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Tag: Quinnipiac

  • Roundtable: 2025 MAAC women’s basketball tournament preview

    Roundtable: 2025 MAAC women’s basketball tournament preview

    By: Zach Carter, Connor Coar, Toni Wetmore and Ben Yeargin

    The college basketball regular season is coming to an end across the country. Conference tournaments are around the corner in what is expected to be another exciting month of March. The women’s side of the MAAC tournament begins on March 11 at noon, with the championship game slated for Saturday afternoon on March 15 at 1:30 p.m. For the first time in the conference history, not every team will head to the conference tournament with the addition of Merrimack and Sacred Heart this season. 

    QU Sports Page’s Connor Coar, Toni Wetmore, Ben Yeargin and Zach Carter sat down to discuss who will be crowned MAAC Women’s Basketball Champions next Saturday. They also talked about a potential dark horse to make a run in Atlantic City, game-breaking players that fans should be on the lookout for and major awards that will be handed out on Monday at the conference award ceremony before the tournament begins. 

  • Creating Quinnipiac baseball’s ideal starting lineup ahead of MAAC play

    Creating Quinnipiac baseball’s ideal starting lineup ahead of MAAC play

    By Ethan Hurwitz and Mike King

    The first couple of games of Quinnipiac baseball’s 2025 season were as wonky as could be. The team was in competitive games against nationally-ranked Georgia before winning a series against Radford. Tack on a week-long stretch where the Bobcats allowed 39 runs to Morehead State and a home tie against UMass, and the team currently sits at 4-6-1 heading into MAAC play this weekend.

    After a 10-14 conference record last season, the Bobcats are looking to right their wrongs and prove that they can compete with the best the MAAC has to offer. After missing the conference tournament in 2024, the Bobcats are hoping to get back into postseason play. But overall, it’s been a shaky start for the entire conference, as just four teams currently sit over .500 (Quinnipiac, Fairfield, Mount St. Mary’s and Rider).

    QU Sports Page’s Ethan Hurwitz and Mike King create the ideal lineup after the Bobcats’ first 11 out-of-conference games, including a look toward their first weekend of MAAC play.

    1. Sean McCulloch | Left Field | Graduate Student

    Stats: 10 games, .349 batting average, one double, one triple, 10 RBIs, 14 runs, six steals, 10 walks

    Through the first 11 games of the young season, the Bobcats have had few bright spots. McCulloch has been one of those so far. With 15 hits in 10 games (the second-most on the roster), McCulloch has provided a spark at the plate, as well as on the basepaths. McCulloch leads the team with six stolen bases on seven attempts.

    Head coach John Delaney assigned graduate infielder Johnny Knox to leadoff for the first three games, but McCulloch has had the leadoff job for every game since. In his final season at Division III Susquehanna last year, he led his team in batting average, walks and stolen bases. McCulloch is picking up right where he left off last spring and looks to continue to bring the Bobcats some energy in the early part of the batting order, as well as the field, where he’s yet to commit an error. 

    2. Kyle Garbowski | First Base | Sophomore

    Stats: 11 games, .255 batting average, two doubles, 10 RBIs, 13 runs, one steal, four walks

    Garbowski’s role in his second season in Hamden has been similar to his freshman year, as one of the team’s daily players from the get-go. Typically slotted into the Bobcats’ two-hole, he’s been a consistent hitter and is leading the roster with 51 at-bats to start the year.

    In this spot, Garbowski provides a young spark to the top half of the Bobcats’ order, giving them the energy they need to carry out longer, uglier innings for the opposition’s pitching.

    3. Sebastian Mueller | Third Base | Graduate Student

    Stats: 11 games, .413 batting average, three doubles, four home runs, 18 RBIs, 15 runs, nine walks

    After suffering a labrum injury his senior year, Mueller has returned to the middle of the Bobcats’ lineup, firing on all cylinders. 

    “I feel good,” Mueller told The Quinnipiac Chronicle before the season. “Arm feels good. I think about arm injuries that a lot of times like the rehab you probably overlook parts of arm care. I feel better now than I was before I got hurt.”

    If this is the case, expect Mueller to tear up the opposition this season, making up for last season, where he only appeared in 11 games. Mueller already leads the team through the first 11 games this year with four home runs, proving that his power will be of useful service in the three spot.

    4. Alex Irizarry | Shortstop | Junior

    Stats: 11 games, .286 batting average, four doubles, two home runs, four RBIs, seven runs, one steal, four walks

    Irizarry joined the Bobcats ahead of this season, and parlayed a really strong summer with the Norwich Sea Unicorns of The Futures Collegiate Baseball League into a solid start to his junior year. The team’s starting shortstop has bounced around the middle of the lineup this season, but sticking him at cleanup can give this team some bat control and power — ideally with some runners on.

    Second on the team thus far with six extra base hits, Irizarry is an all-around package deal out of the cleanup spot and will rely on his patience and approach to help the team score much-needed runs.

    5. Christian Smith | Catcher | Junior

    Stats: 11 games, .405 batting average, two doubles, three home runs, 19 RBIs, nine runs, two steals, 12 walks

    The junior catcher had a lot of success at the plate last season, slashing .275, ten home runs, and 37 RBI. Out of the five spots, Smith provides valuable experience with both poise and pop.

