The Quinnipiac Chronicle, Volume 96, Issue 21

Bridgeport's reported rideshare sexual assault sparks safety reminders at Quinnipiac

By AVA HIGHLAND News Editor

Following a reported sexual assault in Bridgeport early Sunday morning involving a rideshare service, Quinnipiac University Public Safety Chief Tony Reyes urged students to practice safety in a campuswide email.

“According to police, the suspect is believed to have been operating as a rideshare driver at the time of the alleged assault,” Reyes wrote.

The incident did not involve anyone from Quinnipiac, however Reyes shared the suspect’s physical description and vehicle information with students to raise awareness in the event that the driver enters campus.

“There was no danger to our campus,” Reyes said to The Chronicle. “I like providing information to our community on anything that could impact them.”

The suspect is described as a Black male operating a rideshare vehicle — a 2020 Kia Sportage with the license plate BX-11957 registered in Waterbury. There are no other identifying details at the time of publication.

“Uber drivers can go anywhere,” Reyes said. “We want to make sure that students that use rideshare services are aware of that particular plate and that vehicle in case it’s a driver that does come to our campus to

SGA and Disability Student Union host campus accessibility Town Hall

By AVA HIGHLAND News Editor

Quinnipiac University’s Student Government Association collaborated with the Disability Student Union to host an Accessibility Town Hall March 18, as a continuation of SGA’s State of the QUnion Feb. 21.

Moderated by SGA Vice President Julianna Mazzella, the event allowed students to interact with the panelists — Assistant Director of the Office of Student Accessibility Ted Czepiga and Vice President of Inclusive Excellence John Armendariz — in an open discussion about campus accessibility. Students asked questions, shared personal stories and proposed new measures they hope to see implemented.

DSU’s president and founder Adeline Colciaghi, a junior interdisciplinary studies major, shared opening remarks to kick off the event.

“ I grew up in a very small town where there were not many people like me for much of my early life,” Colciaghi said. “Accessibility was something that I always had to think about constantly. It shaped where I could go… however, the first time

I stepped onto campus at Quinnipiac, I felt something I hadn’t felt before. I felt hope. I felt that I wasn’t defined to find my physical limitations, and I felt empowered.”

Colciaghi created the DSU just under a year ago and has seen large growth as well as awareness, leading to events like Wednesday’s Town Hall.

“As the whole starter of this club, (it) feels incredible,” Colciaghi said in an interview with The Chronicle. “I think we just need to continue what we’re doing and just raise awareness. And it feels astonishing.”

The discussion opened with several questions posed by Mazzella on how the university ensures students with disabilities have equal opportunities as peers, especially with accessibility barriers.

Czepiga noted that the “scope” of OSA is to remove barriers, however they are sometimes unaware one exists until it is brought to their attention. He urged students to speak up if they notice those barriers and advocate for accessibility, even if it does not affect them directly.

As for what OSA is working on, Czepiga nodded to a new testing center expected to be up and running in fall 2026, which will expand the office’s operations and data.

Armendariz highlighted that for him, Wednesday’s event was personal.

“I would be legally deaf, and there was a definition for that,” Armendariz said.

See DSU Page 3

MEET THE EDITORS

EDITOR- IN - CHIEF

Alexandra Martinakova

MANAGING EDITOR

Gina Lorusso

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Emily Adorno

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Tyler Mignault

NEWS EDITOR

Ava Highland

OPINION EDITOR

Lillian Curtin

ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR

Joanna Farrell

ASSOCIATE ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Sophie Murray

SPORTS EDITOR

Claire Frankland

ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITORS

Emily Marquis

Cooper Woodward

DESIGN EDITOR

Katerina Parizkova

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Elisabeth McMahon

ASSOCIATE SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Taylor Huchro

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION EDITOR

Quinn O’Neill

ASSOCIATE MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION EDITOR

Harper Ferraro

ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS

Ryley Lee

Lily Zahka

COPY EDITORS

Anthony Angelillo

Amanda Dronzek

Chloe Grant

Quinnipiac's annual QTHON surpasses goal, raises $248K in donations

By CHLOE GRANT Copy Editor

Quinnipiac University welcomed the children of Connecticut Children’s Hospital with open arms at this year’s student-run philanthropy organization, QTHON Saturday, March 21. Members of the Quinnipiac community spent the day, noon through 6 p.m., fundraising money and rallying for the kids who can’t.

Each year, QTHON collaborates with Connecticut Children’s Hospital to raise money and awareness of childhood illness with a dance marathon. The event is held as a way of allowing students to “connect with and honor patient families, play games, enjoy entertainment, fundraise and reveal our annual fundraising total,” at the end of the event, according to The Connecticut Children Foundation.

The day commenced with an opening ceremony where upwards of 1,500 students and community members, according to NEWS8, anxiously awaited the arrival of this year’s QTHON participants, each dubbed with the title of Miracle Child.

QTHON Executive Director and senior occupational therapy major Sarah Springer opened with remarks about the signifcance of the event, which was then followed by group dancing as attendees waited in anticipation of the Miracle Children’s arrival.

“I hope QTHON continues to bring both tangible support and lasting hope to children and families facing childhood illness,” Springer wrote in a statement to The Chronicle. “Beyond

the funds raised, it’s about reminding them they are not alone. An entire community is standing beside them, fghting with them, and believing in them. At QTHON, we carry the lanterns. We shine the beacons. We light the way, so no child’s spark is ever lost to illness.”

Moments later, the children and their families were guided through a tunnel of attendees and were met with clapping and smiling faces as the day kicked off.

Over the span of the six hour event, each Miracle Child was welcomed with open arms and led around by a different Quinnipiac Greek Life organization for the entirety of the event.

Throughout the day, the kids participated in activities such as charades, a talent show and a dance competition. They would later culminate their day free of hospital beds and waiting rooms with the Circle of Hope Ceremony. Attendees formed a large circle around the Miracle Children and their families and the kids were able to have their hospital bands cut from their wrists.

The emotional moment closed with the Miracle Children making their way around the circle, and doing the same to the “hospital bands” attendees received at the beginning of the day, a tear jerking moment for everybody.

“As a future occupational therapist, I dance for my future patients,” Springer wrote. “I dance so that every child has the chance to chase their dreams and share their talents. I dance for a brighter future and for the kind of childhood every child deserves. I dance to raise awareness

for childhood illness, and I dance in the hope that one day, no child will have to spend a night in a hospital bed.”

Senior accounting major Matthew Miller had the opportunity to be a part of this year’s QTHON dance marathon as a part of his fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon. Miller was placed with the task of guiding his fraternity’s Miracle Child, Carter, throughout the day of festivities and he couldn’t be more honored to do so.

“The highlight of QTHON for me was meeting the Miracle Child…Seeing his face today, and seeing all the smiles that he’s given and all the excitement that’s been going through has really made this a really good experience,” he said.

With TKE raising over $1,300 alone, and the help of donors everywhere, this year’s QTHON event was able to raise $247,768.90, exceeding their goal by nearly $47,000 and surpassing last year’s totals.

As the event came to a heartfelt and teary eyed close, Quinnipiac alumnus and parent of Miracle Child, Carter, Matt Chella expressed his deep gratitude for the excellent care and support he has received from Connecticut Children’s since his son’s birth in 2019. He emphasized the importance of QTHON and the impact events like it have on children like Carter.

“This particular QTHON is very special to me, being an alumni here and having my boys participate and just have so much fun with young college students who are raising so much money and doing so good,” Chella said. “I love that.”

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provide service.”

Reyes urged anyone with information related to the incident to contact the Bridgeport Police Department.

Public Safety is in communication with local law enforcement and will be looking out for the vehicle, along with using the school’s license plate readers. When a plate number is entered into the system, Public Safety is notifed whenever said vehicle enters campus.

While Public Safety takes precautions on campus, Reyes noted that students must be “prudent” as well. This includes things like confirming the driver matches who is registered on the app, confirming the plate and remaining aware during the ride.

In his email, Reyes reminded students of the safety measures — in addition to confrming the driver — they should be taking when using those services, like Uber or Lyft.

“Share your trip details with a trusted

friend or family member… Sit in the back seat and remain aware of your surroundings… If something feels unsafe, trust your instincts and exit the situation if possible,” Reyes wrote.

For some students, the email came as a surprise as the topic is not frequently discussed on campus.

“I wasn’t really expecting it for Uber, because you don’t really hear much about that here,” sophomore marketing major Ashley Witkowski said.

Witkowski notes that both students and Public Safety should be responsible for practicing safety in regard to rideshare services.

“I think students should probably be more aware…But then Public Safety should also be on it with seeing who is allowed into the campus as well,” Witkowski said.

In the fall, Quinnipiac updated its designated rideshare pick up/drop off location. Students were told to only send drivers to the North Lot because each vehicle must enter

through a gate monitored by Public Safety.

“That way they’re being picked up and dropped off inside of our campus, as opposed to on the street,” Reyes said. “As opposed to somewhere on Mount Carmel (Ave.), you know, some area that does not have as much presence and there are no offcers.”

This is not the first incident in a rideshare service by far. Recently Uber in particular, has been under fire for the revealed thousands of reported incidents.

In August 2025, The New York Times reporter Emily Steel uncovered that between 2017 and 2022 “a total of 400,181 Uber trips resulted in reports of sexual assault and sexual misconduct in the United States.”

Uber’s 2021-22 Annual Safety Report is the most recent report available.

Before Steel’s investigation, Uber disclosed 12,522 accounts of serious sexual assaults in that time frame. On average, “Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the U.S. almost every eight

minutes,” according to Steel.

The investigation led to the launch of the New York Times’ “Every 8 Minutes” campaign, spearheaded by Steel, aimed to draw attention to sexual assaults during Uber services.

In addition to Uber, students also commonly use the rideshare service Lyft. In their most recent report, detailing 202122, there were “2,651 instances of the five most serious categories of sexual assault — a 21% decrease in incident frequency rate from our previous report.”

