Niko Spezial played baseball at Wake Forest University from 2010-2013. Afterwards, he was drafted in the 19th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft by the Washington Nationals and played Minor League Baseball in the New York-Pennsylvania League and the Gulf Coasts League in 2013. He talks about growing up in Northern New Jersey, how he got into baseball, and his decision to attend Don Bosco Prep for high school. Niko details his great high school baseball career where he pitched for a pr...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Danny Spond played football at the University of Notre Dame from 2010-2012. Prior to his Senior season, he had to medically retire from the sport due to debilitating migraines but he stayed on with the team for the 2013 season. Danny talks about growing up in Littleton, Colorado, getting into football at a young age, and being on a dominate Little League Football team as a kid. He describes what it was like to attend Columbine High School and how special the community is. He details his great Co...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Steph Cruz played volleyball at Fairfield University from 2009-2012 and currently has her purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She talks about growing up in Midland Park, NJ, getting into sports through her late father, her great high school career at Immaculate Heart Academy, and what it was like to play through her senior season as her father passed away. She describes her recruiting process, why she chose Fairfield, her transition from high school to college volleyball, and playing in the MAAC...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 32 min
Erin Dunston is the Assistant Athletic Director of Football Recruiting & Events at Ohio State University. Prior to that, she was the Director of On Campus Recruiting at Ohio State (2021-Feb. 2024), the Director of On Campus Recruiting at the University of Kansas (2019-2021), the Athletics Administration Associate at Purdue University (2018-2019), and a Graduate Assistant in Football Operations at Louisiana State University (2016-2017). She talks about growing up in Silver Spring, Maryland, a...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 25 min
Ryan Henry played softball at Villanova University from 2019-2023 where she was a First Team All Big East Player, a part of 2 Big East Championship Teams, and made 2 NCAA Tournament appearances She talks about growing up in Ramsey, NJ, how she got into softball, her great Ramsey High School career where she was an All State player, originally committing to play in college at Fordham, and how she switched to Villanova. Ryan discusses being diagnosed with diabetes just a few short months into coll...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Michelle Cruz played volleyball at Providence College from 2013-2016 and holds the school record for career digs. She talks about growing up in Midland Park, NJ, how her late father got her and her sister Stephanie involved in volleyball and other sports at a young age, and the position of libero. She details her excellent high school career at Immaculate Heart Academy where she won 4 straight state championships, was First Team All State, and broke the record for career digs. Then, she describe...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Kennedy Martin played basketball at Truman State University, a Division II school in Kirksville, MO, from 2014-2018. She talks about being from Iowa but moving to Southern Illinois as a kid, her connection to the University of Iowa Women's Basketball Team which includes her younger sister Kate Martin as a current member of the team and her aunt Jan Jensen on the coaching staff, growing up going to the Iowa Women's Basketball camp every summer, and her experience at the Final Four last year. Kenn...
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Kristina Lynch played soccer at Florida State University from 2018-2021 where she was a member of 2 National Championship teams before transferring to the University of Notre Dame from 2022-2023 to finish her college career. She talks about growing up in Granger, Indiana, being a Notre Dame fan as a kid, how she got into soccer, and winning the NFL Punt Pass and Kick competition in 2010 and 2021. Kristina discusses her decorated career at Penn High School where she was the Gatorade Player of the...
Feb 06, 2024•48 min
Lexi Weger is the Graduate Assistant Coach for the University of North Carolina Women's Basketball program. Prior to that, she played basketball at Princeton University from 2018-2023 where she won 4 Ivy League Regular Season Championships, 3 Ivy League Tournaments, and played in 3 NCAA Tournaments. She talks about growing up in Alexandria, VA, going to Episcopal High School where she boarded all 4 years, her outstanding high school career there, the recruiting process, and why she chose Princet...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Kate Blasi is a registered yoga teacher, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and owner of Seaquence LLC. She talks about growing up in Bergen County, New Jersey, in an athletic family, playing many sports as a kid, and when and how she got into yoga. Kate discusses what she loves about yoga, her favorite kinds to do, why it has become a more popular form of exercise, and how she stayed connected to yoga during Covid. Then, she details becoming a registered yoga teacher in 2021 and all that it en...