    As a catcher, Smith knows game situations intricately, and this attention to detail will likely lead to success for the offense when he steps up to the plate. It appears that Smith will stay in the lineup as designated hitter when redshirt transfer Cole Constable gets the call to do the catching, proving that Smith’s bat is too valuable to leave out of the order.

    6. CJ Willis | Right Field | Senior

    Stats: Nine games, .111 batting average, two RBIs, three runs, five steals, five walks

    The start to 2025 hasn’t been the strongest for Willis, but it’s hard to ignore the pop he has coming out of the batter’s box. Chosen as a Preseason All-MAAC selection, he played in 49 games for the Bobcats a year ago and is hard to leave out of th lineup. Willis — who drove in 42 runs and smashed eight home runs – will look to find this offensive efficiency heading into conference play

    Quinnipiac has also gone with James Marino and Luke Zeisloft in the outfield this season, but Willis’ experience and offensive potential makes him hard to sit for those guys, even when Willis has struggled this month.

    7. Johnny Knox | Second Base | Graduate Student

    Stats: 11 games, .233 batting average, three doubles, one triple, two RBIs, seven runs, five steals, seven walks

    A graduate transfer from Nichols College, Knox bumped his way down the lineup after starting the first three games of the year at leadoff. As a vocal leader for this team, Knox provides an invaluable component to Quinnipiac, and his speed in the basepaths also are deserving of a starting role.

    Knox has proven to be a pest for opposing teams so far, stealing five bases and getting on base by any means necessary. However, with a team leading 13 strikeouts, Knox needs to cut down on the swing-and-misses if he wants to move back up the lineup, where his high motor can be of use.

    8. Cole Constable | Catcher | Redshirt Freshman

    Stats: Seven games, .320 batting average, one double, one triple, six RBIs, six runs, five steals, three walks

    After spending his first season with the Maryland Terrapins, Constable transferred to Quinnipiac with four years of eligibility. He started the season platooning with Christian Smith behind the plate, and now the redshirt freshman has carved out his role as the team’s primary backstop.

    At the plate, Constable has been a solid player in his first season in Hamden. Despite striking out in every game he’s played in but one, Constable adds power and bat speed to the lineup. Tack on his solid glove skills — he’s yet to make an error and has made 61 putouts — and he’s set for a strong future behind the dish for the Bobcats.

    9. Gabe Wright | Center Field | Junior

    Stats: Eight games, .192 batting average, two doubles, five runs, four steals, five walks

    Wright is the prototypical double leadoff hitter in today’s baseball. His fielding ability, including a diving grab that made SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays, keeps him as a useful player for the Bobcats. His speed in the basepaths is what has kept him in the lineup. 

    His four steals already surpass his season total from last year (one), and his knack of getting on base in any way possible (five walks, two hit by pitches) is the perfect style of play to turn the Bobcats’ lineup over every game. Wright may not be the strongest bat in the dugout, but he’s a sparkplug player who should get written into the lineup card.

    Starting Pitcher: Mike Poncini | Junior

    Stats: Three starts, 1-0 W/L, 3.37 earned run average, 14 strikeouts, eight walks, four earned runs

    Through the Bobcats’ out-of-conference schedule, Poncini — one of two Quinnipiac starters with three starts under his belt — has been the best starting pitcher on the team so far.. He leads all starters with a 3.37 earned run average, and is tied for the team lead with 10.2 innings pitched. 

    Poncici and junior Matt Alduino are the only two pitchers to surpass that 10 innings mark, and Alduino struggled in a March 2 game at Morehead State. On the other hand, Poncini is coming off of two-straight starts with at least five strikeouts. 

    “From a pitching standpoint, we lost a lot of arms, just to the transfer portal and then along with graduation,” Alduino told The Quinnipiac Chronicle before the year. “We kind of rebuilt over the summer, and just kind of changed our perspective on how we want to go about the season as a full team. … We’re building up around eight guys that could be potential starters.”

    Whether our recommended lineup is used in Friday’s MAAC opener against Iona or not, the Bobcats will continue to find their best starting nine in hopes of returning to the conference tournament for the first time in two seasons.

  • The MAAC regular season title is a three-team race. Here’s how each team can clinch a share.

    The MAAC regular season title is a three-team race. Here’s how each team can clinch a share.

    By: Ethan Hurwitz and Connor Wilson

    With two games remaining in the MAAC regular season, there are three schools still vying for one of the conference’s top seeds.

    Right now, No. 1 Quinnipiac and No. 2 Marist are both in the driver’s seat to claiming the trophy, though Merrimack still has a chance to capture a share in its first season as a MAAC program. Here’s a look at how the Bobcats, Red Foxes and Warriors could all end the season claiming at least a share of the regular season crown.

    How Quinnipiac could win: As of today, the Bobcats (14-4 entering Thursday) currently control their own destiny. Their magic number is two. Two wins (with games against 11-7 Mount St. Mary’s and 7-11 Fairfield on the docket) gives Quinnipiac its second-straight regular season title. One win, along with one loss from Marist, and the crown will remain in Hamden for a second consecutive year.