All this to say, that as rideshare services are commonly used by Quinnipiac students, Reyes reminds them that safety measures must be taken while using those services. Students are encouraged to take precaution, stay alert and trust their instincts.

“Take any measures to get yourself out of that situation as soon as you can,” Reyes said.

Beloved Professor Emeritus Joe Woods dies

By AVA HIGHLAND News Editor

Quinnipiac University Professor Emeritus Joe Woods died peacefully in his home March 12, according to his obituary. Woods was 82 and worked at Quinnipiac for 51 years, until he retired in 2022.

In 1970, Woods came to Quinnipiac as an assistant professor of biology. Woods was later appointed as the chair of the Department of Biology, which he served for three years, and was the dean of the School of Health Sciences for 18 years.

Woods attended St. Joseph’s University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology and later got his PhD in Physiology from Rutgers University.

Even having left the university several years ago, his impact still remains in the community.

As a physical therapy student, Maureen Helgren became “captivated by physiology largely because of him,” she wrote to The Chronicle.

Helgren is now the Director of Anatomy and Associate Professor of Medical Sciences. First as her professor, Woods later became her colleague, friend and lifelong mentor.

“Without his guidance, I may never have pursued a PhD, discovered my love of research, returned to Quinnipiac or had the privilege of serving under one of the kindest deans I have ever known,” Helgren wrote.

Woods’ impact still remains with Helgren.

“I often found myself wandering outside Echlin, following the familiar scent of his pipe, just to stop and talk with him,” Helgren wrote. “His warm, infectious smile is imprinted on my heart; not only because he was a brilliant leader, but because he was, above all, a genuinely kind and generous man.”

Woods has been previously honored for his dedication at Quinnipiac with the “Joseph J. Woods, PhD, Athletic Training/Sports Medicine Outstanding Student Award” being named after him — a decision that was “easy and ftting,” Stephen Straub, associate dean of Academic Operations and Finance and professor of Health and Exercise Science, wrote to The Chronicle.

Straub highlighted that Woods was “instrumental” in the set-up of Quinnipiac’s athletic training education program, around core

they’ve faced on campus.

Armendariz is fairly new to Quinnipiac and is still navigating what the school does well and what it doesn’t.

“It’s really coming upon you helping us find where we’re not meeting our legal obligations or a moral obligation,” Armendariz said.

The discussion also touched on several different areas of concern for students, including consistency, transparency, parking spaces, housing accommodations, faculty training, as well as suggested procedures.

In particular, Armendariz cited that Quinnipiac complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act’s requirements for accessible parking spaces, but it still might not be enough. This occurs in instances like students using those spaces without a permit, or snow being plowed into the spots.

In the past, students have drawn attention to residence halls that lack accessibility, like dorms that don’t have elevators for example. This concern was brought up again during the open discussion.

Czepiga explained that things like putting elevators into old buildings goes beyond OSA, but they work to help students as best they can when housing barriers arise.

Some students in the audience also shared personal stories regarding barriers

Scarlett Fulton, a frst-year law in society and political science major, addressed “discriminatory culture of… students to each other” in regard to non-visible disabilities.

“It’s been a constant struggle, how do you get people to be cognizant and respectful of other people, whether it’s dis -

values in ensuring excellence for students.

Straub worked under and later alongside Woods for over 20 years.

“As he served as a mentor to me, I would seek his ideas and advice,” Straub wrote. “No matter the issue he always came back to those two themes: Can we enact that project in an excellent fashion? And how will it impact our students?”

Woods’ infuence in the Quinnipiac and local communities went beyond his love of teaching as well. He held a tradition of dressing in a handmaid Santa Claus outft each year as a member of the Cheshire community.

“His energy and passion in his character brightened up each holiday gathering,” his obituary reads.

In 2017, Woods delivered an assortment of gifts to children at the Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences on Quinnipiac’s North Haven Campus.

“It’s just something I love doing,” Woods told Quinnipiac Today. “I love their faces.”

Woods left an impact on many members of the Quinnipiac community that has

ability, race, gender identity, whatever it is, we constantly have that challenge,” Armendariz said. “...It’s something that we talked about. How do we, for you as young adults, start to make you aware of these things and how to be more respectful towards each other.”

shown to not be, and will not be, forgotten. “He left us with such fond memories and has touched so many lives,”

Fulton suggested education or programs for students to better understand disabilities.

Attendees engaged in an open discussion with the panelists, sharing different experiences regarding accessability on campus and asking questions.

Adding on to Fulton’s point, Victor Constanza, a junior behavioral neuroscience major, raised the issue of some professors not being understanding of a student’s academic accommodation.

“I had a lab professor who said something like, ‘I don’t believe in an accommodation extension,’” Constanza said. “... That just tells me that the person doesn’t even know what the disorders are even like, how they work.”

Czepiga explained that professors do go through training with OSA. However, if problems still arise, students should bring them to OSA for more measures to be taken.

DSU’s secretary and junior psychology major Delilah Papka drew attention to accessibility on the York Hill Campus.

“I feel like York, when it comes to not just accessibility, but also safety for some students, it isn’t treated the same as main campus,” Papka said.

Papka called for more monitoring by the university in regard to accessibility and safety.

The discussion overall, largely centered around the need for advocacy to make change.

“Progress may not happen overnight, but progress requires commitment, and commitment begins with conversations like this,” Colciaghi said.

President Donald Trump is closer to Iranian and Venezuelan leaders than you might think

By LILLIAN CURTIN Opinion Editor

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller died Saturday. Mueller was best known for investigating Russia’s part in meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

The report found that, yes, Russia had interfered in the election and tipped the election in favor of President Donald Trump.

You know, the same man who claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

When word came out that Mueller had died, Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate.

“Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!” he wrote.

Mind you, he wasn’t a threat to the country or anything. He simply completed an investigation, following the law that he swore to uphold, that just happened to prove that there was an injustice. He did nothing wrong.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance said, back when conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk was killed, that celebrating someone’s death should be grounds for consequences.

This isn’t the only time Trump celebrated the death of an innocent person, just because they weren’t supporters. When director Rob Reiner and his wife were brutally murdered, he victim-blamed them and claimed

that their death was brought on by “the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crumpling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”

Reiner was not ill. He was, by all accounts, a good man. One who many in Hollywood mourned closely.

Not only does he celebrate when an opponent or critic dies, but he’s started to try to arrest them.

The Department of Justice is investigating Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, because Powell was not complying with Trump’s demands regarding interest rates.

Former counterterrorism offcial Joe Kent recently resigned, saying he couldn’t “in good conscience” support the war in Iran, and that the country posed “no imminent threat.”

Surprise, surprise, following his resignation and public opposition to the war, the White House announced that he was under investigation, claiming that he was “often at the center of national security leaks.”

It seems evident that the investigation is just a ploy for what I’m sure the president believes is retribution. In reality, it’s just retaliation.

Arresting opponents is a common tactic with dictators. Didn’t we steal Venezuela’s president to “save” its people from a tyrannical regime?

That’s fascinating considering Nicolas Maduro was using arrests and intimidation against his opposition as well.

We also shouldn’t forget that Trump threatened to throw 2016 presidential opponent, and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton in jail.

Actually, there are many more similarities than you may believe. Following the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, masked assailants ransacked the headquarters of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Sound familiar? That’s because it happened in the U.S., during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Maduro’s hold over power had a lot to do with undermining his country’s elections, which is something Trump continuously tries to do. I mean, he just picked another 2020 election denier as his Secretary of Homeland Security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, a friend of Trump’s, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un and the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, all did the same thing when it comes to attacking the opposition. Yes, the leader of Iran whom the U. S. killed.

Am I sad about Khamenei, or about Maduro? Hell no. But we cannot be hypocritical.

There’s no coincidence that Trump can have all of these investigations, and hold so

much hatred over his opponents, yet there’s no arrests being made of the Epstein files, and he thinks we should move on. I wonder why that could be?

We’re walking a very fine line, and it’s getting even finer. Americans need to open their eyes to the warning signs.

Corporate may be evil, but it's not bad

By JOANNA FARRELL Associate Opinion Editor

Since the dawn of my early teenhood, I have heard the lore of working for corporate America. “Corporate America will suck the life out of you, they’re evil, there’s nothing good that comes out of working for a big company.”

We’ve got entire forms of media based on the apparent life-sucking nature of the cor porate world. But I’m not certain they’re telling the whole truth.

Take my favorite game, Stardew Val ley, a game about your character be ing drained from working at the cor porate giant Joja, who leaves to inherit their grandpa's farm in the valley.

If I learned anything from Stardew Valley, it’s that I might enjoy a cor porate job rather than being a lone some farmer. Your backbreaking work starts at 6 a.m. where for at least the first couple weeks of the season you are stuck individually watering every plant you have on your farm until you risk your life in the mines to either build sprinklers or upgrade your wa tering can.

Even though farmers in real life are not risking their lives battling creatures in multi-level mines, farmers face different challenges. Costs of goods and rising costs related to gear and taxes can often provide an unstable work environment for farmers. Along with uncontrollable factors like Mother Nature.

porate jobs are generally stable work environments. You clock in at 9 a.m. and clock out at 5 p.m., with an unpaid 30-minute break. However, not working for corporate America can leave you with unstable schedules, getting in early and getting out late.

Working corporate for the benefits like paid time off, insurance and 401K can be really appealing for the average American, especially when you consider the rising costs of healthcare.

However, these benefits do not counter the true nature of corporate America. Unlike being a farmer, those long hours that you worked does not turn into something tangible that you can call yours. You are creating work, spending the best years of your life, being a number in a massive corporate giant and when you clock out at 5 p.m., nothing can be considered truly yours. It was for the company. Everything you do is “in the company’s best interest” rather than working for a company that cares about you as a person.

That is something that small businesses generally don’t have. The general feel of the small businesses I’ve worked for is that they’d do everything they can before laying you off rather than saying “we’re restructuring” with no prior notice.

Singer-songwriter Dolly Parton didn’t stutter when she said, “They let you dream just to watch ‘em shatter.” There are countless stories of people spending their entire lives working somewhere just to get laid off during a budget cut during the holiday season.

