Student Spotlight: Rebecca Breve

Staying Away From What You Love

  

Soon to be an early college graduate Rebecca Breve has had her fair share of complications as a soccer player. She played for the Manhattanville women’s soccer team during her freshman and sophomore year as their forward. This season she is not playing with the team but is part of the college’s soccer club.

Soccer is fundamental is Breve’s life. “Culture wise soccer is the main sport. Everything revolved around soccer, and my family is very much involved,” said Rebecca Breve, who has been playing soccer since she was in elementary school.

One of her greatest feats was playing for the Honduras national women’s soccer team back home. When given the opportunity, Breve gave it her all. The team even managed to be a Pre-World Cup qualifier. This was huge for Honduras.

Unfortunately, Rebecca Breve had suffered an injury last year that put her soccer playing career on the line. She had shin splints and possible stress factors on her legs. “My doctor told me I wouldn’t be able to play for six months. He said, ‘you need to stop if you want to keep playing in the future,’” said Breve.

The injury also affected her playing time at Manhattanville. She decided to take a break from playing soccer and opted not to join this year’s team. “It wasn’t worth beating my legs,” Breve said. “After all, I want to be able to use and have a future using my legs.”

It is hard to stay away from the sport you love. Now Breve plays on the Manhattanville soccer club from time to time. The soccer club plays three times a week. “I play maybe once a week, every other week,” said Breve. “I just can’t stay away.”

Breve’s focus now lies on graduating. She will have finished school in three years, and she plans on becoming a physical therapist. “Growing up I wanted to be a professional soccer player, I mean who doesn’t, but now I have to be more realistic,” said Breve. “After my injury I had to make a few changes and adjustments for my future.”

Untold Story

Mville Soccer Game Turns Sour

Last Sunday, the Manhattanville women’s soccer team played a freedom conference away-game against FDU (Fairleigh Dickinson University). The result ended in a 3-2 loss against the FDU Devils. They were able to stay in the game for the majority of its duration.

The Valiants had been tied with the Devils 2-2 heading into the second half. Christie Demarco scored the Valiants first goal and her eighth of the season during the 28^th minute. The second goal came from Tori Lettieri a minute after the Devils had taken a 2-1 lead, making it a tied game.

Their downfall came at the 69^th minute mark when the FDU Devils scored taking advantage of a 3-2 lead to shut down the Valiants. After the goal, the Valiants could not come back and remained fairly quite throughout the final minutes.

While the Manhattanville women’s soccer team had lost the game, they still managed to play under various pressures. For one the FDU’s hospitality was not there and the Valiants found themselves playing through a lot of scrutiny.  

 “It wasn’t the best experience I’ve had playing on the field. There was a group of FDU students yelling at us telling us that we had Ebola because we came from New York,” said one of the players who wish to remained unnamed.

The group of students that were bashing the team appeared to be heavily under the influence and singled out players by their name. They read the names that were on the program and yelled them out and verbally insulted each one of them.

“One of our players is Ethiopian and she was being accused of having Ebola, which was absolutely absurd. I don’t think that joking about the matter was appropriate at all. It shows the lack of common sense that some people have,” said Christie Freer.

The verbal insults continued for the majority of the game up until the 60^th minute when the refs decided to kick the group of FDU students out for their disruption. Surely this had an impact on the players on the field.

“I still can’t believe that they waited that long to kick them off,” said Freer.

Nevertheless, the team composed themselves throughout the game. It was a close game where unfortunately the Valiants did not have an advantage.

The women’s soccer team will look to play their final non-conference away-game against the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State on Wednesday at 6:00PM.

Striving for Improvement

Brotherhood in Dammann 32

The Manhattanville men’s lacrosse team is undefeated during this year’s preseason games. Last season they did not have the same luck during the regular season and only managed to win one game (1-15 overall). Much of their success this time around has to do with the team’s chemistry.

(Taken from GoValiants.com)

After the 2014 season their head coach Kevin Warnock resigned. This left a void that had left the team feeling uneasy until they were able to find a new head coach. The job was given to Ryder Bohlander and the assistant coach job went to Owen Blye, who both played for Division I Maryland University.

