06.26.19

THE ORACLE

W E D N E S DAY, J U N E 2 6 , 2 0 1 9 I VO L . 5 6 N O . 5 3

By Alyssa Stewart E D I T O R

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www.usforacle.com

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I DA

Generations of USF leadership weigh in on Genshaft’s lasting legacy

C H I E F

Nearly 20 years ago, the University of South Florida was widely considered to be a regional and commuter institution.

Now, two decades later, USF has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of higher education.

It is hard to pinpoint what exactly changed USF so much but it may not be as difficult to identify who.

Members of the USF community, past and present, all seem to have one name in mind — President Judy Genshaft.

One of Genshaft’s early counterparts was Dick Beard, who served as the former chairman of USF’s Board of Trustees (BOT) from 2001-07. He knew Genshaft before he joined and based on his first impression, he knew she was capable of handling the job.

Beard worked closely with Genshaft in order to establish the

BOT. At that point, there were no rules, guidance or a plan in place — only a set of people.

Genshaft had the idea to create a

strategic plan, which would serve as guidance for the institution.

“This was instrumental for USF’s future considering this planning

was done almost 20 years ago and it is still being used today,” Beard said. “It is a completely different institution.”

Genshaft will officially retire July 1 after nearly 20 years in her role. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM

Beard also granted USF’s success to Genshaft’s fundraising efforts. Last year, she raised over $100 million, which awarded her a $210,000 stipend.

“The university went from having less than $200 million to more than $500 million,” Beard said. “She has done a fabulous job of raising money and making USF a true research university.

“She has really focused on what it means to become a top-tier university.”

Along with her work ethic, Beard complimented Genshaft’s vibrantspirit, which is well known around campus.

“She’s got more energy than anyone I know,” Beard said. “She makes a connection to the students, she’s approachable, she’s active in the community, she has chaired major boards, the students know her — these are all important.”

Mike Griffin, Student Government (SG) student body

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Popular on-campus dining spots will look different come fall

By Alyssa Stewart E D I T O R

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C H I E F

Construction has taken over the summer months as Dining Services works to expand its options and renovate the USF Library Starbucks.

Bento Sushi and Panera Bread will be joining the other six

dining options — Chick-Fil-A, Jamba Juice, Papa Johns, Panda Express, Moe’s and Subway — in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) food court Aug. 26.

A “soft launch” and reveal of the location will occur the week prior, according to Aramark Marketing Director Jessica Cicalese.

NEWS 3

The MSC dining areas, aside from Jamba Juice, closed down its operations and installed a separation wall on April 24 to begin the four-month project.

Installing drywall, flooring and plumbing are the main priorities for this month, however, programming will be another key focus in the weeks

OPINION 6

to come.

The updated MSC food court will showcase computerized menu boards, registers at each location and the mobile ordering app, Tapingo.

Previously, patrons would select their food at any of the dining locations and pay at the register before exiting.

SPORTS 8

Sean Hamad, the food service director for the MSC, said the implementation of the registers at each location will avoid customers from having to wait in two lines.

Beef O’ Brady’s (Beefs) used to occupy the restaurant space in the MSC, however, Cicalese said

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The Oracle THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966

Editor in Chief

Alyssa Stewart @AlyssaKStewart

Sports Editor Brian Hattab

Multimedia Editor Leda Alvim

Staff Writer Jared Sellick

Graphic Artists

Aysia Hixenbaugh

Advertising Sales Kayley Alsina Victoria Arama Katelyn Williams

The Oracle is published Monday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and once weekly, Wednesday, during the summer.

The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student. Additional copies are $.50 each and available at the Oracle office (SVC 0002).

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Contact Editor in Chief Alyssa Stewart at 974-5190.

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NEWS

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What some students are looking for in the USF president-elect

By Leda Alvim M U L T I M E D I A

E D I T O R

President-elect Steven Currall certainly has big shoes to fill when it comes to replacing his predecessor, Judy Genshaft following her 19-year tenure.

