Celebrating all St. Joe’s athletic teams

The Saint Joseph’s University men’s basketball games live up to their reputation: On a typical game night, the student section is alive with the untouchable energy that only a crowd of college students, free from the restrictions of the classroom, can invoke in an athletic stadium. This enthusiasm is commendable and is something all St. Joe’s students can be proud of—after all, this is the annual Basketball Preview Edition of The Hawk. But while our men’s basketball team draws crowds here on campus, other sports don’t draw in the same audience.  The non-revenue teams at Saint Joseph’s, like soccer, baseball, field hockey, and rowing, have accomplished several impressive feats in recent seasons, but unfortunately many students ignore these events; they do not garner nearly as much buzz on campus. These teams have made incredible strides, and their accomplishments should be celebrated.
Our men’s and women’s basketball teams are not the only ones with national recognition. Most recently, the women’s field hockey team ranked 20th in the country by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and is the highest ranked team in the A-10. Speaking of national recognition, Anna Willocks, ’19, is tied for highest number of goals this season; she is tied for second in the country with 25.
In their 2016 season, women’s field hockey made it to the A-10 Championship game. Willocks was awarded A-10 Offensive Player of the Year. Pepa Serrano, ’20, was named A-10 Rookie of the Year and Head Coach Lynn Farquhar was named Coach of the Year. Throughout the season, the Hawks were awarded at least a share of A-10 Rookie of the Week Awards, each of the 10 weeks of the season. For women’s soccer, Dakota Mills, ’19, was awarded Offensive Player of the Year; Emily Gingirch, ’17, was awarded Midfielder of the Year; Gabriela Vagnozzi, ’20, was awarded Rookie of the Year; and Jess Mannella was awarded Coach of the Year. These two women’s sports had the best seasons in program history. Across campus, on the men’s cross country team, Josh Clark, ’20, was named the Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Rookie Performer honor for being the top freshman finisher out of 123 runners. Overall, he has the distinction of being the only freshman to finish in the top 25. Men and women’s also has some stand out stars at their A-10 championship on Oct. 29.
Many of our freshman athletes received similar honors, demonstrating that players of all ages make an impact on our diverse teams. In golf, Reed Winkler, ’20, made the A-10 Golf Rookie of the Week at the end of September, and the week before that, teammate Michael O’Brien, ’20, won the same honor. Two weeks ago O’Brien was awarded Rookie of the Week once again.
Men’s soccer also had an impressive season. Matt Crawford, ’18, was named A-10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week twice. Isaac Agyapong, ’19, was honored as Philadelphia Soccer Six Rookie of the Week. The Hawks’ goalkeeper, Greg O’Connell, ’18, earned him the title Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Week as well as Philadelphia Soccer Six Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
Beyond our 18 Division I sports, we also have a number of athletes competing on a club sport level. Gaelic Football is the first officially recognized collegiate team in the country. St. Joe’s men’s rugby is so well-known and respected that, despite its status as a club team, they still recruit players. This fall also marks the inaugural season for the women’s ultimate frisbee team at St. Joe’s.
How our teams perform on game day and throughout the duration of their season need not dictate how we much we support our fellow Hawks—though many of our teams are already breaking records this year. Here at Saint Joseph’s, our values and university mission calls us to love and support our fellow community members, in whatever form that may take. Regardless of whether we are fans or players, let’s look beyond the scope of the scoreboards and pep rallies and into something a bit more meaningful: The opportunity to find human connection and to represent a university that challenges our hearts and our minds to live greater.