    A 10-point loss to Merrimack on Sunday almost sunk the Bobcats’ chances to reclaim the conference’s top spot, but with Marist getting upset by Saint Peter’s just moments later, the loss became evened out.

    They would clinch a share of the title with a single win, but if the Red Foxes were to win out, the MAAC’s top seed would make its way to Poughkeepsie, New York instead of Connecticut. But if you ask the Bobcats directly, they’ll tell you they aren’t scoreboard watching.

    “We’re focused on us right now, whether we’re first, second, whatever you want to call it,” junior forward Amarri Monroe said. “One game winning streaks, whoever we got next on our schedule, that’s the game we’re worried about.”

    How Marist could win: Even being just one game behind the Bobcats with two to play, the Red Foxes (13-5 entering Thursday) are in a much better position than you might think. Having won the lone matchup between the two teams on Jan. 5, Marist owns the tiebreaker over Quinnipiac in the event that the two teams end up tied on Saturday night.

    The Red Foxes had a chance to even the gap on Sunday, but surprisingly fell at home to a Saint Peter’s squad near the bottom of the standings, fighting to even qualify for the MAAC Tournament

    Having missed that opportunity, there’s still a clear path for some hardware this weekend. As long as Marist finishes one game better than the Bobcats — either 2-0 vs. 1-1 or 1-1 vs. 0-2 — the Red Foxes would have both a share of the regular season title, as well as the No. 1 seed in Atlantic City next week.

    If Marist wins out and Quinnipiac subsequently loses out, the same result occurs except the Red Foxes would be alone as outright champions of the MAAC regular season title.

    With a home game against Merrimack and road clash with Mount St. Mary’s remaining, the Red Foxes will definitely have to earn any share or outright title over the next three days taking on the other two teams ranked in the top four in the league.

    “We’re looking to win a championship, so we take it one game at a time,” Marist sophomore guard Jadin Collins-Roberts said. “We have more work to do.”

    How Merrimack could win: The Warriors (13-6 entering Thursday) don’t have a physical path for the No. 1 seed in Atlantic City, but can still clinch a share of the regular season title this weekend. A solid win over the Bobcats last Sunday helped pull the Warriors closer to the top of the standings after a streaky stretch of games. 

    “We needed that in the worst way,” Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo said after the win over Quinnipiac. “We’ve had a tough stretch with a couple of close losses. I wasn’t particularly happy with our effort against Rider. The score was close, but that wasn’t a Merrimack team that I know. Sometimes it’s good to have a little reset when you get down the stretch with the conference tournament coming up.”

    For starters, Merrimack has to win its final game on Thursday on the road against Marist, the first time these two teams will play since the Warriors one-point loss on Feb 16. A win would clinch at least the No. 2 seed for the tournament.

    In one scenario, the Warriors would need Quinnipiac to lose both of its remaining games and have Marist go at most 1-1. With the Red Foxes hosting the Warriors, that one loss almost becomes a moot point. If that were to happen, there would be a three-way tie between the top three teams, all of whom would be 14-6 and collect a share of the regular season title.

    The other way that Merrimack can clinch a share once again involves the Warriors defeating Marist and the Bobcats losing out. In this scenario, Marist would lose its final game against Mount St. Mary’s, which as a result, would mean 14-6 Quinnipiac and 14-6 Merrimack would be the only two schools to have a share of the regular season title, not Marist — who would finish out the year at 13-7.

    While the Warriors can’t clinch the No. 1 seed and need a lot to happen out of their control to even have a share of first, the team’s impressive first season after jumping from the NEC to the MAAC should leave fans happy heading into the postseason.

    The MAAC Tournament will run from March 11 to 15 in Atlantic City, New Jersey ahead of Selection Sunday and the ensuing national tournament.

  • One lesson from each loss in Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse’s 0-5 start

    One lesson from each loss in Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse’s 0-5 start

    By: Kaitlyn Grady, Cameron Levasseur

    Few NCAA men’s lacrosse teams started the 2024 season as dominant as Quinnipiac. The Bobcats rattled off a 7-0 start to the year, becoming the final undefeated team in the nation and earning a spot on the Inside Lacrosse Top-20 for the first time since 2013. 

    The campaign ended in disappointment, a MAAC quarterfinal loss to Manhattan capping off an underwhelming 10-game conference slate. But there’s no doubt Quinnipiac expected to replicate its early-season success in 2025.

    “We have a healthy squad, a few more veterans as well,” head coach Mason Poli said to The Quinnipiac Chronicle prior to the start of the season. “I think from an offensive and defensive standpoint, even in the middle of the field, I think we have the ability to push from transition this year. We’re really confident in what we can bring to the table.”

    The first month of this season has been nothing if not confidence shaking for the Bobcats. They’ve lost all of their nonconference  games, leaving a late-February road trip to Colorado with an 0-5 record and the seventh-worst RPI in the country. 

    So what gives? Why has Quinnipiac failed to live up to its preseason expectations and how can it turn its game around entering MAAC play?