In fact, some members of the USF community are looking for specific attributes in the university’s next leader.

When the Board of Trustees (BOT) selected Currall to serve as USF’s seventh system president, he stated his excitement to be a part of the community and help take the university forward.

Now, with the inauguration ceremony just around the corner for Currall to be officially sworn into office July 1, the hopes and expectations among students are high.

Chris Miklaszewski, a student majoring in biomedical science, said he hopes Currall will be engaged with students and the overall community throughout his time at USF. “I want a leader who is willing to reach out to everyone, not just those who are at the top,” Miklaszewski said. “It is definitely a tall order to reach out to every student, but I still think that Steven Currall should aim to impact every Bull’s life positively.”

During his first few months as system president, Currall said in his BOT interview on March 22 that he plans to get out of his office frequently, engage with the community and learn more about the offices on campus.

Besides engaging with the community, the new president will

Steve Currall will serve as USF’s seventh system president. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM

also be expected to hear the student body’s concerns and ideas.

For Ruhan Gagnani, a junior majoring in cell and molecular biology, communication between Student Government (SG) and the new president is important in order to meet the students’ needs.

“Having our voices heard is not only about listening to certain opinions and then internally discussing whether or not the ideas are possible without letting the students know,” Gagnani said. “We want a leader who is there to listen and act on what students have to say or even let the students know what can and cannot be done and why.”

Besides focusing on community engagement, students highlighted the importance to grow the university in the next few years and maintain USF’s preeminent status.

According to Renata Gomes, senior majoring in global business, Currall should explore USF’s

potential and set audacious goals for the future.

“I want a leader that makes decisions which will benefit students, faculty and staff,” Gomes said.

“By attending events and meeting students, he will have the chance to learn about student’s perspective on how to make USF better, which will allow us to continue soaring high.”

While Genshaft’s tenure comes to an end, a new chapter of USF will begin with the leadership of Currall.

Among student’s expectations, Miklaszewski said the biggest one is student engagement.

“Currall should engage with the student body by honestly having ears open and being willing to have conversations,” Miklaszewski said.

“The students can’t necessarily see things from the university president’s point of view, so having those conversations could make things more understandable from both sides.”

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DINING

Continued from PAGE 1

the area will now house a fullservice Chick-Fil-A, a Bento Sushi and will be renamed “Bulls Pen.” This area will also include a space for students to play pool, air hockey and other activities.

The hours of operation will likely remain the same — 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. — for the food court, but the Panera Bread hours are still not decided, according to Cicalese.

Einstein’s Bagel, which is being replaced by Panera Bread, used to operate 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Hamad said the Panera Bread serves as a better option than Einstein’s Bagel because of the variety.

“Students will be able to purchase breakfast, lunch and dinner options which is something we have not had previously,” Hamad said.

For those who are in the MSC in the late evenings, there will now be a food option past operational hours which will feature a salad bar and prepackaged options. The extended food court hours still have to comply with the MSC building hours, — 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. — so an appropriate time is still being determined.

Along with the salad bar, the food court will have a station called “813 Eats.” This option will sell foods local to the Tampa area.

Because of the new dining changes and restaurants, Hamad said Dining Services has started hiring for the new positions and have rearranged the current staff.

“The people that were

working at Beefs are now being trained on Chick-FilA’s machines,” Hamad said.

“Someone else will also be relocated to be one of the managers at Panera when it opens.”

The Starbucks in the library will be getting a new look as well.

Construction began in the Starbucks June 10 and it is expected to open Aug. 26. A temporary Starbucks kiosk is in the library for the meantime.

All menu items, with the exception of a few frappuccino options, will still be available to purchase.

The upgrade will consist of a larger mobile ordering area and more seating accommodations.

“We have not had anyone reporting anything negative about the Starbucks,” Cicalese said. “But since it has gotten so popular, we wanted to open it up to give students more space.”

