CRUSaDER
T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R F A N S A N D S U P P O R T E R S O F H O LY C R O S S A T H L E T I C S
Track & Field Teams
NATION Spring 2019
Achieving balance and success
Kat Rosenthal ’13 Softball Alumna Pays it Forward
Spring 2019 • Crusader Nation 1
AD’s Corner Fellow Crusaders, I write this update as we continue our transition to a new permanent athletics director. We feel very good about the progress of our search, largely because we have such a great story to tell. We have a great institution; we have a great tradition and we continue to make progress on building the facilities and coaching staff needed to excel. Importantly, our teams have delivered a number of impressive moments since our last issue. In its first year as a member of the Hockey East Association, our women’s hockey program shocked No. 5 Northeastern with a 5-3 win at the Hart Center Rink on Nov. 30. Our women’s basketball team surged into the Patriot League Tournament Semifinals after upsetting Boston University on the road, and our swimming & diving and indoor track & field teams smashed 19 school records at their respective Patriot League Championships. This spring has seen major men’s lacrosse upsets over Harvard, Brown and Navy, while one remarkable rookie pitcher struck out 27 batters – one shy of the NCAA record – in an incredible 16-inning win over Jacksonville University on the softball diamond. Let me assure you, the athletics committee and the entire Board of Trustees is committed to a strong and vibrant Division I athletics program and, like our student-athletes, we are not yet satisfied. Our programs have taken significant steps forward over the last several years, but we know there continues to be more we can do to excel in competition, classroom and community. As we anticipate welcoming our next director of intercollegiate athletics to Worcester and into our family of purple, I have no doubt that our new leader will share these goals and values and will continue to expect excellence for and of our programs. We hope to have news soon.
Track & field
6 Paying it Forward
Student-athletes find individual and collective success By Emily Iannaconi ’17
Kat Rosenthal ‘13
7 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT...
Kelly Crowley ’20 Chris Rinaldi ’20
8 Women’s Ice Hockey
Coach Peter Van Buskirk retires
12 Student Spotlight
Matt Farrell ’19, men’s lacrosse
14 Catching Up With... Jimmy Murray ’17
15 What I was Thinking
Kelly Nelson ‘22, softball
16 Why I Give
Crusader Nation PHOTOGRAPHERS Gil Talbot, Mark Seliger, Mady Salvani, Varsity Vantage Photography
So, thank you for your continued interest in Holy Cross Athletics and our terrific student-athletes. Please support the Crusader Athletics Fund if you are able.
Write Crusader Nation Office of Advancement One College Street Worcester, MA 01610-2395
Go Crusaders!
Track & Field Coaches Create Winning Culture
3 Coach’s Game Plan
Our goals will remain ambitious, and, to achieve them, we need to continue to support our student-athletes and coaches. It is critically important that we provide our teams with the resources they need to be competitive. Our Crusader Athletics Fund is one of the best ways to show our support, as it is how we create the funds to provide the margin of excellence that can set Holy Cross apart, now and into the future.
All the best, and I hope you’ll join us on The Hill this fall.
Coach’s Game Plan
In This Issue
V
ictoria Attaya ’19, of Billerica, Mass., is more than a thrower on the Holy Cross track & field team. With a double major in biology and Italian on the pre-health track, Attaya is never not busy. Beyond her academic and athletic commitments, she is co-chair of Habitat for Humanity, and she is a teacher’s assistant in chemistry and biology. In addition, Attaya drives the zamboni in the Hart Center during ice hockey games.
DESIGNER Michael Grinley T E L L U S W H AT YO U T H I N K :
“A lot of the things I do, I love doing,” she says. “It’s valuable experience and makes me happy. So yes, I’m doing a lot of work, but it’s good for me.”
Email CrusaderNation@holycross.edu Call 508-793-2415
Douglas M. Baker Jr. ’81 Athletics Committee Chair, Board of Trustees
2 Crusader Nation • Spring 2019
Attaya is representative of many of the athletes on the track & field team — all of whom are fully
Send ideas, thoughts, and comments. We want to hear from you! Sam Carroll ’22 (left) holds starting blocks for Cat Almeida ’21.
Spring 2019 • Crusader Nation 3
immersed in the Holy Cross experience, engaging in athletic, academic and cocurricular activities.
long jump, pole vault, shot put, discus throw and javelin in addition to both the heptathlon and decathlon, is adept at multitasking, and he says: “Once you feel confident in what you’re doing in the classroom, I think that’s when you can take that next step and start to focus on other things beyond school work.”