The two share a great friendship on and off the field and a brotherhood that has translated well for the rest of the team. The team players also know a thing or two about what it means to have a strong brotherhood.

Sophomore William Pfeiffer’s decision to come to Manhattanville was based on the fact that it offered a family environment among the players.  “I fell in love with the people more than I did with the school,” said Pfeiffer. Even while he experienced a tough first season with the Valiants, the friendships that he built off the field helped him tremendously.

Sophomore William Pfeiffer

“I don’t know where I would be without those guys. How would I have been able to finish all of my work?” said Pfeiffer. “They’re the ones who motivate me. We do our homework at the same time in the same room, so at least it feels like we’re all struggling together. You’re able to share a type of oneness.”

Much of their activities take place in Dammann Hall in Suite 32 where the team find a place to unwind after dealing with academics. Essentially this place is their safe haven while they’re on campus.

Pfeiffer sees the friendship that the team’s coaches share as an inspiration. “Through them you’re able to see that after you’re done playing you still have connections – connections that you’re able to go beyond simply being teammates.”

The chemistry that this team shares allows them continue to strive for excellence. Aside from being undefeated during their preseason, their goal is to win conference and go to tournament. From the looks of it, the 2015 season will be one worth following.

Continual Support On and Off the Court

“Hard Work, Consistency, and Heart”

Head Coach Kate Vlahakis

The Manhattanville women’s basketball looks to start their season on a high note. Practice for the upcoming season began on October 15. The team was eager to get back on the court. The team will be working to improve on the 2013-2014 season they had (10-15 record).

The Valiants are led by Kate Vlahakis, who will be coaching them for a third year. Throughout her coaching career at Manhattanville, the teams that she has coached have been able to perform at a high level. Two of the completed seasons in which she coached the Valiants were able to maintain a record over .500.

Vlahakis came to Manhattanville to accomplish success.

“I am excited to get in the gym with the girls and define the culture of this program, which will be built on hard work, consistency and heart. Our goal is to be consistent contenders in the Freedom Conference and to hang a banner in Kennedy Gymnasium," said Kate Vlahakis after accepting the head coach position at Manhattanville in 2012.

Hard work, consistency, and heart have all been part of Vlahakis’ standards as a coach. She demands a lot from her players and has high expectations for each of the 16 players on her team. Early on during preseason Vlahakis made it mandatory for each player to attend workouts that focused on pickup techniques, lifting and conditioning. Failure to attend to these workouts could affect their future playing-time.

Her dedication to the team has been persistent on and off the court. Recently she took it to twitter to talk about her “girls” and their desire to work for something greater than their selves. She certainly demonstrates her high hopes for the team. To find out what else Kate Vlahakis has to say follow her @CoachVlahakis on Twitter.   

As for the women’s basketball team, they will try to get their season officially started on November 15 during their tip-off tournament against Gwynedd Mercy University in Gwynedd Valley, PA. 

Things Can Only Get Better... Right?

Season-Ending Injuries Plague a Team

The Manhattanville women's soccer team cannot catch a break. Having started the season ill equipped, this team has had their fair share of let downs. They currently have a 2-9-1 record this season. They continue to fight through it as a team but there are some factors that don’t help them.

Junior Christie Freer

For one, the team is playing with ONLY 11 presumably healthy players. In fact, a single team in order to play needs exactly 11 players. This means that the Valiants have no reserved players on the bench to relieve players during a game. By simply having no backups, this creates a lot of stress on the current players because they have no other option than to play the full 90-minutes. It is crucial for the players to take care of their bodies to increase their endurance and stamina to avoid injuries.

This season two of the team players suffered major season-ending injuries. The first of the two was Christie Freer, who injured her self during a game against Keane University. She had a scary fall and ended up with a radial-head fracture, which is one of the most common elbow injuries found in adults. As a junior, there is still the possibility that she will be able to get back on the field next year.

