Quadrangle

Once a Jasper, Always a Jasper

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Caitlin Bricketto, former captain of the Manhattan College women’s tennis team and a 2015 graduate, has been named the operations manager of Manhattan’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

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“I think she brings a time dynamic in that since she was an athlete, and specifically one at Manhattan, she can help us relate to all the student-athletes,” Kevin Ross, Manhattan’s senior associate athletic director for media communications and marketing, said. “In our profession, the student-athlete is the most important element of the jobs of all administrators.”

Bricketto, a four-year letter-winner for the tennis team, was the recipient and of the Jasper Tennis Award for the highest cumulative grade point average by a graduate on the team. She also served as president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) her junior and senior years, receiving their Community Service Award.

“It’s really exciting,” Bricketto said about working at her alma mater. “I think that in my position now, it has made things really smooth. There was no transition; I knew what I was walking into. In terms of a new person coming into my role that didn’t go to undergrad here, it wouldn’t have been as easy as it has been for me to hit the ground running.”

So far, one of her major accomplishments includes overseeing the raising of more than $8,000 for multiple community service initiatives last semester. With that, the athletics program ranked second nationally in the NCAA’s Helper Helper Division 1 Community Service Competition. 

“A lot of times it is very difficult for former students to work at their alma mater immediately after graduation,” Ross said, “as the adjustment from student to professional is very difficult. However, in Caitlin is the exception to the rule as she has been able to adapt almost instantaneously and has been a professional from day one.”

Her job as operations manager involves two key parts. Primarily, she works with the Jasper Club, Manhattan’s booster club for athletics. She deals with everything that has to do with raising money for the athletics program, from fundraising and mailings to getting in contact with alumni and donors.

Another aspect of her job is working with the SAAC. This includes working directly with the athletes and getting any of their questions or concerns alleviated.

“I learned how important the athletes are to the culture,” Bricketto said about her time in the program as an athlete. “We are here; we are working as administrators to make the athletes’ lives easier.”

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“I know that is very dear to my heart because of the things I went through with the tennis team,” Bricketto continued. “When we wanted to go on trips or when we wanted new sweats, we needed to raise money. There were concerns we had that we needed to have a voice with. Being a tennis player here exposed me to what the athletes need. I am able to pay attention to that as an administrator and make sure that those things get handled.”

Before her promotion, Bricketto worked as a graduate assistant for marketing under former director of intercollegiate athletics Noah LeFevre. She is currently enrolled in the college’s MBA program and was awarded a postgraduate scholar-athlete scholarship from the MAAC in August 2015.

“Caitlin represents everything that is great about our student-athletes,” LeFevre said when Bricketto received the scholarship. “She had a tremendous career at the college and really integrated herself into the fabric of the community. We are very fortunate to have her continue with the program.”

Bricketto said that she knew about her promotion for a month but it was announced two weeks ago. She called her job a learning experience so far and looks forward to working with the athletes and coaches.

“My day-to-day work as operations manager is working directly with the coaches,” Bricketto explained. “So far, I’ve been setting up meetings with coaches and finding out ways we can solicit donors and get money for their programs. I’m also working hand-in-hand to be the liaison between athletics and advancements. We are really trying to make sure that they have everything they need from an athletics standpoint and we have everything we need from a donor-list standpoint.”

Bricketto explained her position further, noting that advancements handle alumni. When previously asked, advancements would not know what teams needed to help their programs. With her position as operations manager, Bricketto said she wants to work hand-in-hand and bridge that gap between athletics and advancements.

“I want to be able to give the coaches the resources that they need for their programs to be successful,” Bricketto said, “and that would be through raising money for the things that will make their programs better.”

Women’s Basketball Starts MAAC Play with a Win

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Coming off of a game with a poor offensive showing against Yale, the Jaspers bounced back with an 80-62 victory over Niagara to start MAAC play on Friday night. With the win, the team improved to 3-4 on the season.

This was the fourth time in five seasons and the fifth in John Olenowski’s seven years as head coach that the Jaspers won their conference opener.

“It was a big goal of ours,” Olenowski said of starting conference play with a win. “It’s always important to get that win.”

