While Drexel University might not have a football team, there are still sports to cheer on this fall quarter. Drexel is a member of the recently renamed NCAA Division 1 Coastal Athletic Association (formerly the Colonial Athletic Association), also known as the CAA. Teams in this conference include Charleston, Delaware, Elon, Hofstra, Northeastern, Stony Brook and others. Games for fall sports take place at Vidas Field Complex (42nd and Powelton), which can be accessed via Drexel’s Powelton/Spring Garden bus route. Here are previews for the fall sports this season:

Men’s Soccer

Last season: Despite ending in fifth place in the conference, the men’s soccer team was able to make it to the semifinals, where they lost to first-seeded Elon.

2022 record: 7-5-6

Conference: 3-3-3, 5th in CAA

Notable off-season news: Head Coach Michael Marchiano resigned after just three seasons. The Dragons tapped Villanova’s Associate Head Coach Mark Fetrow as the next head coach. Additionally, six new freshmen and three transfers were signed to the team. Youri Senden was selected to the Preseason All-CAA team, with the team being placed seventh in the preseason poll.

Next home game: vs Temple, 9/19/23 @ 6 p.m.

Women’s Soccer

Last season: The women’s soccer team is coming off a solid season after placing second in the CAA conference and falling to Northeastern 2-0 in the semifinals. The team took home numerous CAA individual awards. Head Coach Ray Goon won Co-Coach of the Year, forward Delaney Lappin earned Attacking Player of the Year and Annalena O’Reilly was awarded Midfielder of the Year.

2022 record: 11-3-5

Conference: 5-2-2, 2nd in CAA

Notable off-season news: Delaney Lappin was added to the watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy Award, the most prestigious award in college soccer. Lappin and Annalena O’Reilly were also named to the United Soccer Coaches Forwards and Midfielders to Watch lists, respectively. Both were also recognized as a part of the Preseason All-CAA team, with Lily Dunbar receiving an honorable mention. Six freshmen were added to the roster. The team ranked fifth overall in the preseason rankings.

Next home game: vs Charleston, 9/28/23 @ 6 p.m. 

Women’s Field Hockey

Last season: The field hockey team finished in third place in the CAA and reached the conference championship game, where they lost to Delaware 6-1.

2022 record: 12-8

Conference: 3-3, 3rd in CAA

Notable off-season news: Seven new players were signed to the roster after nine graduated. Taylor Mason, a former player on the team, joined the coaching staff as a staff assistant. In the CAA Preseason poll, they were picked to tie for fourth with Northeastern. Eline Di Leva and Megan Hadfield were chosen for the Preseason All-CAA team, with an honorable mention going to Liz Chapman.

Next home game: vs Towson, 9/22/23 @ 4 p.m.

Welcome to Drexel University! You probably did not come here because of Drexel’s sports program, but now that you are here you might as well become an expert in our athletics! It may seem like a lot, so I put together an ABC’s of Drexel Athletics to catch you up to speed. 

A is for Amari Williams: Williams is not only the best player on Drexel’s basketball team, but he is one of the best players in the Coastal Athletic Association. He is the reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best defensive players in the nation. He also has a habit of posterizing opponents, making every Drexel basketball game must-see TV. 

B is for Basketball: Basketball is Drexel’s most popular sport on campus. Both Men’s and Women’s basketball have had success recently, making it a great time to be a Drexel Basketball fan. From November through March, there is no better place to be than the DAC student section cheering on our teams. 

C is for Club Sports: If you are reading this article, you are probably not a Division I scholarship athlete. However, that does not mean that your sports career is over! If you have a passion for playing sports, joining a club sport is an amazing way to stay involved in the activity that you love at a high level, whether it be the classic sports like baseball and soccer, or more niche sports like sailing and snowboarding.

D is for DAC Pack: The DAC Pack is the name for Drexel’s student section. If you are looking to go to a Drexel game and have a great time, look no further than the first row of the student section and join the DAC Pack. 

E is for Eagles: The Philadelphia Eagles are this city’s most beloved squad. While “The Birds” have not historically been a successful team, they are looking like Super Bowl favorites coming into the season. If you ever get the chance, make sure to take in a game at Lincoln Financial Field; you will have a blast.

