“ We asked each guy to present on Zoom calls their hope , history , hero , and heartbreak . We learned a lot about each other on what some of their goals are , where they came from , what their hopes are , tragedy and how they dealt with it , and who helped them the most and why those people are important to them ,” Men ’ s Basketball Head Coach John Baron said . “ It was eye-opening to see young men and older coaches become vulnerable and begin to create a trusting environment .”
During a time where some of our motivation may have waned , GMercyU ’ s student-athletes stepped up . They helped coaches with recruiting , filmed workouts for their teammates during the off season when coaches couldn ’ t , and of course , brought the fun .
“ We have a great big brother-little brother program where a returning player is paired up with a first-year . This allows the freshmen to always have somebody to turn to for help when it comes to academics , athletics , and navigating being at college ,” Men ’ s Lacrosse Captain and GMercyU Criminal Justice Junior Brendan Donovan said . “ We had team workouts that we had to get done three days a week ; though we were physically apart , we all had to get them done . This allowed us to have a sense of camaraderie as a team .”
GMercyU Athletic Director Keith Mondillo and Head Athletic Trainer Jenna Allonardo worked day and night to put together the University ’ s “ Return to Play ” policy to ensure teams were able to return safely .
“ The NCAA institute has changed instructions on how to do things and we have had to adapt accordingly ,” Keith said . “ We have been adjusting as we go along .”
“ Now that we are all back on the field together we are so thankful and not taking any time we have together for granted ,” Seydel said . “ Being a studentathlete at GMercyU does not just mean winning games . It means going out there and playing games fullheartedly . It means going out there and leading by example . It means going out there and playing with good sportsmanship . We play with grit and integrity and that ' s what makes us different from other schools .”
The Atlantic East Conference announced in early 2021 that spring sports can resume to competition . While teams are yet again adjusting to a new normal , they are happy to be back where they belong .
TODAY 7