Niagara notched an early 5-2 advantage but a jumper by Kayla Grimme and a Taylor Williams three-pointer put the Jaspers on top 7-5. The Purple Eagles took the lead back briefly until Williams responded with another three-pointer. The Jaspers regained the lead and never looked back.

“It was really good to start conference play with a win,” Shayna Ericksen said. “We set the tone for the year and the rest of MAAC play.”

Williams and Crystal Ross helped lead the Jaspers with 17 and 14 points respectively. Ross also had a 6-for-6 shooting night, to go along with eight rebounds. She became the first Jasper to go perfect from the field since Caitlin Flood went 10-for-10 against Siena on Jan. 11, 2008.

Grimme notched 10 points, seven boards and six blocks. Ericksen had 10 points and six rebounds. Blake Underhill tallied seven points and four assists while Amani Tatum put up six points, four rebounds, five assists and had four steals. Freshman Courtney Hagaman notched her first career points in the game.

The Jaspers shot 51.6 percent from the field, compared to 20.8 percent in their game against Yale. They went 35.7 percent from long range and 69.2 percent at the free throw line.

“We had a lot of points in transition,” Olenowski said of the team’s improved offense. “We controlled the ball better and had more balanced scoring.”

Williams said that the team’s 1-3-1 defense is key and Ericksen noted how the team’s shooting overall has gotten better.

The Jaspers had a dominant victory over Brown 80-56 on Sunday Nov. 29. Williams led the team with 25 points, updating her season average to 8.8 points per game. Tatum is leading the scoring for Manhattan with 13 points and 2.4 steals per outing.

Nyasha Irizarry averages 9.5 points per game. Grimme tallies 7.6 points and a league-leading 10 rebounds per outing. She also ranks third nationally with 3.8 blocks per game. Underhill notches a team-high 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

Olenowski noted how the defense has improved through the season so far compared to last year and that the team has great depth. He was pleased with the team’s offensive weapons that were shown against Niagara and said that it was a key aspect moving forward.

“We’ve improved a lot,” Williams said, “and now we are tied in the conference.”

With the minutes winding down in the game against Niagara, Coach Olenowski substituted all five players on the court with players on the bench, which got every player into the game during the night.

“It really shows our depth,” Ericksen said. “Our bench picks us up.”

Manhattan is 3-0 this season when scoring 80 points or more, previously winning over Brown and an 85-78 victory against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 14.

“We need to keep energy throughout,” Ericksen said of key aspects to take from Friday’s game. “We need to be strong all four quarters like we did tonight.”

Campus Master Plan Update

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Manhattan College continues to work out details on expanding the campus in the coming years. The south campus will be developed by either renovating the Leo Building or designing an entirely new building for science, math, technology and engineering south of Leo’s current location.

“The major component of the whole campus master plan is the new STEM building,” Andrew Ryan, vice president of facilities, said. “The next part that we are actually right in the middle of now is STEM study. They are looking at STEM as it exists now on campus.”

Right now, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) majors are distributed amongst the Research and Learning Center, Hayden Building and  the Leo Building. The STEM study is looking at what is happening in each of the three buildings in regards to the School of Science and School of Engineering.

Looking at those three buildings and the schools, Ryan said that these questions need to be answered: “What needs to be arranged to create more appropriate adjacencies? What needs to be renewed physically? And the big component, what needs to go into the new building? What’s the best to put into the building based on what we have now and where we are looking to go in the future?”

At the Manhattan College Senate meeting in April, three different solutions were discussed.

The first is to create a new 30,000 square foot STEM building with renovations to Leo, costing a total of $55 million.

The second option is to spend $35 million more on Leo Building renovations than the first option, rather than build a new STEM building.

The third and final option would be to demolish and build a new Leo Building. This would give MC 120,000 square feet of new space, but is the costliest option,  with a $125 million price tag.

The master plan formerly included constructing either a quadrangle on south campus along with a new building across from the Leo Building, with talks of MC acquiring the land currently occupied by Karl’s Auto Body. However, these talks have stopped and Ryan said that it “probably won’t happen on that site” and the building could be built either north or south of Leo but will “more than likely” go south.