This is why I say that corporate is evil but not bad. They can screw you over in the worst ways possible but at the end of the day when you need better insurance, higher pay, a retirement plan, a consistent schedule or most other benefits that only corporate level companies can afford, it does make them a more beneficial and stable workplace.

I would love to see a day when small businesses are able to compete with the benefits offered by larger companies but until that happens, I understand why people are continuing to choose the corporate life.

Opinion

Some fanfctions should not be sold

By ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA Editor-in-Chief

Waking up to the news that “All the Young Dudes” is being sold and published as an original work ruined my day, I can tell you that.

The sad part is it is not the first major fanfiction work that saw this fate and frankly I have had enough of it.

Fanfiction is an underrated genre of fiction that many don’t even consider as one. Because it takes inspiration from other sources, many do not consider it an original piece of work.

Whether it is or isn’t is a different conversation.

But the truth is, no matter what side of that argument one stands on, there are some fanfictions that are so engraved into differ ent fandoms, that taking them out should not be possible. And yet that is the trend that has steadily become the norm.

If you think you have never read or seen a fanfiction before, think again. Ever read “Fifty Shades of Grey?” “After?” “The Mortal Instru ments?” “The Love Hypothesis?”

All of them started as fanfictions, and pretty popular ones at that.

But the thing all of these books/the fan fictions they came from have in common,

is that they were not that important.

Harsh, but hear me out.

A fanfiction is the author’s original work. No matter how many creative liberties the author takes — whether it is a very similar story with a different ending for example or a completely different one with just the same characters — it is still something that the author sat down and wrote.

If they want to publish their work and make money that is completely understandable, we all need to get paid somehow.

What I get annoyed at is when it comes to piec

erally started a completely different fandom.

Take the aforementioned “All the Young Dudes,” a piece of work from 2017, that is based in the world of “Harry Potter” or more exactly, the sort of prequel with the previous generation called Marauders. This fanfiction, that is over 500,000 words long, is what basically created the fandom based on Marauders, which online grew arguably even bigger than the original text.

How can you take that and turn it into something completely different?

In order for it to be officially published, the characters and the world it is set in needs to be changed. And the worst part, the original “All the Young Dudes” needs to be taken off of the site it was published on — which in this case is AO3.

Uhm, excuse me, how dare you?

Take another example. “Manacled,” also a piece of work set in the Harry Potter world, is a fanfiction that started the entire 2020 DracoTok era. It is an alternate universe that merges Harry Potter with “The Handmaid’s Tale” and it is still being quoted till this day.

Last September it was published as “Alchemised” and “Manacled” is only available as a pirated pdf. You want to publish your work and earn money for it? Don’t write fanfiction.

Again, a harsh statement, maybe, but it is true. Fanfiction writers aren’t writing these stories because they don’t have any original thoughts and have to copy someone else’s work like it is a homework assignment. They are doing it because they love the original story or characters and want to enhance that preexisting world. Trust me, I would know.

The fanfiction authors are doing it for the love of the game; if they wanted to write something original and publish that, they would’ve. Most of them are more creative than half of published authors anyways.

Taking your fanfiction, which became as great as it was because of the fandom it built, and turning it into something else is cheap and that’s when I will call you unoriginal. Because while your fanfiction piece enhances something, stripping it of its core and “creating” a new story acting like its original piece of fiction counts in my dictionary as copying.

And “After” or “The Idea of You” lovers put the pitchforks down. Fanfictions that were based on any One Direction member do not count in this argument — God knows not a single one of those was original in the first place.

Women can fnd athletes hot and still know ball

LET'S GET IT BERGER-ON

It took me nearly a full season to see Boston Bruins alternate captain Patrice Bergeron’s face.

When your parents are proprietors of not buying expensive cable, watching Bruins games becomes an exercise in sailing the seven seas and watching post game interviews isn’t necessarily in the cards.

But don’t get me wrong. He was still my favorite player.

“Bergy” was exactly the kind of athlete that always endears me. The hard-working, defensive hero that plays his best in the brightest lights. The kind of guy that you’d let date your sister. Lunch pail, hard-working, never in it for the stats kind of hockey.

But his stats are incredible. Men will see my favorite player ever isn’t a fourth liner from the East Coast Hockey League and decide “I don’t know puck.” Then they’ll take a look at Bergeron’s French-Canadian jawline and make a host of other incorrect assumptions about why the Bruins’ former captain is my favorite.

Calling me a “puck bunny” when I am the first to defend Bergeron in the Selke Trophy conversations is ridiculous when my evidence is his CF% (Corsi for Percentage), a stat that tracks a player’s puck control in a quantifiable manner. An eye test from a perfectly capable person, including a woman who believes Bergeron to completely live up to his nickname of “Saint

Patrice” in every aspect, could’ve told you the same thing that stat could.

Maybe I just have bad luck with picking favorites because Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman seems to also cause a stir within the male hockey fan community. Newsflash, when goaltender Jaroslav Halak went down in the 2020-21 season, there was an option between two goalies to take the mantle. One had a 3.40 goals against average, the other had a 1.50.

Am I really a “puck bunny” if I liked the guy who let in less goals? It’s not even an advanced stat, it’s a simple metric that every broadcast from Hamden to Swayman’s hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, includes. I could have a nuanced conversation about how Swayman’s goals saved above expected of 27.1 is a lot higher than most fans are willing to give him credit for.

But to be honest, I don’t particu larly want to. I don’t owe a spirited defense over why I like these play ers. They’re hot, they’re good at puck and that’s my business.

SLUTTING UP FOR THE SEASON

On Dec. 3, 2013, former Bos ton Red Sox center felder Ja coby Ellsbury signed a sevenyear, $153 million deal with the New York Yankees. Eight-year-old me stood on the stairs in a gray 2013 Red Sox

World Series t-shirt and sobbed for two reasons. One, I hated the idea of the 2013 team breaking up like One Direction. And two, I was in love with him.

Men love to claim they know more about sports than women. “Real” Boston fans dubbed faux fangirls, “pink hats,” in 2003 when a historic Red Sox team made it to the American League Championship Series.

“Pink hats” are the ditzy bitches at games who go for the Instagram pics, booze and a hot dog that they won’t eat.

And then, from under the brims of their pink hats, they’ll turn to their boyfriends and ask: “Who’s winning?” when the game is tied in the bottom of the ninth.

I can’t stand a fake fan either. But it’s worse to be compared to one. I genuinely

offer to pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who declined and signed with the Detroit Tigers. Therefore, compensation pick. Anything else from the peanut gallery? No? Cool.

Moving on to former Sox shortstop, Xander Bogaerts of the San Diego Padres. That was my soulmate, man. I dreamt he’d take me to Aruba and we’d have quadrilingual kids who went straight from high school to the majors like their daddy.

Bogaerts genuinely changed my life. He was the first autograph I ever got. Did you know he was No. 72 in 2013 during his rookie season with Boston? Or that his walk up song, “X Gon’ Give It To Ya,” is perfect because his nickname is “X-Man?” Did you?

I get it. I’m a woman who knows what WAR stands for, and that’s It means wins above replacement, BTW. It’s a comprehensive stat that uses overall player metrics to estimate how many more wins that player can contribute to his team versus a replacement from the bench or minor leagues. But yeah, I don’t really know shit. I just like to ogle at Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, who batted .244 in 2025. Sure. .244 sucks.

Arts & Life

Escapees and life-sentences

Who's in, who's out of the Khia Asylum

By LILLIAN CURTIN Opinion Editor

Have you ever wondered what happened to those “one hit wonders” that you loved back in the day? I know I have, especially with the 2016 renaissance we’ve entered in 2026.

Don’t worry, they’re just doing time in the Khia Asylum.

The Khia Asylum, named after “My Neck, My Back” rapper, Khia, is a jail (metaphorical, of course) where formally successful artists go after they fop.

Current residents include singers Bebe Rexha, Daya and Ava Max.

Bebe Rexha may be granted parole, after an appeal. I can honestly see it happening. On Jan. 14, she posted a TikTok running on a treadmill in heels, saying, “I’m here at the Khia Asylum. They said I can’t stop until I lose 30 pounds. I’m too fat. Or if I have a hit song.”

Rexha is fully aware of her sentence in the asylum. But, like I said, with the 2016 renaissance, she may be granted parole. She has a chance and she may be looking to take it. Luckily for her, though, she said she hates talking about the asylum, she has the unique position of rebranding as a “Khia Asylum escapee.” It sounds stupid, but if she uses it to her advantage, she may be successful.

Escaping is not unheard of. “Midnight Sun” singer Zara Larsson did heavy time in the asylum until her rebrand at the end of 2024 and in 2025. Who granted her bail? That famous

dolphin meme to her singing “Symphony.”

Larsson is proof that miracles can happen in the Khia Asylum.

“Sweet but Psycho” singer Ava Max is currently wishing for a miracle that I just don’t think is going to come. In fact, she’s been in there so long, she may be going crazy in it.

She posted a video of her saying how happy she is to be out. Where did she even get this idea? I don’t know how to break it to her, but she may be serving a life sentence and is absolutely delusional if she thinks she’s escaped.

She claimed that she hasn’t “been in here that long.” Who’s going to tell her that she’s one of the founding members and there’s probably a wing named after her? And with the amount of make-believe in that video, it may very well be the psychiatric unit.

Another artist serving a life-sentence in the asylum is “Sit Still look Pretty” singer Daya. I don’t see her escaping any time soon, but I don’t think she’s trying. Some stars like the asylum, and have made home there.

Certain artists aren’t in there yet, but should perhaps start preparing, because I have a feeling they’re going to be. Dare I say, a few ex-girl group members?

Former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson is defnitely going to be spending some time in the asylum soon. She left the group to do her own thing, and yet, it seems her “own thing” is fopping.

Another one would be former Fifth Harmony members, besides Camilla Cabello. Yes, that includes my girl Normani. While songs like “Motivation,” “Dancing with a Stranger” and “Love Lies” are all great, she’s yet to have more hits like them.