The MSC food court and Starbucks will be completely renovated by Senco Construction and Tipton Associates. The cost of the projects cannot be determined at this point in the process, according to Cicalese.

Hamad said he believes the new layout changes will be worth it to students.

“Given that the 10-week anniversary of the MSC just passed, we felt it was time to make some changes,” Hamad said. “I think students will enjoy the expansion and hopefully this will add more value to their college experience.”

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2534 E Bearss Ave, Tampa, FL Phone: (813) 972-5919

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GENSHAFT Continued from PAGE 1

president (SBP) from 2001-03, said Genshaft’s positive energy is the reason why he is still active in the USF community.

Last year, Griffin chaired the Consolidation Task Force and was appointed to the BOT last week.

He said he has Genshaft to thank for his involvement at USF after all these years.

“She brings so much energy and passion that it’s contagious,” Griffin said. “I am sure there are a lot of people that are involved because of Genshaft. She has this amazing ability to lead others with her inclusive leadership style and I am a big product of that.”

Griffin started his freshman year at USF and served on the Student Advisory Committee for the presidential search process.

“In the early days of the search, there were strong candidates but what made Genshaft stand out was her consistent focus on student success,” Griffin said. “Looking back on the last 19 years, clearly, that focus has not wavered or changed.”

Griffin said he was Genshaft’s second SBP and her first student trustee of the BOT. During that time, Griffin said during his time as SBP, USF had an expansion of housing on campus, funding for the Marshall Student Center was secured and the events of 9/11 occurred.

“Post 9/11 affected our campus in a lot of ways,” Griffin said. “The leadership and compassion she showed around that very difficult time when I was SBP was impactful and very important in shaping the dynamic of the university.

“She embraced us, just as we embraced her.”

Moneer Kheireddine, last year’s SBP and USF ambassador, said he met Genshaft at a SG Day at the Capitol event before he was involved in any of his leadership roles on campus. He heard buzz about Genshaft’s energy on campus

and how she was a role model for students.

“I talked to her about my passions and what my plans were and I have never seen a grown woman get more excited for a random person’s future than that first conversation with her,” Kheireddine said.

In his senior year, Kheireddine was elected to be a part of the USF Ambassadors, which are student leaders who serve as a link between the current student body and alumni. Along with alumni, the ambassadors work with the Office of the President.

The final step in becoming a USF Ambassador includes an interview with the president.

Kheireddine said this process was intimidating for himself and a lot of other students. However, during the interview, he said Genshaft still let her bubbly attitude shine through which made the experience easier.

“After we were in the program, we didn’t feel like we had to act a certain way when we were around her because she wanted to get to know our true personalities,” Kheireddine said. “Ambassadors served as her right-hand man and woman, so I think she appreciated us.”

As the eyes and ears for the student body, Kheireddine said it was rare for someone to not know who Genshaft was.

“At other universities, most student would not even be able to name their president,” Kheireddine said. “Students talked about Genshaft in a charismatic way, almost as if she was a celebrity.

“People viewed her as greater than the ground she walked on.”

As SBP, Kheireddine had oneon-one sessions with Genshaft every month to catch up with what was happening around campus.

“One of the most impactful things she has said to me was, ‘make sure your why in life revolves around helping other people,’”

Kheireddine said. “She said that she did not come to USF to fulfill any self-interest and she wanted to pay it forward. She hopes that anyone that she impacts in her life will try to do the same.”

Paying it forward is exactly what she did.

Genshaft announced May 22 that she will be donating $20 million to build the Judy Genshaft Honors College. During her retirement gala on June 1, she said she would add an additional $3 million to endow the deanship for the honors building.

“For her to write those two big checks goes way beyond what anybody needed her to do,” Beard said. “It’s unbelieve she would put almost more than she ever made back into the university.”

Genshaft earned almost $1.2 million last year in salary and performance-based funding, which made her one of the highest-paid college presidents in the country.

Beard said he has been close friends with Genshaft for the past 20 years and has continued to stay in touch.

