Catroina Jablonski, Managing Editor

There’s a town at the mouth of the River Eske, in northwest Ireland, known for Slieve League, Ireland’s highest sea cliffs. The rolling hills that envelope the area make it the fourth-largest county in all of Ireland, but zooming in on the small town of Donegal, you find a touristy area known for fishing and hiking.

Zoom in even more and you’ll find a young Maria Kealy. After leading her basketball club, the Letterkenny Blaze, to four consecutive Northwest League and Cup championships and leading the club to a U16 All-Ireland Club Championship in 2019, she decided to set her sights on the future and look across the pond to playing in the United States.

“It was never on my radar growing up,” Kealy said on the Sideline Live Podcast. “I started Under-16 Irish team, then COVID happened, so I never really got a chance to go with that. But once Under-18 Irish teams happened, I kind of realized I could probably go far in this sport…America is a dream I can chase.”

Kealy finished her last FaceTime with then-Quinnipiac’s assistant coach Jen Fay and headed to the airport.

Just 36 miles south in Northern Ireland, Ella O’Donnell was ready to board her flight from Shankill, Ireland, to Hamden, Connecticut, to start her second season in 2023 with the Bobcats. Something is different about this year, though. This time, she’ll have Kealy by her side.

The pair was incredibly familiar with each other, having represented their country on the  U20 Irish National Team for the 2023 FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship in Romania. 

Kealy would land about a week before O’Donnell to get acquainted with Quinnipiac’s three campuses. Fay would pick her up from the airport and drive her to M&T Bank Arena for the first time to show her around York Hill, which is when the pinch-me moments started to sink in.

“I remember I literally opened the door to the arena. I was like, this is so surreal. I cannot believe I’m here. I did get a little bit teary-eyed,” said Kealy. “After so many years of in the gym all the time, the hard work does pay off. It was in that moment. It was the first time I really felt it.”

The minute O’Donnell would touchdown in Connecticut, she ran to meet up with Kealy, where the two would reunite for the first time since their days playing for the Ireland National Team.

“I’ve been so so lucky with Ella. She’s been like a big sister to me here,” Kealy said. “There are definitely moments where it gets to be too much, as there’s a lot going on. To have someone like Ella there just to realize and bring you back down to earth. It’s amazing.”

That sisterly feel extends far past just Kealy, as during the 2025-26 season, O’Donnell was named co-captain of the squad alongside Jackie Grisdale. 

During Kealy’s first season in Hamden, both her and O’Donnell saw multiple starts together, with Kealy notching 15 and O’Donnell just two more throughout the 2023-24 campaign. 

“Anytime me and Ella are playing together, it’s just like, this is so cool for us to be here and play at this level. For us both to have come so far from Ireland, I think I have to appreciate it more sometimes,”  Kealy said.

O’Donnell has made an impact during her time at Quinnipiac. In addition to being named captain for the squad, she made a lot of noise during the Bobcats’ run at the MAAC Championship down in Atlantic City. Averaging 6.1 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game during the tournament, O’Donnell was named to the 2025 MAAC All-Tournament Team. 

When O’Donnell came to Quinnipiac in 2022, she was one of 152 international students on campus, making up about 2% of the student body. This grew to 205 students in 2024 when Kealy joined the campus.

Quinnipiac was ranked amongst the top colleges for international students in 2024 by Colleges of Distinction.

“We want our international students to not only feel supported with the necessary resources to thrive but also to feel valued and celebrated for the diverse perspectives and experiences that they contribute to our campus community,” said Sarah Driscoll, director of international student services. “Quinnipiac is deeply enriched by our international students’ presence, and we want them to feel like Quinnipiac is their second home throughout their academic journey and beyond.”

O’Donnell finished her career with the Bobcats this past season after making it to the second round of the WBIT. The 2025-26 season was her best to date, averaging 11.4 points per game and shooting 65.6% from the line. 

Kealy will return to the Bobcats for her senior season during the 2026-27 academic year. After playing in only nine games her second year because of injury, her third year saw her coming off the bench and playing in all 34 of the Bobcats’ matchups during the 2025-26 season, averaging 1.8 assists and 1.4 points per game. Kealy is one of three Bobcats from Fabbri’s squad returning under newly announced head coach Roman Owen.