11 minute read
Sports
Meghann Morhardt StaffWriter The UNITAS Initiative is a program that was developed by the Athletics Department in 2017 to bring attention to diversity and equality issues, as well as to give the student-athletes a platform to share their stories and experiences. Over the course of the last few months, however, the program has grown and taken more action than ever in light of recent events surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and racial injustice. The UNITAS mission states: “We can do more. We will do more. We are committed to meaningful collaboration so that we may better craft an athletic department that is welcoming and nurturing for all of our student-athletes.” The Athletics Department realizes that Black student-athletes on this campus have unique experiences and need a platform to share them and bring to light the injustice that they face. This program involves all student-athletes and coaches, but the department has also assembled a Leadership Committee that is made up ofathleticsstaff, student-athletes, afewuniversitystaffmembersfrom theOffice ofInterculturalAffairs, afewfromthe Office ofDiversity and Inclusion and a communications Women’s Madison Burke Co-Sports Editor The Villanova women’s rowing team typically practices and competes in both the fall and spring seasons. However, due to COVID-19, fall competitions have been postponed, and the team is unable to practice on the water. professor. Having this committee will provide UniversityandAthleticsstaff the opportunity to listen to and learn from Black student-athletes and their experiences. One of the goals of this initiative is to give these athletes more equal opportunities to stand in lead- ership positions and use their voices for change. Three student-athletes that are a part of the leadership com- mittee are Sanaä Barnes (Women’s Volleyball/Track and Field), Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (Men’s Basketball) and Danielle Burns (Women’s Track and Field), all of whom are also founders of the student-led group The 13%. While The 13% is a sepa- rate organization from UNITAS, the two groups have similar goals and will work together to take action in the future. UNITAS is based on seven core principles: Listen and Learn, Pray, Educate, Invest, Collaborate, Diversify and Lead. The group sees these as the building blocks to creating real change and works to take actionspecifictoeachprinciple. Some of these actions include student-athletes sharing stories on Jay Wright’s podcast, hosting forums andmeetingswithstaffandathletes, fundraising for programs on campus that focus on diversity and inclusion, the Let’s Vote Nova campaign, holding student-athlete masses to unite the department through prayer and Begins The cancelled fall season leaves them with one option: land practic- es on the ergometer, or erg. An erg is a rowing machine, found in most gyms, that simulates the same motion used when rowing a boat. A treadmill is to running as an erg is to rowing; both are mo- notonous and cardiovascular-de- pendent. Nevertheless, it is the best way to get into rowing shape many others. This initiative has created a platform for student-athletes to take on more of a leadership role when it comes to racial issues as well as fostering the tough conversations that need to happen in order to create change. This initiative will continue to grow and expand, especially with the strong student-athletes they have placed on the Leadership Committee. Villanova Athletics is comwithout being in boats. Athletes other than rowers use ergs for a few minutes because they are a won- derful training tool. However, the rowing team is on the machine for one to two hours a day, rather than just a few minutes. Rowing programs around the country are struggling with training plans due to the inability to get in a boat. Most teams will be staying on land until getting the all-clear from their athletic depart- ments, considering social distancing is difficult in a boat with nine athletes stuck at arms distance from eachother. The University is no different; the team has implemented strict policies and uses training pods to keep athletes and coaches safe while on the erg. Training pods are made of three to four athletes. All pods must socially distance from one another since erging is a stationary activity. Workout and practice times vary each day to limit the number of athletes training at once and to allow the coaches to stay socially distanced from the group. This is a particularly strange set up for the rowing team because, usually, athletes are close together, in sync with each other and occa- sionally cheering one another on. A coxswain, whose main job is to give calls to rowers, is now six feet away but still trying to hype up the team. Many sports teams and professional athletes are adjusting to new COVID-19 regulations, and that mitted to making change and taking action. Like the mission statement says, “Action is greater than words. The responsibility lies with all of us.” To learn more about the UNITAS Initiative and any upcom- ing events that they are hosting, you can visit its new page on the Villano- va Athletics website, which highlights its mission on campus and goals for Black student-athletes competing for
The UNITAS logo is being used to spread the message about this new initiative. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics
Rowing
Off the Water Training
Villanova. means finding new ways to keep motivated in these distanced times. For the University rowing team, like professional athletes around the world, Zoom meetings are a difficult adjustment when a team is used to seeing each other in person everyday. Although facing similar struggles, college athletes do not have the same resources as profes- sional competitors. Student ath- letes cannot go into a bubble and practice without masks with their teammates. Collegiate athletes are on campus with thousands of other young students who are all looking to continue their education and undergraduate experience in the best way possible during these restricted times. We have seen with plenty of other universities that the struggles of returning to school in the midst of a global pandemic is immensly dangerous. As of right now, the University’s dedication to The CARITAS Commitment has been successful and hopefully will allow for the semester to continue on campus through November. Student-athetes can hope that their sport will resume in the spring. All athletes at the Universi- ty are hoping to return to campus and move forward with a somewhat normal spring season. The rowing team will continue to workout on land, but athletes have their fingers crossed in hopes of returning to the Schuylkill River to practice for a possible race soon.
