Big changes in Aquinas athletics

Aquinas sophomore, #6 Vanessa Bailey – Photo by Grace Malec

By Grace Malec, Sports Editor

The year 2024 was full of changes at Aquinas College, particularly the several that impacted Aquinas Athletics. Operating all of the 2023 to 2024 season with an interim athletic director and a stream of new employees hired in athletics, the questions raised about the status of the college’s athletic department only continued to grow.

In spring of 2024, the college announced the hiring of Dr. Ronald D. Reeves, hired to serve as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. Along with the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, the college athletics department also announced the hiring of Jasper Fell who would serve as the Associate Athletic Director of external operations.

In collaboration with Ashley Kaman, the manager of marketing for the college’s athletic department, Fell worked to create a student athletics marketing committee; a team of students who would help brainstorm and promote athletic activities on campus. This was the beginning of the department’s move to utilize social media and digital marketing as a whole to increase student involvement in athletics, and make Aquinas athletic events more engaging and fun for fans. This included introducing the Aquinas “Dawg Pound” which would hold a new game of the week every week for a different sport or event, intermission or halftime games and other contests.

With the new academic year approaching, more hires were made in the summer of 2024. The athletic department announced the hiring of two new athletic trainers; Mya Copado and Kathryn Donnelly, both serving the Aquinas athletics community and helping athletes. In fall of 2024, the college welcomed Kyle Goodbee, another new employee of the athletic department. Goodbee was hired as the Manager of Student Athlete Wellbeing, a resource for all student athletes at Aquinas College to utilize to prioritize their wellbeing and to assist in difficult times.

Many of the new faces worked their way into the Aquinas community, but the hiring was not done there. In January of this year, the college announced the hiring of Joey Sutherlin, naming him as the Director of Athletic Communications.

New Faces in AQ Athletics – Photos by Aquinas College Athletics

Goodbee, originally hired as the Manager of Student Athlete Wellbeing would also assume a new role in addition to his position at the college early into 2025; interim Women’s Lacrosse coach; filling in while the college searches for a new coach. Prior coach Chip Vasquez was released from his coaching position earlier this year, leaving the Women’s Lacrosse program with countless questions as their season approaches.

“With the sudden change we faced concerning coaching I believe that the team has been keeping a positive outlook on it,” Kennedy Stilson, senior member of the lacrosse team said. “When we started the school year we thought our season would be cancelled. That was devastating, but we later learned that there would just be a big shift.”

In addition to the changes in athletics regarding Lacrosse, the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference announced on Jan. 24 that they are discontinuing tennis as a conference sport following the 2024 to 2025 season. In a statement from the conference, Commissioner Eric Ward said, “this was a difficult decision for the conference.” Attributing the decision to discontinue the sport to finances and “dwindling participation” of the sport in the conference.

“Saints March On,” a quote and popular phrase that was introduced by the Aquinas athletic department on social media has turned into a reflection of the alterations this school year. With all of the changes, the college’s resilience and perseverance prevails and the strength of the Aquinas College Athletics community continues to grow.