Though they work hard to prepare for competition, Holy Cross student-athletes are always aware that on Mount St. James, the student comes first in studentathlete. “The kids definitely know where the library is, so that’s a good start,” jokes long-time coach Jim Kavanagh. And the studentathletes wouldn’t have it any other way.
Academics & athletics The emphasis on academics is made clear to studentathletes from the moment they step foot on Mount St. James, and not only by their professors, but by their coaches. At the end of this academic year, Kavanagh and Egetta Alfonso ’92, coach of the women’s team, will have dedicated a combined 68 years to their work at Holy Cross. Both believe in the importance of educating the whole person and strive to help their student-athletes to develop their unique and full potential in all facets of themselves. “I always try to be engaged with the student-athletes and ask how classes are going,” Kavanagh says. “I want to make sure that each student-athlete realizes that I am there to support them in any way I can, which is in keeping with the Jesuit ideal of being a person for and with others.” As a graduate of Holy Cross herself, Alfonso understands the demands on studentathletes. “There has to be an understanding of this tough, academic sched4 Crusader Nation • Spring 2019
Back row, from left: Brandon Thornhill ’19, head women’s track & field coach Egetta Alfonso ‘92, Jenna Gasparrini ’20, Michael Pichay ’21, Director of Track & Field and head men’s coach Jim Kavanagh, and Victoria Attaya ’19. Front row, from left: Allie Smiley ’20 and Alexander Escada’19 ule,” Alfonso says. “I think sometimes that’s as simple as seeing someone looking tired at practice and offering encouragement.” Alfonso invites an ongoing dialogue about academics as well as sport. She schedules one-on-one meetings with each student-athlete at the beginning of the year to check in. Recently, Alfonso started a mentorship program where an upperclassman is paired with a younger athlete on the team. She says that the program serves two purposes: it helps incoming first-year students have an immediate friend on campus, and the partnership also benefits the mentor. “The easiest transition into a leadership role is to lead one person,” Alfonso says. “So, I think the mentorship program is getting older athletes ready to become team leaders and leaders in life.” Allie Smiley ’20, an accomplished sprinter and
jumper, from Shrewsbury, Mass., says: “The coaches understand if you have to go to office hours. It’s nice to know that I have people on my side that will support me, not only on the track, but they also care about my success in the classroom.” Brandon Thornhill ’19, of Natick, Mass., is an economics major who competes in sprints and hurdles, and is a member of the Holy Cross Victory Academy. Thornhill explains that there is an understanding and expectation on the team that everyone will give 100 percent of their effort both in the classroom and on the track. “Even if you’re having a really bad week when it comes to school work, when you show up to practice, you know that there is understanding — everyone is going to have weeks similar to that.” Alexander Escada ’19, a multi-event athlete from East Greenbush, N.Y., who competes in the high jump,
After an eight-hour bus ride, homework is the last thing anyone wants to do, says math major Jenna Gasparrini ’20, a distance runner from Ridgefield, Conn. “But when you look around and see your teammates doing it, it is motivating and makes it easier. Definitely being surrounded by people with similar goals is very helpful.” Smiley says that being forced to manage her time has helped her bring greater focus to all of her endeavors: “Being on the track team as a jumper and sprinter has taught me a discipline that I’ve carried into the classroom.” Coaches Alfonso and Kavanagh add that participating in track is also a stress reliever for many students. Kavanagh says, “a run can be the most therapeutic part of the day.”
Cura personalis Spending a lot of time together on runs and traveling to meets creates a community that supports each other through the ups and down of college life. A constant theme raised time and again by track & field athletes is how grateful and appreciative they are to be part of a caring and supportive team. Thornhill says that the coaches and athletes have created a community of mutual support. “All the guys
on the team are resources to each other, and the coaches are a resource to the athletes,” Thornhill says. “They built a family. It’s not just running — it’s more than that. This is why Holy Cross means so much to me.” The encouragement of his teammates has helped Escada thrive on the track. He competes in the multi-events and broke the heptathlon school record at the New England Championships during this past indoor season, scoring 4,629 points. In that meet alone, Escada won the 60 meter hurdles portion of the heptathlon, while also hitting a mark of 3.50 meters in the pole vault. He finished the day with a time of 2:50.44 in the 1,000 meter run. At that same meet, Michael Pichay ‘21, of Hanover, Mass., broke his own school record set earlier this year in the triple jump with a leap of 14.98 meters. The recently declared English major has faced medical adversity off the track that has motivated him to work that much harder. After being diagnosed with Lyme disease his freshman year of high school, Pichay learned the importance of asking for help and establishing a strong work ethic.