Noting relationships with the surrounding community, Ryan said local residents will be given copies of the new campus master plan. There will be a meeting for the community to hear and learn about the upcoming construction.

“They [the local community] find out about it before we fully get a chance to explain it to them,” Ryan said. “They only hear bits and pieces of it. We will meet with them and explain everything we have on the radar screen. But we want our internal community to know about it first.”

There will be a town hall meeting for the college on Dec. 1 to explain the master plan and Ryan said the meeting for the surrounding community will be soon after.

Presently, some aspects of the campus master plan are already underway.

The first phase of the master plan includes renovating the former dining hall, Dante’s Den, in Thomas Hall. Several offices and centers will move into it, including the centers for academic success, graduate advisement and career development, the study abroad office, the writing center, academic support for athletics, the specialized resource center, student financial aid and graduate admissions.

Demolition and construction will begin in about a month and Ryan predicted the offices would be ready by the end of the spring semester.

Women’s Soccer Falls 5-2 to Siena in MAAC Championship

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Manhattan made it to the MAAC Championship for the first time in school history. They had a season of broken records and high-ranked players, both in the league and nationally. In a game to represent the league in the NCAA tournament, however, it was the underdog that came out on top.

After earning the second seed and a first-round bye, Manhattan played fourth-seeded Rider on Friday night in the MAAC Semifinals. Lizzy Carlson notched two goals for the Jaspers and Modena sealed the win with a goal to make it a 3-1 final. Skonieczny had a career-high 15 saves in the game.

Going into the MAAC Championship, Manhattan looked for the win in their first appearance to the finals. Sixth-seeded Siena had previously won the championship in 2010. Manhattan had a lot in their favor, but Siena was on a roll after knocking out the 1st and 3rd seeds Monmouth and Marist to get to the finals.

Siena scored in the opening minute of the game on a shot from Allison Clark. Seven minutes later, Siena notched another goal by Kristen Connors and took a surprising 2-0 lead over Manhattan, who has been known for their defense all season.

“They took advantage of opportunities that we gave them,” Brendan Lawler, Manhattan head coach, said in a halftime interview with ESPN3. “We have to score goals. We know what we have to do. The objective is simple.”

Most of the first half was spent with Siena on offense. They followed in the 20th minute with their third goal of the game by Madison Vazquez, making it a 3-0 lead for Siena. Manhattan’s defense struggled early and throughout, as Manhattan’s back line could not control the game and goalkeeper Kristen Skonieczny allowed three goals on three shots.

Erica Modena, who led the game with 5 shots, notched Manhattan’s first goal of the game with help from Lauren Barton in the 29th minute. The offense picked up in the last few minutes of the first half, but the score remained 3-1 into halftime.

Momentum did not last long on Manhattan’s side as Siena found the back of the net once again on a shot from Kensey Waterman about three minutes into the second half. It remained 4-1 until Connors scored again for Siena in the 73rd minute of the game and Manhattan’s Emily Center soon followed with a goal in the 76th minute. There was back and forth play until the clock winded down and Siena took the 5-2 victory to the tournament.

Despite the loss, Manhattan had a season for the record books. Head coach Brendan Lawler was voted the Lids Team Sports MAAC Coach of the Year. Skonieczny was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Jenny Bitzer earned Defensive Player of the Year. Modena and Nicole Copping earned spots on the All-MAAC First Team and Copping also got All-Rookie honors.

Skonieczny notched a program-record 10 wins and nine shutouts this season, which was the best in the MAAC. She holds the school career records for wins and shutouts, 24 and 17. She led the MAAC and ranks fourth nationally with a .920 save percentage. She is fifth in the NCAA with a .43 GAA, with just four goals allowed against MAAC opponents.

Modena was another key player for the Jaspers this season. She notched her team-leading 12th goal of the season in the semifinal matchup against Rider. She ranked second in the MAAC and 41st nationally with her 12 goals, which are the most by a Manhattan player since Laurie Spera scored 14 in her freshman season in 1998. Modena also ranked second in the league and 89th nationally with her 26 assists on the season.

Finishing up this year’s awards, it was announced after the game that Skonieczny, Modena and Taylor Salkowsky were named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team.