F is for Football: Drexel hasn’t had a football team since 1973, unless you count the improv group called the Drexel Football Team. We do have fútbol, however. Last year, our women were unbeaten through the first ten games of the season, one of only ten teams to have such a successful start to the season. On the men’s side, recent alumnus Chris Donovan is currently playing for our Philadelphia Union in the MLS.

G is for GOATs: With such a lengthy history, Drexel has produced a number of great athletes. Notable athletic alumni include Damion Lee, Keishana Washington, Malik Rose and Gabreila Marginean.

H is for Hockey: Drexel has a Division I Club Men’s Ice Hockey team, as well as a Division I Varsity Field Hockey team. Our Field Hockey team is coming off of a season which saw us make it all the way to the CAA Finals. If you want to watch the Dragons on the ice, head over to University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Arena on 31st and Walnut, entry is free and you are bound to have a great time. 

I is for Intramurals: Intramurals are a great way of getting involved in sports if you are just looking for a fun way to get active and be competitive with your friends. Intramural leagues are free for all students to participate in, with a range of sports from soccer to ESports.

J is for Jenika Cuoco: As a sophomore, Cuoco started every Lacrosse game for the Dragons and helped guide them to the NCAA tournament. She had the 13th-lowest Goals Against Average in the NCAA and is definitely someone to look out for this year.

K is for Maisha Kelly: Maisha Kelly is Drexel’s Athletic Director. A Philly native, Kelly is also the first Black Woman to lead a Division I sports program in this city. 

L is for Lorie Lemongo: Drexel’s number one female tennis player, Lemongo led the Dragons to the largest upset in CAA tournament history last year. Keep watching for Lemongo to make noise on the court in her junior season.

M is for Mario the Magnificent: Mario the Magnificent is Drexel’s mascot. You will see him at every sporting event and even at some campus events. Whether Drexel wins or loses the game that day, we have never been defeated in a battle of who has the better mascot.

N is for Drue Nicholas: Nicholas has excelled on the Golf course during his Drexel tenure. With two straight years of top-five finishes at the CAA championships, Nicholas looks to bring home the championship in his senior year.

O is for Olympics: Did you know that Drexel has a history of producing Olympians? Especially in Crew, Drexel has consistently sent rowers to represent their country and University in the Olympics. On top of all that, Sebastian Smith, a current Sophomore at Drexel, just qualified to compete for the 2024 Team USA Olympic Trials in Swimming.

P is for Paul Savell: Savell is the coach of Drexel Rowing. Rowing is another outstanding program here, with the men finishing ranked 14th in the nation last year and the women coming in second place at the CAA Tournament.

Q is for Quakers: The Quakers are the mascot of our neighbors, University of Pennsylvania. A member of The Big 5, we will be looking to assert our dominance over University City in The Big 5 Classic this December. While they may be in the Ivy League and have a $20 Billion endowment, they live in constant fear of being embarrassed by the Dragons.

R is for Rivalries: If you should know one thing about Drexel rivalries, it is this: Delaware sucks. We hate University of Delaware. Especially in basketball, even our worst seasons have a silver-lining if we can embarrass the Blue Hens. Luckily, we are pretty good at that. In fact, we have the Division I Basketball record for largest comeback win in history which was set when we came back from down 32 points against Delaware.

S is for Squash: Do you know what squash is? Have you ever played it before? Odds are, probably not. But you are at Drexel now and you better learn! Both our men’s and women’s squash teams are top five in the nation, so if you want to see greatness, make sure you pull up to the Kline and Specter Squash Center in the DAC.

T is for The Big 5: The Big 5 is the informal athletic association of Philadelphia area colleges competing in athletics, composed of Drexel, Temple University, Villanova University, St. Joseph’s University, La Salle University and UPenn. This year there will be a series of massively important basketball games between Drexel and our rivals, where we will have the opportunity to shut up all of our naysayers around the city and display our superiority. 

U is for Underdog: Drexel classifies as a Mid-Major school. That means when we compete against bigger schools like Temple or West Virginia University this season, pundits will claim we are the underdogs. Little do they know that Drexel thrives as the underdog and we have a long history of upending high major teams.

