Knight of the Week: Bryan Wager

Sophomore forward Bryan Wager is a member of the Geneseo men’s soccer team. Soccer has been an important role in Wager’s life, as he has played the game longer than he can remember. 

Wager comes from an athletic family, which contributes to his soccer-filled life.  His mother, father and older brother have shaped his athletic career, helping him on his journey to becoming a Geneseo Knight. 

Though this is only the beginning of his second year on the team, Wager has seen plenty of action for an underclassman. Wager started three games during his freshman year and made 18 game appearances. This season, he has started in all six of the team’s games. 

Over the last season, Wager grew to be an important part of the team, accumulating seven points during the 2016 season and four points for the 2017 season—an impressive number, as the season has only just started.

“We have a very balanced team this year; all the guys are great,” Wager said.

As a native of Honeoye Falls, N.Y,, Wager participated in other sports in high school, such as track and basketball. Soccer, however, has remained his primary interest.

“It is something that I have always done and have never been able to shake,” he said.

Additionally, Wager is a biochemistry major and wants to attend medical school in the future. 

“I want to be a surgeon of some sort,” he said. 

Wager has spent some time around doctors and likes that working with them challenges himself.

Although he is already busy balancing a varsity sport with his biochemistry major, Wager ensures that he puts aside time to help the community by participating in the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, which supports local causes in Geneseo. 

“We do things such as a walk for the Teresa House,” he said. 

On campus, Wager likes to support his fellow varsity athletes by attending both indoor and outdoor sports throughout the seasons. He also enjoys spending time with his teammates.

“We like to spend a lot of time enjoying the nice weather outside,” he said. “I really like it here [at Geneseo]. It has an unspoken feel—you definitely find how willing people are to help others.” 

So far, Wager’s favorite part about attending Geneseo has been joining the soccer team. 

“There are people from all walks of life here,” he said. “I like getting to know different people.”

When not in class, busy studying or out on the field, Wager likes to play golf and is teaching himself how to play guitar. 

“I’m a big classic rock guy, but I’ll listen to pretty much anything,” he said. 

Wager also wants to explore more places in the United States and some foreign countries as well. 

“I’m looking forward to exploring new places since I’ve been in upstate New York for nearly all my life,” he said.

Wager is extremely excited to continue his academic and athletic career at Geneseo. Although he has not decided exactly what his future holds, he is very enthusiastic about its prospects.u

Sophomore forward Bryan Wager has grown to be an essential asset to the Geneseo men’s soccer team—as demonstrated through his increasing appearances in games. In addition to maintaining abusy varsity athlete schedule, Wager also focuses on his biochemistry major. (Annalee Bainnson/Photo Editor)

Knight of the Week: Hannah Millich

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Junior forward Hannah Millich brings both skill and positivity to the Geneseo women’s lacrosse program. After she graduates, Millich hopes to bring her positive attitude into the classroom as a special education teacher. (Ash Dean/Photo Editor)

Every team has that player who is not only loved by everyone for their personality, but is also a key part of the teams’ success. For the Geneseo women’s lacrosse team, that player is junior forward Hannah Millich. 

Millich hails from Black River, New York, which is located near Syracuse. She is currently a childhood with special education major with a concentration in Spanish.  

Prior to her attendance at Geneseo, Millich attended Carthage High School, where she played three sports and took a few college level courses; there, she was also a member of the National Honor Society. When she was not busy with sports or schoolwork, Millich volunteered her spare time to work in a special education classroom. It was this volunteer opportunity that made Millich realize that being a special education teacher was the path that she wanted to take with her life. 

Millich’s lacrosse career began in the sixth grade when, after seeing her friends pick up the sport, she decided to try it for herself. She immediately fell in love with the game and has been playing lacrosse ever since. 

Her passion for the sport is contagious, as she brings a positive attitude to every team that she has played for. The Knights are fortunate enough to be able to experience this positivity now, as Millich comes into every practice and game with the motivation to get better and be successful. 

Selflessness is a vital quality for an athlete to have, especially when playing a team sport. Millich has this quality, which she made clear when talking about her own achievements. 

