Sports
Faculty and Staff Share Their Highlights of the Year
We asked Fordham faculty and staff to reflect on their most memorable, meaningful moments from the past year. Their highlights remind us why our work matters, and why the Fordham community continues to inspire.
Forging Friendships That Will Last for Years to Come
“Students fuel us and inspire us,” said psychology professor and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Rachel Annunziato, Ph.D. This year, one student, Steven Laureano, reminded her of this. Annunziato met him as a first-year when she was tapped to be a summer faculty advisor for this year’s graduating class, and “he stood out quickly as embodying what I love about our students; he was so kind, excited, grateful, and hard-working,” she said. Annunziato focused on creating a schedule that would fit his commute and his work in sales, and “I have watched him soar ever since,” she said.
“He is now a well-known leader in the Commuter Student Association, a superstar psychology major, the recipient of our Davidson Scholarship, and a few weeks ago he called to tell me that he was accepted into Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Work, where his mom is also a student.” They may even graduate from GSS together.
“Students like Stephen are symbolic of the close connections that faculty form here—he’s one of those students that I know I’ll get to be in touch with for so many years to come,” she said. “It’s a gift to be at a place like this where those kinds of relationships are possible. I’ve been at Fordham for almost 15 years and you always get this joy, each and every year.”
Creating a Sense of Home in the Classroom
Theology professor Leo Guardado, Ph.D., began his undergraduate Christian Mystical Texts class one morning in April by asking his students how they felt in this current moment. Students cried, he said; they shared what it’s like to feel unwanted by society. “What I thought would be a brief discussion turned into a class-length holy time and holy space for sharing our vulnerabilities, anxieties, and fears,” said Guardado, who received two Faculty of Arts and Science awards this year, the Humanities award and the James C. McGroddy award, in recognition of his excellence in teaching.
“It became clear to me as I listened to my students that one of the most critical tasks facing us is the communal and ongoing re-creation of a sense of home even amidst the ongoing threats and persecution that is tearing apart communities,” Guardado said. Inviting students to share their stories was a simple gesture, he said, that created a time for healing.
They tabled their discussion on the 16th century Spanish mystic, Teresa of Avila, for the next class, but “the conversation about the reality we are living through made spirituality even more relevant as a source of resistance to violence. We heal together, not alone.”
CCEL in Action in Albany
Each year for the past three years, the Center for Community Engaged Learning [CCEL] has participated in Albany’s annual SOMOS Conference, a statewide gathering of community leaders, elected officials, and changemakers dedicated to promoting justice, public service, and cultural celebration. This year Travis Proulx, vice president of external affairs, joined to participate in a panel discussion on the future of DEI in higher education.
The students who took part in the event made it truly memorable for Keisha Shay, Ph.D., director of academic development and administration in CCEL. They helped design a participatory installation called “Clima,” a handmade tree where visitors could hang their personal pledges and visions for a better climate future.
“Seeing our students engage with communities beyond the Bronx and Manhattan was truly meaningful,” said Shay. “It was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when education uplifts and empowers.”
A Defining Moment in Water Polo’s Winning Season
Before the Fordham men’s water polo team finished its greatest season ever, 32-1, and went further than any other Fordham team in the NCAA Championship, they had to defeat a rival they had only beaten once in the program’s history: Princeton.
“They’ve just been our thorn in our side that we’ve never been able to get past,” said Head Coach Brian Bacharach. But their Sept. 27 game—one of the highlights of Bacharach’s year—was different. “It was the first time in five years that we got them to come to our place to play, so we got a home game against them, and the night was just magical. We played amazing and the stands were packed. We never had so many people in our place before, so we had to open up seating down on the pool deck. We brought all the parents down, because there was not any room up in the stands.” After the win, hundreds of alumni were there to celebrate. “They knew how long it’s taken for us to finally get over the top against those guys. That was our first marquee win.”
Music Meets Mission
As Director of Ignatian Mission Initiatives, Rob Parmach, Ph.D., organizes many opportunities to connect Fordham faculty, staff and students to the local communities around Lincoln Center and Rose Hill. Looking back on them all, a visit by the all-male a capella group, The Fordham Ramblers, to a local middle school, was the most memorable.
“This was for me a great example of seeing God in all things—you have 13 college adults who are talented musicians, but also college students who want to mentor and give a good life lesson to these middle school kids who are in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. They teach them not only about how they put music together, identifying that it’s hard work and it requires a lot of patience and collaboration and teamwork, but also to recognize that through their music and through their soft skills, they’re becoming lifelong friends.”
Getting Everyone in the Room—and on the Field
University Secretary Dorothy Marinucci had a hard time picking just one standout moment from the past year. “January’s Mental Health and Crime Symposium was extremely well received, and I was very proud to have worked on it with my colleagues,” she said. She also spearheads the yearlong commencement planning that brings everyone from the Ram Van crew to facilities to public safety to faculty together for meetings.. “It’s a wonderful opportunity where we’re all in the room together and we go over every crazy thing and we all get to see each other. It’s not that often that we can do that.”
