Most collegiate athletes are recruited to join their respected teams, but in many cases a few roster spots remain open to walk-on players.
These athletes strive to become members of their team, hoping that someday they may reap the benefits of competing intercollegiatly, don the uniform and hopefully be given the opportunity to participate if their performance is deemed worthy.
At Fairfield, a number of athletic teams encourage students to tryout. Because the status of each athlete is not always made public, much of the student body may not be aware of some of the successful walk-ons.
Men’s soccer player Tom Wilczewski ’04, men’s cross-country runner Justin Rindos ’06, women’s lacrosse player Lauren DeSteno ’04 and men’s basketball player Charles Bentley ’06 are just a few of the Fairfield walk-on athletes.
In his senior year, Wilczewski decided to join the men’s soccer squad, becoming a full-time member of the team for the 2003 season.
Although having played soccer in high school, Wilczewski waited until this past season to tryout for Fairfield’s team.
“I started practicing with the team spring of last year,” said Wilczewski. “Coach Jim McElroy asked if I had an interest in playing and invited me back for the fall.”
While Wilczewski may have seen limited playing time in his only season with the team, he admits the experience was a great one, one that he will never forget.
“It was a great experience and I couldn’t possibly duplicate the Division I experience,” he said.
Rindos, like Wilczewski, has also had a unique collegiate athletic experience, having never stepped foot onto a cross-country course prior to his first race as a Stag. Rindos played four years of high school varsity soccer.
He began running indoor track in his junior year in high school. He ran the 800m and mile events. Despite the fact that Fairfield does not have a track program, Rindos thought he might possess the ability to compete at the next level, contacting coach Andrew Harrington upon his arrival at school.
“There wasn’t a track team, so this [cross country] was the only option,” said Rindos. “I thought I’d give it a whirl.”
Since his arrival, Rindos has consistently been the team’s No. 2 runner, being selected the Rookie of the Year his freshman year as well as captain-elect for the 2004 season.
Women’s lacrosse player Lauren DeSteno 04 left high school believing she would never play lacrosse again, having never been guided through the college recruiting process.
“No one ever explained the process to me,” said DeSteno. “So when I graduated high school I thought that I would never play again.”
Although she only played lacrosse for a few years in high school it didn’t take long for her to miss the excitement of playing at Fairfield, and soon found herself contacting the team’s coach.
“I missed it so much that I contacted the coach and I’ve been playing ever since,” she said.
Although DeSteno started out playing only 10 minutes a game during her freshman year, she has blossomed into one of the team’s staple players, playing in the majority of every game.
While she originally never saw herself continuing her athletic career through college, looking back, DeSteno admits the experience was a great one, and that she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“I cant imagine going to school and not playing a sport,” she said. “If I didn’t play a sport, the whole college experience would have been different. If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely choose to play a sport.”
For men’s basketball head coach Tim O’Toole, walk-on athletes are always welcome members of the team. Although no new walk-ons joined the team this season,
Bentley has been on the team for a number of seasons, coming to Fairfield after a successful career at Harding High School in which he earned All-FCIAC honorable mention in three of his four years.
“We traditionally keep one or two walk-ons a year,” said O’Toole.
As for expectations of his walk-on players, O’Toole admits he has certain standards, as he expects each player to accept a certain role on the team.
“You have to know what you have to do when you make the team,” he said. “There’s a big difference between the level they are used to playing and the level you’re trying to get to. Expectations need to be met and everyone needs to know their role.”
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