Shepherds of the Manhattan College Brand: MC Partners with Learfield Sports

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Courtesy of Learfield Sports

Serve each other. Recognize it as “we” not “I.” Dream big and chase dreams. Celebrate successes that lead to learning and growth. Celebrate mistakes that lead to learning and growth.

These are all values and mission statements on Learfield Sports’ website. It works well with Manhattan College’s mission statement to prepare students for the future and lives of personal development, professional success and civic engagement.

After months of discussions, Manhattan has partnered with the Learfield Sports Multimedia Company. It named Nicholas Williams the general manager of the Jasper Sports Properties team.

“We are very excited,” Nino Vanin, Learfield regional director, said. “We have a nice presence in the New York/ New Jersey area with our Fordham and Seton Hall partnerships. Manhattan’s property and opportunity provides a real win-win. There is a lot of value in brands, faculty, students and fans.”

Vanin noted the size difference between Fordham and Manhattan’s campuses and student bodies but he stated that Manhattan would be treated just the same.

A native of New Jersey, Williams worked with the New York Red Bulls organization for three seasons serving as a sales account executive. He led in most premium seats sold and revenue for three seasons, bringing great corporate and sales experience to Manhattan.

“That experience will help me flourish at Manhattan,” Williams said of his time with the Red Bulls.

As general manager of Jaspers Sports Properties, Williams will lead all aspects of the rights relationship. He will provide corporate partners with both traditional and new media opportunities for Manhattan. This could be through certain inventories such as event sponsorships and promotions, venue signage, corporate hospitality, television and radio, digital engagement and visibility through the Go Jaspers official athletics website.

“Nick has great experience in the New York market,” Vanin said, “so that was attractive to us. He was selling to a corporate community.”

On the official Learfield Sports website, Jasper Sports Properties is described as Learfield’s local and dedicated entity representing Manhattan. It states that with complete collaboration with the college, it is “committed to extending the affinity of the Jaspers’ brand to businesses and corporations of all sizes looking to align with the undeniably loyal and passionate collegiate fan base.”

The partnership gives Learfield exclusive rights to all multimedia aspects of the college athletics. It’s partnered with almost 120 colleges across the country, ones with huge sports programs such as The University of Alabama and Penn State. At Manhattan, it has rights to all athletics and an opportunity to sell to all the 19 varsity teams. Vanin said it was set as a long-term partnership but a year amount was not disclosed.

“Our goals are to drive revenue for athletics through the program,” Vanin said, “and to be shepherds of the Manhattan College brand. Our mission is always the same, to provide a service to the athletic department and provide opportunities for companies.”

NFL Domestic Violence Scandal: What is the Next Step?

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“We’ve seen all too much of the NFL doing wrong. That starts with me,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a press conference.

It seems like whenever the National Football League is in the news these days, it is something negative. Stories of arrests and domestic violence cases are taking away from the game of football. Being a huge football fan myself, it’s disappointing to what has been happening within the league. Something needs to be done about it, and it starts with Commissioner Goodell.

“I watch these guys play every week,” junior Rachel Harrison said. “It’s scary. I cannot believe that some of them can do this.”

Commissioner Goodell came under scrutiny during the Ray Rice incident. It remains unclear when exactly the league and Goodell had received the video of the domestic violence incident between Rice and his wife. Despite these reports coming out, Commissioner Goodell and the NFL gave Rice a two-game suspension, compared to players who have been punished for less severe offenses not involving violence.

“It shows a hypocrisy in the punitive process of the NFL’s personal conduct policy,” senior Alexander Szivos said.

“Players get four-game suspensions for drug use but there are no guidelines on how to deal with domestic violence. It shows that they care more about what the players put into their bodies than what they do off the field, because the league make money off their bodies,” Szivos continued.

However, once the video came out to the public, the league decided to make a more significant move and Rice was suspended indefinitely. When unconfirmed reports came out that the league received the video right after it happened, most of the public accused Goodell of withholding this information.

“He should be fired for sure,” Harrison said. “The only reason he did anything about it now is because the video got out. That’s just unacceptable. These players aren’t anything special, they’re still human beings and should be held accountable for their actions.”