Similarly, ex-member Ally Brooke dropped the banger “Lowkey” in 2019 and then never dropped another on that level.

Don’t worry, there’s a men’s unit too and Shawn Mendes was just taken into custody. If he wants to only do a little bit of time, he’d better release something soon.

The good thing is, since it’s literally Shawn Mendes, anything he drops will probably get

members seem to apply to the ex-boy group members too. Don’t kill me for this, but I would argue that Zayn Malik is also in the asylum. I know, I know. It pains me to say it too. But it’s true. “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” “Dusk till Dawn” and “PILLOWTALK” were the peak of his solo career, but he just hasn’t released anything up to that level.

I almost said Niall Horan too, but I quickly took it back when I remembered he did community service on “The Voice.”

“Rush” singer Troye Sivan made an escape, and I hope he stays out, but I don’t know how realistic that hope is. He may be joining long-term prisoners, singers Jason Derulo, Alec Benjamin, Khalid and Macklemore, to name a few.

Someone who may not be able to outrun (or outfip) the guards is “Mystical Magical” singer Benson Boone. He’s been a little too quiet lately, and may risk an arrest. It’s actually pretty easy to fnd yourself in the Khia Asylum. One minute your song is on everyone’s lips, the next, you’re just another song on a “nostalgia” playlist. I have faith that a lot of our formerly favorite artists will come back. Take Larsson, who took over the charts in the past, present and future. Who knows, maybe a “fop era” is needed for development. Only time will tell.

Your favorite foods came from immigrants

By SOPHIE MURRAY Associate Arts & Life Editor

Take a second to think about your favorite foods. Burgers? Hot dogs? Fries? These foods feel as American as it gets, like they’ve always been part of the culture.

But here’s the thing. They didn’t actually start here.

During a time when immigration is one of the most debated and polarizing issues in the U.S., with headlines about deportation, border control and ICE, people need to start understanding that much of our everyday life and culture is shaped by immigrants.

Food is one of the clearest, most universal examples of that infuence. In fact, many of the foods people associate with the U.S. only exist in their current form because of immigrants who brought their traditions with them and adapted them over time.

Food is something we all share. We need it to survive. But beyond that, it’s one of the most powerful ways we connect — with culture, with history and with each other. For as long as people have argued about borders and who belongs where, they’ve been enjoying certain foods because someone, somewhere, brought it from their home.

And yet, in today’s political climate, those same communities are often targeted and reduced to problems that need to be solved, rather than recognized as people who have long contributed to the foundation of this country.

That’s why it’s so important to recognize them in the most human way: through the foods we eat. Because every bite of what we call “American” tells a story that started somewhere else.

What’s more American than a Fourth of July cookout? A burger on the grill topped with pickles, lettuce and tomatoes. Fries on the side dipped in ketchup. It feels like the ultimate symbol of American cuisine. But the story behind it all stretches far beyond the U.S.

The hamburger, often seen as the center of American food culture, traces back to German immigrants. It developed from the “Hamburg steak,” a ground meat dish in the 1800s. When this came to the U.S., they adapted the dish by using local ingredients and cooking style. It became what we know today, between a bun topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles.

Speaking of hamburger toppings, my favorite are defnitely pickles. But even something we consider so simple like pickles have deep

immigrant roots, especially in Eastern European Jewish culture.

Specifcally kosher pickles were popular in countries like Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Russia. Harsh winters meant people needed to fnd a way to preserve food for a long period of time. Families would often pack vegetables in an acidic liquid or salt water brine to ferment over periods of time. It added favor to their otherwise simple diets of bread and potatoes.

When Eastern European Jewish immigrants arrived in New York City, they brought these traditions with them. Pickles were sold on pushcarts in the immigrant tenement district of New York City, introducing America to the kosher dill pickle.

And who doesn’t love pairing their hamburgers with a side of french fries. However, their roots extend far beyond America, or France for that matter. Most historians trace them back to Belgium, where people living along the Meuse River in the late 1600s loved frying small fsh. When winter froze the river and fsh weren’t available anymore, they cut potatoes into strips and fried them as a substitute.

Even the potatoes themselves traveled far to reach our plates.

Potatoes are originally from the Andes Mountains of Peru and were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers, with new varieties cultivated across the continent over centuries. What feels like such a staple food in American culture is actually a product of centuries of

migration, trade and adaptation.

Ketchup, perhaps the most popular dipping sauce for fries and burgers, tells a similar story. Found in nearly every American home, its earliest ancestor wasn’t even tomato based. In imperial China, as far back as 300 B.C., a fermented fsh sauce called “ge-thcup” or “koe-cheup” was made from fsh entrails, meat byproducts and soybeans. British traders discovered it in the early 1700s, bringing it home and inspiring experimental ketchups made from oysters, mushrooms, walnuts, plums and even peaches. By 1812, the tomato based ketchup emerged, eventually becoming the condiment we know today.

Sitting down to enjoy a burger, fries and ketchup, it’s easy to forget the long journey these foods have taken to become “American.” Recognizing their immigrant roots reminds us that culture is never fxed; it is constantly evolving, shaped by the people who bring their skills, favors and creativity to new places. What feels familiar and comforting, our favorite cookout meals, backyard barbecues and dinner classics were once introduced by people who sought a better life in this country.

So the next time you enjoy that Fourth of July meal, remember: what we call “American” is really a mix of global tradition. Appreciating that history is more than just knowing a fun fact. It’s recognizing the humanity and contributions of the communities that built the culture we celebrate today.

Food, in the end, is one of the most universal ways we connect with the stories and struggles of those who came before us. And if we take the time to notice, every bite can be a small act of gratitude for the people who brought their homes and their recipes to ours.

10 years of ‘Flygod’

Westside Gunn's impact on hip-hop can't be ignored

By REX NAYLOR Staf Writer

It has been 10 years since Westside Gunn’s breakout album ‘Flygod,’ and it’s safe to say his footprint continues to grow.

Born Alvin Lamar Worthy in 1982, Gunn hails from Buffalo, N.Y., and started in the underground scene before becoming one of the biggest voices in east coast rap in the last decade. Gunn, along with Conway The Machine and Mach Hommy, founded Griselda Records in 2012, adding Benny The Butcher around 2014 and has functioned since then.

Additionally, Gunn runs and promotes 4th Rope, a wrestling company that incorporates hip-hop and lifestyle into one single product which he heavily features in his music.

Since “Flygod,” Gunn has released over a dozen albums with countless hits adding to his amazing discography in which he refers to himself as “Flygod” as a nod to where he got started.

Much of his music, along with those in Griselda, uses the iconic 90s style of boombap that rappers Nas, Mobb Deep and The Notorious B.I.G. all used heavily in their music. Gunn’s lyricism revolves around the

juxtaposition of his taste in luxurious wealth and fashion versus earning it through crime. Gunn is able to blend raw street narratives with the luxuries of life many dream of so vividly.

Songs like “Kitchen Lights,” “Mr. T” and “Amira Kitchen” are some of the best in his discography, each being perfect examples of the luxury from the crime narrative he paints effortlessly.

Lyrics like “Drive-bys out of Teslas” from “Mr. T” and, “Dope in the tupperware, Chrome Heart tips in the showers/ Mustard Virgil Forces on the rec yard, CO threw up in the tower” from “Kitchen Lights” are two of my favorites.

Gunn’s use of juxtaposition goes deeper than his lyrics, but his albums as well. His “Hitler wears Hermes” album series uses the German Dictator as the worst, or grimiest thing to come from this world, pairing with the greatest product or “flyest” thing in the world being Hermes.

The album series started in 2012 when he was still underground.

By now, the album has become a central piece to Gunn’s legacy and discography. It is meant as a play on “The Devil Wears Prada,” as he never promotes nor does he

endorse the Nazi ideology.

It’s evident that Gunn’s music revolves around the luxuries he’s earned himself, albeit through illegal and dangerous routes early on in his career.

Virgil Forces, Chrome Hearts, Hermes and countless other luxury clothing brands are referenced in Gunn’s music as his taste in fashion is unmatched.

A simple Google search tells someone all they need to know about his sense of style and it is unmatched.

In 2020, Gunn attended Paris Fashion Week which inspired him to create “Pray for Paris,” one of three albums he released in 2020. Then, in 2023 he released “And Then You Pray For Me” after attending the same event.

Gunn has become a fashion designer in many of the biggest fashion events in the world. He also sits front row for luxury brands

like Louis Vuitton, Off-White and Casablanca. In late 2025, Gunn released the threesong single, “My Sauconys Glowin” to promote his new partnership with the shoe company Saucony in which he released his own pair of shoes.

Gunn’s album covers are a world of their own as well. Chris Gagnon created the album cover for “Flygod” while Isaac Pelayo created the artwork for “‘Hitler Wears Hermes VI’” which Gunn

Since then, Isaac Pelayo who goes by EYESAAC has worked closely with Gunn for

Above all else, something so unique about Westside Gunn is the world he has created for himself. Now 43 years old, he has built an empire with Griselda.

When your body speaks before your mind does

How somatic symptoms gave a name to the silent pain I carried for years

By ANTHONY ANGELILLO Copy Editor

Trigger warning: topic of suicide

For most of my life, I did not know why my body reacted before I could even explain what I was feeling. My chest would tighten. My stomach would flip. My body would feel wrong before my brain could put together a full sentence on why.

A lot of people know that feeling, even if they do not have a name for it. The name, however, is somatic symptoms, which are physical symptoms tied to mental or emotional distress.

Somatic symptom disorder is the clinical term for when those symptoms cause significant distress and begin to take over your daily life.

That does not mean the pain is fake, exaggerated or made up. The symptoms are real, but the problem is how deeply they disrupt your life and how much fear, energy and attention they demand.

I had no words for any of that. I just figured that was how my body worked, that I was wired incorrectly. I assumed everyone else had it figured out, and I was the one who couldn’t keep up.

That assumption stayed with me for years.