V is for Vidas: Vidas Athletic Complex, located at 43rd and Powelton, is the home of Drexel Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Softball and Tennis. In addition, many intramural and club sports also take place at Vidas. Students can avoid the walk by taking the free Powelton Shuttle, which picks up just outside of the DAC.

W is for Women’s Sports: Whether it be on the court, a field or in a boat, Drexel’s women routinely are the pride of our athletics program. If you are a true sports fan, you cannot skip out on our women’s sports teams.

X is for Lax: This might be a cop out, but thinking of an X word is hard! Our lacrosse teams are both quite good, especially our women’s team who finished ranked 25th in the nation last season.

Y is for You!: Anyone can participate in a wide range of intramural and club sports here at Drexel. Intramurals are a fun way for students to play sports and get their competitive juices flowing. Club sports are open to anyone, however, some require you to try-out for the team. 

Z is for Zero: There is zero reason to not get excited and get involved with Drexel sports! Show your school spirit and support the Dragons every chance you get; you won’t regret it.

Drexel Men’s Soccer coach Michael Marchiano has resigned from his post as Head Coach in order to pursue other professional opportunities.

Marchiano has been at the helm of the program since 2020. In his first year with the program, he led the Dragons to their first Conference tournament in seven years, while coaching players who racked up individual awards, most notably Chris Donovan, who is currently playing for the Philadelphia Union.

Marchiano has an impressive record of arriving at programs that lack soccer pedigrees — such as Loyola of Maryland, West Point and Drexel — and turning their fortunes around in a hurry. At each stop, Marchiano was able to inherit a losing program and quickly shepherd them to wins and improved national ranks. While it must be noted that his tenure was short at Drexel, Marchiano is the first coach since Johnson Bowie (1977-1990) to have more wins than losses during his time as head coach of the Dragons. Seemingly, Marchiano believes his reputation has outgrown his position, and is pursuing a coaching job with more prominence.

The hunt for a new coach has already begun. Whoever replaces Marchiano will look to continue trying to turn around a Drexel Men’s Soccer program that has found objectively successful seasons few and far between in the past decade.

Swim

Lauren DiCamillo was one of 21 recipients to be awarded Colonial Athletic Association’s prestigious CAA Leadership and Sports Excellence Award in Women’s Swimming and Diving for the 2022-2023 academic year. DiCamillo was not only the team captain for two years and the President of SAAC, but also placed fourth-best ever in DU’s history in the 50m, 100m, and 200m back.

While being a committed student athlete, DiCamillo also proved her devotion to academics, as she graduated with a 3.71 GPA and made the Dean’s list five times. She has also stayed active in her community, participating in Play Day at Vidas, the MLK Day clean up, Drexel’s Dance Marathon and more.

Rowing

The Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association (IRCA) recognized 16 DU Men’s athletes as Empacher Scholar Athletes last week. Those honored are as follows:

• Richmond Coney
• Alex Dragovits
• Nick Foley
• Joe Glenn
• Thomas Gola
• Emma Houghton
• Megan Hua
• John Karen
• Zach Key
• Damian Lis
• John Little
• Nikola Loncar
• Jake Miller
• Dearon Tufankjian
• Sam Valigorsky
• Daniel Yurcisin

Lis was also named an IRCA Second Team All-American. 

Karen, Lis, Loncar and Miller were recognized as Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Areas last week. These rowers earned gold medals at the Dad Vail Regatta and helped their team to win the Kerr Cup, Bergen Cup and the Occoquan Invite. They also assisted the team to back-to-back victories in the fall, earning DU the Head of Charles and Head of Schuylkill titles.

DU Men’s Rower James Schmidt was also recognized by the IRCA as a finalist for Comeback Athlete of the Year. After sustaining and recovering from an injury, Schmidt went back out with his team to win the Kerr Cup Regatta, the men’s points trophy at the Dad Vail Regatta, and placed 14th at the IRA National Championships.

In the DU Women’s Rowing team, three athletes were named Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area including Natalie Cleri, Giavanna Hunt and Hayley McKeever. Cleri was also selected as the Academic All-Area Performer of the Year.

During the fall, the Dragons Varsity 8+ historically won the Head of the Charles Regatta and also swept the Knecht Cup, Kerr Cup and Kelly Cup Regattas in consecutive weeks during the spring term.
As the summer quarter continues, make sure to check out Drexel’s athletic webpage to keep up with DU sports news and to learn what lies ahead for the Dragons in the fall. For more information, visit https://drexeldragons.com/index.aspx.

