The Dolphin Pod

On this week's show, Co-Hosts David Pizzuto & Nicholas Doran preview the spring sports season, and welcomed in Head Baseball Coach Michael Mauro.  Despite being on pause, there is still plenty of excitement surrounding the program, as CSI ushers in what they hope will be a full slate of games within the ECC in 2021.  Mauro talked about his career to this point, what makes his teams unique, and how CSI Baseball wants to make its mark moving forward.  The skipper talked about the challenges centered around COVID, and the frustrations associated with being sidelined to this point.  Knowing that there are brighter days ahead, Mauro shed light on what is still outstanding for him at this stage in his career, having us anxiously looking forward to what is still ahead.

On this week's episode, Co-Hosts David Pizzuto and Nick Doran start by discussing the state of the program and how CSI is approaching the potential for spring practice and play.  After a break, they welcome in CSI freshman Samuel Pope of the Men's Cross-Country and Track & Field team.  Pope spoke about how he narrowed his sports focus in high school specifically to track and how he came to land at CSI from his hometown in Texas.  He talked about life amidst COVID in Dolphin Cove and how he is staying focused and in shape, especially with the recent winter weather settling in/  Pope shared his thoughts on how to excel in the classroom and his academic pursuits as well as what he likes to do when he is away from the classroom and the field.

On this week's edition of The Dolphin Pod, Co-Hosts David Pizzuto & Nicholas Doran sat with CSI Swimming & Diving senior Michael Sorensen, who spoke on the juggling act he has had to maintain as he has gotten the most of his college experience.  Sorensen talked about the weight of five different majors and what he hopes to do post-graduation.  Sorensen obtained a very rare fifth-year scholarship from the Macaulay Honors College and is doing it side-by-side with his swim exploits as well, not to mention his service through the school at large as part of Student Government.  How does he get it all done, and what is it like being from a CSI family (Michael's brother Chris was also a CSI student-athelete)?  That and more on a great interview on this week's episode.

On this week's edition of The Dolphin Pod, Co-Hosts David Pizzuto & Nick Doran sat with CSI SportsNet voice and current podcaster Nick Durst, who lent insight into how he started with podcasting, and how the relatively new medium is serving as a conduit for engaging conversations with some of the biggest sports media stars like former NBA Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy and WFAN Radio Host Craig Carton.  Durst's recent interview with Kenny Albert unveiled his connection to CSI and former Head Coach Tony Petosa, ushering their appearance on The Dolphin Pod last week.  Durst talked about juggling the rigors of the podcast alongside his other work with The Shark Group, and how he hopes to parlay the work he's doing on a more national scale in years to come.

On this week's edition of The Dolphin Pod, Co-Hosts David Pizzuto & Nicholas Doran sat with broadcasting giant Kenny Albert and former CSI Men's Basketball Head Coach Tony Petosa, mapping out their rise as young professionals on what was the College of Staten Island campus in the mid-1980's.  Back then, the duo were connected with the Staten Island Stallions' USBL franchise, Petosa as a player and Albert as a young up-and-coming media member working behind-the-scenes with former CSI coach and Hall of Famer Evan Pickman.  The two spoke of their progressions and advancements in their respective fields, and offered advice to current student-athletes and young professionals looking to elevate in the industry.  Albert also offered a very unique memory that serves as one of his favorite sports moments, and promised to visit again in the future.

On this week's edition of The Dolphin Pod, co-hosts David Pizzuto and Nicholas Doran sit with Head Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving Coach Michael Ackalitis, who doubles as the school's Assistant Athletics Director for Aquatics.  Ackalitis talked about his start in coaching, trying to build the program, and the recent challenges he is facing thanks to COVID.  The group talked about the impact that building closures have on the physical and mental well-being of a swimmer, and how the team is making use of its time away from the pool.  The group saved time to talk about the future of the program at the college and what it holds for them at the NCAA Division II level.

On this week's show East Coast Conference Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Communications Casey Rafferty makes his first appearance, talking about his career in collegiate athletics that led him to the ECC in 2010.  He talked about the changing landscape of the conference and some of the decisions centered around the acceptance of the College of Staten Island in 2019.  The group talked about the challenges of COVID experienced by Rafferty and his colleagues at the conference-level and how it effects the outlook of both winter and spring sports moving forward.  The trio saved time to discuss Rafferty's favorite ECC moments of all time and his perspective on the professional sports scene.

On this week's show Co-Hosts David Pizzuto and Nicholas Doran are joined by CSI Director of Athletics Charles Gomes.  A regular guest, Gomes intros a new calendar year at CSI by discussing the program's state of affairs at the midway point of the year.  Despite no intercollegiate competition since mid-March of 2020, CSI is knee-deep in its second year as an NCAA Division II institution, and Gomes and his staff are continuing to make progressions towards full membership.  The Athletic Director talked about his personal challenges surrounding the inactivity, the outlook on the winter and sports seasons, and return to play protocols.

On this week's show, Co-Hosts David Pizzuto and Nicholas Doran analyze Women's Basketball and sit down with Head Coach Nicole Sarcone.  Coach Sarcone went over her team and the recent response to the COVID inactivity.  As one of CSI's highest-achieving programs in 2019-20, the third-year coach discussed what the pause signifies for her team, and how it plays into building a culture at the school and the new move to NCAA Division II.  The coach talked about best practices and the type of player that fits her team, the recent recruiting class, and the outlook on what the program hopes to be when it does get back on track, hopefully in late-winter, early-spring.

On this week's edition of The Dolphin Pod, co-hosts David Pizzuto and Nicholas Doran concentrate on the winter sport of Men's Basketball for the second consecutive week.  After looking at the student-athlete perspective with Messiah Mallory last week, the duo this week analyze the sport from the coaching angle with Head Men's Basketball Coach T.J. Tibbs.  The group talked about the state of the program currently and the state of mind of the group as a whole during the COVID inactivity.  Tibbs explained some of his personal and team philosophies during this time and strategies for success and personal growth.  The group save time to talk a little basketball and what it might look like when things do reconvene, and what the coach has been up to on a podcast of his own that recently debuted.