    QU Sports Page’s Kaitlyn Grady and Cameron Levasseur analyzed the Bobcats’ struggles and offer a lesson from each loss:

    Feb. 14 at UMass | Final: UMass 19 | Quinnipiac 5

    In the Bobcats’ first game of the 2025 campaign they took on UMass. The Bobcats hung around for the start of the game, entering the second quarter tied at three. UMass then scored nine unanswered goals, giving the Minutemen a 12-3 advantage they never gave up. 

    Lesson: They need to play the full 60 minutes

    Quinnipiac hung with UMass well into the second quarter, proving they can play with a good opponent, but they struggled to keep pace through all four quarters.  If the Bobcats can put a full game together and score consistently in all four quarters, they will be more successful in conference play.  There have been seven quarters this season where the Bobcats have scored one or fewer goals, and they have been outscored in 15 out of 20 quarters overall. Scoring consistently in all quarters will help the Bobcats play with the opponent for 60 minutes. 

    Feb. 18 at St. Johns | Final: St. Johns 15 | Quinnipiac 9

    In Quinnipiac’s second game against St. John’s, the Bobcats played tough and hung around for most of the game. Although they did not come out of the contest with the win, there were a few standout individual performances that can be built off of going forward. Senior goaltender Mason Oak, who was named preseason MAAC Player of the Year had 16 saves (33 across the first two games). Cole Marsala stood out for the Bobcats’ attack, tallying three points on the day.

    Lesson: Lean on your assets 

    The Bobcats will have a few advantages against most of the teams that they play. A major one is in net. Oak is a standout and they will be able to lean on his number of saves in conference play. Oak is currently 12th in the country in total number of saves at 68. They need to make plays and get shots to their best shooters, and prioritize taking quality shots. The Bobcats shot on goal percentage is 57% , compared to their opponents’ 65%. The Bobcats need to take care of the ball and complete quick passes to get better shots and take advantage of their possessions. 

    Feb. 22 vs. Bryant | Final: Bryant 18 | Quinnipiac 10

    In Quinnipiac’s third game against the Bryant Bulldogs, the Bobcats started slow again and struggled to score early. This was the first game of the season that the Bobcats scored double digits, and once again had to play from behind from the jump. Quinnipiac fell behind early, down 6-2 in the first quarter. 

    Lesson: Attack early and often

    The Bobcats need to start the game by scoring early and avoid digging themselves a hole that they cannot overcome offensively. 

    Feb. 28 at Air Force | Final: Air Force 21 | Quinnipiac 8

    In Quinnipiac’s fourth game they traveled out west to Colorado to play Air Force. The Bobcats started better, getting out to the early 2-0 lead. However, Air Force outmatched Quinnipiac on both sides of the ball. Between the start of the second quarter and the end of the third, Air Force went on a 14-3 run over the Bobcats. The Falcons outshot Quinnipiac 50-32, controlling the pace of the game. Air Force also had the advantage in ground balls won (36 to 19) and turnovers forced (17 to 10). The Bobcats were able to win more faceoffs and match Air Force in saves as well. 

    Lesson: Limit shots on net

    Quinnipiac has been outshot in every game this season, allowing more than 48 shots per game, while only shooting 29 shots per game. Although on paper they do have the advantage at goalie, with Mason Oak who was named a preseason All American being out shot by 20 is too much to overcome. This time last year the Bobcats were allowing nearly 47 shots per game. The difference is in how many get to the goal. Through the first five games of 2024, Quinnipiac allowed an average of 52% of shots on net. This season, that figure has jumped to 65%. It doesn’t matter if you have an All-American goaltender, if you allow more shots to reach him, he will allow more goals. 

    March 2 at Denver | Final: Denver 14 | Quinnipiac 7 

    The Bobcats played their second game in Colorado against No. 15 Denver. The Bobcats had a strong start in this game, taking an early 3-2 lead and ending the first quarter tied. The Pioneers then went on an 8-1 scoring run, leaving the Bobcats down by six, a margin that they could not overcome. But the 14 goals the Bobcats gave up was their lowest total of the season. Denver is likely the best team Quinnipiac will face all season, and its defensive effort Sunday suggests there is no reason the Bobcats should not be able to shut down opponents in conference play. 

    Lesson: Possession is key

    The Bobcats had many high points in the seven-goal loss, one being in the face-of circle. Sophomore midfielder Frank Mousa, who was just named MAAC faceoff specialist of the week, won 8-14 faceoffs, and overall Quinnipiac won 11 faceoffs to Denver’s 13. Which is a big improvement from the season opener where they only won nine faceoffs compared with UMass’s 18.The Bobcats also turned the ball over 16 times, compared with Denver’s 14. Turning the ball over and possession goes hand in hand, by winning faceoffs and limiting turnovers, Quinnipiac keeps the ball in its own hands and likewise limits chances against. 

    Looking ahead

    Now the Bobcats look to turn their season around as they head into conference play. They face Mount St. Mary’s (2-4) on the road on Saturday. This will be their second back to back road trip following the trip to Colorado. Quinnipiac beat the Mountaineers 15-10 in their only meeting in 2024. 