Jan 23, 2024•53 min
Jenna Giacone is the Assistant Coach and Director of Scouting & Player Development for the University of Illinois Women's Basketball Team. Prior to that, she played basketball at the University of Dayton from 2016-2022 and was on the training camp roster for the Seattle Storm in 2022. She talks about growing up in Delmar, New York, in a very athletic family, playing basketball with her sister Gabby, who is only 15 months older than her, her great career atBethlehem Central High School, and t...
Aug 08, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Ka'lia Johnson played basketball at Duke University from 2011-2015, professionally in Europe for a year, has coached at a number of women's college basketball programs, and was recently named an Assistant Coach at Towson University. She talks about being an army brat as a kid before settling in the Richmond, Virginia area, and getting into basketball through her athletic family. She discusses her great high school career at Thomas Dale High School, becoming a Duke fan in middle school, and commi...
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Tania Davis is the Director of Player Development for the University of Iowa Women's Basketball Team. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha from 2021-2023, a Graduate Assistant at Clemson University from 2019-2021, and played at the University of Iowa from 2015-2019. She talks about growing up in Flint, Michigan, getting into basketball at a young age, her great career at Goodrich High School where the team went 100-8 in her 4 years, and the recruiting pro...
Jul 11, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Taylor Wright played baseball at Brown University from 2012-2015 and pitched in the Minor Leagues from 2019-2021. He talks about what it's like having former Villanova Basketball Coach Jay Wright as his father, his involvement with the program, and playing 3 sports growing up. He discusses his great high school career at Episcopal Academy where he played football, basketball, and baseball, his recruiting process for baseball, and why he chose Brown. Taylor then details attempting to play 2 sport...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Maddie Plank is a current player on the Davidson College Women's Basketball Team. Prior to joining Davidson in 2022, she played at Princeton University from 2019-2022. She talks about growing up as the oldest of four in Briarcliff Manor, New York, being passionate about basketball from a young age, great high school success, and the recruiting process that led her to Princeton. Maddie discusses getting injured her Freshman year and missing the season, Covid-19 cancelling the remainder of the 202...
Jun 27, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Dylan Geissert is the Associate Head Coach for the North Dakota State University Women's Basketball Team. Prior to being named Associate Head Coach, he worked as an Assistant Coach at NDSU from 2019-2023 and a Graduate Student Manager at the University of Kansas from 2017-2019. He graduated from Emporia State University in 2016 where he was a Student Assistant Coach and Male Practice Player for the Women's Basketball Team. Dylan talks about growing up in Herington, Kansas, playing 3 sports, and ...
Jun 20, 2023•58 min
Julia Cunningham played basketball at Princeton University from 2018-2023 where she was a part of 4 Ivy League Regular Season Championships and 3 Ivy League Tournament Titles. She talks about growing up in Watchung, NJ, getting into basketball a bit late, her great career at Watchung Hills High School where she is the All-Time Leading Scorer to this day, and the recruiting process that led her to Princeton. Julia describes the transition to Division I Basketball, playing right away as a Freshman...
Jun 13, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Stephen Perretta is the Assistant Coach for the Iona College Women's Basketball Team. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Coach for the Fairleigh Dickinson Women's Basketball Team from 2021-2023. He graduated from Villanova University in 2021 where he spent time as a Male Practice Plater for the women's program and is the son of former Villanova Women's Basketball Coach Harry Perretta. Stephen talks about growing up around the Villanova program, what it was like to have a Division 1 basketball co...
Jun 06, 2023•59 min
On today's brief episode, the host, Bridget, explains why the podcast had to go on hiatus. However, there is great news. It's coming back!
May 12, 2023•2 min
Peter Lipari wrestled at Rutgers University from 2015-2019, Rider University in 2020, and Arizona State University in 2021. He talks about growing up in Byram Township, New Jersey, how he got into wrestling, and his first two years at Lenape Valley High School where he placed in the state. Peter discusses his family's move during his Junior year, transferring to Bergen Catholic High School, a nationally ranked program, the competition in the wrestling room, his excellent final 2 years there, and...
