Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/489982
2 Crusader Nation • Spring 2015 AD's Corner Dear Friends, In the spring issue of Crusader Nation we are pleased to share with you the plans for the Hart Recreation Center expansion and renovation. This important project is part of the Become More Campaign and will become the cornerstone of our competitive success for the next 20 years. Holy Cross has been known in athletics circles for its rich tradition and storied history. Lately, we have strayed from that tradition in terms of our competitive success. This is our opportunity to invest in the infrastructure that is necessary to recruit the very best scholar-athletes to Mount St. James to compete for the Purple. Holy Cross is unquestioned in our academic rigor and reputation. Now it is time to lift our Athletics program to the same level of prominence. Our investment in the Hart Center expansion and renovation will put Holy Cross back into the national conversation in terms of commitment to Athletics; it will also help us to create an increased sense of spirit and pride on campus and in the alumni community. The scope of this project is ambitious, and rightfully so. We will create a state-of-the-art, year-round indoor practice facility that will benefit all of our sports. Being in New England for over a year now, I have learned just how important indoor field space is in regard to preparation. Additionally, we have 750 scholar-athletes on our campus to whom we will be able to deliver more robust sports medicine services and strength and conditioning training. Through this project we will be able to better prepare them to maximize their potential, while giving them a world-class student-athlete experience commensurate with the academic experience they receive in our classrooms. In the end, the new Hart Center will be an exceptional, campus- enhancing facility, which will transform our Athletics program in terms of performance, recruiting, scholar-athlete experience, and coaching retention. My first year at Holy Cross has shown me first-hand that our alumni, friends and parents care deeply for our scholar-athletes and are willing to support them. Just this winter, the 2015 Purple Pride Challenge raised a record $189,102 in support of the Crusader Athletics Fund over the Winter Homecoming Weekend. The interest is there and now we have the right capital project upon which to build our program. The Hart Center expansion and renovation will be the defining next step in the future of Holy Cross Athletics, and I hope you will consider being a part of it. Go Crusaders! Nathan Pine Director of Athletics In This Issue 3 COACH'S GAME PLAN Women's Lacrosse 5 Paying it Forward Hank Prybylski '87 6 BUILDING EXCELLENCE Athletics Facilities Planning 10 Student Spotlight Evan Ocello '15, Baseball 11 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... Nancy Taylor '81 Doug Baker '81 12 Catching Up WITH CRUSADERS Mary Beth Ryan '05, Softball 13 Calendar Sports schedules 14 Photo Finish 16 Why I Give Crusader Nation Produced by the Office of Advancement, Department of Athletics and the Office of College Marketing and Communications D E S I G N E R Michael Grinley P H O T O G R A P H E R S Rob Carlin, Peter Cooke, Lawrence French, Mike Malyszko, Michelle McGahan, Mark Seliger, Gil Talbot, Dan Vaillancourt, Jim Wrobel C R U S A D E R N A T I O N Office of Advancement College of the Holy Cross One College Street Worcester, MA 01610 Phone: 508-793-2415 Email: crusaderathletics@holycross.edu Website: GoHolyCross.com