Golf Team to Host Fundraiser and Tournament in Support of The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation
Andrew Brassini StaffWriter On Sept. 26 and 27, the Villanova Men’s Golf Team will play in an exhibition tournament for charity at Radnor County Country Club. Junior golfer Danny Dougherty came up with the idea to raise money for The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation. While the tournament was originally scheduled for the spring and was canceled due to the pandemic, Dougherty was determined to follow through with the event and was able to reschedule it for the fall. Dougherty is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences and is from nearby Wilmington, Del. He is a local kid with Villanova ties, as both his father and uncles are Villanova alumni. Doughertyhasbeenafixture on the golf team since his arrival to campus and had a 77.37 stroke average last season, his sophomore year. The Delaware native wants those skills to be used to help others, leading to the creation of this B+ event. The tournament will be in the form of a friendly golf competition between the members of the Villa- nova golf team. Donators are able to pledge a certain amount of money per birdie made during the tourna- ment. Donations can be made on the Birdies for B+ website, and all dona- tions go to the B+ Foundation to aid inthefightagainstchildhoodcancer. Alex Tantum StaffWriter Will there be a college basketball season? As Villanovans, this is a question that is weighing heavily on many of our minds. We’ve already seen the NCAA football season altered, with conferences makingdifferent decisions regarding their scheduling. At the FCS level, conferences such as the CAA cancelled their season, which resulted in no football for the University. However, as of now, conferences such as the SEC, ACC and Big 12 are opting to continue their seasons, which seems to be a good sign for the chances of a basketball season. On the website, supporters can submit donations, track the score of the golfers live, read live updates from the course and learn more about the B+ Foundation. “The B+ Foundation really hits home for me because the parent who originally started the foundation is from my hometown of Wilmington, Delaware,” Dougherty said in regards to his inspiration for the charity tournament. The B+ Foundation was created in honor of Andrew McDonough, a 14-year-old athlete and straight-A student who passed away suddenly from Leukemia in 2007. Being a young athlete from the same town as Andrew, Dougherty had the idea to combine his love of golf and his drive to help others to plan this event for the B+ Foundation. The message on the Birdies for B+ website states, “Our team is joiningTheB+ Foundationtofight childhood cancer because 46 kids are told they have cancer every school day. Spread the word and help us collect donations to beat our team goal and to beat childhood cancer. Please donate to the individual who messaged you or donate to the team’s overall fund.” “Unfortunately, due to the COVID situation, it will be a specta- tor free event,” Dougherty explained. “People who want to donate and track the event can get updates from our website, and from the Villanova While NCAA basketball for 2020-21 does not seem to be in jeopardy of being cancelled at this point, there are high levels of uncertainty as to how this season will work. As we move closer to the beginning of the season in early November, more insight into scheduling and logistics have slowly been coming out. Last year, the full Villanova basketball schedule was announced on Sept. 5, with the season officially beginning Nov. 5 against Army; as of press time, the schedule for this year has yet to have been announced. Despite some push to keep Nov. 10 as the scheduled start date for the season, the NCAA oversight committees have proGolf Team’s various social media accounts.” While the pandemic has madeitexceedinglydifficulttoorganize events such as this competition, Dannyisconfidentthischaritytournament is the right move to aid The B+ Foundation during these turbulent posed Nov. 25 as the start date. The Division I Council is scheduled to meet on Sept. 16 and will vote on this proposal. Nothingis officially set at this time, but the University is anticipating at least two non-conference games. As Jon Rothstein reported on Sept. 8, the Big East and Big 12 are still looking to play their matchups for this season, which would mean that Villanova plays Texas at some point. Additionally, the University is currently scheduled to play Virginia on Dec. 22 at Madison Square Garden, which could potentially be a top-five matchup. If the season begins on Nov. 25 as proposed, the amount of uncertainty with less than three months to its beginning would be unprecedented. How many out of conference games will be played? Will there be some version of a bubble? How many teams will be in the NCAA tournament? How will the NCAA ensure that players remain safe? Answers to these questions will have to come in the months ahead for the season to occur and they have been slowly trickling out over roughly the past month. The NCAA has created a COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, which will help create a plan to keep student athletes in all sports as safe as possible. As for non-conference games, the Big Ten recently reported that they want to play them, and the Big 12 and Big East are planning to go through with their “Challenge” games. Same as non-conference times.
Dougherty and his teammates are excited to get back on the course, while also raising money for a good cause. Head to the Birdies for B+ website to donate, gather more information on the event and the founda
The Andrew McDonough Foundation has chapter across the country. Courtesy of @BePositiveFdn Facebook
2020-21 College Basketball Season to Start on Nov. 25?
tion. games, there still is hope that opening season tournaments, which usually have some extremely entertaining games, will be able to occur, perhaps in a “bubble” setting. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame sent a detailed pitch to programs for plans to host a tournament including at least 32 games and involving at least 16 teams between Dec. 9 and 20. Other events, such as the Empire Classic tournament, which involved Villanova, Baylor, Michigan and NC State, could possibly move their games to the Hall of Fame as well. In terms of the ultimate point of the season, “March Madness,” Jon Rothstein reported on Sept. 9 that the ACC was proposing that every single Division I team (about 350) make the NCAA tournament. However, that idea was quickly shot down, as NCAA SVP of basketball Dan Gavitt stated that, “at this time we are not working on any contingency plan that involves expanding the tournament field.” Just like practically everything else involving the 2020-21 season, there does not seem to be a plan in place yet for how the tournament will be safely conducted. Of course, as die-hard Villanova basketball fans, students hope this season occurs and that with a consensus preseason top-five team in the country, the team gets a chance to win its third national championship in six years. Unfortunately, the chances of fans being in-person at the games look slim, but the safety of the athletes comes first.