When Drexel Women’s Basketball’s season came to a bittersweet ending on March 16, falling to Fordham in the NIT tournament, Coach Amy Mallon had little time to reflect on the season. Keishana Washington had just played her last game as a college athlete. Washington had enjoyed an incredible season and career at Drexel, and she ended her half-decade as a Dragon by scoring the most points ever in the 98 year history of the Rose Hill Gym.

To make matters worse, Drexel lost two freshmen who they had penciled in to be key long-term players in Kylie Lavelle and Moriah Murray. Altogether, the Dragons lost a nauseating 1,365 points in outgoing players, a total that represented 2/3rd of the team’s total scoring. 

Coach Mallon was tasked with the impossible: having to replace a player that cannot be replaced. So, as Billy Beane pragmatized in Moneyball, Mallon’s approach was to replace Washington in the aggregate. 

Coach Mallon did so by bringing in three talented transfer players in search of elevated acclaim, as well as two promising freshmen drawn to the prestigious program Mallon has built in West Philadelphia. 

The Transfers: 

Amaris Baker: After two monstrous seasons spent at Harcum College at the Division II level, Baker is looking to assert herself at a Division I school. Baker was a prolific scorer at Harcum, leading all of Division II with 27 points-per-game. She also demonstrated her well-rounded skill set with an average of 6.5 rebounds per game. Baker joins the Dragons as seemingly the most immediately capable player to fill the point scoring void the Dragons find themselves in.

Brooke Mullin: Likely the player with the highest pedigree on the Dragon’s roster will be Brooke Mullin. Since 2021, Mullin started all but two games for the Wildcats. While her numbers do exactly jump off the stat sheet, Mullin proved to be a strong passer from the forward position, boasting the eight highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the NCAA last season. Additionally, the fact that Mullin was viewed as such an important player on a Wildcats team that made it to the Sweet 16 last season should speak volumes as to the value she can bring to a great basketball team.

Erin Doherty: A transfer from Division III Catholic University, Doherty is pursuing her Master’s Degree while exhausting her final year of collegiate eligibility. Doherty put up solid numbers in her four prior years at Catholic, averaging 10.5/2.3/4.7. Doherty said that when determining the destination for her final year of collegiate basketball, she considered La Salle and St. Joseph’s in addition to Drexel. The Dragons were always at the top of her list, a byproduct of their consistency and success on a yearly basis that their Philadelphia neighbors have not found. 

The Freshmen: 

Laine McGurk: After capping off her senior season at West Chester Rustin with a District Championship, McGurk heads to West Philly with a lot of promise. McGurk averaged 23.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in her senior season. While much is left to be determined about the rotation and roster for the 2023-2024 basketball season, Amy Mallon has had no problem letting freshmen play important parts on her teams, and McGurk has the potential to compete for a sizable role next year. She is described as a player that can score from all three levels, as well as create for her teammates. 

Clara Bergeron: The 6’2” forward will look to bolster the front-court, adding size and, hopefully, scoring, to the post position. The Canadian is described as a skilled player who can score with her back to the net as well as from the outside. Bergeron has represented her country on multiple occasions, including at the FIBA World Championships and NBA Junior America camp. It is unclear what kind of role Bergeron will play in the coming season as she joins a relatively strong forward group.

On the evening of May 8, Drexel’s facilities employees were conducting maintenance on the pool when the valves in the mechanical room stopped functioning and it was forced to automatically drain. At the time of writing, the pool has still not been repaired. The once frequently used pool is now empty, surrounded with tape reading ‘Construction Work.’

Dan Severino, the Assistant Vice President of Real Estate and Facilities, explained how this incident occurred. “Engineering was conducting some daily preventative maintenance when a series of valves that drain the pool unexpectedly failed to open. At that point, there was no means to stop the pool from automatically draining.” 

In other words, the valves that regulate the water in the pool and allow it to be drained in a controlled manner were not working. All of the water in the pool emptied out and could not be filled again.