Junior Carolina Palaez

The second injury went to Carolina Palaez, who had been battling knee pains for a couple of weeks. While she played on the field she knew that something was off and decided to get herself checked out, and it turned out that she had a torn meniscus. A torn meniscus is tearing of the shock-absorbing cartilage of the knee. Palaez had to get surgery which also included her getting part of her bone shaved off. Luckily, it is not too serious of an injury and it should take up at least five-weeks to heal.

It is safe to say that the Valiants need all the help they can get to overcome their season’s woes. It won’t be an easy journey for them seeing the trials and tribulations that they have faced.

Tomorrow they will play an away game against DeSales University at 3:00pm. It will be remarkable to see if they are able to pull a win amidst all of the misfortunes. After all, winning tends to make things feel much better.  

Lifted Spirits

Beyond Athletics:

RED MADNESS Takes On a New Meaning

The Manhattanville athletic department has been in charge of coordinating the annual Red Madness festivities. Red Madness is the college’s version of a pep rally that is meant for the school to come together as one. The event is essentially used to showcases all of the sports teams and is held right before the basketball and hockey season begins. It is usually held inside the Kennedy Gym but this year that changed.

In past years, the turnout and attendance has not gone as expected. It has consisted of athletes and lots of them. Instead of the Manhattanville community coming as one, it was just the athletes of the school that primarily made up the attendance at Red Madness. As small of a school as Manhattanville is, there should be more people that take part in it aside from just athletes.

The need to bring awareness to Red Madness was evident. This created a need for change, and change is exactly what took place. This past Thursday, Manhattanville College held Red Madness and it singlehandedly changed the experience for many. Instead of taking place in the gym it moved its location to GoValiants.com Field.

Upon arrival, students and faculty were advised to bring in a perishable good that would be given to the Duchesne Center. It is also worth noting those freshmen were required to attend as part of their freshman seminar. That definitely helped to increase the attendance.

As large as the field is, the school managed to fill it up nicely. The music was loud and so was the crowd. It finally appeared to be a real “college” event; the kind that you usually see at big state colleges. Students even walked around with their face painted in Valiant colors. People genuinely appeared to be enjoying the event.

“I can honestly say this was my first college experience. I feel like I actually go to a college now,” said junior, Yanilis Checo  

The main portion of the night included the dance routines that each sports team created. They proved to have talents on and off the field. The music selection resonated well with the crowd and they sang along. It was the women’s softball team that took the prize at the end of the night for best dance.

The changes made for Red Madness turned out to be successful. Finally the opportunity to bring the school together was made possible. 

It's Time to PINK About It

Mville Teams Spread Breast Cancer Awareness

 

Sports are not just used for entertainment and pleasure; they are also used to bring groups together for a common goal. In some cases these common goals affect different communities and their wellbeing on a larger scale. At Manhattanville College, the women’s softball team took part in their fall double-header this past Sunday. These games were much more than just any regular softball game; these games were geared toward raise profits and awareness that would go towards Breast Cancer research. The women’s lacrosse team also helped the cause through their playing their fall ball tournament.

The players wore pink as a part of their uniforms to show their support in “saving 2^nd base” (breast cancer) on the field. It was fitting that even the skies were pink in honor of such a great cause. In between the double-headers the women’s lacrosse team also played their fall ball tournament in honor of breast cancer awareness. The day was packed with sporting events that helped bring the Manhattanville community together.

The first game of the double-header for the softball game was a little rocky and the Valiants fell short against St. Thomas Aquinas with a score of 6-3. It was their first game of the year and there were still some adjustments that had to be made.  

The women’s lacrosse team also wasn’t as lucky with their match and they lost their tournament. Yet they managed to help spread awareness and also got a game under their belt. They grazed the field with their camo game shirts with pride nonetheless.

Luckily for the women’s softball team they were able to get a fresh start in their second game of the day. They played against Concordia College and this time around they were able to get a win in the column. The team won by a whopping 3-0 score that helped them gain momentum for the team. Even with their initial loss they were able to leave the field with a win to make the day sweeter.