As Genshaft’s presidency comes to a close, Beard said he believes that President-elect Steve Currall has the potential to successfully continue the work she has done these past 19 years.

“The new guy will do a fabulous job, he has the potential to keep the continuum going of being an outstanding university that is recognized worldwide — that’s what I am hoping,” Beard said.

Griffin said he is still inspired by Genshaft and believes people will feel the same in years to come.

“She is USF. She will always be a part of USF,” Griffin said. “I am excited about our new president and what is ahead of us but Judy Genshaft will go down in our region’s history.”

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Au revoir, Rays. Take your embarrassing leadership with you.

By Brian Hattab S P O R T S

E D I T O R

The idea of the Tampa Bay Rays splitting their season with Montreal has been topped in stupidity only by one thing — the person pitching it, Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg.

In Tuesday’s press conference announcing this bizarre idea, Sternberg came off as ill-prepared, insulting and incompetent when asked reasonable questions by media members at St. Petersburg’s Dali Museum.

Sternberg appeared ill-prepared when he was asked whether the Major League Baseball Players’ Association (MLBPA) would approve such an arrangement. Rather than answer the question, he deferred The Rays principal owner gave a proposal with what seemed to be to President of Baseball Operations little thought and even less preparation. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE Matt Silverman, who awkwardly Sports fans, usually loyal to a fault to stadiums in both regions, because answered in place of his boss. their team, expect at least some sense that’s never going to happen. But For what it’s worth, it’s hard to of loyalty in return. This felt like a open-air stadiums in either Tampa see the MLBPA approving a scenario gigantic stab in the back, especially Bay or Montreal are terrible ideas for where players have to maintain given the timing of it — the middle various weather-related reasons. homes and pay taxes in two separate of what could turn into a postseasonTuesday’s press conference was an countries. In fact, former catcher J.P. bound season. embarrassment for Sternberg. None Arencibia tweeted “This would be How could he have not seen that of the local media bought what he a nightmare for players and their backlash coming? was trying to sell, and in fact, some families” in response to this.

But the wildest thing to come began suggesting Sternberg violated Sternberg came off as insulting out of Tuesday’s press conference his use agreement with St. Petersburg several times, but none more so than was Sternberg’s absolute lack of by talking with Montreal interests in when he flat out said neither Tampa awareness. When asked why anyone the first place.

Bay nor Montreal could support a should believe baseball would work The Rays have more or less stated full-time baseball team and the 81 in Montreal after the failure of the they have one foot out of the door home games that come with it. Why Expos, Sternberg said something so from the Tampa Bay area with this publicly insult one region when you insane it’s actually shocking. announcement — maybe even more can insult two, right?

Sternberg cited poor attendance than that, considering Sternberg’s “... all to their own is not going at Olympic Stadium as a result comments that he can’t see Tampa to be an option going forward,” of a stadium that was “not very or St. Petersburg being given another Sternberg said in reference to Tampa convenient … a closed-roof stadium, opportunity at a full-time stadium Bay fans’ desire to keep their team to a bit of an antiquated facility.” and there is basically a zero percent themselves.

Sound familiar? chance either city finances a partBut it’s also insulting to Montreal, Everything Sternberg said time one. a city that also had its own franchise is everything that has plagued As they might say in Montreal, au from 1969 until 2004, when the attendance at Tropicana Field over revoir, Rays. It was fun while it lasted.

Montreal Expos relocated, becoming the years.

Hopefully the rest of the imminent the Washington Nationals.

There’s no reason to dive into relocation is handled less buffoonish It’s hard to say Sternberg didn’t Sternberg’s plans — well, plans for than this. look incompetent when he seemed plans, since he has no financing Brian Hattab is a graduate student surprised at the amount of fan or concepts yet — for open-air majoring in mass communications. backlash since the news first broke.

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What you said Multimedia Editor Leda Alvim asked students to reflect on President Judy Genshaft’s legacy after her 19-year tenure.