Since the Athletic Department was forced to close the pool, Drexel’s Varsity Swimming & Diving team lost its main training facility. As a result, a lot has changed for those forty-eight student-athletes. Currently, the team is divided into two different practice groups by whether they are going to compete on their own this summer. 

For competing swimmers, Drexel has been able to utilize the University of Pennsylvania’s pool. However, non-competing athletes have been more affected, as they were forced to stop swimming altogether and instead have practices on dry land. 

The practice routine of 20-year-old Jessie Rothrock, one of the ‘non-meet’ swimmers, has changed a lot. Instead of swimming every day, Rothrock has to run or do indoor fitness workouts, partly on her own.

The transition from normal practice to dry-land workouts was not easy, as it was completely different from what Rothrock was used to. 

“It is a different type of training. I understand why we need to do it because we need to stay as aerobically fit as possible, but it definitely is harder in the sense of it is not the type of training that I enjoy,” said Rothrock.

Even though the situation Drexel’s swimmers are currently facing is not ideal, the coaching staff is doing their best to keep up the fitness and fun level of the practices. 

“My coach is very good at switching it up, we don’t run every day. We’ve been boxing lately, which is a fun way to get your heart rate up and work on faster motions,” said Rothrock. 

After not being able to swim for a whole month, Rothrock’s ‘non-meet’ practice group recently resumed practices in the pool again. They are now able to use UPenn’s pool twice a week.

As UPenn’s students are on summer break, and both Drexel’s varsity and club swimming teams are not in season, the timing of the incident lessened its consequences. 

“At least we aren’t in season, but we definitely have cut back a lot on what we’re able to do, which is unfortunate,” said Rothrock.

When Drexel’s swimmers will be able to return to their pool at the Daskalakis Athletic Center is still unknown. Facilities are experiencing delays due to supplier and shipping issues. 

“The variables are parts sourcing, which could be several weeks out. Currently, we do not have info for ship dates on a few of the valves and motors,” said Severino. 

Rothrock expressed dissatisfaction with how Drexel Athletics has dealt with the situation. 

“The biggest thing to know is the lack of communication. I feel like as an athlete you would expect them to be in constant communication and trying to find different ways for us to get into the pool or to stay in shape,” said Rothrock. “Obviously it’s hard because it’s not an easy fix, but I think the Athletic Department could have stepped up a little bit.”

However, the facilities team is confident that they will be able to fix the pool in a timely manner. Drexel wants to ensure that their Swimming & Diving team will be able to practice and participate when their new season starts in the fall. 

“Restoring the pool for our athletics program has been priority one since this event happened,” said Severino.

For the latest information regarding when the pool will open back up, visit Drexel’s Recreational Athletics website.

Intramural sports are a hallmark of any college campus. They are one of the last opportunities many students have to play an organized sport before they graduate and enter the real world – a place that sorely lacks easily accessible recreational sports. 

The spring intramural season, which offered three-on-three basketball, seven-on-seven soccer, indoor volleyball, as well as various other un-officiated sports such as E-Sports, came to an end this past weekend. 

According to Zach Apt, the coordinator of intramural sports at Drexel, the season was a sign of the continued success and growth of the program in the post-COVID era, with registration and attendance numbers growing constantly. In fall 2021, 580 students participated in intramural sports. This fall, in contrast, had 650 participants. 

“Coming out of the pandemic, it was important to make sure the campus knew who we are and what we do, because there were three years of students who did not really know what we do and why we’re here. I think that we have done a great job with that over the past few years and the numbers are backing it up,” said Apt.

Intramurals received a boost to their branding efforts when Rothman Orthopaedics sponsored Drexel Athletics. Apt says that, “there is a lot more to athletics than just the varsity sports, any student can get involved and Rothman is helping show them that.”

Apt says the main focus of the recreation department at Drexel is to continue improving intramural sports, through both creating new initiatives to entice participation and enhancing the quality of the on-the-ground staff that run intramural games.

“We hope to get an all-star game for our team sports such as volleyball, soccer and flag football up and running next year. Additionally, we are focusing on making sure that our staff is better as well as communicating with participants in intramural sports to obtain feedback and make a better product.” 

Another improvement to intramural sports will be found at the actual venue where the outdoor games are to be played for the foreseeable future: Vidas Field.