“I honestly give all my teammates the credit. We all help each other be successful and set each other up for success,” Millich said in an email interview. “I wouldn’t [score] goals if it weren’t for them making plays happen or getting the pass off for me to be able to score. We all have an amazing chemistry and it has truly shown.” 

Despite all of her accomplishments, Millich maintains this noble attitude, which is something that not all athletes possess.  

Some of Millich’s fondest memories from her experience as a Knight come from the team’s spring break trips to Florida. She loves having the opportunity to switch things up after playing in the cold Geneseo weather. 

“Spring break trips have always been one of the best memories with the team, as everyone gets really close and it is your 26 best friends in a warm place playing the game you love,” she said. 

Outside of her busy lacrosse schedule, Millich has made time to tutor for the Learning Independence, Vocational and Educational Skills program here on campus. She loves to help others, and this experience will certainly help her in her future with teaching. 

Millich chose Geneseo because of its academic reputation and lacrosse program. Geneseo allows her to pursue her dreams of becoming a special education teacher while also letting her to play on a renowned lacrosse team. 

“I feel confident in getting a job right out of school with a degree from Geneseo,” Millich said. “I have had the best years of my life with a school that gave me a great education and allowed me to play on the women’s lacrosse team.”

Knight of the Week: Danni Napoli

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Sophomore mathematics major Danni Napoli is a key figure within the Geneseo athletic community, as she represents the Knights on both the field hockey and softball fields. Napoli hopes to earn a SUNYAC title for both teams within the same year. (Jenna Harbus/Staff Photographer)

Being a student athlete in college is a commitment that requires a prominent level of time management and work ethic. Mixing a sport with the workload of a college student is a tall task, so one can only imagine what it must be like to add a second sport onto such a demanding schedule.

Sophomore outfielder Danni Napoli of Geneseo softball is one of the school’s few two-sport athletes. After winning a SUNYAC Championship with women’s field hockey in 2016, Napoli is leading the softball team in slugging percentage, runs batted in, doubles and walks. She is also batting .404 on the season, which is good for her second year on the team.

A native of Wading River, New York, Napoli played several sports growing up. She eventually settled on field hockey and softball while attending Riverhead High School. As a child, she said that sports were a huge part of her life, and she was inspired by her father and older brothers.

“I grew up with two older brothers and they both played sports. I always wanted to play with them. I would beg my dad to take me to my brothers’ baseball practices,” she said. “He always tells me this story that he left me home once and I cried the whole time, so he never left me home again.”

Napoli’s relationship with her brothers motivated her when it came to sports. Both college athletes, they taught her what it takes to be successful as an athlete.

“My brother Mike played baseball and had the best work ethic ever,” she said. “My other brother played football and still makes me come to the gym with him to this day.”

Along the way, Napoli learned the importance of taking things one day at a time, a trait that especially comes in handy as a two-sport athlete.

“I think it’s really important to take every single minute as its own and if something doesn’t go right, to bounce right back and do the best you can the next time without getting down on yourself,” she said.

Sports are not the only important thing, however, in Napoli’s life. Now a mathematics major, academics played a significant role in her decision to come to Geneseo.

“I knew for sure I wanted to major in math, so I wanted to go somewhere that had a good math program,” she said. “Then I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to play field hockey or softball, but Geneseo was a place that would let me have it all.”

After contacting both softball head coach David Sylvester and field hockey head coach Jess Seren to express her interest, Napoli was assured that she would have the opportunity to play both sports. While that opportunity is rewarding, it is not always easy to transition between seasons—when there is not enough time to attend all practices for both teams, according to Napoli.

With one SUNYAC title under her belt in field hockey, she is currently focused on winning another with softball. The team currently has a 14-6 record on the season, and Napoli believes that the team has the chemistry to accomplish that goal.

“I always say it would be the best year of my life if I could win two SUNYAC tournaments,” she said. “This is one of the best groups of people I’ve been around. We have great chemistry and then when the softball part comes in, it makes it that much better.”