Domestic violence continues to be a major issue in our society. This goes beyond the NFL. However, they should use their high profile to bring attention to it. Goodell announced upcoming changes to the disciplinary process for players. In addition, he revealed new partnerships between the league and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, as well as the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline has since received an 84% increase in calls in just one week.

It is great that the league has been taking steps to make these changes. But they need to be making changes that are seen by the general public. For one, not many know about these new partnerships the league has. The league never did anything to make people aware. If they, for example, organized something during one of the games, the public would appreciate it more.

Right now, they are seeing players still being accepted by the league. They need to see the league stepping up and bringing attention to this societal problem. They need to see more than just suspending the player and trying to forget about it.

“I think that it is unfair,” junior Kassandra Pujols said. “I understand that he’s a public figure, but that was a personal matter between him and his wife. If she went on with the marriage, then that should not fully reflect on him as a player and his contribution to the team.”

“If they’re not cut from the team,” junior Giaunna Gwinn said, “it might seem like that is okay to do. If they’re not punished by the law, they should be punished somehow.”

In the end, the NFL domestic violence issue has to be resolved, and soon. The league needs to create stronger conduct policies in their player disciplinary process. These recent cases of domestic violence against their players should not be taken lightly, like they have been.

However, this goes much farther than within the NFL. Domestic violence needs to be addressed at the societal level. It is more than just an issue involving football players. Once domestic violence is addressed as a problem of society, changes will happen everywhere.

“The NFL is totally being viewed in a poorer light right now,” Gwinn said. “You said Ray Rice and I wasn’t sure if you were talking about the player who hit his wife or the one who hit his kid. That alone should say something.”

If Commissioner Goodell and the league make significant improvements soon, hopefully in the coming weeks, then they may be able to gain some respect back from the public.

Tennis Team Has Impressive Season

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Brianna Turano helped lead the team in her final season. Courtesy of GoJaspers.com

 

The Manhattan College women’s tennis team had a notable season. Beginning the season with two conference wins against MAAC opponents, they set the tone for what type of season they were going to have. There were some ups and downs but they made improvements throughout the season and continue to work toward a MAAC championship.

“As the season went on, there was a lot more camaraderie and support among my teammates,” senior Brianna Turano said. “There was much more determination on and off the court by the players.”

It was a fresh start for the Jaspers with a new head coach and a new program this season. Harder workouts meant being in better shape and competing at a higher level.

“I think that was our biggest improvement,” junior Caitlin Bricketto said. “The longer you can stay on the court without getting tired, the better chance you have to win the match.”

The Jaspers started their season off with a conference game against Rider and finished with a 5-2 win. They continued and had two 7-0 defeats, one over conference opponent Saint Peter’s. After this, they were holding on to a 5-3 record, 3-1 in the MAAC.

“The score didn’t always show how close we were with our competition in conference matches,” Bricketto said. “We were able to compete with every team.”

Senior Brianna Turano was honored before her last home game with the Jaspers on April 13. She brought out a victory at No. 1 singles against Niagara. Manhattan, however, finished the game with a 5-2 loss. Junior Catherine Clark was honored for the second time with a spot earned on the MAAC All-Academic team. She earned five single wins for the team and three victories in doubles with Rosello. All-Academic spots are earned with at least a year of competition and a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher.

“Our new coach really had a positive impact on the returning players,” Turano said. “We had two new freshmen who fit in really well. We had fun and worked hard. It was a really great last year for me.”

Following a tough losing streak for the latter part of the season, junior Alyssa Rosello gave the Jaspers a lift against Hartford in their matchup on April 17. Her match was even at three wins each and led to a critical third set. Rosello succeeded and secured the 4-3 victory for the Jaspers, giving them a needed energy boost for the remainder of the season.

“Our program is growing and improving,” Bricketto said. “That takes time but we are all excited for the future.”

The Jaspers finished the season with a conference record of 3-5. They placed sixth in the final standings for the MAAC. Three conference victories were the most for Manhattan since the 2007 season. The team was two wins away from making the top four of the MAACs this year, which would have clinched a spot in the tournament.

“While that’s upsetting, it’s also motivating,” Bricketto said. “We know if we give it everything we’ve got next year than we have a definite shot of making it.”