RPI Athletics

With the recent passing of Kobe Bryant and the success of the basketball programs here at RPI this season I thought it would be a good time to bring on some seniors from both the women's and men's teams. As per usual we talk about each players origins to their sport as well as how and why they chose RPI. We also dig into the heated debate of why basketball players are considered to be the most athletic people on the planet. Sam opens up on why she took a break from basketball after her junior season, playing ball at Brooklyn Park, and why she fell back in love with the sport and her team. Kevin and Mitch explain how this years team is having historic success despite a lack of offensive talent and what it's going to take to get recognized nationally. We of course do some trivia and then say goodbye

The RPI Men's Soccer team has been having an absolutely record breaking year. On this episode I sit down with captains Austin betterly and Joe Di Miceli to discuss their season. Learn about how these 2 found RPI and eventually ended up choosing it. Austin and Joe then talk about other sports that they played growing up and when they had to eventually commit to soccer full time. We discuss the culture of club/travel soccer and how it helped them develop their skills at a higher level and helped them make the friends that they still are close with today. 

Later in the episode we dive into the popularity of soccer worldwide, why they love it so much, and how the video game of FIFA is helping spread the popularity in the United States. 

Next we have some great soccer trivia where we learn who the latest d3 player to play in the MLS was.

Lastly, they talk about their season and the growing crowds at Fortress ECAV

Get to know RPI XC legend Nolan Feola: Section V's Greatest. Feola was a member of the cross country team from 2012-2016. Feola got to experience the beginning phases of Coach John Lynch's growth of the team into an annual national powerhouse. Feola talks about how RPI Athletics helped him with his goal of becoming a medical doctor and his time in medical school for the past 3 years and how he has continued to run since graduation. He talks about growing up in Irondequois, NY just outside of Rochester and playing hockey for most of his youth and then transitioning into running during high school. He talks about the United States Air Force giving him the opportunity to study medicine freely and how RPI Athletics helped him during boot camp. We also get to learn how Nolan's father, a former hockey captain at Elmira College and IIHF referee at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, taught him to have the work ethic like no one else. We also learn about the close bond that he has with former teammates and how running continues to keep them in contact. Lastly we talk about the infamous Capital District Classic 5000 meter race of his senior year. 

This episode of the RPIAthletics Podcast introduces RPI Hockey captain Tommy Grant. Tommy talks about how he became a hockey player despite growing up in Sparta, NJ as opposed to Canada or Upstate NY. He also talks about the unique way that college hockey players are recruited in comparison to other sports. He also talks about the difference of being an older freshman on a college campus. It's a shorter episode compared to the first 2 but is a very high quality episode

Episode 2 of the RPI Athletics Podcast introduces two of the best female athletes at RPI over the last 4 years. Karina Bolton a 3-time nationals qualifier in Cross Country and Lovisa Selander the NCAA all-time saves leader. Despite the two being on different teams, they both share leadership qualities and a common belief in performance-enhancing ice cream. Both talk about how they got involved with athletics growing up and the benefits it has brought them as well as their awards for Worst Singer on each of their teams. Lovisa talks about the growth of women's ice hockey in recent years and the call for a unified women's professional league. She also shares some of her talents that you would not know about in the classroom or on the ice. This episode really brings out the personalities of these athletes and makes for some quality entertainment.

Listen to the debut RPI Athletics Podcast featuring Sport’s Information Specialist Bud Fucarino. First, we get personal and learn the origin of Bud’s nickname before digging into how he got involved with the sports communications department. Then we learn about one of his favorite moments in sports here on campus and who his favorite team is. We finally close out with some trivia about RPI Athletix and learn about Bud’s greatest fear…It’s quite the surprise. So if you got some down time or need something to entertain yourself with while you're working, tune in and learn about some of your favorite local athletic teams at RPI.

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This week on the RPI Athletics Podcast I am joined by the starting senior Midfielders on the Men's Lacrosse Team JP McGrady, Lucas Bastarache, and Will Killeen. This was a very entertaining group of guys and they talk about a lot of the fun things about their team that makes them unique from the other teams on campus including their self-made goal songs, the extreme hairstyles they bring out for the playoffs, and the craziness that they get from their bench. All 3 bring out their hilarious personalities and also talk about their plans for playing after college including Lucas playing for Burnside Lacrosse Club in Australia.