While at Trinity, many people anchor their identity to something — around theater, a club, a sport. But then there are some people who don’t latch on to something, instead, choosing to carry a passion with them. That was us. Passion can be a great driver in your life. But it doesn’t mean much if you have nowhere to put it. For us, that’s where the athletics department came in. They gave us a place to channel our passion and grow it into something greater. It evolved into something tangible that each of us can see ourselves doing in the future.
Our paths were different when we first got here. The soccer team recruited Scott, but didn’t wind up playing after his first year. Still, he had a passion for the game. He loved schematics and learning about the types of team culture that were the most effective, and that passion grew because of the athletic department.
During his first year, Scott began considering a career as a coach. Trinity’s athletics department fueled this passion. Under Bob King, associate vice president and director of athletics, Trinity has assembled one of the best coaching teams in Division III sports. These coaches don’t just win countless championships; they also lead teams to so much more — developing great cultures and strong young adults.
Scott first interviewed Paul McGinlay, head men’s soccer coach, and Dylan Harrison, head women’s soccer coach, for soccer coverage, but the quality of information from these two coaches encouraged Scott to push further. From each and every coach Scott interviewed, he learned something new. Their passion was palpable in every interaction, and Scott looks forward to using what he learned from Trinity’s coaches as he heads back home to Colorado Springs. There, he will attend Colorado College and help coach the high school soccer team he once played for.
Cole, on the other hand, never intended to play a sport. While he had the same passion for it, it manifested itself differently. Ever since Cole was in high school, he wanted to be a sports broadcaster and be around the biggest moments in the arena. The athletics department gave Cole the opportunity to cover many sports at Trinity in multiple capacities.
Cole started at Tiger Network as a first-year student, and he hopped behind the microphone right away. He joined the baseball broadcast as an analyst, where he met Tim Scannell, head baseball coach, and pitching coach Dave Smith. Both of them represented what every coach Cole interacted with at Trinity proved to be: great at their jobs and beyond gracious with their time. Every coach he ever reached out to for an interview made time for him despite everything else they had going on in their lives.
In one year, Cole learned more about baseball and broadcasting than he had in his whole life. This set him up to be the play-by-play announcer for the next three years and call more Trinity baseball games as a student than anyone ever has. Now he is committed to Syracuse University for a master’s program in broadcast journalism with a sports-specific track.
Beyond that, both of us met so many incredible people in the department who shared a passion for sports. The athletics department is filled with so many people who make it a fun and engaging place to be every day. Stacey Lenderman, Lisa Citta, Garrett Landin, Peyton Thibault, Justin Parker, Josh Moczygemba and so many other people helped to create that environment.
Many people are in awe of how Trinity wins at every sport. That doesn’t happen by accident. It’s this department that makes it happen — the department that’s been so welcoming, ready to be interviewed and above all else, ready to push each student’s passion to something they never thought was possible. Thank you, and go Tigers!