A lot of people experience somatic symptoms and never connect them to their mental health at first. They just think something is wrong, or worse, that weak for not being able to handle what everyone else seems to brush off.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, between 30% and 60% of people with

somatic symptom disorder also have anxiety or depression. That overlap matters because many people, myself included, spend years believing they're different when they’re not.

Before I ever heard the word “somatic,” my mental health had already shaped my life. I have lived with anxiety, depression, PTSD and the kind of overthinking that can turn one uncomfortable feeling into a full circle.

Your body keeps sounding the alarm, not knowing why and shame quickly fills the silence. You start questioning whether you are overreacting, if people believe you and begin to think you are losing control. I finally got answers when my life reached its lowest point. After I nearly took my own life, I went into full-time treatment. That period was the most painful, exhausting and transformative stretch of my life.

It was also the first time somebody helped me understand that the physical distress I had suffered for years was not random. There was a name for it. There was a pattern. There was an explanation that did not treat me like I was broken

Hearing that changed me more than I expected. A label can sound limiting from the outside, but for me, it did the opposite. The hardest part, for so many years, was that I felt things I couldn’t explain, and

It gave shape to something that had followed me for years without a clear identity. Once I knew what I was dealing with, I stopped feeling like I was the only person whose body could turn fear into pain and panic into physical shutdown. What mattered next was treatment. I started taking medication that targeted both the anxiety and the physical fallout it caused. I learned coping strategies that exceeded simple “just breathe” techniques. Most importantly, I started cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helped me recognize when my body was reacting to something my mind had not yet

processed. I learned to tolerate discomfort without drowning in fear, so it didn't turn into something disastrous.

That does not mean every symptom should be ruled as “somatic.” One of the most important things I learned is that physical symptoms still need to be taken seriously, but once that happens, mental health has to be part of the conversation too. Too many people live in the void between those two realities. They know their body hurts, but they do not yet know that their mind may be part of the reason.

I think that is why this topic stayed personal for me. For years, I had the experience but not the vocabulary. I had the fear but not the direction. Once I got both, I was finally able to move toward the right medications, the right treatment and the right kind of understanding. I did not feel cured overnight, but I felt seen and that was the real beginning.

Treatment is slow and frustrating. Some days are still hard and my body still reacts before my thoughts catch up.

The difference now is that I know what is happening and have a system for responding to it, rather than being consumed by it.

There are people who feel what I felt and have no idea there is a word for it. They sit through lectures with a knot in their stomach, cancel plans because their energy disappears without warning, and lie awake, wondering why they are so tired all the time.

If any of that sounds familiar, it’s no weakness and isn’t something you should fight through alone. Your body is trying to tell you something, and once you understand, it will be the first sign that healing can actually happen and that you can finally fight back.

‘All the Signs’ point to another Don Toliver success with ‘Octane’

By COOPER WOODWARD Associate Sports Editor

In the modern age of music, there are few artists that you can count on to give you consistently good projects time in and time out. It either highly exceeds the expectations given to it, or falls significantly under.

One of the artists who has produced a great product time in and time out is Don Toliver, who released his fifth studio album “Octane” Jan. 30.

The 49-minute long project marks the sixth consecutive year Toliver has released either a song or an album dating all the way back to 2020 with the release of his debut “Heaven or Hell.” That project also propelled him into superstardom as the lead single “No Idea” became one of the most popular songs of 2019.

Two months into his 2025 collaboration with fellow labelmate Travis Scott on the album “Jackboys 2,” Toliver began the rollout for “Octaine” with the release of the lead single, “Tiramisu” on Sept. 5.

The song leans heavily into Toliver’s R&B ties, featuring a more laid back production style with heavy use of easy on the ear synthesizers. Lyrically, the song

gives teases of what's to come on the rest of the album, as Toliver goes deep into exploring all of the feelings that come during intimacy and romance with a partner.

Two of his other singles released with the rest of the album, “ATM” and “Body” follow in its footsteps as both dive into the more physical aspects of intimacy. That’s about where the community ends as Toliver goes two completely different directions production wise. The two singles feel like a classic Toliver project of heavy percussion and bass, while the ladder goes a lighter route. Especially in “Body”, giving a sample from Justin Timberlake’s 2009 song “Rock Your Body.”

The fourth and fnal single “E85,” is my personal favorite of the entire album. Lyrically, Toliver explores the feeling of euphoria that comes with driving down a highway with your lover by your side.

Sonically, the production matches it perfectly. It’s simple, easy on the ears and, although it’s a rap song, is pop perfection.

“E85” was the song that put the album on the map, as it recorded multiple weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

Two tracks later, there is another highlight of the album for me in “Rendevouz.”

Featuring American singer-songwriter Yeat, the song takes a more relaxed approach compared to the rest of the album. The instrumentals feature a light synth and a basic percussion pattern, letting the expert vocal layering of Toliver and Yeat to do the heavy lifting. Toward the end of the album is another phenomenal addition to the project in “Gemstone.” Toliver is at his delivering highpaced and high energy songs with lyrics that back it up. That’s exactly what this track

does and that’s why it’s one of my favorites. All of this praise is not to say the album doesn’t have its struggles. A big one is the penultimate track “Pleasure’s Mine.” Sonically, it isn’t anything special. It just sounds like a generic run of the mill rap song. Lyrically, the song falls flat on its face. The lyrics tackle themes of penance to a former partner. It’s boring, dull and I really believe it could’ve been scrapped off the album.

Another major downside comes with the following track “Ultimate.” It unfortunately suffers from a similar fate that its predecessor does. The production is serviceable at best but the lyrics remain dull and unmoving.

Overall, “Octane” is a solid addition to Toliver’s discography. Like its predecessors, it’s flled with hits and good songs that fy under the radar while delivering the most complete version of Toliver we’ve seen to date.

Toliver remains a key player in modern day rap & hip-hop on the door step of becoming a superstar. While “Octane” may not be remembered as an all time great project, it is not an album that should be ignored.

All the reasons why I can't stop listening to ‘EPIC: The Musical’

By ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA Editor-in-Chief

I didn’t really anticipate reviving my obsession with Greek mythology in my 20s, but then I stumbled upon “EPIC: The Musical” and here we are.

I am arguably a little too late to the party as this masterpiece has been steadily coming out for the last three years, but better late than never and you can bet I am never leaving.

Inspired by Homer’s the “Odyssey,” “EPIC” is a two and a half hour product of a college senior thesis idea by singersongwriter and actor Jorge Rivera-Herrans, that takes inspiration from video games and anime and other musical genres — separated into two acts and nine sagas (40 songs), last of which came out on Christmas Eve last year.

I could genuinely write separate essays about every single one of the songs — including the cut ones, I will forever mourn the loss of “I need her to be mine” — and I’m not even exaggerating.

Rivera-Herrans took some creative liberties with the original story and while the main idea is the same, the small changes here and there only add to the video game/fantasticallike storytelling.

He observes some moral topics that differ from the original text, especially the way the topics of sexual assault

and violence are handled, the guilt and consequences that were maybe not typical for that time period, but speak to the modern viewer and he truly handled these topics well.

Even though it’s officially only on Spotify, Rivera-Herrans amassed 3.1 million monthly listeners thanks to this project.

The cast is made up from a mixture of people close to him as well as a few singers that got cast through TikTok auditions over the years, with Rivera-Herrans himself playing Odysseus.

While there are a few standout songs that took over my social media, my personal some of the maybe few underrated ones, such as “Wouldn’t You Like”

Maybe I just really like listening to the combination of Rivera-Herrans and singer-songwriter Troy Doherty who plays Hermes, sue me. My favorite saga though, is defnitely The Wisdom Saga and “Legendary” and “Little Wolf” are defnitely up there with the best songs. Actress and producer Teagen Early who plays Athena and musician Miguel Veloso (Telemachus)

compliment each other so well and Early is just phenomenal throughout all her appearances. Not to say the crowd favorites didn’t earn their praises. There is a reason “Would you fall in love with me again” is the most streamed song from the musical (spoiler alert, it’s the yearning).

All I’m saying my girls, boys and non-binary folks, if your man isn’t loyal and doesn’t spend 10 years trying to get back to you like Odysseus, it is time to fnd a different man.

And if your woman isn’t loyal and wouldn't wait for you for 20 years like Penelope, same message.

And if you think you’ve never heard of any of these songs, oh boy do news for you. Remember that she’s my wife trend on TikTok? Yeah, that’s just one of the many viral sounds to come out of this musical.

Listen, I’m not musically sound enough to be to delve into their voices and the sound composition, all I can say is that there is something extremely pleasing to the ear in all of the songs and it’s been all I’ve been listening to since I fnally sat down and watched the entire musical.

The sheer musical brilliance of this musical aside, what elevates it so much more is the animatics that serve as the offcial movies, so to say.

It might honestly be what makes this so great. There isn’t one offcial animation for any of the songs. A bunch of YouTube animators create animatics for the songs that get pieced together to create the movie. It can be slightly confusing, especially since everyone has their own style of animation and draws the characters differently, but it also adds so much to the story.

Yes, there are lyrics that Rivera-Herrans wrote that guide the story and the original plot that it is based on. But the creative liberties that different animators take with facial expressions of the characters, or the way they portray them, is what really elevates it to a completely new level and makes it so much more than just a simple musical. I have to agree with YouTuber Danny Motta, I am also personally partial to the way Neil Illustrator draws the gods — even if I don’t like their Odysseus. Though my favorite “EPIC” animators will always be Duvetbox and Gigi. And maybe also WolfytheWitch but that might be my Minecraft DSMP animatics nostalgia.

While I was too late for this saga, RiveraHerrans has already teased his new project, the retelling of “The Illiad” by Homer, or the prequel to “Odyssey,” for which I am too early to the train this time. It’s fine though. I’m going to spend the time obsessively listening to the musical until I grow tired of it, which I do not think is humanly possible.