Aside from winning, the day ended on a positive note because of the impact that the team’s effort made on spreading awareness on Breast Cancer. GoValiants.com Field was filled with different assortments of pink items. Not to mention, the fall ball tournaments were able to successfully unite the teams for a common goal.

 

Dance Just Got Interesting

So You Think You Can Dance?

You may have seen them on the sidelines at hockey or basketball games, and even at the annual Quad Jam showing off their dance moves, but do you know who they are? The Manhattanville Dance Troupe (MDT) has been performing at countless school events throughout the years and they have been incredibly successful. While some may not think that dance is a considered a “real” sport, the MDT have certainly been able to make an argument that in fact it is a sport.

The Manhattanville Dance Troupe practice at least three times a week and they also perform at a couple school games and other functions. MDT is a student based dance group where most of the decisions are made by the students themselves. This year the MDT will have three captains in charge: Juliane Pettorossi, Elisabeth Ritter, and Rachel Johnson. Just like for any Mville sport team, in order to be a part of this team auditions must be held in order for an individual to make the final cut.

In order to make the final cut, you must be incredibly disciplined. You must be ready to dance for hours on end, and you must be ready to use your flexibility. The choreography that goes into each dance varies. The MDT performs various styles such as jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and tap so the dancer should also be ready to contribute to any of those styles. Above all if you want to be a part of the MDT you must be dedicated.

Manhattanville Dance Troupe at Downtown Disney (2014)

For the past three years the Manhattanville Dance Troupe has been able to take their talents down to Downtown Disney and perform there. This event usually takes place in the summer and they take great pride in being able to represent the Mville community. In order to make this happen they need a certain number of people according to the Disney guidelines in order to be able to go and with that they need to audition in order to perform there.

It is definitely not an easy task but the MDT has been able to continue their success. While being a member of the MDT is more often left to the pros at Manhattanville, the college also has a group called the Manhattanville Dance Ensemble. The Manhattanville Dance Ensemble is a less intense version of MDT that is open to just about anyone who is interested in dancing or learning how to dance.

There are many opportunities for the students to involve themselves through dance at various levels. The Manhattanville Dance Ensemble could also be seen as a stepping stone for those who are intrigued by the possibility of joining the Manhattanville Dance Troupe one day.

The Perfect Match

Mville Set Up: Kyra Herbert

Kyra Herbert

Finding the right chemistry for a team can take quite a while. However, once in a while the stars align and then a team’s chemistry forms without forcing it. This is the certainly the case for the Manhattanville women’s ice hockey team, and junior Kyra Herbert knows of this first hand. Her time at Manhattanville have shown her that teamwork and being able to get along with her teammates has helped her maintain a sisterhood on and off the ice, as a member of the women’s ice hockey team.

Herbert is starting her second year at Manhattanville; she transferred as a sophomore out of the University of Vermont. While she enjoyed her time at UV, she wanted more than what they had to offer. She wanted to get away from home in New Hampshire and wanted to be closer to the city; a place that would be able to open up new opportunities.

“I wanted to find a school that was D3 (Division 3) and close to the city,” said Herbert. “Manhattanville was one of the top five schools and I ended up choosing it.”

Kyra Herbert found her perfect match at Manhattanville for more than one reason. Aside from it being a D3 school that had one of her favorite sports, it also offered sports studies as a major. That was a perk that Herbert would be able to use towards her ultimate goal.

“I want to work in professional sports or work as an athletics director,” said Herbert. Manhattanville offers the best of both worlds in both the athletic and academic department. That’s not all of course. Herbert mentioned the fact that she loves how truly diverse the school is. Making the decision to transfer turned out to be the best decision.

As for the women’s ice hockey team, Herbert mentioned that the team helped her ease into her new transition. The team is extremely close to each other and many of the returning players have been playing together since their freshman year. Kyra Herbert found it easy to integrate herself into the team, especially with the help of fellow friend and teammate Melissa Hauptman.

Even though Herbert was starting her athletic career later than most of her teammates, they still welcomed her with open arms. Today, she continues to talk highly of her teammates and even went on describe the team as “best friends.” Herbert looks forward on being able to contribute to a successful season with the team this upcoming season.