Pichay says. “They’re so understanding of personal and medical issues.” Smiley says she’d feel lost without the friendship and encouragement of her coaches and teammates. “I know that I have a whole group of people that I can always lean on for support. They’re my best friends. I’m very thankful.” In his 48 years at Holy Cross, Kavanagh has seen many student-athletes come and go from The Hill. He says that one of the reasons he has stayed so long is that people develop a powerful loyalty at Holy Cross, to the institution and to one another. He says: “The number of people who come back, and the number of times they come back, both indicate that there’s a lot of love that goes beyond their four years here.”
Life skills Alfonso asks her students to set both athletic and academic goals for themselves each year. Setting these kinds of goals pays off. In the academic realm, the women’s and men’s indoor and outdoor teams all
have a perfect 100-percent graduation rate, a statistic about which the coaches are extremely proud. Kavanagh says: “The perfect graduation rate is a reflection of how genuinely our student-athletes value their academic lives. As a coach I find myself celebrating the scholastic achievements of our student-athletes just as much as their athletic accomplishments. I’m really proud knowing the impact this will have on their future lives.” Gasparrini and Thornhill say that they have learned critical time-management skills that will translate to life beyond Mount St. James. And Smiley knows that the abilities she has developed will help her as a guidance counselor, her chosen career path. “I want to work with kids and I think that being a leader, and being able to stand up in front of people, and being able to bring people together, those skills are very important in any career,” she says.
Creating memories Smiley will always treasure team dinners before races,
“The track team is very wellrounded and united even though we’re all competing in different events. We spend so much time together, learning about each other,” Pichay says. “At meets, you’re surrounded by people who genuinely care and want to see you do better for the sake of doing better.” As the oldest of nine children in his family, Pichay says that he appreciates the constant reinforcement from coaches on academic, athletic, and personal issues. “You don’t have to struggle alone,”
Head coach Jim Kavanagh looks on during a spring practice.
or in Kimball after a tough workout. Thornhill will miss both the opportunity and the responsibility of representing Holy Cross at meets in many states. Escada will never forget his final indoor Patriot League Championship when the team scored its most points ever. Pichay cherishes the opportunity to attend the same school as his father, Christopher ‘95, who played at Holy Cross. And Attaya is going to miss going to practice with her sister, Vanessa, who is a firstyear on the team. Though Kavanagh has coached at Holy Cross since 1970, he says that the quality of students attending Holy Cross has never changed. “I don’t understand their music and I can’t sing their songs or do their dances, but I certainly hope I can enrich their lives by giving them pieces of the Holy Cross story that they otherwise might not have learned,” Kavanagh says. The veteran coach knows that his job is not just to improve athletic performance, but to inspire his athletes to perform at a higher level than they believed possible. His goals come in the form of a prayer that he says when a student chooses Holy Cross. “I pray that after four years of being at Holy Cross, our studentathletes can look back very positively and happily and say that they feel really well prepared. That’s a great way to launch into the rest of your life.” By Emily Iannaconi ‘17, a former member of the track & field team, is a graduate student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. Spring 2019 • Crusader Nation 5
10
Paying it Forward
thingstoknowabout..
