By Nick Pantages
@nick_pantages22
Two Pride teams were honored with a send-off in front of Blake Arena on Nov. 19 in anticipation of their games in their respective NCAA Tournaments.
As winners of the NEWMAC for the fourth consecutive season, the Pride football team was given an automatic bid to the Division III National Championship Tournament. And just like last season, the Pride will play their first game at Stagg Field, this time against UMass Dartmouth.
Both the Pride and the Corsairs ran the table, with each squad finishing a perfect 10-0 overall.
Along with the perfect record, Springfield and UMass Dartmouth were dominant in its schedules.
Each program won just one of its games by seven points or less, and boast a margin of victory of over 33 points per game (38.8 for UMass Dartmouth and 33.8 for Springfield).
While each team has been dominant offensively, they do it in very different ways.
The Corsairs are led by graduate quarterback Dante Aviles-Santos, who has thrown for nearly 2,500 yards and ranks fifth nationally with 38 passing touchdowns. His top target is senior wide receiver Angel Sanchez. Sanchez’s 14 receiving touchdowns rank top-10 nationally, and he is approaching 1,000 yards receiving on the season. UMass Dartmouth’s 54.2 total points per game rank third in the country, giving the Pride a unique scoring threat they have not faced this season.
Right behind them, in 10th in national scoring are the Pride, who have gotten it done on the ground as teams are accustomed to. They lead Division III in rushing by over 100 yards per game with 451, and scored five more rushing touchdowns (58) than any other team.
Arsen Shtefan’s 1286 rushing yards rank seventh in the country, while his 17 touchdowns have him tied for sixth. Blane Hart also ranks in the top 25 with 13 rushing scores.
Historically, the two squads have matched up four times, with Springfield taking three of the contests. Most recently, the two teams played a home-and-home series in 2014 and 2015, where the Pride swept both games.
Although neither Pride head coach Mike Cerasuolo and Corsairs head coach Josh Sylvester were in that position in their last matchup in September of 2015, both served as their respective squad’s offensive coordinator in that game, so the two coaches are not unfamiliar with each other.
The game will take place on Nov. 30 at Stagg Field. As opposed to FloSports, the Pride’s normal carrier for all athletic events, the game will air live on ESPN+, due to the NCAA’s agreement with the platform to expand its coverage of the Division III Football Tournament.
The other team that is nationally bound is the women’s volleyball team, led by head coach Moira Long.
Similarly to the football team, the women’s volleyball team will also be playing at the same location as last season, but they will be on the road.
They will travel up to Huntingdon, Penn. and the campus of Juniata once again to take on Virginia Wesleyan.
Both teams received at-large bids to the tournament after failing to win their respective conference tournaments. The Pride fell in the semifinals of the NEWMAC tournament to eventual champion Smith, while Virginia Wesleyan fell in the fifth set in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship game against Washington and Lee.
The Pride have never matched up with the Marlins in program history, who are making just their second appearance in the national tournament in their program history.
On the other hand, Moira Long has now led the Pride to the national stage in 10 of her 14 seasons on Alden Street, and for the third time in the last four years.
A multitude of big wins over fellow NCAA tournament teams and a tough out of conference schedule gave the Pride a nod for an at-large bid. They defeated Middlebury, Endicott and Smith, and four of their seven losses also came against tournament teams.
The Pride are led by a trio of players who earned All-NEWMAC honors. 2023 Player of the Year Riley Donahue made a return to the conference first team in 2024, while Maeve Voltz and Natalie Billet both earned Second Team All-Conference honors.
Voltz has been an impact player for the Pride this season. She led the conference in blocks by a wide margin, and was the only player to average over a block per set. Her 125 total blocks also rank in a tie for 12th nationally.
On the other hand, Virginia Wesleyan junior outside hitter Hannah Smith will be a key factor in the clash between the two. She ranked fourth in the country in kills, with 495 in 116 sets, and is a potential All-American candidate.
The Pride and Marlins have just one common opponent, Stevens Institute of Technology. The Pride played them first, very early in the season at the Joel Dearing Invitational in Blake Arena. Stevens took on Virginia Wesleyan nearly a month later. The two had opposing results, with Stevens defeating Springfield and losing to Virginia Wesleyan.
The game will take place on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 4:30 p.m. The game will be available for free to stream on the NCAA website. The game can be found at ncaa.com/champs-pass.
Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics.