Senior athletes’ favorite memories
As athletes’ four years come to an end at St. Joe’s, so do the sports that many of them have played for a lifetime. Some of our senior Hawks decided to reflect on their athletic careers on Hawk Hill and share with us their favorite memories.
Women’s Soccer
Emily Gingrich
“Fill the Hill for the women’s soccer team match against Saint Louis University was an amazing night on Hawk Hill that exemplified school spirit and the MAGIS!”
Men’s Lacrosse
Tyler Cliggett
“Hosting the NEC Tournament on Hawk Hill!!”
Charles Giunta
“My favorite memory of SJU lacrosse was beating Bryant, 9-8, during my freshman year. Going into the game, Bryant was a Top-15 team in the country. The intensity of the game and the atmosphere on Sweeney was electric, and beating them made the whole team realize that the program was taking huge strides forward.”
Mike Lanham
“My favorite memory during my collegiate career was the Nerf Gun war freshman year over spring break when the lacrosse players were the only ones in the dorms.”
Danny Manning
“Being able to host and compete in the NEC Tournament my freshman year (6-0 in conference play). It was great to know that the SJU lacrosse program was continuing to grow and [head coach] Taylor Wray was turning a program that was once a losing team into a winning team.”
Marcus Milione
“My favorite memory would have to be seeing my parents after games.”
Mike Rastivo
“Beating Bryant in overtime on our home field in 2016.”
Shane Taggert
“Beating Penn in overtime in 2016 for the first time in program history.”
Evan Wolf
“My favorite memory would have to be when Bryant came here freshman year when they were ranked 11th in the country, and we beat them in a high-energy game.”
Jared Wolf
“My favorite memory during my college career was beating #12 Bryant to seal the NEC regular-season championship my freshman year.”
T.J. Jones
“My favorite memory is getting our program’s first win over a ranked opponent against Bryant as a freshman.”
Women’s Lacrosse
Taylor Dachowski
“My favorite memory was getting to experience making it to the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament last year at Duquesne. Hopefully our team will get to experience the tournament again this year since we are hosting it!”
Becky Daub
“My favorite memory was going to California with the team this year. Hiking at Torrey Pines was a beautiful experience that I really enjoyed.”
Maggie Egan
“Our California trip this year and going to A-10s last year.”
Mallory Grey
“I would say my favorite memory would be going to A-10s last year. It wasn’t even all the wins that made it fun; everyone was so happy and we had so much fun!”
Nora McCallion
“My favorite Hawk memory thus far was making it to the Atlantic 10 Tournament semi-finals in Pittsburgh last May. It was a great feeling and a tremendous accomplishment for our program to beat several teams that we had not defeated in a long time. Our 2017 goal is to repeat this accomplishment and be in the A-10 Tournament in May.”
Maura Monti
“Up to this point, my favorite memory has got to be the first time going to Manayunk and meeting the team as a freshman. Everyone was so welcoming, and it made me so excited for the next 4 years at SJU with my teammates.”
Liz O’Sullivan
“Getting to Hawk Hill in January and joining such an awesome group of girls and coaches.”
Sarah Smith
“My favorite memory so far during my collegiate career was being in the Atlantic 10 tournament last spring and competing for a championship ring. This entire experience as a member of the women’s lacrosse team has been incredibly special to me. What’s even better is that I can end my collegiate career right here on Sweeney Field in May.”
Men’s Track & Field and Cross Country
Kevin Barry
“Placing second at the Atlantic 10 conference meet in the 4x400m relay freshman year.”
Chris Bencivengo
“My favorite memory during my collegiate career was seeing the excitement on my teammates’ faces the moment they saw that they had won the Atlantic 10 title. I will forever cherish getting to celebrate and share that moment with them.”
Mike Cassidy
“My favorite memory is driving down to Richmond, Va. to watch the cross country team win the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship.”
Jimmy Daniels
“My favorite memory is winning the 2015 Atlantic 10 team title in cross country.”
Torey Doaty
“My favorite track and field memory was winning gold watches at Penn Relays after we broke the school record in the 4×4.”
Jack Magee
“My favorite memory during my collegiate career was all the bus rides and time spent on the road and at meets with my teammates.”
Dan Savage
“Winning the Atlantic 10 team title in cross country my junior year.”
Women’s Track & Field and Cross Country
June Chiango
“My favorite memories are “surviving the 10k”; and my last XC race at Van Cortlandt Park!”
Katie Gross
“Laughing and telling stories on the way to and from the meets on the buses with my teammates.”
Dannah Hayward
“My favorite memory was representing Saint Joseph’s on the national stage, at the 2013 U.S. Junior National Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.”
Julia Jenkins
“My favorite memory was submerging in the water pit during my final lap in the steeplechase at the 2016 outdoor Atlantic 10 meet. I mustered up enough adrenaline to stumble my way across the finish line in 6th place.”
Angelena Minniti
“I would have to say that traveling with the team to weekend-long meets, because at practice, we are all together but we are working. When we travel for meets, we have ‘off’ time and we get to spend quality time together and grow to know each other on different levels other than just the track. I would also say that being a part of breaking school records will forever hold a special spot in my heart. It was so amazing to be a part of something so special and not just watch it happen but be a participant in it.”
Carly Montgomery
“The first time we did [assistant coach] Teddy’s “Friday 800’s” during preseason, there was LITERALLY a hurricane. I’ve never been so happy to finish a workout.”
Kiersten Moylan
“Joining the track team where I ended up meeting some of my closest friends.”
Sarah Regnault
“My favorite memory was winning the Atlantic 10 champion title for the 1000m my junior year. Sydney (Coughlin) and I made it to the championship race and we ran each lap together and ran the race as a team. I discovered the type of racer I could be that meet. I’ll treasure that memory forever.”
Courtney Foster
“My favorite memory of my athletic career on Hawk Hill was winning the 400 indoors at ECACs this past indoor season.”
Men’s Soccer
Ted Foley
“My favorite SJU soccer memory has to be clinching a playoff spot for the first time in 19 years with a 1-0 win at Fordham back in 2013!”
Bliss Harris
“My favorite memory is when we went to Las Vegas to play in a tournament!”
Jay Higbee
“My favorite memory was playing against UNLV in Las Vegas. Even though we lost 3-2, I will never forget the 100+ students screaming at me while they were standing right behind the goal. Definitely the coolest atmosphere I have ever played in.”
Mike Stuski
“My favorite memory would have to be the week before spring break my junior year where we ran sprints all practice every day as a team. We called it ‘team bonding week.’”
Baseball
Pat Vanderslice
“My favorite memory as a Hawk is all the fun I had with my teammates throughout the years and all the lifelong friends I’ve made here at Saint Joseph’s.”
Brian Lau
“My favorite memory is probably closing the game against Fordham in the A10 tournament last year to eliminate them. The energy of the crowd and my team is something I will never forget.”
Darren Weidman
“My favorite memories at SJU have been the friendships I made during my four years here as well as the opportunities that my coaches, teammates, professors, and friends have given me. I am grateful to all of them for giving me the opportunity to be apart of a family on the SJU baseball team that has provided me with memories and experiences that will last a lifetime.”
Steve Powles
“My favorite memories at SJU consisted of the many experiences that I have obtained through the invaluable friendships that I have acquired over my four years on Hawk Hill.”
Peter Sitaras
“The Liberty Bell Classic. Hearing the Phillies PA announcer introduce myself and the rest of the Hawks before taking the field at Citizens Bank Park. Winning the game and celebrating twice on the field was incredible. Also, hearing the PA announcer say, ‘Now batting, centerfielder, number 8, Peter Sitaras,’ was pretty cool as well. THWND.”
Field Hockey
Melanie Colozzi
“My favorite memory of being apart of SJU Athletics is of when my team won regular season of the a10, and the night before we headed to Richmond we were sent off by warm words of encouragement from Phil Martelli. It was such a unique and special experience and is definitely a moment I will never forget sharing with my teammates and best friends.”
Kerri Turk
“My favorite memory as a Hawk is the feeling of game day. In addition, being selected for the A10 first team all conference was a great memory because it reminds me of how much I have grown as a player and the field hockey team has grown because I would not have been selected without my team beside me growing together everyday. Being part of the building blocks to something great.”
Men’s Tennis
Kyle Chalmers
“With myself, and my teammates Tristan Boustany and Tim Stierle having won our matches, we only needed one more victory to clinch an upset over George Mason and redefine our season. Peter Dewitt was the last player on, and towards the end of our match we were fully engaged in an electric cheering atmosphere. Every point he’d win we’d start chanting, “Let’s go Peter!” or, “When I say fight you say Peter! Fight! Peter! Fight! Peter!” After he won the last point, we rushed the court and celebrated our win jumping up and down together, in a true moment of team unity. That is my favorite moment.”
Golf
Andrew Taylor
“My favorite memory while at SJU was walking on the golf team. I went from spending my first 2 years without athletics, then walked on the team prior to my junior year. SJU athletics opened so many new doors for me and I met a lot of really great people- some of which will be life long friends. I gained a new appreciation for taking advantage of available opportunities and strongly recommend anyone considering athletics to do it.”
The Hawk Mascot
Timmy Parks
“My favorite memory in my two years of being the Hawk was winning the Atlantic 10 Championship and going to the tournament last season. I am proud to be one of only 4 Hawks that has a piece of net and an Atlantic 10 championship ring.
Going to the tournament in Spokane was an experience of a lifetime and winning the Cincinnati game in the fashion that we won, made it that much more special. The best part about that was after the Cincy game ended, Isaiah did an interview while we all went back to the locker room. I took the Hawk helmet off since the game had ended, but once Zeke got back in the locker room, the celebration around him was incredible. There were a couple photographers in the locker room and some pictures might have surfaced of me without the Hawk head on, but the joy in the entire team was great.
THWND”