  • Quinnipiac eyes back-to-back titles as St. Peter’s fights for survival

    Quinnipiac eyes back-to-back titles as St. Peter’s fights for survival

    By Carlos Calo and Connor Wilson

    The Quinnipiac Bobcats (17-10, 13-3 MAAC), last year’s MAAC regular season champions, and the team that punched their ticket to March Madness last season, the St. Peter’s Peacocks (10-14, 5-11 MAAC) are set for a nationally televised matchup on ESPNU.

    Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora’s team has won four of the last five games against the Peacocks but lost the most important one — last year’s conference semifinal. The Bobcats started this year with a rematch and won 59-46 in Jersey City on Jan. 3. They meet again, now at Lender Court, where the Bobcats are 10-2 at home and tied for first place in the conference. On the other hand, the Peacocks are battling to just be among the ten teams that make it to the conference tournament. 

    There are four games left for both teams. Winning three out of the four final contests for the Bobcats will enhance their chances to clinch another MAAC regular season championship. 

    In their final four games, the Peacocks will play against the top two teams in the conference – Quinnipiac and Marist – and then the bottom two -Niagara and Canisius. Winning is the only way they will have a chance to go to Atlantic City, but they also depend on how teams in the middle of the standings do on the last stretch of the regular season. 

    Here are some of the key storylines that should give you a reason to tune in tonight:

    Back to back?

    After winning the first MAAC regular season title in program history a year ago, the Bobcats are fighting for another with just two weekends left in the regular season. Heading into the day, Quinnipiac is tied with Marist for first place in the conference with the Red Foxes holding the tiebreaker thanks to their victory in the teams’ lone matchup back in January.

    “You have to focus on one-game winning streaks,” junior forward Amarri Monroe said after a Jan. 17 win over Merrimack. “Prepare for every week like it’s the last game of the season, follow the game plan and don’t worry about who’s next, worry about the team who’s coming up and not who’s after that.”

    Quinnipiac hasn’t been a consistent team during games this season. It has been either a great first half team and spends the second half hanging on to an early lead or the complete opposite. Last game against Manhattan on Feb. 23 the Bobcats came back from a 17-point deficit to win the contest 74-71 with five points from sophomore guard Khaden Bennett in the last 40 seconds of play.

    “We have these peaks and valleys,” Pecora said after the contest against the Jaspers on Feb. 23. “And they’re gonna bite us in the tail come tournament time.”

    Winning a MAAC regular season title would also likely mean the Bobcats would win their most conference games in a single season since joining the Division I level in 1998. Last year’s squad won 15 games in league play, and if they were to clinch another championship they’d likely need at least 16.

    Player of the year chase

    Speaking of Monroe, the junior is very much in position to be the second-consecutive Bobcat to take home MAAC Player of the Year, following in the footsteps of guard Matt Balanc. Overall, Monroe is averaging 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, but in conference play those numbers rise to 20.6 and 10.2, both of which lead the league.

    As of late, Monroe has been on a tear. So far in February, he’s averaged 23.8 points per game and 12.3 rebounds and has recorded five straight double-doubles. There have been games in which Monroe has single-handedly given the Bobcats the boost they needed to win, such as his program-record eight steal performance in December against Sacred Heart.

    Monroe is joined in the player of the year race by Merrimack’s Budd Clark and Marist’s Josh Pascarelli. Clark is averaging 19.8 points and 6.2 assists per game in conference play while Pascarelli is putting up 16.1 points per game and shooting an efficient 42% from three.

    Do-or-die time for St. Peter’s

    The Peacocks are in danger of missing the MAAC Tournament all together after cutting down the nets in Atlantic City last March. When Merrimack and Sacred Heart joined the league and expanded the conference to 13, the MAAC decided to drop the number of teams that make the tournament from 11 down to 10, leaving three schools without the chance to play for the auto-bid into the NCAA Tournament.

    St. Peter’s comes into the day with a 5-11 conference record, good for 11th in the MAAC, half a game behind Rider for the final tournament spot and one game behind Fairfield for ninth. The Peacocks are also tied with Niagara, which puts four teams just a game apart in the hunt for two spots. With time running out, every game feels like a must win for a team vying to just get the chance to make it to its third March Madness tournament in the past four seasons.

    All eyes on U

    The MAAC has had the spotlight on national television for the past seven weeks, having a weekly Friday night game featured on ESPNU. Quinnipiac’s 99-90  Valentine’s Day win over Sacred Heart in Fairfield was the first time the Bobcats were featured on a nationally-televised game since their Nov. 9 game against St. John’s was aired on FS1. 

    The past two seasons, Quinnipiac has hosted ESPNU games against Fairfield, going 1-1 in those two contests. With the Bobcats competing for a MAAC championship, having more eyes on the game than you would on a normal night may add some pressure. 

  • Q&A with Quinnipiac women’s golf captain Sandhya Vaikuntam

    Q&A with Quinnipiac women’s golf captain Sandhya Vaikuntam

    By: Kaitlyn Grady and Judaea Ingram

    Sandhya Vaikuntam always had dreams of playing Division I golf. She now leads the Quinnipiac Women’s golf team as the only captain. She became captain of the team as a junior, which for her was a goal and it meant filling the shoes of the team captains who came before her.