“Kat” Rosenthal ’13
Kelly Crowley ’20 Women’s Soccer
Follows example of mentors
W
hen Katherine Anne “Kat” Rosenthal ’13 was a teenager playing in travel softball leagues, plenty of colleges recruited her, but she had her heart set on Holy Cross. “I had five coaches who had played for Holy Cross, and I knew I wanted to go there because they were all my favorite role models growing up,” Rosenthal says. “I thought it was such an incredible quality, for them to be in their 20s and 30s and volunteering to coach young kids, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because they were passionate about it. I knew they must have learned it early in life, but also saw how that was reinforced by their years at Holy Cross and learning to be women for others.” A freshman walk-on who worked her way up to play catcher as a junior and senior, Rosenthal counts fellow softball alumnae Allison Egbert Snyder ’98, Stephanie Marcucci ’00, Jean (Connolly) Robinson ’04, Michelle (Greene) Morales ’05, and Heather Johnson ’06 among her former coaches and mentors. Today, Rosenthal has grown into that same type of mentor for a new generation of softball players. She coaches a travel league softball team of her own, and is an active supporter of the Holy Cross softball team, her class, and 6 Crusader Nation • Spring 2019
Crowley, a junior midfielder for the Holy Cross women’s soccer team, has been a key player for the Crusaders over the last three seasons. In 2018, she earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors following the victory over Loyola (Md.). Crowley is also a three-time selection to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
she serves on the Crusader Athletics Fund Executive Committee. “I feel like everyone should volunteer. I grew up in a household where my mother preached that you give back,” she says. “If you don’t have the means financially, you give your time, and that’s the greatest gift anyone can give. I loved Holy Cross — I loved everything about my experience there, so I want to give back.” And Rosenthal does it all, from making calls and sending email reminders about donations to the Crusader Athletics Fund to rounding up her fellow softball alumnae for a wiffle ball game on Fitton Field on Alumnae Day. She’s penned the class of 2013 class letter, and returns to campus for the softball team’s annual career day, where she talks to current student-athletes about life after graduation. Rosenthal, who was a physics major with a concentration in women and gender studies, works as a project manager for the contracting firm John Moriarty and Associates. She works in their office in Washington, D.C., where she lives with her wife, Maddie Connors, and coaches softball in nearby Virginia. Rosenthal’s 16-and-under travel team plays almost yearround, and she spends nearly all her summer weekends at
Kat Rosenthal ‘13 with her wife, Maddie, and other Holy Cross softball alumnae tournaments with the team. Many of her players are in the midst of the college recruiting process, and Rosenthal prides herself on being a resource for them as they navigate their next steps. “My coaches who went to Holy Cross helped make sure my video was good for college recruiting, so I want to do the same for my players now,” Rosenthal says. “I always want to make sure that these kids are getting the right advice and info, especially going through recruiting and figuring out whether they are serious about softball, or if it is time to move on.” Playing softball remains the highlight of Rosenthal’s Holy Cross experience, including playing spring break games in Florida, singing along to Celine Dion during weight lifting workouts at the Hart Center, and eating daily team dinners in Kimball. In 2013, during her senior season, Rosenthal caught teammate Gennifer Durham’s perfect game—only the second perfect game in Patriot League softball history—and ESPN covered the milestone moment. ESPN compared the Durham-Rosenthal pair to a Red Sox duo famous for the knuckleball: pitcher Tim
Wakefield and catcher Doug Mirabelli. And, they quoted Rosenthal’s analysis of the difficult pitch — as both a catcher and a physics major. The relationships she formed at Holy Cross with teammates drive Rosenthal to stay connected and give back to alma mater. She got her first coaching job at UMass Boston through a Holy Cross connection, and the former coaches who helped with her recruiting videos in high school now give her coaching tips and help polish her resume. Rosenthal jokes that more players on the softball team need to major in physics so she can also help with the softball mentoring program that pairs the studentathletes with alumnae who share their major. Her energy and enthusiasm for supporting Holy Cross are seemingly boundless: “That’s what makes volunteering great—finding something that you really love and enjoy doing,” she says. “It’s part of the Jesuit values, and you go to Holy Cross for many reasons, but one of the most important ones is to be men and women for others and to live the mission.” By Maura Sullivan Hill, a freelance writer in Chicago.
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elly has recorded three goals and two assists for eight points K during her three seasons with the Crusaders. his season, she scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win T over Loyola (Md.) to help the team to a victory on Senior Day. ver winter break, Crowley and two of her teammates traveled O to Uganda to volunteer with Soccer Without Borders. She is from San Marino, Calif., right outside of Los Angeles. rowley has two brothers, one of whom is her twin. Both C brothers play football at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Chris Rinaldi ’20 Baseball Rinaldi, a shortstop for the baseball team, is a key contributor to the Crusader squad. After helping the team win its first Patriot League Championship and advance to the NCAA Regional in 2017, he earned first team All-Patriot League honors as a sophomore. Prior to the 2019 season, he was named Preseason All-Patriot League.
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Crowley has been to 49 states, making it everywhere except Alaska. In high school, she was a part of both the soccer and softball teams. She began playing soccer when she was five. Crowley is majoring in history and is a member of the Phi Alpha Theta historical honor society. Last summer, Crowley studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland. rowley attended the same high school as both of her parents C and grandparents.