Napoli hopes to become an actuary after graduation. She claims that she is often made fun of for not liking chocolate, and her favorite athletes are baseball players Mike Trout, Derek Jeter and Bryce Harper.

Napoli and the rest of the Geneseo softball team are set to travel for doubleheaders against SUNY New Paltz on Friday April 14 and SUNY Oneonta on Saturday April 15.

Knight of the Week: Drew Madarasz

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Senior communication major Drew Madarasz is a key asset to the Geneseo men’s lacrosse team, as he is a figure for the underclassmen to look up to. After graduation, Madarasz plans to use the skills he has learned at Geneseo in the digital marketing field. (Annie Renaud/News Editor)

Geneseo men’s lacrosse’s defensive midfielder Drew Madarasz began playing lacrosse in first grade in Smithtown, New York. He is the third sibling in his family to attend Geneseo as well as the second to play a sport at the college. 

“My brother played soccer here and really enjoyed playing a sport at Geneseo,” Madarasz said. “My sister also had a very positive experience, so when it came time to pick a college, I honestly always felt like I was going to come here.”  

Madarasz originally picked up lacrosse because many of his family members and friends also played the sport. Madarasz’s family-friend headed the lacrosse youth program in Smithtown, and they taught him everything he knows about the game, according to Madarasz. 

In addition to playing lacrosse, Madarasz also played soccer and various other sports growing up, each for a season or two. Madarasz decided to focus primarily on lacrosse and soccer, however, due to the significant amount of time required to play both sports year-round on travel and school teams. 

While playing on Geneseo’s lacrosse team, Madarasz explained that he has thoroughly enjoyed forming relationships with the other players and that the team is close. 

“All the kids that I play with are some of the best kids I have ever met. Honestly, it’s a very tight-knit group,” Madarasz said. “We’re all one big family and everyone gets along really well, and I can’t even imagine my experience at Geneseo without being on the lacrosse team.”

Madarasz is currently studying communication and when he graduates he hopes to work in digital marketing in either New York City or on Long Island. 

During his time at Geneseo, Madarasz has already obtained experience in the marketing field by running the lacrosse team’s social media, Max’s Ink Tattoos & Piercing’s social media as well as participating in the Adopt-A-Business program throughout his junior year. In this program, Geneseo and local businesses in Livingston County partner students with a business based own the students’ credentials and interests. These students work to improve the businesses’ presence on social media and overall marketing techniques. 

Madarasz worked with Livingston Lanes and Pub and ran their Instagram account in addition to hosting a fundraiser for Matthew Hutchinson ‘16 and Kelsey Annese ‘16 after their deaths. 

When Madarasz is not attending practices five days a week or studying, he enjoys watching sports in his free time, primarily basketball and lacrosse. 

Madarasz is proud of the collective leadership the lacrosse team has established among the senior class after the team has become more focused and committed to the winning process with the hiring of a new coach.

“The senior class is a collective leader within itself. Everyone adopted the role as leaders on the team, especially with the new coach,” Madarasz said. “One of his biggest things this year was having the seniors change the culture of previous years with our old coach. So basically, he just relied on us to issue a new culture for our program and change it all together.”

Madarasz hopes that the foundation this year’s team has set will serve as a model for future Geneseo lacrosse teams. 

“The coach always says that our legacy will be the success of the team five, 10 or 15 years from now,” Madarasz said. “He said all the success for future teams will go back on our shoulders because we’re the ones that were able to make the change to the culture.”

Knight of the Week: Nancy Nasky

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Sophomore free style swimmer Nancy Nasky has proven her worth to the Geneseo Blue Wave as she continues to dominate in the pool and break records. Nasky was influenced by her brother to come to Geneseo and she looks to have a future in accounting. (Alicia Roth/Staff Photographer)

Varsity distance free-style swimmer Nancy Nasky is a sophomore accounting major here at Geneseo who has been hitting the pools competitively since just before she began seventh grade in her hometown of Brighton, NY. 

She originally began to swim because her mom wanted her to pick something to stick with. Nasky dropped dance to follow in her brother’s wake as a swimmer. 

