez (’19) said,
“The fireworks were awesome. The whole day was
pretty great. I loved seeing so many supporters and
sharing the day with so many of our teams.” The
College’s head field hockey coach, Kaitlyn Fitzger-
ald, said, “What a spectacular inaugural game for
the field hockey program. The excitement was in the
air, and you could feel the goodwill and support of
all the fans. To end it all with a fantastic fireworks
show was just unbelievable.”
Spectators were delighted, and many are hop-
ing that Light Up the Night will return next fall.
Matt Kennedy summed it up well, saying, “We’re
small but mighty, and this kind of occasion cel-
ebrates that in a special and spectacular way.”
B RY N AT H Y N A LU M N I M AG A Z I N E
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