inaldi started playing baseball at age four, when he began t-ball R with his father, Joe, as the coach — and his father remained his coach until the eighth grade. Rinaldi has an older brother, Joe, and a younger sister, Danielle. hris’s father played lacrosse and baseball at Manhattan College, C and his brother played a season of football at Bucknell. Rinaldi serves as an advocate for Team IMPACT, a nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with local college athletic teams. He played for the Worcester Bravehearts during the summer of 2018, winning the Futures Collegiate Baseball League Championship. He can play the piano and the trumpet. inaldi’s favorite vacation was to Aruba, and he hopes to visit R Europe someday. e is a psychology major and is part of the Business Certificate H Program at Holy Cross. hough he grew up playing football and basketball in addition to T baseball, Rinaldi wishes he had tried ice hockey or lacrosse. inaldi loves dogs. His first dog was a German Shorthaired R Pointer named Bailey. Spring 2019 • Crusader Nation 7
Collegehockey:
By Jennifer Toland Telegram & Gazette Staff
Coach Van Buskirk steps down after 34-year run at Holy Cross
G
rowing up in Hudson in the 1950s, Peter Van Buskirk loved Sunday afternoons in winter when he and about 30 other kids from the neighborhood would trek to Tripp’s Pond, lace up their skates and play hockey for hours.
“The pond was big enough to house a game of 15-on-15,” Van Buskirk recalled fondly, “with two rocks making up your net.” Van Buskirk said he and the other boys didn’t shoot too hard because there were obviously no boards and they would have to chase after any wayward pucks, but they all became pretty good stickhandlers. “That’s how you learned it,” Van Buskirk said. “It was fun. Hockey is a fun thing.” For 34 years at Holy Cross, where Van Buskirk has coached the women’s hockey team for the last 19 seasons, and during his high school coaching career at Hudson and St. John’s, hockey has remained fun. “It has been so enjoyable,” Van Buskirk said. “It really has. It’s a game, and it’s like you’re still associated with what you did
8 Crusader Nation • Spring 2019
on the ponds in the ’50s. Now you’re in charge, so it gets a little more formal.” Van Buskirk, who coached the HC men’s team for 10 seasons, took over the women’s program in 2000, its second year of existence. Since then, he has overseen the growth of women’s hockey, guided the Crusaders to six postseason titles during their time in the Division 3 ECAC East and New England Hockey Conference, and, this year, he led Holy Cross in its historic jump to the Division 1 Hockey East Association. Last week, Van Buskirk announced his retirement, effective at the end of the 2018-19 season. “I was thinking about it last year,” Van Buskirk, 76, said. “Going into Hockey East, I wanted to stay part of it this year because it was exciting, and it has been really exciting and enjoyable.” Katie Lachapelle, who is in her second season as associate head coach, will succeed Van Buskirk. Lachapelle came to HC after nine seasons as an assistant at Boston University. “Katie is ready, certainly, to be a head coach,” Van Buskirk said.
“She’s very well qualified. The program is in a good position.” Van Buskirk entered the year with a 294-147-30 (.656) career record with the women’s team. As the men’s coach, he went 167-146-8 from 1979-88 and 1996-97. Van Buskirk also served as director of the Hart Center for many years. “Peter has left an indelible mark of excellence on our ice hockey programs, our department and our college,” Holy Cross interim director of athletics Brendan Sullivan said. Van Buskirk was a two-sport (hockey, baseball) athlete at the University of New Hampshire. A talented third baseman and pitcher, Van Buskirk hoped to be drafted and get a shot in the minors, but when he wasn’t, he went into the service and was a lieutenant in the Army infantry from 1966-68. He was stationed in South Korea and later at the Presidio in San Francisco. He returned home, got his first hockey coaching job as an assistant at St. John’s, taught in Hudson public schools for many years and served as the head coach at Hudson High from 1973-79. Van Buskirk guided the Hawks to three district crowns and the Division 1 state championship in 1978.
