By Conor Rourke
During tonight’s semi-final matchup of the NCAA Division-III Men’s Volleyball Final Four tournament between Springfield College and Cal. Lutheran University, Blake Arena saw its largest crowd of the season. Nearly every varsity sports team came to support their fellow student-athletes by wearing their jerseys in the crowd, as well as countless other students dressed in white. However, among the students, student-athletes, and parents, there was a tall, lengthy man intensely witnessing the match from the mezzanine.
Charlie Baker, the former governor of Massachusetts and current President of the NCAA came back to the state that once cherished him to watch the display his organization put on at Springfield College. On December 16th, 2022, Baker became the first NCAA president to never serve as a college president or an athletic director since its founding. He was also the first NCAA president to not previously work for a power five conference, thus being NCAA’s first outside-hire CEO.
The Pride’s Head Coach, Charlie Sullivan has had a connection with Baker for years, but a memory he goes back to happened after Springfield’s 2017 National Championship victory.
“We won the National Championship and the next fall we were at Governor Baker’s house—when he was the Governor—and that’s the day that hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico,” Sullivan said.
In 2017, the Pride had eight Puerto Ricans rostered on its volleyball team. When the news of the hurricane hitting was announced during the team’s lunch, Sullivan remembers the mood switching.
“I’ll never forget our guys at lunch looking down—at his house—and then just worrying about their family and stuff on the phone,” Sullivan added.
That moment at Baker’s house was important for Sullivan as he watched his young men in shock and worry about their loved ones, even during such an important event. It was a moment that forced him to connect with his athletes in a way he never expected. That lunch significantly impacted his team and the identity they carried after their championship winning season.
While he is visiting, Baker also plans on speaking with Conlan Shaw, a Team IMPACT teenager who has been with Springfield’s Men’s Volleyball team for five years.
“We appreciate him being here. I don’t know how it happened—that’s pretty cool, right? President of the NCAA is here,” Sullivan said.
With Springfield advancing to play in the National Championship on Saturday, Sullivan hopes Baker is back in Blake Arena once again.
Photo courtesy of Springfield College