Nasky was influenced by her brother John to come to Geneseo because she saw how well he thrived as a Knight and how much he enjoyed the school. Nasky already knew the coach she would train under, so she could prepare for his style and methods.  

“It was the path I saw myself going on,” she said.  

As a member of the Blue Wave, Nasky has made a name for herself, as she holds personal and official records. This includes a Division III time of 5:00 for the 300-meter freestyle and the 1650-yard freestyle at 17:04. These times are records in the SUNYAC conference and awarded her ninth place at nationals, giving her the coveted status as an All-American athlete.

Nasky sees her teammates as more than just co-athletes when thinking about her experience at Geneseo. The teammates are her family, according to Nasky. 

“They have taught me so much, like time management, goal orientation, determination, compassion and communication,” Nasky said.  

The other swimmers create a support system and experience for her that is indescribable, according to Nasky—and it’s a good thing that she likes the people who she swims with, considering she is in practice every day for four-five hours. 

Coupled with her dedication to her academic studies here, there is not much time left to do anything else. When she does have spare time, however, Nasky is involved with the Geneseo Opportunities for Leadership Development program and will soon achieve the silver status.

After graduation, she wants to go on to get her master’s degree in business administration or accounting and is looking to attend either the program at Geneseo or the one at the Rochester Institute of Technology. 

Juggling a varsity sport with its time commitments and the academic schedule of a student here at Geneseo can be a bit stressful at times. Nasky, however, would not trade it for anything and she strongly suggests it to those who don’t know what it’s like. 

Nasky is the definition of a dedicated and hardworking athlete who puts in 110 percent every time she is asked to jump in the pool. With two years left as a Geneseo Knight, Nasky looks to improve her techniques and to evolve into being the best swimmer that she can be.

Knight of the Week: Erin Cregan

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Junior midfielder Erin Cregan has been a key asset to the Geneseo women’s lacrosse program. Cregan seeks to lead the women to a successful season as one of the team’s current captains. (Alicia Roth/Staff Photographer)

Junior midfielder Erin Cregan is the captain for the Geneseo women’s lacrosse team, where she brings a whole new level of dedication to the sport. Cregan is from Brighton, New York—a town outside of Rochester—and has been playing lacrosse since she was in third grade, originally starting because of her two older siblings. 

She has a brother and sister who both played the sport and sparked Cregan’s interest. After realizing her talent and proficiency in lacrosse, she dropped every other sport she was playing at the time and centered her focus on just playing lacrosse—and it’s a good thing she did. 

Fast forward to her junior year in college. Not only is Cregan the captain, but she also began her career as a Knight by starting every game of her freshman year—which she continues to do today. 

“Not every freshmen gets that opportunity and it is a once in a lifetime [experience], and I’ve started ever since,” Cregan said.  

Her favorite memories with her team come from when they get to travel to Florida during spring breaks to compete. There is still the pressure to do well and win, but “you get to enjoy the weather and it becomes kind of like a vacation,” according to Cregan. 

And speaking of her team, Cregan knows that what she does would not be possible without the support, encouragement and friendship she has gained from this group of people. Lifelong friendships with her teammates and coaches is one of the things Cregan is most thankful for.

Cregan is an early childhood education major with a math concentration. She was encouraged to come to Geneseo by her older brother, as he suggested that this school would be the right choice for him, as well. 

After graduation, Cregan plans on student teaching and getting her master’s degree. Although no specific institution has been chosen, she wants to attend one in Rochester or close to it so that she can live at home and save some money in the process—all so that she can one day become a fourth grade teacher.

When Cregan is not playing lacrosse or focused on her studies, she likes to spend time hanging out with the five other girls she lives with, working at her job as a hostess or sleeping. Cregan is actually known in her little circle for her ability to sleep. 

“I can go to sleep with the intention of being down for an hour and waking up after three,” Cregan said.

Cregan has described herself as determined, organized and motivated to get others going—being a captain requires all these things and keeps her going. 

“I want to be able to help my team in every way,” she said. 

Her people skills and talent make for the optimal athlete and teammate. Cregan is comfortable and confident in these facts. 

“I belong here; I belong on this team.”