Former Holy Cross Director of Athletics Ron Perry hired Van Buskirk as men’s hockey coach in 1979. He guided the Crusaders to eight ECAC East playoff appearances and was named College Coach of the Year in 1983. He is Holy Cross’ secondwinningest men’s hockey coach, behind Paul Pearl. In 1988, Van Buskirk left his HC head coaching position, which was part-time then, to work at Digital Equipment Corporation for three years. He returned to Holy Cross as director of the Hart Center and assistant men’s hockey coach and resumed the head coaching position for one season, 1996-97. Jane Ford coached the HC women’s team in its first season, 1999-2000, at the varsity level. “They asked me if I wanted to coach the women (the next season),” Van Buskirk said. “I said, ‘Sure. Coaching is coaching.’ And then it just grew.” HC expanded its recruiting area, had its first winning record (177-1) in 2002-03, and went on to post four 20-win seasons. With his passion for the game and expansive knowledge of it, Van Buskirk nurtured the program in his unpretentious and positive Spring 2017 • Crusader Nation 9
Left: Van Buskirk with 1984-1985 men’s team captains Joe Lunny, Matt Muniz and Chad Jacobs, and assistant coach Bill Bellerose ‘77; Right: Van Buskirk with the 2008-2009 women’s team after winning the ECAC Open Tournament Championship. way and with the interests and development of his players at the forefront. “Peter is a true gem,” said former Holy Cross associate director of athletics Ann Ash Zelesky, who worked with Van Buskirk for 30 years and oversaw women’s sports in her role as senior woman administrator. “It was a privilege and an honor to work with Peter. In his 30-plus years at Holy Cross, he had an immeasurable impact on our men’s and women’s ice hockey programs, Holy Cross and the ice hockey world. He’s been a positive influence on thousands of student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans. He is a true gentleman at all times, and has been a mentor to so many.” As expected, HC’s first year competing in Hockey East has been a challenge. The Crusaders recorded their first win over a top-five ranked team when they beat No. 5 Northeastern, 5-3, on Nov. 30. That is Holy Cross’ only victory this season, but Van Buskirk believes his team is making strides despite what its record (1-21-3) may indicate. “You have your struggles in every group,” Van Buskirk said, “but this group has been so good with being prepared and with such a challenging schedule, they just go about it with the same type of enthusiasm and determination to improve, and they have improved, we just haven’t got a lot of victories as a result. “For me,” Van Buskirk said, “the journey has always been the reward. You’re hoping you’re on the winning side every time, but you really want to enjoy the process with the kids and losing is part of the process. We knew where we were and what we had to do and the level of 10 Crusader Nation • Spring 2019
improvement in their play and getting used to the level of speed (in Hockey East), which was dramatically different, has improved.” HC averaged less than a goal a game through the first part of the season, but averaged two goals in its first four games of 2019. “Every step of the way, after every game, he tells us the improvements we’ve made,” senior forward Sam Girard said. “We had a loss, but maybe we won the period or maybe we did better backchecking. He’s always there to tell us to focus on what we’re best at. Before every game, he tells us, ‘I know what you can do.’ He holds us to a standard and we have so much trust in him and that’s what we do.” When Girard was considering Holy Cross as one of her options, “People kept bringing up, ‘Van Buskirk, Van Buskirk,’ ” she said, “and I’m like, ‘Maybe I should read up on him,’ and he was a legacy here. “I can say this for all the seniors,” Girard said, “we’ve been so blessed to have learned so much more about hockey than we ever thought we would. He truly loves it and it shows.” Lachapelle, a 1999 graduate of Providence College, also was previously an assistant at Ohio State and Niagara. In 2013, she was named an assistant of the U.S. women’s national under-18 team. She has coached at USA Hockey camps for several years, most recently at the 2018 USA Hockey Women’s Winter Training Camp. “Peter has been awesome to work with, and he’s been a great mentor these last
two years,” Lachapelle said. “He has so much wisdom and his X’s and O’s — he just really knows all the little things about the game. That part has been great to sit around and chat hockey. The other part that is awesome is his whole story.” From 1976-79, Van Buskirk was director of the Los Angeles Hockey School and the Squaw Valley Hockey School. In 2010, he was the recipient of the John “Snooks” Kelley Founders Award, which recognizes coaches who have contributed to the overall growth and development of ice hockey within the United States. He is a member of the Hudson High and University of New Hampshire athletic halls of fame. “I’ve been lucky that a lot of things have fallen in front of me,” Van Buskirk said, “and I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that.’ ” Van Buskirk has no immediate grand plans for retirement. He will become a Holy Cross hockey “fan,” and he and his wife, Susan, will spend more time at their condo in Florida. Lachapelle is encouraging Van Buskirk to take up pickleball to fill his athletic and competitive spirit. “I like being out on the ice,” Van Buskirk said. “You’ve got to enjoy the environment that you’re in, and if you do, time goes by pretty quickly, and if you can make a living out of it, that’s even better. “I’m looking forward to (retirement),” Van Buskirk said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but that’s OK. You don’t necessarily have to have a plan. You develop your plan.” This article originally appeared in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Spring 2017 • Crusader Nation 11
Student spotlight Matt Farrell ’19 Men’s Lacrosse
Matt Farrell (Bernardsville, N.J.), a senior defenseman on the men’s lacrosse team, entered the 2019 season as a member of the Preseason All-Patriot League team. In the 2018 season, Farrell consistently led the Crusader defense. He started in all 12 games for Holy Cross, recorded a team-best 19 caused turnovers, and added one goal and one assist for two points on the season. His performance after the 2018 season earned him second team All-Patriot League honors. Farrell then broke the school singleseason record for caused turnovers in 2019.