    When Vaikuntam started at Quinnipiac, she was the only freshman in her class. Her leadership, performance on the course and work ethic all won her the support of her teammates and coaches enough to be elected captain over other seniors on the team.

    Vaikuntam and the Bobcats are just starting their spring season and are looking to regain control of the MAAC. She knows that she can help lead the young team and help them balance their duties on the fairways and in the classroom while still remembering to enjoy what they are doing. Vaikuntam sat down with QUSportsPage to discuss her journey with golf, how the golf team is building chemistry, and their goals for the spring season. 

    Q: How did you get into golf? 

    Vaikuntam: I started playing golf when I was about ten years old. My dad played, but I got into it mostly because one of our really close family friends, she had a golf lesson one day and I went with her. I thought it was really cool and her coach ended up being my first coach. He was really nice and he really kind of sparked that first point of love for me and for the game. Just through getting to know him and seeing her do it, I wanted to give it a try as well.

    Q: Was golf the only sport you played? 

    Vaikuntam: I played basketball pretty heavily, that was my main sport before golf. So it was very, very different going from a team sport to an individual sport. I liked that golf was individual, and I stuck with it from there. 

    Q: When did you realize your play could translate to Division I?

    Vaikuntam: There was always a hope for me to do play Division I, just internally with me. I knew of when a lot of people were talking about how many women’s golf scholarships in the division one space were going to waste and right when my year came around is when recruiting really got tough. It was right after COVID. A lot of coaches were keeping a lot of their rosters full from years previous and not really recruiting very much. So it was a leap of faith for me. The recruiting process was tough. I didn’t know if I was gonna land a spot or where I would land the spot. But it was always just a big goal of mine to strive to be a division one student athlete and throughout high school I really put in the work to get there and ended up here. 

    Q: You’re in your junior year and you’re a team captain, what was that like when you heard the news? 

    Vaikuntam: I was really happy. It was another goal of mine. I had come in as the only freshman, so I’m the only one in my class on the team. I became really close with the seniors my freshman year, they took me under their wing, especially Leanne, who was my team captain the past two years. She helped me develop my leadership skills and my own way. I really was forced to  find my own voice on the team because I didn’t have anybody else to lean on. It gave me an outlet to showcase my leadership skills, even as a freshman. A really big goal of mine was to take a leadership position on the team, even if it wasn’t with the title of captain. So, I was over the moon that Coach trusted me with the position and I hope I’m doing him proud so far.

    Q: What are the duties of team captain? 

    Vaikuntam: Golf is not traditionally a team sport, so a lot of my responsibilities rely on team chemistry and making sure that the girls really do understand that we are a team. So in the lift room, uplifting everybody, organizing team dinners and making sure that the girls’ voices are heard. I’m kind of the bridge between coach and our team. I hear what coach has to say and I hear what the girls have to say, and I try to relay it to both as much as possible so that everybody’s on the same page.

    Because we are a smaller team, news travel is very fast around us, so we wanna make everybody is on the same page and that everybody’s being heard. Also all the stuff that comes with that is organizing, so handling all the schedules for the teams for our practice schedules, making sure that everybody is accommodated for, so its kind of the traditional stuff, but also a lot heavily on relation building. 

    Q: How have you built team chemistry on the team? 

    Vaikuntam: We do a lot of team dinners as much as possible, we try to. It’s hard because everybody schedule doesn’t really line up very well, but we’ve been able to have a couple of fun team dinners. 

    We went to the Haunted Trail in October for Halloween. fun. We took Coach Meg who was our strength coach with us and, you know, coach refused to come in, but he was in the van. So that was a really fun thing that we did. 

    We try to do small activities like that that really give us a chance to get to know each other outside of the sport. I think it is incredibly important. We do spend a lot of time together just in our everyday life. After lift, we usually have team breakfast. We see each other throughout the day passing through. We try to do as much fun activities as possible. 

    Q: What did you guys take away from the fall portion of the season? 

    Vaikuntam: The fall season was great for us because we have five freshmen on the teams, so it was really an opportunity for us to see what everybody can do. This year, I’d say more than the past two years that I’ve been here, the team is extremely close in our abilities. So on any given day, any given person can be having the best day, so it really pushes our team to put in the work and fight for our spots on the roster when we do go to tournaments because only some of us travel. So it gave us a really good opportunity to kind of see the layout of the team and how everything is going to go for the spring. It also developed that competitive mentality we had in the fall and bringing it into the spring. The fall really gave us a good showing of the potential that we have there. 

    Q: What are some of your routines for a tournament?

    Vaikuntam: When I go to an away tournament, I’m an extreme overpacker. We have outfits lined out for each day so that we’re all matching together, but I overpack. But on the golf course, I’m very methodical in my shot process, so I have a whole routine for each shot, but I’ve learned over the years that golf is a very mental game. I believe it’s 80% mental and 20% ability most times. So, I try to keep it as light as possible in between shots, so sometimes I am striking up conversation with the people in my group or singing a song in my head and not thinking about my score for the entire round, and really take it one shot at a time. 

    Q: How are you carrying the loss from the conference championship last season into this season?