“Under her leadership, USF has grown to be much more diverse and acclaimed than before.”

— Oscar Portillo, a sophomore majoring in political sciences.

“It’s very inspiring to see a woman in such a high power position because it shows that we can do anything.” ­—Cami Escobar, a junior majoring in integrated public relations and advertising.

“She has brought amazing things to our school, not only in funding but she attracted great professors from different backgrounds and expanded academics.”

— Javier Puig, a sophomore majoring in business analytics.

“She empowers other women to be in the same kind of position of leadership that she held for several years.”

— Masiel Espino, a sophomore majoring in cellular molecular biology.

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NEVINS

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the first time she had been out of the country. The team traveled to the likes of Chinese Taipei, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan.

To say it was a culture shock for Nevins is an understatement.

As a kid from Pinellas Park, to see the world through softball was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“In Japan, they have tens of thousands of people watching,” she said. “Like, they’re all in their little work outfits and they go right there.”

Japan was almost Nevins’ home after a professional team in Japan offered her a contract.

“I had the opportunity to go over there and play after college in 2014, however again, I’m very much a family person,” she said.

“My parents were kind of ill so I wanted to stay close to them and also I’m pretty reserved and quiet so I didn’t want to leave my family.”

Nevins signed with the Scrapyard Dawgs in its 2016 inaugural season of NPF, considerably closer to home, with the team based out of Conroe, Texas.

With the Scrapyard Dawgs, Nevins rubbed shoulders with a handful of softball greats, including pitcher Monica Abbott, who signed the first milliondollar softball contract in 2016.

“We talked a little bit but I’m still pretty shy and reserved,” she said. “She would help with certain pitches if we were in the bullpen.”

But her time in NPF was cut short by an unexpected condition.

Nevins developed thoracic outlet syndrome, which is a compression of the blood vessels or nerves around the collar bone, which can lead to shoulder pain and numbness.

“I didn’t know what that meant but basically, my nerves and everything would go in and out and I would lose feeling in my arm,” she said.

She went for surgery on her right shoulder in 2016, and her professional fastpitch career came to a screeching halt.

“Fortunately, I can at least still throw a ball,” she said.

Her love for softball, however,

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didn’t stop there.

“I could no longer play with [Team] USA. I did pro for a year in Houston, but after surgery, I’m like, ‘OK, I still want to get involved.’”

That’s when she found Tampa Club Sports, a local tournament circuit that plays in the South Tampa and the New Tampa areas.

When she’s not working at her day job as a financial recruiter with Kforce Inc. and pursuing her dream job of being a nurse, Nevins takes the time to play the sport she’s loved since she was young.

“It’s just a way to stay involved in the game and stay active,” Nevins said. “I wish I can still be playing fast pitch but I can still have fun and not be without softball.”

Nevins also takes the time to pass her softball skills on to the younger generation. She works camps with former softball greats, like fellow former Team USA pitcher Jennie Finch.

“It’s still within USA softball but it’s good to help kids,” she said. “Basically, they grow up where they really can’t afford it, so it’s free for them and we just put on like a whole week-long camp, teach them the drills and basically what it’s like to be in the college level.”

Despite being away from USF for the past five years, Nevins still keeps the Team USA connection with Eriksen. In fact, the relationship goes much deeper than just athlete-to-coach.

“He’s like a second father to me, honestly,” she said. “There was a time in 2013 before Big East conference, my dad actually had a heart attack … [Eriksen] talked to my dad and he was like, ‘If anything ever happens ... I will take care of her.’”

Her mother Wanda passed away in 2017 and Eriksen has remained close and shares a friendship with her father Joseph.

As for her father, he’s her biggest fan, and he can’t contain his excitement over her Hall of Fame induction.

“He was telling all of his friends,” she said.

“He’s so excited.”

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Conference USA and the MAC reportedly do not want UConn either, meaning the Huskies likely become an FBS Independent, which, outside of Notre Dame and BYU, usually means a program is left to wander in relative obscurity.

