As it was for many across the country, the 2020-21 athletic seasons posed a number of challenges and new ways of doing things. Molloy Athletics and its student-athletes showcased the ability to remain flexible and positive, and found ways to continue competing in their sport of choice and achieve success despite the circumstances. The Lions saw all nine teams that were able to compete reach their respective postseason tournaments as well as esports competing in three of its four possible postseason tournaments (Overwatch, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Overwatch). In the limited season of competition for winter sports and the cancellation of fall sports, the maroon and white still earned 47 All-Conference selections, six major postseason awards, 10 All-Region recognitions, three Event Championships, two Elite-19 Awards, two NCAA Regional selections, and one Conference Championship.
 
"The resiliency and grit displayed by our student-athletes this past year was truly amazing," stated Director of Athletics Susan Cassidy-Lyke. "Their positive response to testing and social distancing protocols signified the respect they had for the seriousness of COVID-19. These young men and women didn't allow the restrictions and limitations posed by the pandemic to affect their success, both on the field of play and in the classroom. Each student-athlete embraced the opportunity to return to practice and competition with a renewed sense of appreciation for their sport and teammates."
 
Before officially closing the book on the year like no other that was 2020-21, let's revisit the highlights of each of our programs that competed this year.
 
The first team to return to action donning the maroon and white was the women's bowling program. The Lions were anxious to return to the lanes after the disappointment of the cancellation of the 2019-20 ECC Tournament, where the program was hopeful to make a deep run. The keglers were able to appear in three tournaments, finishing third at the NY Metro Invitational and second at the Bears Classic before ending the season at the conference tournament, earning he program's first-ever All-Conference selection in junior Amanda Kreush.
 
The men's and women's basketball teams both joined women's bowling in an abbreviated campaign. The women went 4-5, sweeping Mercy College in both regular season contests and picking up a win over Saint Thomas Aquinas to earn the fourth-seed in the East Coast Conference Tournament. The Lions blew past Mercy in the first round of the tournament before running into Regional Champion Daemen College to end the season. The team took home two All-Conference selections, led by Defensive Player of the Year in senior Gabriella Aspuru, who was also named to the All-Tournament Team, and graduate student Safiyyah Lee.
 
The men's program put together a 3-8 season, including a nail-biting 79-76 victory over St. Rose and a overtime buzzer-beating three-pointer against Mercy. Like the women, the men earned the four-seed in the conference tournament and were set to also take on Mercy, who was unable to compete due to health and safety protocols. The Lions matched up with conference powerhouse and Regional Finalist STAC in the semifinal to end the season. Molloy took home two All-Conference selections in sophomore James Montgomery and senior Steven Torre while freshman Darren Fergus was named to the All-Tournament Team. Montgomery's standout season would go on to earn him recognition on the regional level from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
 
As the calendar turned to spring, the six spring sports geared up for their heavily anticipated return after losing much, if not all, of the 2020 season to the COVID-19 shutdown.
 
The first to return, men's lacrosse, had been the final team to play before the cancellation of all of last spring's season. The Lions went 3-9, topping Wheeling, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Caldwell. The program returned to the ECC Tournament for the first time since 2018 as the three-seed, but fell to second-seeded Roberts Wesleyan to end the campaign. The team received All-Conference selections in junior Jordan Arbouet and senior Jack Egan.
 
Women's lacrosse went 4-7 on the campaign and returned to the East Coast Conference Tournament for the third-straight season, before falling to eventual national semi-finalist Roberts Wesleyan. The team's performances on the season earned a number of All-Conference selections, highlighted by sophomore Amanda Weber being named the league's Rookie of the Year, eligible due to last year's shortened season, and First Team. Senior Kaitlyn Meyer was also named to the First Team in addition to being recognized by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association as All-Region. Junior Abbie Bellport, sophomore Haille Ross, and freshman Ryan Smith were named All-Conference Second Team.
 
Both the men's and women's track and field team also returned to action after over a year-long hiatus. Freshman Kaitlyn Mohr made an immediate splash, breaking the school's 5,000-meter record (18:53.86) in her first collegiate meet. At the East Coast Conference Championship, junior Meaghan O'Callaghan was selected as the Elite 19 Award winner and won the 400-meter race, helping her earn the Co-Most Outstanding Athlete of the Championship. Freshman Juan Arango took first-place in both the 200-meter and the 400-meter. In total, Molloy combined for All-Conference finishes in 15 events by Mohr, freshmen Christina Hillery, Samantha Latorre, Frank Ferrante, Billy Wren, and Joey Iannello, sophomore Sean Lenahan, Gianni Macchio, Omar Benthami, and Philip Canelo in addition to O'Callaghan and Arango.
 
The softball program put together a 29-16 record and returned to the NCAA East Regional Tournament for the first time since 2017, where they advanced to the National Championship Tournament. The regular season ended in historic fashion, winning the final 12 contests (over the course of just eight days) to earn the two-seed in the ECC Tournament. The Lions received six All-Conference selections, highlighted by freshman Chrissie Huhn being tabbed the league's Rookie of the Year for her standout season. Huhn, redshirt senior Mikaela Tribby, senior Courtney Greene, and sophomore Emma Bachman were all named to the First Team while sophomores Karsyn Eaton and Grace Rende were selected to the Second Team. Head Coach Susan Cassidy-Lyke earned her fifth Coach of the Year selection for her team's performance on the season. In addition, Huhn was recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association as All-Region First Team before going on to receive an All-American Honorable Mention nod from the D2CCA.
 
After a disappointing early end to a promising 2020 campaign, the baseball team returned to action in 2021 prepared to pick up where they left off. Molloy went 25-11, falling just four times in league play, to earn the second-seed in the ECC Tournament. The Lions, who had lost in the Championship Game in both 2017 and 2018, swept a pair of games against St. Thomas Aquinas to give the maroon and white the ECC. Championship, its first league title since 2001 and a selection to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. Third-seeded Molloy tore through the field of competition, forcing a deciding game with top-ranked Southern New Hampshire University to end the historic season. The program took home 10 All-Conference selections, having someone selected at nearly every position on the field. Graduate student Sean Hogan was named the league's Player of the Year and was a First Team selection. He was joined by redshirt junior Thomas Brady, senior Matt Overton, sophomore Charlie Cucchiara, and graduate student Timothy Panetta. Senior Jake McCarthy, sophomore David Franchi, graduate student James Messina, freshman Garrett Scavelli, and senior Peter Theodorellis each earned Second Team honors. Head Coach Joe Fucarino was recognized with his fourth Coach of the Year award. On a regional level, Hogan, Cucchiara, and Overton were all recognized by both the D2CCA and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America while Cucchiara and Panetta were selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
 
Off the field of competition, Molloy continued to be at the forefront of community service initiatives, participating in over 400 hours of service and raising over $6,000 for organizations such as Make-A-Wish and Team IMPACT as well as a number of other team-specific causes. The Lions helped service the local Bethany House by providing multiple locations with an evening meal, and spread thoughts of appreciation to the Dominican Sisters in Amityville in the form of Valentine's Day cards. As a department, Molloy Athletics also demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion with the institution of the No Locker for Racism campaign and the forming of the Reaching Out Against Racism (ROAR) Committee to ensure that all members of the Molloy Athletics community feel safe, welcomed, and affirmed.
 
This academic year, although different with the number of hybrid and online classes, also saw success for the Lions, averaging a 3.43 department GPA, including 121 4.0's earned between both semesters. In addition, over 65% of student-athletes were recognized by being named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (68% Fall, 74% Spring), for earning a 3.25 GPA or higher in the classroom.