The World Baseball Classic delivered and left everyone wanting more

By ANTHONY ANGELILLO Copy Editor

Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez stepped to the plate at the top of the ninth inning on March 17 in Miami with the World Baseball Classic championship tied 2-2 and Venezuela one hit away from history. He ripped an RBI double, Chicago Cubs pitcher Daniel Palencia retired the U.S. and for the first time in the WBC’s history, Venezuela held the trophy. The final score was 3-2. Kansas City Royals infielder Maikel Garcia was named tournament MVP. Venezuela declared the following day a national holiday.

That was the ending two weeks of outstanding baseball built toward.

The tournament ran from March 5-17 across Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami. This year, the WBC was loaded with the kind of star power that used to be treated like a wish list. All four reigning MVPs and Cy Young winners were placed on rosters. A record 78 MLB All-Stars were included. Attendance reached 1,619,839, topping the previous tournament record from 2023, and the championship game drew 10.784 million viewers, the mostwatched WBC telecast ever. Through the semifinals, official WBC social media content had already generated more than 2.24 billion views worldwide.

What makes the WBC different from an MLB exhibition is that the talent pool extends well beyond major league camps. The tournament sources players from professional leagues worldwide, not just MLB organizations.

A fan can watch big league stars, NPB standouts from Japan, KBO talent from South Korea, and players shaped by other national systems all compete in the same event. That is what gives the event a true world-championship

feel rather than just a novelty.

Still, the event was not given a full runway. Because the WBC continues to be played during spring training, players are taken away from camp, pitchers are managed under tight restrictions and every roster decision is reevaluated amid injury fears. Official 2026 rules capped pitchers at 65 pitches in pool play, 80 in the quarterfinals and 95 in the championship round, with mandatory rest requirements layered on top.

Venezuela manager Omar Lopez felt the tension the morning of the championship game. After leaning heavily on his bullpen to beat Italy the night before, Lopez woke up to text messages from three separate MLB clubs telling him not to use their relievers on back-to-back nights. Lopez still had to figure out how to win a title with a staff that had already thrown 23 outs against Italy, knowing a handful of those arms were off the table.

MLB contracts are fully guaranteed, so clubs avoid paying for injuries in games that don’t affect standings. The shadow of New York Mets pitcher Edwin Díaz tearing his patellar tendon during the 2023 WBC celebration remains. In 2026, insurance issues kept key players off rosters, especially hurting Puerto Rico. The tournament had stars, but not the complete potential of each team.

Even though limits protect players and make participation realistic for clubs in March, these limits also flatten the product. Managers must consider pitch counts, rest and insurance before fielding their best team. This tension led MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to suggest a future midseason WBC, when clubs might be less restrictive.

However, the WBC’s growth this year

was most felt in Venezuela, where the tournament wasn’t just won but absorbed into national life. The celebration that followed reached far beyond Miami. Before the last pitch was even thrown, Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia was crying on the mound before striking out Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony.

The emotions were shared by multiple players on the team, including Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who had a classic moment against Japan, the defending champion, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Venezuela, Japan’s worst finish in program history.

The game opened with arguably the best individual sequence the WBC has ever produced. Acuna and Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter/starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani combined to hit leadoff home runs in the first inning.

The two players have combined to win the last three National League MVP awards, and watching them trade blows before a

single out was recorded set the atmosphere for everything that followed. Venezuela came back from a 5-2 deficit, with Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu launching a threerun shot off pitcher Hiromi Ito, to take the lead for good in the sixth. Six Venezuelan relievers then held Japan scoreless the rest of the way.

The same tournament also said something meaningful about other countries that did not leave with the trophy. Italy became the surprise of the bracket by upsetting Team USA, winning Pool B 4-0 and reaching the semifinals for the first time.

So this year’s WBC proved that the tournament's legitimacy is no longer in question. The WBC has drawn record crowds, and the players are still wearing the jerseys despite the risk of injury, proving that the whole world feels united by our simple love of baseball.

The debate is whether baseball is ready to let the tournament become the global platform it appears to be.

Bleachers ‘kills the bots’

By AVA HIGHLAND News Editor

Wednesday morning I was ready. Reminders set, computer charged, credit card out. I was preparing for battle, and by that, I mean a presale on Ticketmaster.

At 10 a.m. March 18, the presale for rock band Bleachers’ summer 2026 tour, “Bleachers Forever” went live.

I was expecting the usual routine for a presale: A spot in the queue consisting of at least fve numbers, little to no tickets, high prices.

But in a shocking turn of events, this was not the case.

The clock hit 10 a.m. and the queue started. I quite literally jumped when I entered the queue and my starting spot was 113. By 10:01 a.m. I was in. At 10:07 a.m. I texted my mom I got the tickets. And the prices? Affordable.

A few years ago, however, I had quite a different experience than this year. During a previous presale for Bleachers, not only did I try to get tickets, but so did my mom and my dad. Needless to say, I didn’t attend that concert. Between presale bots and resale sharks, it seemed pretty impossible. And that’s usually the case across the board.

But this year, it wasn’t by luck. This was the result of an artist not only recognizing the problem, but also

taking measures before a sale and truly caring for their fans.

Bleachers announced their “Bleachers Forever” tour on March 10, and since then, lead vocalist Jack Antonoff has made it abundantly clear that he was not messing around.

“ONLY MY PEOPLE CAN SEE ME,” Jack wrote in the announcement.

A few days later, on March 13, Bleachers announced the tour’s venues along with the measures they took to make sure only their people can see them.

“We have worked our asses off to eliminate bullshit and get bleachers forever tickets to you at

which gave Bleachers “the ability to kill as many bots and bastards as possible.”

And it worked.

Even hours later that evening I went back to the sale out of curiosity and found several tickets still remaining.

The band sold their tickets at face value and kept their concert affordable, something rarely found today.

“We will be selling no tickets at absurd prices, so if you see that, you are in the wrong place,” Antonoff wrote.

And only tickets were sold.

And in many of these instances of bots and absurd prices, artists have called out the ticket selling platform.

Like last fall for instance, tickets for singer Olivia Dean’s “The Art Of Loving Live” tour went on sale and prices reached insane numbers.

Dean called out the ticket platforms urging them to do better.

“Zero vip crap, no fast pass stuff, no bundle things etc. if you see that it’s not us and isn’t real,” Antonoff wrote in another post.

Bleachers will also be donating one dollar from each ticket to the The Ally Coalition to support LGBTQ+ youth, as they do at all their shows.

“We want to have an on sale with as much dignity as possible and do everything we can to make sure our people get tickets at the price that we set,” Jack wrote. “Love you all very much. You know how deep this is for me. The band and I cannot wait to be with you soon.”

Well said, Jack.

Ticketmaster has a long history of upsetting fans, myself included on several occasions.

“Ticketmaster and AXS have agreed to refund the difference to anyone who has paid over face value for a ticket and will cap all future ticket resale prices to face value for the North American run of the tour,” Dean wrote in an Instagram story post. “Thank you for your patience and I’m looking forward to seeing all you real humans at the show.”

Fans trying to purchase tickets for singer Ariana Grande 2026 “Eternal Sunshine” tour experienced the same frustration.

“Hi my angels, I have been on set all week but I wanted to let you know that what’s been happening with the secondary ticket resellers has been brought to my attention and of course I am incredibly bothered by it,” Grande wrote in an Instagram story post.

But unlike Bleachers, these instances all came after the fact.

Ticketmaster might never fx its issues itself, but the artists that really care will. So thank you Bleachers, for embodying the real meaning of live music.

Brent Hill hired as head scout of U.S. women's national team

By EMILY MARQUIS Associate Sports Editor

Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey assistant coach Brent Hill has been announced as the head scout for the U.S. Women’s National Team program Friday according to USA Hockey.

Hill has been a member of the Bobcat coaching staff for six seasons and recently served as an assistant coach for the 2026 U.S. women’s national team at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, in which the team secured gold for the frst time since 2018.

Hill will scout U.S. women’s teams for the Olympics, Women’s World Championship, Select Series and Under-18 Women’s World Championship, according to USA Hockey.

Men's ice hockey set for Sioux Falls in NCAA Regionals

By CLAIRE FRANKLAND Sports Editor

Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey is set for Sioux Falls, S.D., in the NCAA Regionals March 26-28.

After falling to Clarkson in the quarterfnals of the ECAC Tournament, the Bobcats dropped to No. 10 in the NPI ranking, with a 55.344 power index.

The Bobcats will take on the Providence Friars in the Regional Semifnals, with the chance to advance and play in the Regional Final against the winner of North Dakota and Merrimack.

Last season, the Bobcats entered the national tournament No. 12 in the PairWise rankings, as the No. 3 seed in the Allentown Regional in Allentown, P.A. Similarly, this season, the Bobcats enter the Sioux Falls Regional as the No. 3 seed, with North Dakota (No. 1) and Providence (No. 2) sitting ahead of them.

Let’s preview what awaits the Bobcats in South Dakota, with hopes of advancing to the Las Vegas Frozen Four.

REGIONAL SEMIFINALS FROM THE SCORESHEETS

The Bobcats and Friars have a short history against one another, facing off only fve times. Against the Friars, the Bobcats post a 2-4-1 record, most recently falling to Providence 2-1 in an exhibition game Oct. 5. However, the last regular season game between both teams was back in 2014, with the Bobcats getting shut out 4-0.

Yet, that was 12 years ago. Two completely different developed programs from the last time facing off.

Looking at this year’s squads, both teams ended the regular season with strikingly similar records: the Bobcats going 26-9-3, while the Friars went 23-10-2.

Both teams have faced off against several similar opponents this season, including Alaska Fairbanks, Maine, Merrimack, Boston College

and Boston University. While both teams defeated and lost to similar opponents, Alaska Fairbanks would go 1-1 against Providence, while the Bobcats went 0-2 against them.

Despite the outcomes on the scoresheet, diving deeper into both teams’ player stats, Quinnipiac clearly has the upper hand by a landslide.

Providence’s squad lacks tons of offensive depth, with its leading point scorer, sophomore forward John Mustard, fnishing the regular season with 28 points. For comparison, Quinnipiac’s freshman forward Ethan Wyttenbach leads the Bobcats and the nation, fnishing the regular season with 58 points.

A strikingly drastic difference, to say the least.