So what does the departure of a charter member of the conference — whether you consider that date to be 1979 or 2013 — mean for the AAC and for USF? Football: Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey...

No one in the AAC is going to be sorry to see UConn’s football program leave.

The Tampa Bay Times called it an “albatross of sorts for the AAC” over the weekend, and that may be putting it kindly.

Since making the 2010 Fiesta Bowl, the Huskies have been bowl eligible one time — a 6-6 2015 regular season that ended in a loss in the St. Petersburg Bowl. Worse yet, UConn’s record since 2013 is 18-55.

While teams are always going to have ups and downs, UConn’s consistently terrible performances were hurting the AAC’s “Power 6” brand. Similarly, teams that played UConn — especially teams in the AAC East like USF, who played UConn annually — were suffering massive hits to their strength of schedule, making it harder to make a case of a place in the College Football Playoff.

If the AAC adds a school to replace UConn — and it’s hardly a guarantee it will — it’ll almost assuredly be an improvement from a competitive standpoint.

Basketball: Kind of hurts, but on the bright side...

Losing UConn’s basketball programs is unfortunate for the AAC. UConn is a valuable brand in basketball and has the hardware to back it up. The men’s team in 2014 and women’s team in 2014, 2015 and 2016 are the AAC’s only national championships since it split from the Big East.

Recency bias will make some say that UConn’s men’s team hasn’t

UConn is on its way out of the AAC. ORACLE PHOTO/BRIAN HATTAB

done much for the AAC since that national championship, though. But it’s too small an amount of time to say that versus how strong the brand has been perceived to be historically.

It’s a mixed bag for USF when it comes to women’s basketball. On one hand, without UConn in its way, it’ll actually be able to compete for a conference championship for the first time in program history starting in 2021.

On the other hand, as mentioned in the same Tampa Bay Times article as above, the AAC’s RPI was No. 9 in the nation last season — just slightly better than the Colonial Athletic Conference. That’s with the Huskies. It’s hard to imagine it improving when they leave.

So now what?

UConn will likely formally accept the Big East’s offer as early as Wednesday, per multiple reports.

What it’ll have to pay the AAC to get out and the Big East to get in is to be determined, but it’s unlikely this change will come cheap.

The obvious question for the AAC is who it replaces UConn with — if any replacement is made at all. It may have to, though, as Sports Business Journal reported that UConn’s departure triggers the ability for ESPN to renegotiate its new $1 billion media contract with the AAC. Replacing UConn could be a way to appease ESPN and

prevent a renegotiation.

The conference could offer Navy full membership. However, it’s unknown if the Midshipmen would want to leave the Patriot League where its rival Army is. It’s unlikely Navy would do much to bolster basketball anyway.

It could offer Army a footballonly membership in a similar setup to Navy. But that would likely mean having to move the iconic ArmyNavy game to before conference championship weekend, which would basically be sacrilege.

The AAC could poach a full member from Conference USA. Once UConn leaves, with the exception of Temple and Navy, every football member in the AAC will have come directly from Conference USA. UAB could be an interesting add. Charlotte could be too.

But even those schools, in large markets, have their drawbacks. UAB perpetually lives in the shadow of that school in Tuscaloosa. So does Charlotte with North Carolina and Duke. Plus, would ECU be willing to add another conference team in North Carolina?

There’s probably no easy solution to replacing UConn and the Huskies aren’t making it any easier by giving the AAC what is relatively short notice of their intent to leave.

The next year for the AAC could be an interesting one.

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Nevins’ journey to the Hall of Fame

By Nolan Brown C O R R E S P O N D E N T

When one considers a player like Sara Nevins, who topped the USF softball all-time strikeouts chart in 2014, one would expect her to continue to be slinging 75 mph pitches at unsuspecting batters in National Pro Fastpitch (NPF).

But these days, you’re more likely to find her at Hyde Park softball field on a Tuesday night with her coed slow-pitch softball team.

