Inside the sense of community that fuels St. Joe’s women’s sports teams

During St. Joseph’s field hockey’s postseason run, an entire sideline of Ellen Ryan Field was filled with student-athletes. Some coaches even let practices out early to encourage their players to attend.

When the Hawks were playing for a national championship, some student-athletes hopped on the student bus to make the trip to Ann Arbor, Mich. Others booked a 5 a.m. flight out to show support for their fellow Hawks.

There is no shortage of community across the St. Joe’s athletic programs. It’s what fifth-year midfielder Katelyn Cocco calls “Hawks supporting Hawks.”

Talya Brugler, a star forward on the women’s basketball team, said there’s plenty of opportunity for student-athletes to get to know one another. But there is a special connection between the women’s teams on campus.

“I think that the women’s teams, especially on campus, are ride or die for each other, and we’re always going to be supporting one another, regardless of the outcomes of our team. We have a really strong fan base within the female athlete community,” Brugler said.

This connection between the women’s teams is because of their ability to “relate to each other,” Brugler said.

“There’s a lot of times where the women’s sports are overlooked by the community, and a lot of people are more willing to go to men’s sporting events,” she said. “I think that the women’s sports on campus have proven that we compete at a really high level, and it’s really fun to watch, and we respect each other for that, so we always show up for one another and try to get others to do the same.”

Around 1,400 women’s basketball players entered the transfer portal last spring. But not one came from the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team.

Why? Head coach Cindy Griffin has a list of reasons why she believes the Hawks stuck around.

“We’re coming off one of the best years that St. Joe’s women’s basketball has ever had, in terms of wins, and I think that’s one thing,” Griffin said. “I think the success of the team and wanting to be around a team that has great culture has a lot of intention about how and why we do things, and playing with and for each other, and seeing the opportunities for the younger players to grow within our system and be ready when their number’s called. And I think that’s the important thing, as far as the retention and being part of something bigger than themselves.”

Her players back that up. For Brugler, a senior who’s started nearly every game since midway through her freshman season, it wasn’t just a matter of athletics.

“The culture that we built here is very strong, and the relationships that I feel here, I can’t imagine finding in other places,” Brugler said. “From an academic standpoint as well, I really like the track that I’m on academically. I was able to graduate early, and now, I’m able to get my master’s in my fourth year. So I think being able to do all of that while being with a group of people that I love and I love to spend time with has been tremendous for me, which has made me really love being at St. Joe’s.”

Field hockey and women’s soccer also saw all of their seniors return for their final year of eligibility. Women’s lacrosse and women’s tennis returned all underclassmen from the previous season.

“For me as a coach, it’s very rewarding to see because we’re in this business to mentor and to develop players, both on and off the court,” Griffin said. “When you finish something that you started, it not only gives you a sense of accomplishment and purpose, but it also allows you to grow within the system or within the community that has supported you for so many years, and that’s going to carry you so much further than, I would say, an interruption, or a change of plans.”

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Brugler said the possibility for success in future seasons with a team that has already forged a strong connection helps with retention, adding that she couldn’t imagine “winning a championship with any other group”

Celeste Smits, a fifth-year midfield from the Netherlands, felt the same way about the field hockey team. The Hawks have won four straight Atlantic 10 tournaments, and Smits knew this year’s squad had potential.

“We knew from the beginning that basically our entire class was coming back, which made it easier, because they’re my friends, and they honestly feel like family to me.” Smits said of her decision to return for a fifth season.

The Hawks didn’t only have a deep postseason run — they became the first St. Joe’s team to compete in a national championship game. Those fifth-years were at the core of it.

Cocco said the continuity within not just her own team, but a number of women’s teams says a lot about St. Joe’s athletics.

“We always say, ‘The Hawk Will Never Die.’ I think that’s something that we really carry and something that we’re all really passionate about,” Cocco said. “We talk about how this is a really small school, and we always say, ‘Small but mighty.’”

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Although it’s not uncommon to see smaller schools struggling to keep up in the evolving landscape of college athletics, Griffin believes the smaller community of St. Joe’s has allowed its teams to stay competitive through fostering deep relationships, like the ones on display during the field hockey team’s historic run.

“They truly care about other athletes and representing St. Joe’s and know how important it is that not only their parents support them, not only their coaches, but also their peers,” Griffin said. “It just builds up the community that we have on campus and the support that, you know, we’re all athletes, no matter what sport, and they’re all juggling the same responsibilities.”

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Showing up for each other is not the only way these teams are impacting the future of St. Joe’s athletics. Griffin and Hawks field hockey coach Hannah Prince said the upperclassmen are teaching their younger teammates about the culture at St. Joe’s.

“It really helps our younger players just learn from such amazing leaders and players and people, they really encompass our team core values and just live by our program standards,” Prince said.

Griffin added: “You look at players like Talya Brugler, Mackenzie Smith, Laura Ziegler, who are all-conference kids, but they’re also the hardest workers in the gym. And so when you have that combination of skill and work ethic, you certainly have a great recipe, not only for success, but also in filtering it down to the younger players and saying, ‘This is, this is how we do things. This is how we do it. We’re relentless and we’re selfless in every area.’

“If you’re not totally buying in, then you’re really never going to buy it, and that’s what I see with our players. It’s a total buy in. They don’t care who gets the credit. I think that says that this group is really special in a lot of ways. And I think the key is now to keep that going as we progress, not only this year, but in years to follow.”