Q How did you react when you
were named to the Preseason AllPatriot League team this year?
A I was excited, but really the
reason I got it is because of my teammates and defensive partners. I’m able to do what I do because they cover a lot of ground themselves, so it’s really a team thing. As much as I like it, I’d rather just see the team win and be successful. It’s a pretty cool honor — and it’s pretty humbling.
Q Are you involved in activities on campus in addition to lacrosse?
A I participate in Big Brothers Big
Sisters once per week. I go to Quinsigamond Elementary School and help a student with his math homework, play sports with him, and ask what’s going on in his life. I’ve been doing that since my freshman year. The whole team [men’s lacrosse] participates with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Q It seems unusual for student-athletes to be so involved with activities beyond academics and athletics. Do you think Holy Cross is unusual in this way?
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A Holy Cross is unique in this way.
I have a bunch of other buddies that play Division I sports, and really all they focus on is the Division I grind. I can see that and respect that because it is a big-time commitment, but I really think the motto here of being men and women for others shows in the student-athletes. Despite all the time commitments we have to manage, taking classes, going to practice or film, we still find time to help in the community. Everyone finds time to do something or speak up for what they believe in. It’s pretty special.
Q Why is that? A I just think you catch on. It’s
essentially a vibe around here. For example, Liam Driscoll ’17, was always helping out. He won the Yeardley Reynolds Love Unsung Hero Award for Lacrosse Student-Athletes. He was doing so much in the community that kids in my grade, younger guys, wanted to help out because we saw how much time he dedicated and how awesome it was for him, and to see the smile on his face and the kids’ faces, so we decided to help out whenever we could. Now we partner with Team Impact and our teammate is Austin. It’s just a culture here, I would say.
Q You’ve had two years with and
two years without the new resources available at the Luth Athletic Complex. Can you talk about the before and after?
A It’s unbelievable. My first year we
were in the field house in a little locker room, and we would have to carry the laundry from all the way down there, up to the Hart Center, and then bring it back down before 6:00 a.m. lift the next day. It was tough, especially when it was five degrees out. In the winter during my freshman and sophomore years, it was cold and we had to wear ski masks when we were outside practicing and had to have a heater. But now, with the new Indoor Practice Facility, if it’s under 30 degrees, we go inside to practice. It’s nice. You don’t have to bundle up in four layers. The weight room is unbelievable. Everything is right there. The refueling station — it’s a complete overhaul and makeover. One of my friends plays lacrosse at a regional rival that we recently played, and he was taking pictures of the Indoor Practice Facility, and I was like, “What are you doing?” He says, “We have nothing like this for our lacrosse team or any team.” By Andrew Veneziano, former assistant director, CAF
MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO TODAY’S STUDENT-ATHLETES THROUGH A GIFT TO THE CRUSADER ATHLETICS FUND Holy Cross student-athletes are proud, passionate and committed. Show your pride, passion, and commitment to Holy Cross Athletics by making a gift to the Crusader Athletics Fund today. Your investment provides the critical resources necessary for our student-athletes to thrive academically, compete for championships and grow as men and women for others.
MAKE A GIFT TODAY! Return the enclosed envelope or visit holycross.edu/giveCAF19. Questions? Contact the Crusader Athletics Fund at 508-793-2632.
What I Was Thinking
CATCHING UP WITH... Jimmy Murray ’17
Walk-on offensive lineman at Holy Cross makes his way to the NFL
W
hen James “Jimmy” Murray first arrived at Holy Cross in the fall of 2013 as a walk-on offensive lineman out of Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill., few could have predicted the path his football career might take. After he missed his entire freshman season due to injury, the chances of him someday making his way to the National Football League seemed remote. “When I first arrived at Holy Cross, I never really gave much thought to playing in the NFL,” says Murray. “But in the back of my mind, I thought that maybe if I played well enough, it was something I could aspire to accomplish. And by the end of my junior year, I found out that maybe I had a chance.” After taking over as the Crusaders’ starting right guard midway through his sophomore year, Murray started all 11 of the team’s games at center as a junior. He then earned second team All-Patriot League honors as a senior, after once again starting every game at center.