    Vaikuntam: Last year would have been a four-peat for us, so that loss renewed the energy, the competitiveness, and the fight in us that everybody’s willing to really put in the work to get there. We had a lot of seniors that left last year and they had a lot of success in their time here. We’ve won three conference championships in the recent years, so the girls, especially the freshmen, know how much this team can do and the ability of the team and they’re just as eager as we are to get back into that position and carry that championship again for our program. 

    Q: You just finished the Columbia Classic, what can you take away from your first event for the rest of the season? 

    Vaikuntam: We don’t have another tournament until spring break, so it is a little less than a month out from our next tournament. We broke off the rust a little bit at our past tournament and learning what mistakes we made on the course that we can do better in the future. Maybe somebody wasn’t feeling good at that tournament, so preparations for the week upcoming to the next tournament are gonna be changed a little bit, so just as minor changes. As a team, it went smoothly from a whole operation standpoint, but since it’s an individual sport, everybody kind of knows what they need to work on. Our team mindset going into all of our tournaments is that we want to be at our best and compete at our highest level. 

    Q: As a Division I golfer, what is it like for you to mini golf?

    Vaikuntam: I always say that golfers make the worst mini golfers, but maybe that’s just me. In my past experience, every time I go, my friends who have never picked up a golf club before, always beat me. I think it’s because I’m thinking about it a little too much from my habits, so I make a pretty bad mini golfer, but I still enjoy it. And they tease me about it all the time. 

    Q: What do you do outside of golf? 

    Vaikuntam: I spend a lot of time with my friends. I try to do as many small adventures as possible. After last year, I  have tried to find that balance between doing stuff outside and doing stuff in here as much as I can. I’m just trying to keep it as fun as possible, and I always take my teammates with me if I can. The freshmen don’t have cars, so I try to like, you know, get them out a little bit because I know for me as a freshman, I was just stuck in my dorm.

    This past weekend a few of us went to the Yale Peabody Museum and then we went to lunch and just had a fun little weekend.

    Q: How have you seen yourself improve from freshman to junior year? 

    Vaikuntam I just learned how to kind of function here. It was a big change. A lot of us are far from home and I’m across the country, so it really forced me to be a lot more independent. I’ve really just grown into this team a little bit. Being captain has really given me the ability to know all of my teammates on a deeper personal level and  find ways to bring us all together. It’s been a very enriching experience. I’ve grown a lot since freshman year, especially under the guidance of Leanne the past two years. She has really helped me out and put me in a position where I can lead and be a captain of this team. 




  • Quinnipiac baseball schedule breakdown: Six series to watch out for in 2025

    Quinnipiac baseball schedule breakdown: Six series to watch out for in 2025

    Last year, optimism spilled from the locker room of the 2024 Quinnipiac baseball team, which had been voted to finish No. 2 in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll. All foretold a promising season. Instead, the team subsequently went 20-30, finished eighth in the MAAC and missed the postseason tournament entirely. 

    Now, a clean slate presents itself. The Bobcats will play 53 games in 2025, giving them 53 opportunities to find the magic that could bring the program its first MAAC championship since 2019. They were selected to finish No. 4 this season, naming one player, outfielder CJ Willis, to the preseason All-MAAC Team. 

    With the season looming, we will break down six key matchups inside Quinnipiac’s 2025 schedule, analyzing the implications each one could have on the Bobcats’ season. 

    No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs 

    Feb. 14 (12 p.m.) and Feb. 15 (12 p.m.) – Wilmington, North Carolina

    Quinnipiac will play four games in three days to start its season, traveling to Wilmington to play No. 8 Georgia and UNC Wilmington twice each. The Bulldogs specifically will be quite a difficult matchup for the Bobcats, who have not beaten a nationally-ranked opponent since their 2019 season that ended in a MAAC championship. Quinnipiac scored eight runs Feb. 23 to hand then-No. 20 ranked Wake Forest a loss.

    Georgia finished 2024 with a 43-17 record, making a run all the way to an NCAA Tournament’s Super Regional, the equivalent of a quarterfinal round. The Bobcats may be outmatched against a high-profile opponent, but it will be a good opportunity nonetheless to see how the team competes against notable competition. It is also a good opportunity to see how the team will line up on the diamond. Quinnipiac had some serious roster turnover from 2024 to 2025, losing 21 players from last year including a handful of top starters like catcher Keegan O’Connor, center fielder Jared Zimbardo and designated hitter/first baseman Sean Swenson. 

    The stakes for these two games are low, but a commendable performance from Quinnipiac could wash away the bad taste of last season’s underperformance and set the tone for 2025. Georgia will be one of the best teams — if not the best — the Bobcats play this year and it will be fun to watch the Bobcats match up against a Power 5 roster If Quinnipiac can show some signs of life against one of the SEC’s best, it could be a positive sign of things to come later in the season. 

    – Zachary Carter

    Iona Gaels 

    March 7 (3 p.m.), March 8 (2 p.m.), March 9 (1 p.m.) – Hamden

    Jumping ahead to the weekend of March 7, the Bobcats return to Hamden, squaring off against the Iona Gaels in a three-game clash, their first series in MAAC play in the 2025 season. Iona finished with an underwhelming 12-38 record last spring, giving the Bobcats a chance to take an early advantage in conference standings.