Additionally, four other Bobcats wrapped up the regular season with 30+ points, including freshmen forwards Antonin Verreault and Markus Vidicek, sophomore forward Chris Pelosi and junior forward Mason Marcellus.

Coming down to a key aspect of both teams, possessing two semi-consistent netminders.

On the Bobcats’ goaltending side, juniors Dylan Silverstein and Matej Marinov hold down the crease. Across the 2025-26 season, Silverstein appeared in 16 games for Quinnipiac, while Marinov held the upper hand with 23 games played.

Appearing in fewer games than his goaltending partner, Silverstein averages 1.93 goals per game, with a .916 save percentage. On the other hand, Marinov averages 2.32 goals per game, along with a .899 save percentage.

While it is unknown which goaltender will earn the spot in the regional semifnals, with the back-and-forth appearances of each netminder, Silverstein recently appeared in the Bobcats two ECAC Quarterfnal matchups, getting swept in the series.

For the Friars, freshman Jack Parsons and senior Philip Svedebäck are the squad’s most consistent goaltenders, appearing in 19 and 18 games, respectively.

Delving into the two netminders stats, Parsons posted a .923 save percentage, averaging 1.99 goals per game at the end of the regular season. For Svedebäck, the Växjö, Sweden native wrapped up his season with a .918 save percentage, while averaging 2.32 goals per game.

With both squads evenly splitting time throughout the season between their top two goaltenders, it will come down to the wire, which netminder will look to hold down the fort for their respective squad.

JUNIORS CONNECTIONS

Despite Hamden and Sioux Falls being separated by 1,442 miles, two Bobcats have a close connection to the city in South Dakota: Pelosi and Wyttenbach.

During their junior hockey days, Pelosi and Wyttenbach played for the Sioux Falls Stampede in the United States Hockey League.

Pelosi competed for two seasons with the Stampede, in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. During his frst season in Sioux Falls, the Sewell, N.J. native appeared in 43 games, recording 13 goals and six assists, after coming from the Janesville Jets in the North American Hockey League. Pelosi would return for his second season in Sioux Falls, sporting an “A” on his jersey, going on to record 21 goals and 34 assists in 56 games played.

Wyttenbach would play a lone season in Sioux Falls, a year after Pelosi, appearing in 44 games, recording 24 goals and 27 assists.

For Quinnipiac’s No. 1 and No. 3 goal scorers, the Sioux Falls Regional marks a deju-vous moment for the tristate area natives, returning to their pre-collegiate hockey days.

With two similarly appearing squads from the outside, Quinnipiac will need to prove itself and its spot in the nation after a tough ECAC Tournament.

Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. EST from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center March 26.

Women's tennis bringing the energy into spring MAAC play

Quinnipiac women’s tennis closed out its nonconference slate Sunday with a 7-0 win over the University of New Haven in its frst game back at Hamden, moving the team to an impressive 6-0 on home court.

After opening up their spring season playing home games at indoor courts in North Haven, the Bobcats have returned to their offcial home courts on the Mount Carmel Campus.

“I would say the energy being outdoors, having all six courts in a straight line, it’s much more fun and exciting,” sophomore Willow Renton said. “In the indoor courts, we’re split up between four and two, so we never get to see matches fve and six.”

Renton was absolutely dominant last season, earning MAAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, along with being named the Most Outstanding Player in the MAAC Tournament.

Anyone who watches Quinnipiac would agree that the 10 players who make up the Bobcats squad love to support each other throughout their matches. Whether it be in warm-ups or the last match, whether they’re playing or not, everyone is constantly each other’s biggest supporters.

“I think we mainly just focus on team energy,” junior Caitlin Flower said on the team’s keys to success. “That’s our main goal is to just keep that up.”

Flower has been very successful throughout her career as a Bobcat, notching her 100th career victory with a singles win and a doubles win with Renton Sunday. The pair have seen

great success so far, notching eight wins and participating in the ITA Conference Masters Championships in the fall.

Flower isn’t the only one preaching team en ergy, as Renton agreed with her point.

“All of us are gonna have bad and good days on the tennis court,” Renton said. “Keeping our energy up always and always supporting each other is what gets us to winning every match.”

Yet, despite going undefeated in North Ha ven, the squad has failed to re cord a win on the road, sit ting 0-5 in the category.

“I think it’s the compe tition we play,” Quinnipiac head coach Paula Miller said. “I play a much harder schedule in Yale, Harvard, (Boston College). They don’t come to us.”

Despite the stron ger competition, Miller praised the team’s effort and highlighted her team’s determina tion to win.

“We’ve been tough on the court,” Miller said. “We never give up, even if we’re down, we come back. Even if they lose that frst set,

they have the confdence that they can still win.” Furthering Miller’s argument, the team went

“They’ve done this twice already,” Miller said. “I think it’s just a much stronger team, close knit because we’ve been together.”

It’s not just the returning players that have chipped in to the success of the Bobcats, as freshman Emily Meng has three singles wins and six doubles wins paired with junior Anagha Shankar. Additionally, junior Bowling Green transfer Isabella Baker has contributed seven singles wins of her own.

It’s clear that all eyes are set on defending their title and breaking their own record to claim their ninth championship.

The Bobcats will mostly be travelling down the stretch, as four of their seven remaining games will be away. That means they’ll have three more chances to defend their still perfect home record.

The second of the home matches is one of particular interest, as Quinnipiac plays Fairfeld. Not only are the Stags the Bobcats’ closest in-conference rival but the two teams have met in the past four straight MAAC title games dating back to 2022.

Quinnipiac’s current focus is on its next match against the Siena Saints on the road, Sunday March 29 at 1:45 p.m.

Bobcats bounced from WBIT, fall 81-69 to Stanford

By COOPER WOODWARD Associate Sports Editor

STANFORD, Calif. — After 162 days, 28 wins and over 10,000 miles traveled, Quinnipiac women’s basketball 2025-26 season has officially ended. It’s the unfor tunate reality that all collegiate teams must face. It’s season will not last forever.

For Quinnipiac, its exit comes at the hands of the Stanford Cardinal as the home squad handled the Bobcats 81-69.

“A hard fought game,” head coach Tricia Fabbri said. “We just would not go away.”

Coming into the contest, the Bobcats knew that it was going to be a tall order to take down Stanford. The Cardinal are filled with players who have been nothing short of great within the Atlantic Coast Confer ence. To keep its hopes of victory alive, Quinnipiac needed to keep offensive pace with Stanford.

For the most part, it did.

The first quarter of action saw the Bob cats trade blows left and right. Quinnipiac graduate student guard Jackie Grisdale started the game off with a pair of made free throws. Stanford junior guard Chloe Clardy answered immediately after with a jumper. Bobcat junior guard Karson Martin buried a three to gain some distance. Cardi nal freshman forward Alexandra Eschymer put in a layup to keep it close.

Bobcat basket, Cardinal basket. Rinse and repeat until the clock hit zero on the first quarter. When the second kicked off, Stanford began to prove exactly why it was the two seed.

The Cardinal would go on an 8-2 run to start the quarter, fnishing the half with 27

points. It was the single largest quarter point total given up by Quinnipiac all season.

While the defense was having an uncharacteristically off night, the offense stepped up in a big way. As they have all year, the tandem of senior forward Ella O’Donnell and junior forward Anna Foley dominated in the post, scoring all of Quinnipiac’s 17 points in the second quarter. The offensive effort kept the game from getting too far out of hand, as the Cardinal held an eight

“It’s been kind of an up and down year

That was until the second half kicked off and Stanford began to dismantle the Bobcat attack. Press defense has been very effective against a high paced offense like Quinnipiac. If you take away the speed from a scheme, teams have great success. In the third quarter, Stanford instituted a press and held the Bobcats to their lowest point total of the game. The press was so effective that Quinnipiac went four straight possessions without a converted field goal.

To say the offense struggled would be

With the season on the line, the Bobcats knew they needed a better fourth quarter if they were to pull off an upset. But those offensive struggles that plagued Quinnipiac in the third continued into the fourth. This time around, it was turnover after turnover that squandered any chance of momentum the

The Bobcats’ final offensive effort came in the closing minutes of the game. Foley

chucks up a three which falls. 68-63 Stanford. Quinnipiac gets a stop and O’Donnell goes to the line. She buries the first free throw and the second hits right off the rim and into the hands of Martin.

Martin attempts a cross court pass to Grisdale which is intercepted by Clardy. She takes it to the rim and extends the Cardinal lead. After a plethora of fouls to bleed the clock, Grisdale knocks down her 238th and final three pointer of her illustrious Bobcat career. But the offensive effort from the three-time captain was too little too late. The final horn rang and the Bobcats season officially came to a close.

This final horn has some extra meaning behind it. Firstly, the graduating class of senior guard Sydney Ryan, Grisdale and O’Donnell have officially concluded their careers in a Bobcat uniform.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Grisdale said. “To have a chance to get a fifth year with this team. I’m so grateful.”

The graduating class aren’t the only departers in 2026. Fabbri will be exiting the sideline after 31 years.

“Honestly, it feels like there’s going to be another practice or another game,” Fabbri said.

There’s a lot of moving pieces this offseason. A lot of unpredctability. Instead of a team focusing on their first ever postseason tournament victory and another year in the MAAC Championship, the team is being forced to imagine a reality without their leader by their side.

It will be a long road ahead in the coming months, but the team is ready to sustain the success built for 31 years.

With the transfer portal reshaping college athletics, one Bobcat chose to stay

Amarri Monroe redefining program loyalty in the NCAA

By JAMES NOLAN Staf Writer

The four-year senior is a dying breed, and that’s not new information. In NCAA men’s college basketball, there were fewer than 30 seniors in power conferences who spent all four years playing at one university. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference had only eight of its 58 men’s basketball seniors not make use of the transfer portal.

“It’s a shame,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora said, following it’s season-ending loss to Marist in the conference quarter-fnals. “This crazy basketball world we live in, there will be a lot of moving parts. Who’s staying? Who’s going?”