“I went from pitching, and now I play first, outfield and catcher so I can at least still throw some people out,” she said.

Nevins was recently selected to be inducted into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame later this year, five years after a remarkable career with the Bulls, which included leading USF to its first and only Women’s College World Series appearance in 2012, toppling the career strikeouts record with 1,103, and becoming the first ever USF player to become a threetime All-American.

Analysis

By Brian Hattab S P O R T S

“I was honestly shocked about the hall of fame,” Nevins said.

“I knew my stats were good but I didn’t care about that. I just pitched and had fun and it just happened. I could’ve done better for all we know.”

Like most sporty kids, Nevins began playing T-ball at age 4. She tried all sports but fell in love with softball.

“I threw hard from [age] 9.

I was just wild,” she joked. “I started throwing strikes and they were shocked and the umpires were like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re actually good,’ so I stuck with it.”

She then went on to become the softball MVP all four years at Pinellas Park High School and was the all-state pitcher of the year in 2008 and 2010.

Nevins’ high school and travel ball pitching stats caught the eye of USF coach Ken Eriksen. She was contacted by the team, toured the school and officially joined the Bulls in 2011. She was mostly happy with how close USF was in proximity to her family.

A trip to Oklahoma City has yet to come for the Bulls since

2012, but Nevins recalled their first game of the series against Oklahoma.

“It didn’t feel real until after the fact, looking back at it,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Oh crap, we’re really going to the World Series.’

It’s like we worked really hard, we deserve it but all throughout it, it just felt like we were playing a game. The crowd was much much larger so it was shocking, but it was still your average game, just on a larger level.”

In 2013, her junior season, she impressed Team USA and earned her spot on the team. She went on to play with Team USA for five years, playing in multiple World Cups, ISF World Championships and Pan American Games.

“Pan American was my alltime favorite tournament. It was in Toronto in 2014,” she said. “It’s like a mini-Olympics, you’re staying in little villages with different countries … we all eat in a big cafeteria. They tear everything down and make it one big mini-Olympic village.”

Her time with Team USA was

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Sara Nevins still plays softball even after her career with USF and Team USA. ORACLE PHOTO/BRIAN HATTAB

The dog days are over for AAC

E D I T O R

There is going to be one less familiar face in the AAC come 202021.

That’s because UConn is leaving in favor of “returning” to the Big East.

Of course, saying UConn will be “returning” to the current Big East, as many have since the news broke, isn’t entirely accurate. The conference known as the Big East was formed in 2013 following a split

from the original Big East (today’s AAC). It simply purchased the rights to the Big East name.

But the message is still clear — the Huskies want to be back with their old rivals — such as Georgetown, St. John’s and Providence College — more than they want to be with USF, UCF and Houston.

The plan has already been approved by the conference and an invitation was extended to UConn by the Big East’s presidents Monday, according to a report by CBS Sports.

The move to the Big East would

apply to all sports except football, which the Big East does not sponsor.

A formal announcement is expected at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

The news, first reported over the weekend by Digital Sports Desk, which bills itself as “the online destination for Boston sports fans,” and later picked up by Stadium, was hardly denied by UConn, which stated “we have been and remain proud members of the American Athletic Conference.”

UConn and the AAC had always

been an odd pairing anyway.

It’s clear UConn views itself as a basketball-first school, and with good reason — its basketball programs have won a combined 15 national championships — but the AAC is very much football minded in its ways. When the original Big East split up earlier this decade, it was done along football lines, after all. Football-playing members remained in the AAC, non-football (or, at least non-FBS) members went to the new Big East.

Considering the lack of the sport

in UConn’s new home, it’s unclear where the football program will wind up. But it doesn’t seem likely to remain in the AAC, as various reports have claimed the conference does not want a football-only UConn due to, among other things, poor performance.

In fact, a source told Stadium that UConn was “delusional” for thinking it could continue to play football in the AAC after leaving for the Big East in other sports.

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