    In 2024, Quinnipiac won all three games against Iona, scoring 27 runs in as many innings. Throughout 50 contests, the Gaels had the third-highest earned run average in the MAAC, allowing close to eight earned runs per nine innings. Additionally, they ranked No. 4 total earned runs allowed and No. 2 in walks. To take advantage of this, veteran players like graduate first baseman Sebastian Mueller need to keep the offense hot. Although he only appeared in 11 games, Mueller is coming off his best season at the plate, hitting .357 in 2024 and is poised to improve again as he steadily has in his four years in Hamden. 

    When they met Iona in 2024,, the Bobcats had a 6-18 record.  Their sweep of the Gaels allowed them to finish the season on a good note, going 14-12 to end the campaign. If the Bobcats can get out on the right foot against a conference opponent, history could repeat itself for Quinnipiac, allowing it to go on another positive run as they approach other MAAC foes like Rider and Marist to wrap up March.

    – Michael King

    UConn Huskies 

    April 1(3 p.m.) – Storrs

    April 1 marks the first meeting between these two in-state rivals since 2017. The all-time series between Quinnipiac and UConn is a bit lopsided, with the Huskies taking 12 of 17 games and winning the last seven. But, much like Georgia, UConn will be a good gauge for Quinnipiac to assess where the team is at around the halfway mark of the season. 

    The Huskies are typically one of the nation’s best teams. They’re the favorites to win the Big East this year and are a staple in NCAA postseason play, having appeared in the NCAA tournament every year since 2018 (minus the canceled COVID season in 2020). With this game being played midweek, the Bobcats won’t have to face one of UConn’s top starters. Stealing a win in Storrs could ignite a strong push in the back half of MAAC play and give the Bobcats the confidence they might need to make a late-season push.

    – Zachary Carter 

    Niagara Purple Eagles 

    April 4 (3 p.m.), April 5 (2 p.m.), April 6 (12 p.m.) – Lewiston, New York

    Three days after Quinnipiac challenges UConn, the Bobcats will travel to western New York for a three game weekend series with Niagara. If the Bobcats can pull off an upset win in Storrs, they could ride into this series with some serious momentum against a formidable conference opponent.

    The Purple Eagles, 2024’s MAAC champions, come in at sixth place in the preseason coaches poll. They saw two of their best players from the previous season leave for the MLB draft, with junior first baseman Eric Rataczak and sophomore pitcher Ryan Minckler being drafted by the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals, respectively. Rataczak had one of the best seasons in Niagara history last season, leading the MAAC in batting average (.396), OPS (1.183), RBI (71) and OBP (.485).

    Without these players for the spring season, Quinnipiac matches up much more favorably this time around. 

    Last time around, Rataczak had three hits, two RBI and drew five walks in a three-game sweep of Quinnipiac at home. A series win in the early stages of the second half of the season could provide some crucial fuel to the fire if the Bobcats want to go on a hot run down the stretch in MAAC play.

    – Michael King

    Merrimack Warriors

    April 11 (3 p.m.), April 12 (1 p.m.), April 13 (1 p.m.) – Hamden

    2025 is the inaugural season for Merrimack in the MAAC. They’re not projected to have a stellar year — voted to finish just ninth in the preseason coaches poll — but they’ll play the Bobcats in a mid-April series that could spell trouble if Quinnipiac does not approach the three games with caution. 

    Quinnipiac is a team that has not played well on the road in recent years. Dating back to 2020, the Bobcats are 32-91 in the past five seasons when playing games away from Hamden. Coming into this Merrimack series, they will have played five straight games on the road against two state schools in UConn and URI, bracketed by a three-game series against the defending MAAC champion Niagara Purple Eagles.

    If the Bobcats might hit a skid at any point in the season, here makes the most sense.

    Head coach John Delaney and his team will have to take advantage of what should be a struggling Warriors squad and take care of business when Quinnipiac might need a series win the most. The Bobcats and Warriors have met three times in the two programs’ histories, all of which came last year. Quinnipiac beat Merrimack both at home and on the road, including an impressive 21-3 win in early March. 

    – Zachary Carter

    Sacred Heart Pioneers  

    May 15 (3 p.m.), May 16 (1 p.m.), May 17 (1 p.m.) – Fairfield

    The Bobcats finish their regular season with a three three-game  MAAC series. The final opponent of that stretch is Sacred Heart, a newcomer to the MAAC. With a respectable 35-23 record in 2024, the Pioneers are looking to make some noise in a brand new setting. The Bobcats and Pioneers have a 51-game history, with Sacred Heart narrowly in front in the all-time matchup at 27-24. 

    Once again, the inability to consistently win on the road over the past five years could be a major hill to climb, so Quinnipiac will need to be extra focused if it wants to extend its season. A repeat of last spring, which saw the Bobcats finish 3-7 in their final ten contests, would be detrimental with teams like Canisius and Mount St. Mary’s looming for a playoff berth.

    Depending on how the Bobcats handle earlier opponents this season, this final series could be a make-or-break for them if they want to be a disruptor in the postseason. 

    – Michael King