January seems to be the month of success as two Fairfield basketball players, women’s basketball graduate forward Callie Cavanaugh and men’s basketball redshirt guard Jake Wojcik ‘23, recently earned their 1,000th career points, an achievement that only few have accomplished as a Stag.
With a halftime buzzer-beating three-point shot, Cavanaugh attained her 1,000th point against Manhattan College on Jan. 7. She played an integral part for the Stags that night, scoring a team-high of 16 points in their 52-50 win.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Cavanaugh explained. “It was definitely a goal of mine, but I also didn’t see myself actually getting there. Going into college, it was tougher adjusting to the game.”
She also joked about how her peers kept more track of the accomplishment than her. “My family and friends counted down more than me,” Cavanaugh laughed.
“I didn’t realize how fast I would get to 1,000 since I was around 200 points away at the beginning of the season. As soon as I scored the basket, it slipped my mind until people around me were celebrating–but then it was a huge moment for me,” she explained.
Originally a Panther for the Florida International University, Cavanaugh netted 161 points for her 2017-18 season down south. After transferring in 2019, she’s been able to score 973 points for Fairfield in four seasons.
“A lot of great women have come through and made an impact on this program and it’s an honor to be a part of something so special,” Cavanaugh shared. “Right before me will be my ex-teammate Lou Lopez-Senechal ‘22,” she continued, “and there’s no one I’d rather be next to on the banner.”
Only 35 female basketball players have made their way onto the 1,000-point banner before Cavanaugh, reveals Ivey Speight, the Associate Director of Communication for the Athletics Department.
According to Fairfield University Athletics, Cavanaugh was also named an All-MAAC Third Team performer for the 2021-2022 season and earned a spot on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Academic Team for three consecutive seasons. She has found success both on and off the court.
As for the rest of the season, Cavanaugh shared that she has a new goal: to do a “better job leading the team vocally.” In the end, however, she believes that the women’s team has a strong rest of the season ahead of them. “It’s going to be great,” she finished.
Just six days after Cavanaugh’s triumph, on Jan. 13, Wojcik left a 75-69 loss against Iona University victorious nonetheless as he netted his 1,000th career basket on his 14th point of the night. Wojcik shared how he was keeping track during the game, anxiously awaiting those quadruple digits.
“I knew how many points away I was from earning it, so once I hit that 14th point I knew that was going to get me 1,000,” Wojcik explained.
Two seasons prior to joining the Stags, Wojcik was shooting in a navy blue jersey where he earned 346 points for the University of Richmond. Now, in his third and final season with Fairfield, he’s racked up 707 points to date, allowing him to join Stag history.
“I think it’s a great accomplishment to be in the books, but it’s also great just to be a part of the point club with my friends like Jesus Cruz ‘22 and Taj Benning ‘22,” Wojcik shared. He goes on to explain that even though it was constantly a dream to earn this achievement, he was “always grateful just having the opportunity to play the game I love.”
According to Drew Kingsley, Associate Director of Athletics/Communications & Content Strategy, only 45 male basketball players have scored 1,000 points or more while having an athletic career at specifically Fairfield University. For Wojcik, however, he is impressively only one of five to have earned 1,000+ career points as a transfer Stag.
Wojcik is one of the team’s top scorers, totaling 131 points for the 2022-23 season. His strong suit, however, is obvious whenever he has the opportunity to step up to the free-throw line. Wojcik has attained an impressive 86% free-throw average for his career, and an average of 84% this year.
Wojcik also made the Preseason All-MAAC third team for the 2021-2022 season, according to Fairfield University Athletics, but he is still awaiting the overarching wish: to make the 2022-2023 NCAA tournament.
“The same old goal is to go to the NCAA tournament and win our league just like it is for the rest of my team,” Wojcik ended.
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