Sep 21, 2022•58 min
Kyla Sears played lacrosse at Princeton University from 2018-2022 and became the program's all-time leading scorer. She talks about growing up in Skaneateles, New York, getting into lacrosse through her father, and her great career at Skaneateles High School where she won 2 State Championships, played in the Under Armor All-American Game, and came back from 2 knee injuries to win the 2017 National Player of the Year award. Kyla discusses her recruiting process and choosing Princeton because of t...
Sep 07, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Grace Lange played basketball at Villanova University from 2017-2020, is currently in law school at the University of Pennsylvania, and recently won Miss Delaware. She talks about growing up in Newark, Delaware, in an athletic family, how she got into basketball, her great high school career at Caravel Academy, how she got into the pageant world, and winning Miss Delaware Teen in 2017. Grace discusses her recruiting process, her decision to become a preferred walk-on at Villanova, and getting to...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Danielle Rauch played basketball at the University of Michigan from 2018-2022 and is now the Graduate Assistant for the Clemson University Women's Basketball team. She talks about growing up in Syracuse, New York, in an athletic family, how she got into basketball, and her outstanding career at Bishop Ludden High School where she became the all-time leading scorer and once had a quadruple-double. Danielle discusses the recruiting process, why she chose Michigan, and being apart of a great recrui...
Aug 24, 2022•55 min
Jon Quigley is a hiker who has logged over 1,600 miles on the Appalachian Trail during 3 different trips. He talks about being born in Pennsylvania, but growing up in West Virginia, getting into hiking through his family, being a big Philly sports fan, running cross country and track in high school, and serving in the United States Military. Jon discusses why he decided to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2013, how he got his trail name "Jupiter", his experiences, and why he went back and hiked mor...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Taj Benning played basketball at Fairfield University from 2017-2022. He talks about growing up in Fair Lawn, NJ, getting into basketball through his father, starting AAU at a young age, attending Bergen Catholic High School, being apart of the Bergen Catholic/Don Bosco rivalry, and his recruiting process that led him to choose Fairfield. Taj discusses the transition to college basketball, the competition in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and losing more games that he was used to...
Aug 10, 2022•42 min
Mike Giambagno is the founder of Every Ball Has A Story, a company that tracks golf balls and the stories they create around the world. He talks about growing up in Paramus, NJ, being the middle of 3 boys, getting into golf at an early age from his father, and his high school career on the golf team. Mike discusses enjoying golf into adulthood, some of the courses he's played at, and the courses that are on his bucket list. Then, he details how he, his brothers, and a friend came up with the ide...
Aug 03, 2022•59 min
Mary Schwappach played soccer at the University of Notre Dame from 2012-2016. She talks about growing up in Denver, Colorado, how she got into soccer, starting club soccer at an early age, and being on many successful teams. Mary describes her Mullen High School career where she was a 3-sport athlete, excelling in basketball, track & field, and soccer, but only playing 2 years of high school soccer to prioritize club. She details her recruiting process, why she chose Notre Dame, switching fr...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr
Caleb Krueger played basketball and ran track & field at Ottawa University from 2012-2016 and is now the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of North Carolina Women's Basketball team. He talks about growing up in Wakefield Kansas, how he got into basketball and track & field, his great career at Wakefield High School, and the process that led to him playing 2 sports at Ottawa University. Caleb details how he was able to play 2 sports at the collegiate level, how he ma...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Charlie Bagin played basketball at Princeton University from 2017-2022, and during a gap year in 2021, he cycled across the country with fellow athlete, Maddie Plank, raising money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). He talks about growing up in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, being the oldest of four kids, how he got into basketball, and playing on competitive AAU teams. Charlie discusses his high school career at Don Bosco Prep, the rivalry with Bergen Catholic, winning a State Title a...
May 17, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Christian Rodriguez played baseball at Prairie View A&M University in 2017-2018 before getting cut from the team. Instead of transferring, he stayed at the school to complete his electrical engineering degree and found a love for coaching baseball. Christian talks about growing up in Cypress, Texas, being a Chicago sports fan, how he got into baseball, playing baseball at 2 different high schools in Cypress, and his recruiting process that led him to becoming a preferred walk-on at Prairie V...
May 13, 2022•44 min