“We are making improvements to the space that we do have at Vidas. We are installing permanent lights at our grass field over at Vidas, as well as moving our intramural storage shed from Buckley over to Vidas, so that will be a summer improvement project for us to tackle. For the foreseeable future, outdoor sports are going to be staying at Vidas and indoor sports will be at the DAC.”

While first-year students are preparing to head home for the summer, upperclassmen who are stuck in stuffy classrooms or battling with Excel all day on co-op can look forward to de-stressing during the summer intramural season. 

This summer, Drexel intramurals will offer leagues for Baggo (also known as cornhole), Spikeball and four-on-four beach volleyball. 

No student should let these fun activities pass them by, regardless of their experience level with the particular sport.

“People should try out Intramural Sports for three reasons: one, to continue playing organized sports, two, to be able to escape from the everyday academic stresses of college, and three, to meet new people and learn about new sports that you may not know too much about,” said Apt.

Registration for these summer sports opens on June 26.

After decades of popularity, Philadelphia’s most beloved skate spot is being shut down. Since 1996, Thomas Paine Plaza, located outside of the city’s Municipal Service Building (or ‘Muni’) has been home to an art installation called “Your Move” which featured giant game pieces scattered about the plaza: chess pawns, towering dominos and even an iron from Monopoly. Conveniently for the city’s thousands of skateboarders, these pieces along with the granite benches that lined the plaza functioned perfectly as obstacles one might find in a skatepark.

The bustling skate scene in Philadelphia was born in the heart of the city, at Love Park in the early 90s. Formally known as John F. Kennedy Plaza, its architecture attracted skaters worldwide to experience the iconic East Coast spot. Up until this point, street skateboarding was still relatively underground in comparison to vert or freestyle skating, but its popularity grew quickly due to the influx of skateboard tourism to Love Park. In turn, the city cracked down, banning skating there on two separate occasions in 1994 and 2000. 

Philadelphia’s skate scene’s love for Love ran so deep that popular shoe company DC offered $100,000 per year to go towards repair of any damage caused by skating if the city were to keep skating legal in the park. The legal troubles of skating at Love continued for years with more and more hindrances to skateboarding. If you go down to Love now, you will see the park was redesigned into one great big concrete oval: quite the metamorphosis from the street skateboarding paradise that it once was.   

The Philly skate scene was brokenhearted, but not for long. Looking just down the street, skateboarders began to be slowly attracted to Muni. In the 90s, this was a nearly impossible spot to skate. Security guards would exit the building and kick groups of young skaters out before four wheels even touched the ground. However, as Love became more difficult to skate, Muni became the easy choice for a new utopia in Philadelphia skateboarding.  

The accessibility of Muni was a contrast to Love. At Love, skaters would have to scramble to grab their things and run from the cops every few hours, whereas the convenience of Muni allowed for a more relaxed nature. Rather than the focus being entirely on the tricks being done and the clips being filmed, it began to center on garnering friendships — a true community. At any time of day, locals and visitors alike could arrive at 1401 John F. Kennedy Boulevard and find a crew of people to skate with. Watch any Philly-based skate video released in the 21^st century (any of the Sabotage videos, “Down Bad,” or “Some Pulp” to name a few), and you will surely see those larger-than-life game pieces and beautiful granite benches that Muni is home to being skated.  

Despite the glory days of Muni being seemingly endless, they indeed have come to an end. Professional skateboarder Jahmir Brown posted a tragic image of the plaza fenced off to his Instagram story on May 17. The fence had a sign with the message, “Another milestone in Philadelphia’s progress: Paine Plaza restoration phase 1.” To Philly skateboarders, this is another milestone in the city’s malice against skateboarding. First Love is torn apart, and now Muni is on its way to becoming a greenspace instead of the beating heart of the gritty skate scene that it once was.  

As the social media posts continue to flow out of Muni skaters’ accounts, it is apparent how much this plaza has meant to Philly skateboarding. Philadelphia skateboarders are going through true grief, taking group photos at the spot, and skating the remnants of the plaza as it gets slowly picked apart. What’s next? The spirit of the scene migrated once, and is now up in the air, waiting to do so once again and find a new home. The passion and vigor of the Philadelphia skate scene is bound to lead it to be carried to a new hub. In the meantime, all one can do is soak up Muni’s last days.  