A determined Jimmy Murray works his way from Fitton Field to the 2019 AFC championship game. 14 Crusader Nation • Spring 2019
With one season of eligibility remaining, Murray elected to return to Holy Cross as a fifth-year senior in the fall of 2017, and was named second team All-Patriot League for the second-straight season, this time starting the whole year at left tackle. Even though professional scouts took an interest in Murray, he was not selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. But the day after the draft ended, he received an offer to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. A few days later, Murray was on a plane to Kansas City for rookie minicamp. He had received an unbelievable opportunity, but knew he still had a lot of work to do in order to make the team. “When I first started in Kansas City, I watched the veteran players closely and tried to mirror what they did,” says Murray. “I worked hard both on the field and in my mental preparations, and people began to see that I was very professional.” Despite suffering an injury during preseason training camp, Murray impressed the organization enough that he was offered a spot on the Chiefs’ 10-man practice squad heading into the 2018 season. Then on Oct. 23, he was promoted to the 53-man active roster. He went on to appear in two games along the offensive line, while helping the team to an overall record of 12-4 and a trip to the AFC championship game. “It was just a crazy year as a whole, and it has taken me a while to process everything,” says Murray. “Looking back, the team experiences that stand out the most are the two playoff games at Arrowhead Stadium. There was an unbelievable atmosphere, unlike anything I have ever been around, and I hope to play a bigger role and help get us back to the playoffs next year.”
Speaking of the 2019 season, Murray knows that his work is never done as he looks to once again win a spot on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. “This is a big offseason for me,” says Murray. “I need to work the same way I have and continue to improve. After one year in the NFL, I have a better understanding of what my weaknesses are, so now I can focus on those areas in my training.” Even though the majority of his time is taken up by his activities with the Chiefs, Murray still found time last fall to watch most of Holy Cross’ games on Saturday afternoons. He also saw a number of his former teammates as they made their way to Kansas City to see him in uniform last fall. “That first game after I got called up from the practice squad, I had about five Holy Cross guys come out to that game,” says Murray. “Afterwards, I was with my family and friends on the field and it was really special to experience it with them.” The friendships Murray developed with those teammates remain one of his best memories from his time at Holy Cross. “We spent so much time together dayin and day-out, at meals, lifts, practices and games,” says Murray. “I met so many great friends during my time at Holy Cross and it is great to share this next chapter in my life with them, knowing they will always be there to support me.”
“I was just focused on one batter at a time. My goal was to put my team in the best place to win; pitching a no-hitter is just a bonus. With every ball put into play, I knew my team had my back.” Kelly Nelson ’22 Softball Norton, Mass. March 24, 2019
On March 24, freshman Kelly Nelson threw the first no-hitter by a Holy Cross pitcher since 2013 in a 2-0 shutout victory at Army West Point.
There is no doubt those friends will continue to be there for Murray as he continues his journey in the NFL this fall. By Charles Bare, director of Athletic Media Relations. Spring 2019 • Crusader Nation 15
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Why I Give Terrence Butt ’95 (Milton, Mass.) Baseball and Hockey, HOF ‘18
“Being able to play both hockey and baseball during my time as a student-athlete and then returning to coach in both programs allowed me to experience just how important athletics is as part of the overall Holy Cross experience. The many lessons I received from my coaches and the bonds formed with my teammates shaped who I am today. It also provided the foundation for what I was able to pass on to another generation of players. I support the CAF to continue to ensure that all student-athletes, present and future, are able to experience the very best in their pursuit of excellence as Crusaders.”
Andrew ’07 and Patricia (Sutton) Thompson ’07 (Boston, Mass.) Soccer and Lacrosse
“We give to Holy Cross and the CAF because we recognize the importance of the people that came before us and that will come after us. We are all intertwined and connected by our love and commitment to the Holy Cross community. Looking back at our four years, some of our fondest memories were on the field and with our teammates, many of whom are still our closest friends today. We are proud to say we went to Holy Cross and feel so grateful that we are part of such an unique alumni community. Plus, we have Holy Cross to thank for introducing us and love bringing our children back to The Hill to cheer on the Crusaders! We will always bleed purple!”
Kenny and Kris Dudunakis P21 (Bellevue, Wash.) Baseball
“We believe in the value of athletics in building character, integrity, tenacity, and a strong work ethic. We have seen first-hand how these qualities, which are learned on the athletic fields and courts, carry through in life and in the workplace. By supporting athletics at Holy Cross we are supporting our future leaders and entrepreneurs. We are proud to be part of Crusader Nation and we love cheering on Holy Cross athletes, especially our great baseball team!”
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