Pecora’s Bobcats are one of six MAAC schools not to feature even one four-year senior. All three graduating seniors at Quinnipiac came out of the transfer portal: the guard pair of Asim Jones Jr. (Florida International) and Ronell Giles Jr. (Saint Francis).

Monroe may have come out of the transfer portal, spending his frst collegiate season at Wofford College in South Carolina, but do not get it twisted. He is part of the old guard, brimming with loyalty and program dedication.

After landing in Hamden, he made an immediate impact. That goes without saying. He led his team to two MAAC regular-season titles and earned MAAC Player of the Year at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.

“The legacy that he’s left here and the impact he’s had is immeasurable,” Pecora said. “It’ll be something that will last in Quinnipiac basketball history forever, because he did the right thing.”

The “right thing” he’s referencing is the fact that Monroe didn’t leave. He entered the transfer portal during the last two offseasons, and both

times chose to stay in Hamden.

It wasn’t for lack of interest. Monroe garnered plenty of lucrative offers from bigger programs.

UConn, Kansas, Miami, just to name a few. He turned every one of them down and elected to return to the Bobcats.

Back on Feb. 26, in an interview with Assistant Professor of Journalism and Program Director of Sports Communictions Nick Pietruszkiewicz, Monroe was asked about the worst pitch he received in the portal.

“The very frst call I got was ‘What’s your number?’,” Monroe said. “That’s not what you do, you can’t outbid (for) me.”

Part of Monroe’s unique transfer portal experience was not that he returned to his school. It’s that he did it at a discount.

“I wanted him to make the decision for the right reasons, and he did,” Pecora said. “I think he set a precedent by turning down big money.”

It remains to be seen if that precedent will have a trickle down effect on the Bobcat roster he leaves behind. Pecora was blunt about the uncertainty within the program heading into spring workouts.

“Jaden Zimmerman’s been being pursued all season by other schools, Grant Randall goes up and puts up numbers like he did tonight, and his phone is going to light up,” Pecora said.

Zimmerman and Randall are both sophomore guards who started for the Bobcats this season. As ever with the new, volatile world of college athletics, their return is far from a given, and Pecora knows the reality of the situation.

“It’s a personal decision, and these young guys and their families have to make it,” Pecora said. “Hopefully they make a smart one. And hopefully they go somewhere they can graduate.”

It’s always been ‘student-athlete,’ but recently, the changes to the transfer portal have affected more than just year-to-year school identity. They’ve begun to impact the rate at which the NCAA’s student athlete contingent earns degrees.

“All of a sudden, everybody’s pretty hushhush about what graduation rates are looking like and what they’re going to look like, with guys going to three different schools in four years,”

Pecora said. “I think we’re moving in a really dangerous, bad direction with this whole thing.”

NCAA Research published a report in November 2025 titled Trends in NCAA Division I Graduation Rates that gives a rundown of a variety of different breakdowns of its schools’ GSR (graduation success rates).

One of the breakdowns was titled “GSR Trends of Division I Men’s Basketball Players,” which gave a line chart of GSR from 2002 through 2025. There is a noticeable drop from 2024 to 2025, but the exact percentage drop can’t be deciphered, as the pure statistics are only listed for the frst and fnal years on the chart.

“I think we’re moving in a really dangerous, bad direction with this whole thing,” Pecora said.

Such is life in today’s NCAA. Players constantly bounce around, always searching for the next opportunity

or promise of playing time. A star player returning to their mid-major school is uncommon, which is all the more reason for Monroe to be celebrated.

“I don’t care how many points I score, I don’t care about my jersey in the rafters,” Monroe said to Pietruszkiewicz, before the end of the season.

“I want to see a banner that says ‘March Madness 2026’ and I want people to say my name when they talk about the banner.”

Maybe this wasn’t his envisioned ending when he chose to come back to the Bobcats, but that does not invalidate his decision.

“I think that Amarri Monroe has a heart of gold,” Pecora said. “The most selfsh people on the planet are 20-year-old men… when you fnd young men that are mature enough to think of other people frst, it’s really a blessing.”

Monroe blessed M&T Bank Arena with three stellar seasons of basketball. He stayed to build the foundation of Quinnipiac basketball into something it has never been before. As Pecora leads this team into its next chapter, it remains to be seen if subsequent superstars will follow the path that Monroe trailblazed.

Sports

Tricia Fabbri's 31

By COOPER WOODWARD

Associate Sports Editor

In 1995, Quinnipiac Athletics found themselves at a crossroads. Former women’s basketball coach Bill Dixon was out of a job following his third straight and ffth losing season in seven seasons as head coach. Who would step up and attempt to right the ship?

Enter Fairfield Stags assistant coach Tricia Fabbri.

In 2026, over three decades, 571 wins, fve MAAC championships, an NEC Championship and fve NCAA Tournament appearances later, Fabbri is calling it quits, after announcing her retirement March 16.

“Thirty-one years ago, I accepted an offer from Burt Kahn to become the frst full-time coach of the women’s basketball program at Quinnipiac,” Fabbri said in a statement posted to Quinnipiac Athletics’ Instagram. “Simply put, it has been the best decision of my life.”

The news stunned not only Bobcat nation, but the entirety of NCAA women’s college basketball. Fabbri had just made her second straight MAAC Championship and led the Bobcats to yet another 20 win season.

No one saw this coming.

But when it hit, fans and coaches everywhere came out to show their respect and love for the Delran, N.J., native.

“One of the best college coaches ever, not just in Connecticut,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said. “Her incredible consistency over a long period of time put Quinnipiac on the national scene for women’s basketball.”

Recent rival and Fairfeld University head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis also showed love to Fabbri.

“What Coach Fabbri has done at Quinnipiac is legendary,” she said. “She built a nationallycompetitive program and has done it on her terms for 31 years. She is a shining example of stability, authenticity and making the big time where you are.”

Her impact stretches beyond the players, fellow coaches and dance partners on the court. Everyone Fabbri has interacted with from staff members, journalists, families of alumni and everybody in between has been impacted by her kindness and infectious joy on and off the court.

“I am who I am today, as a professional and as a person, because of my time with Trish,” Quinnipiac alumnus Tyler Brosius said on X. “One of the best people, leaders and teachers I’ve ever had the privilege to learn from.

‘I will always be a Bobcat’

year

legacy at Quinnipiac

Fabbri’s illustrious career began back in 1987 as a student-athlete at Fairfeld University. During her time there, she captured MAAC gold twice, netting 1,622 points and 1,037 rebounds, good for ffth and fourth in Fairfeld all time history.

With a historic collegiate career on the court behind her, Fabbri took her talents to the sideline, joining the Fairfeld coaching staff.

She wouldn’t make that switch alone, as she would join legendary head coach and personal mentor Diane Nolan on the sideline.

“There has been no better mentor for me than Diane Nolan,” Fabbri said in a preseason interview.

With three years of assistant coaching the Stags behind her, Quinnipiac’s then athletic director Burt Kahn came calling. Khan offered her a job as the head coach for its struggling women’s basketball program and she took it, making her the frst full time female coach in school history.

That would be the frst of several pieces of history Fabbri would make.

Her frst few years at the helm was a struggle, going 15-62 in her frst three seasons. But then, Quinnipiac Athletics made the switch from Division II to Division I and the program began to show signs of life.

After back-to-back 18 loss seasons the program would turn its frst positive record in 200001, doing so for 21 of the following 25 seasons. She would also get her frst taste of gold and postseason tournament experience in 2008, winning the Northeast Conference regular season title and appearing in the NIT.

It would take fve more seasons for Fabbri and the Bobcats to go dancing for the frst time, winning the NEC in the 2012-13 season and cementing her name in the history books once more.

Following that season, both the men’s and women’s basketball programs would make the switch over the Metro Athletic Atlantic Conference. That switch changed the course of Fabbri’s career and the trajectory of the Quinnipiac women’s basketball program.

Her frst season in the MAAC put Quinnipiac saw the Bobcats go 16-4 in conference, making it all the way to the MAAC Championship before dropping the fnal to Marist 70-66. Fabbri had established a name for herself within the MAAC just one season in.

Fabbri’s squad built off their success in year one, to a gold standard in the ensuing seasons.

From 2015-19, the Bobcats won the MAAC championship four times, including a three-peat from 2017-19. That 2017 was extra special be-

cause for the frst time ever, Quin nipiac basketball had punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The last few seasons of the Fab bri era were rocky to say the least. They never fell out of contention for the MAAC Tournament and were al ways competitive, but they always seemed to fall short when it mattered the most.

Where Fabbri has never lacked, is her ability to impact her players and coaches on and off the court.

“She’s like another mom,” junior for ward Anna Foley said March 9. “It’s just a family inside and out. That’s been the culture since we got here… everything we have speaks the leader and the wom an that coach Fabbri is.”

Whether it’s on or off the court, Fabbri has made a career of compassion, love and kindness. She’s the kind of person who, minutes after los ing her fnal championship game, takes the time to thank the student media members who made the trip to cover it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fellow coach, a player or a member of the media, Fabbri would always take the time to make you feel seen, loved and appreciated no matter what was going on.

“(Fabbri) is more than a coach - she is some one that has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and has empowered me to grow in every phase of my life,” University of Rhode Island Assistant coach and alumnus Jen Fay ‘19 wrote in a statement to The Chronicle. “I couldn’t be more grateful to have had the opportunity to play for and start my coaching journey with Coach Fabbri.”

It’s hard to describe the legacy Fabbri will leave. She has won over 550 games, six confer ence championships and put the program and university on the map. How do you replace that?

With Fabbri’s and two of the teams leading scorers departing, there is a lot of unpredictability in the program as the offseason kicks off. But no matter what happens, Fabbri will be there to sup port however she can.

“Whatever is needed of me, I will be there to assist,” Fabbri said March 22. “I’m excited to see the future of Quinnipiac women’s basketball.”

While her time on the sideline has come to a close, she will be a part of Quinnipiac Uni versity forever, signing off from her fnal press conference with the following six words: “I will always be a Bobcat.”