Drexel University hosted the Club Sports Awards Banquet for the first time since the pandemic May 31. Held in Behrakis Grand Hall, the athletes filling the room helped themselves to an ombre-blue cake with “Drexel Club Sports” beautifully written on it in gold cursive and chafing dishes filled with Moe’s Southwest Grill menu items as they eagerly waited for what they were all there for: well-deserved awards.

The club sports staff put together a reminiscent slideshow, displaying photos of all club sports at meets, games, social events and more before the awards ceremony. It highlighted what DU accomplished this year, but also reminded athletes they have an irreplicable bond with each other. Later in the evening, the club sports staff initiated the awards ceremony, starting with a recap of the year. 

The most notable recap for everyone was the recognitions, which started with Drexel Ski & Board for claiming three first place trophies and a third place trophy in their conference as well as having top ten qualifiers at their Regional Championships and competitors at their National Championships.

Squash, led by coaches Talvon Brown and Chris Lee and club member Vivek Khimani, was recognized for placing second at their US National Team Championship.

Half of the club swim team qualified for their National Championships at Ohio State.

Fencing was recognized for their fencer Sydney Chiang, who placed first in Women’s Sabre at CHAOS as well as the BWCFC Championships. 

Sailing placed within the top 18 teams in the conference and competed in their championships against varsity teams. 

Finally, the recognition concluded with E-sports, who claimed the National Champion title three times in CS:GO, third in the Student Drivers’ Championship for iRacing, fourth in the Student Collegiate Championship for iRacing and fifth overall in their Championship for iRacing. The team also won the Rookie of the Year Award and the Hard Charger Award.

The club sports staff also revealed who won the superlatives, including the goofy ones like which club members were “On the Struggle Bus,” giving everyone a laugh.

Awards began shortly after the superlatives and were announced by Club Sports staff members: Head Athletic Trainer Bridget Wiseley, Assistant Director of Club Sports Kristen Sullivan, former Club Sports Coordinator Matt Moran, and Assistant Athletic Trainer Andrew Flanigan. Sullivan kicked off the awards ceremony with a warm welcome and an introduction of each staff member.

Wiseley announced the first award and throughout the night announced Coach of the Year, Instructor of the Year, Men’s Club Athlete of the Year, Women’s Club Athlete of the Year, Co-Ed Club Athlete of the Year and Club Sport of the Year.

Sullivan announced Most Dedicated Athlete and Best Social Media & Marketing. Moran announced President of the Year and Treasurer of the Year, and Andrew announced Travel Coordinator of the Year and Most Improved Club.

Each glass award had “2022-2023 Drexel Club Sports” engraved under the Mario the Magnificent logo. The awards were even individually customized, displaying the award title and club name.

With the Club Sport of the Year Award being the final one given to student athletes that night, Sullivan ended the ceremony with a thoughtful tribute to Wiseley, who recently hit her decade mark working as a Dragon. The awards banquet ended with each person walking away with a smile, thankful for a successful night of recognition and delicious cake.

Check out the award results below:

Coach of the Year – Sean Healy (Women’s Rugby)

Instructor of the Year – Cody Allen (Ski & Board)

Men’s Club Athlete of the Year – Nick Urbani (Ice Hockey)

Women’s Club Athlete of the Year – Clev Cong (Women’s Rugby)

Co-Ed Club Athlete of the Year – Melanie Hyde (Swimming)

Most Dedicated Athlete – Johnny Bierck (Men’s Basketball)

Best Social Media & Marketing – E-sports

President of the Year – Mohammed Alam (Men’s Lacrosse)

Treasurer of the Year – Simon Skala-Rosenbaum (Ice Hockey)

Travel Coordinator of the Year – Thomas Carey (Ski & Board)

Most Improved Club – Men’s Lacrosse

Club Sport of the Year – Ski & Board

The showpiece match and most important game in European club football is finally here. After seventy-eight total teams participated, only two remain, with the crown for the King of Europe on the line. Manchester City from England and Inter Milan from Italy both have a shot at that title, but these teams historically, culturally and stylistically represent vastly different footballing mindsets. Manchester City is no doubt the best team in the world currently, effortlessly smashing all opposition that stands in their way, but their success is relatively new. Inter Milan, on the other hand, is nothing to scoff at. They are one of the most successful and trophy-laden teams in Italian and European history, recently crawling their way back up the football hierarchy. Who will prevail in the 2023 Champions League Final?

