By Christopher Boulay
Autumn came and went at CCSU with huge expectations for many sports, and ended with both glory and agony, depending on how you look at it.
Dr. Paul Resetarits became the new Athletic Director at CCSU after C.J. Jones retired. Resetarits inherited an athletic program trying to make a name for itself in many of its’ sports, something that went a long way under Jones’ tenure.
But his first semester didn’t begin without some controversy at the school.
The semester started with some disturbing news connecting former Cross Country coach George Kawiecki to an incident in 2005 with a former runner from Kenya, Charles Ngetich. Ngetich sued CCSU because he claimed that Kawiecki made him drink blood. The case is still pending.
Football won another Northeast Conference Championship in a season that was wild, to say the least. Early frontrunners, as they were winning every week, the Blue Devils hit the second half of their schedule and had to squeak out nearly every game. After a heartbreaking loss against Wagner, the Blue Devils ran the table, and got the help they needed from Albany and Wagner, as soon as they needed it.
CCSU won their second NEC football title, and their first since 2005. This meant a spot in what may have been the last Gridiron Classic, with a matchup against Butler in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Blue Devils looked like champions, and despite falling, the success of this team will be remembered for a very long time here.
Players like James Mallory and Aubrey Norris led this team to greatness this season, and will be remembered for nothing but positives that they brought to this team, off the field and on.
Women’s soccer also were able to call themselves champions, as they wrapped up the NEC regular season title with an undefeated record. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of Leah Blayney, Caity Casey and Clio Tregear, the women fell short in overtime to Monmouth 1-0 in the NEC Tournament final. Though there would be no NCAA Tournament appearance for them, they helped solidify their place as a force in the northeast, and Mick D’Arcy’s girls should have plenty of success ahead of them.
Men’s soccer started off very well, but a disastrous NEC campaign sealed their fate as they finished dead last in the conference at 1-8-1. Despite the spectacular play from the team’s midfield, led by captain Robert Cavener, the defense could not keep up with the pace of the conference, and the team fell apart quickly. Also, losing Persis Oware with a leg injury in the spring, Mersad Sahanic leaving the team, freshman defender Xavier Forsberg being suspended by the NCAA for eligibility reasons and Rafa Guimaraes missing a large part of the season with an injury, the team had a hill to climb that they could not manage.
The spring season may be the start of something new for Coach Shaun Green’s team. Despite losing goalkeepers Paul Armstrong and Chris Jones, midfielders Eddie Floyd and Guimaraes and striker Hadji Diop all to graduation, Green’s next class of recruits may help solidify a team that already has some great pieces to the puzzle.
Overall, it was a time of many highs and lows for CCSU sports, but everything pointed to the school’s continued building of a strong Division I program, and this should be applauded. Interest in CCSU sports has never been higher, and the quality of play has never been better.
Whether or not the school’s success in athletics continues through May remains to be seen, but with two successful basketball programs leading the way, there is a decent chance it might.
These are times that cannot be taken for granted, but it could be getting even better sooner than we think.
