Recap: Alumni Weekend

This past weekend, Fairfield alumni of all ages returned to campus for the annual Homecoming events. Some of the most noticeable alumni, however, were former Stag athletes. As part of the Homecoming festivities, teams including men’s and women’s swimming, baseball, lacrosse and women’s soccer hosted alumni games. Former team members returned to participate in everything from team practice to full-out contests against current student-athletes. Game turnouts varied with some sports gathering a crowd of fans and players and others supported by few. A few diehard spectators, such as Mike Brannigan ’77, could be found visiting various campus activities. Having attended Homecoming almost every year for the past few years and intermittently before that, Brannigan said it was all routine for him. He was most excited about the new soccer field and the Aloysius P. Kelley Center. “The most amazing thing is just to see how much the school has changed,” he said. The first event was swimming, located at the pool in the Recplex. The alumni event consisted of a team practice that was open to spectators. Though there was no actual contest, recent graduates stopped by and were enthusiastic about catching up with old team members. Baseball practice was also held at Alumni Field later that morning. Approximately 20 alumni attended and set up batting practice with three or four students. Most said they had a good time reconnecting with old friends. The games heated up as the day moved on, and women’s soccer began in early afternoon. Because MAAC rules said the game would count toward the season’s 20 allowed contests, the women could not play a real game against the alumni. However, Head Coach Jim O’Brien was determined to keep up the tradition and support the return of alumni. The Stags, therefore, played a mixed scrimmage as part of their practice. Kelly Maraghy ’01 and Pat Mendicino ’02 were the first two to arrive out of 10 and were very excited to return to Fairfield. “It’s just great to be back on campus and to see how far the program has come along,” said Mendicino. A first-timer to Homecoming was Cailin Donovan ’03, a former outside midfielder. After chatting with former team members, Donovan said, “It’s fun to see the people you spent your life playing with at Fairfield again.” The majority of alumni players continue to be involved in soccer, both as players in local adult leagues and as coaches for high school teams in their area. As a special gift, O’Brien presented the returning players with their old uniforms. The leftover uniforms were to be sent to a mission in Ecuador. The lacrosse game was the biggest success of the day, with around 18 alumni clashing in a real contest against the current team. The intense, close game ended with a 6-5 victory for the young Stags. Fairfield resident Will Mraz ’77 was one of the best alumni players on the field. He managed to put one in the back of the net for his team. As the assistant coach for the Fairfield team during its first two years and head coach of Fairfield Prep for 10 years, Mraz is a veritable lacrosse king. Mraz was impressed with the skill level of the young players and the differences he saw in the team and Fairfield his undergraduate days. “It’s great to come back,” he said. “The program has evolved so much from the very beginning, and the success has been tremendous.”