Before we look at how the teams line up against each other, let’s go back and see how they got to this point. Manchester City was drawn into Group G alongside Sevilla (Spain), Borussia Dortmund (Germany) and Copenhagen (Denmark). With their new signing, Erling Haaland, adding to their already world-class squad, Man City cleaned up shop in the first round without breaking a sweat. Despite two 0-0 draws late on, the Citizens won every single game, including a 4-0 destruction of Sevilla (who would go on to win the Europa League this season) and a 5-0 demolition of Copenhagen.

Into the Round of 16, Manchester City were set to play RB Leipzig and after a comparatively subpar spell in terms of results during the beginning of the year, the Citizens stumbled a bit in the opening 1-1 draw. All doubts were immediately tossed out the window after they surged back with a 7-0 drubbing in the second leg, where Haaland scored five goals.

Bayern Munich, the tournament favorites at the time, were Man City’s next opponent. While there was some managerial drama behind the scenes in Bavaria, they were still a serious opponent. You wouldn’t have guessed that by watching the game, however, as Man City crushed them 3-0 with a fantastic performance before solidifying their victory with a comfortable 1-1 draw in the second leg.

Up next was Real Madrid, the reigning champions, the most successful team in this tournament and the same club who eliminated Man City at this very stage last season. History looked to repeat itself as Real Madrid looked very strong in the opening 1-1 draw in the first leg, but in the return fixture, Manchester City achieved revenge after they dismantled Los Blancos 4-0 in one of the greatest team performances ever in football history.

Man City was able to engage in yet another late-season grind, winning game after game, snatching the Premier League title from Arsenal before also beating their cross-town rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup Final. If they were to win the Champions League, they would complete a historical treble.

On the flip side, Inter Milan have had a very different path to the final. They were drawn into Group C, the group of death, with Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain) and Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic). As the name suggests, this group was very tough and while Bayern outplayed Inter on both occasions, Inter earned an impressive victory over Barcelona at home while also grabbing a 3-3 draw at the Camp Nou. Because Inter took care of business against Viktoria Plzen, that meant they qualified for the knockout rounds at the expense of Barcelona.

In the Round of 16, Inter was tasked with taking down Porto, the Portuguese giants. While Porto might not have the illustrious squads of Europe’s top-elite, they still have one of the strongest defenses in the world, and Inter only edged through due to a deflected goal from Romelu Lukaku late in the first half. That being said, Porto was unlucky not to equalize in the next leg.

Another Portuguese juggernaut awaited Inter in the quarterfinals, this time Benfica, who were one of the most exciting teams in Europe this season. Despite going through poor domestic form, Inter pulled off an impressive 2-0 win before holding on for a 3-3 draw in the second leg to beat out their opponents.

The semifinals bore witness to the Milan derby as Inter Milan faced off against their eternal rival, AC Milan. With a performance that will be remembered in Italy for ages, Inter wiped the floor with their San Siro neighbors in the first leg, winning 2-0, a score which could’ve been much higher. A lone Lautaro Martinez goal in the second half killed any chance of an AC Milan comeback.

In Serie A, Inter have had an inconsistent season, going through poor streaks of results in the fall and spring. But since the beginning of May, Inter have actually been in great form, securing a top-four finish and winning the Coppa Italia against Fiorentina.

But how do Manchester City and Inter Milan shape up against each other? Who will win the tactical battle between managers – Pep Guardiola or Simone Inzaghi? Man City will likely look to choke Inter, as they do all their opponents, with intense pressure and dynamic interplay along the wings to the center employing players like Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne among others. It is hard to imagine any team surviving under this, but that being said, Inter have one of the most resolute backlines in Europe, possessing ball-playing center-backs like Alessandro Bastoni who are experts at playing-out-the-back. Inter will be content with absorbing pressure, too, given they often score many goals through counter-attacks. But can Inter do what teams like Bayern, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United could not?

All logic points to Manchester City finally winning their first Champions League but football doesn’t often allow silly things like logic. As long as Inter Milan are in the match, they have a chance.