The return of Fordham’s Dagger John Day, which Marinucci and Kathy Law, office coordinator and event specialist in the Office of the University Secretary, helped bring back last June after the pandemic put it on hold, was another highlight of the past year. “We wanted to bring it back in a more engaging, fun way, and so we created a cornhole tournament and other games, and we opened up the football field snack bars to serve hamburgers and hot dogs. It was fun.”
This year, the celebration will move indoors to the air-conditioned Rose Hill Gym on Monday, June 2.
Sports
Cougars come back to win Pop-Tarts Bowl 25-21 over Georgia Tech – BYU Athletics – Official Athletics Website
Fourth Quarter
On second-and-nine, Bachmeier found Roberts in a tight window for a gain of 18. Damuni added four yards, and on third down, Roberts caught a 7-yard pass to move the chains. Bachmeier and Ryan connected for the seventh time, this time for 13 yards to pin BYU at the Yellow Jacket six-yard line. After Kingston recorded a four-yard carry, Nawahine took the direct snap and plowed into the end zone. Keeping the offense on the field to go for two, Bachmier rushed it into the end zone to cut the deficit to three.
BYU forced the game’s first three-and-out. Kingston returned the punt 34 yards to set BYU up at its 45.
Bachmeier pitched to Damuni for a gain of five on first down. The freshman running back gained one yard on the next play, but the Cougars were unable to convert on third-and-four, and Vander Haar and the punting unit returned to the field, resulting in the second three-and-out of the game.
An illegal snap penalty pushed Georgia Tech back to its four-yard line. On second-and-14, King hit Rutherford for a gain of 12, and then another illegal snap penalty was enforced on the Yellow Jackets to set up third-and-seven. Haynes got just short of the line of gain before Glasker and Tanner Wall tackled him to force a punt. Kingston returned the punt four yards and set BYU up at its own 30 with 5:44 on the clock.
Following two incomplete passes, Bachmeier found Kingston at the BYU 34, and he advanced to the 43-yard line to grab the first down. Phillips secured a 14-yard pass from Bachmeier, and then Kingston caught a 15-yard pass to cap three consecutive first downs. After an eight-yard pass to Ryan to the Georgia Tech 20, the running back room led the way, kick-started by Nawahine picking up nine yards with a hurdle over a defender. Bachmeier passed to Damuni for a gain of seven, and then the Providence, Utah product powered into the end zone for his first career touchdown. Alongside Ferrin’s extra point, the Cougars took the lead, 25-21 with two minutes left.
Ferrin’s kickoff was returned 13 yards to pin Georgia Tech at its 21. Nusi Taumoepeau and Lutui hurried King and his pass fell incomplete on first down. On the next play, King lost the ball on a low snap but recovered his fumble for a loss of five yards. On third-and-15, another pass fell incomplete, forcing fourth-and-15. On the play, King went deep to Rivers for a gain of 66 at the BYU 18 with 52 seconds on the clock. The defense held the Yellow Jackets to three-straight incomplete passes, setting up fourth down with 14 seconds remaining. King attempted to hit Haynes in the end zone but his pass was intercepted by Johnson to seal the Pop Tarts Bowl victory 25-21.
The Bearkats (8-4) controlled the temp on both ends of the court, shooting close to 60 percent while limiting the Ambassadors to 31 percent. Sam Houston used its height advantage to dominate the paint, outscoring Biblical Studies 62-12 and outrebounding the Houston area team 66-29.
Isaiah Manning led the Kats with a career-high 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Freshman Jacob Walker also scored a new career high with 24 points, Veljko Illic added 16 points and nine boards, freshman Matt Dann chipped in a career-high 12 points, freshman Jacoby Coleman finished with 11 and Damon Nicholas Jr. had 10.
Sam Houston built a huge first-half lead and never looked back.
The Kats went on a 10-0 run thanks to back-to-back 3s by Walker and Manning, who added a pair of layups to grab a 23-10 advantage. Dann punched in consecutive dunks after a free throw and a two more layups by Nicholas to cap the run at 19-0 to put the game away early as the Ambassadors went more than seven minutes without scoring.
Sam Houston shot a blistering 66 percent from the field in the first half, making 25 of 40 shot attempts. The Bearkats also held Biblical Studies to just 23 percent shooting to build a commanding 59-21 lead at the break.
Conference USA action resumes Jan. 2 when Sam Houston heads to Bowling Green, Kentucky to face WKU at 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
Dec. 28, 2025, 12:20 p.m. CT
At the end of the season, after some of the adrenaline from the Texas A&M championship run had subsided, head coach Jamie Morrison revealed that a few players on his roster would have the opportunity to compete at the next level. While he didn’t name names, we had a pretty strong idea of which standout athletes he was referring to.
On Sunday morning, it was officially announced that senior middle blocker and 2025 NCAAVB Champion Ifenna Cos-Okpalla signed a professional contract to play with League One Volleyball (LOVB) Salt Lake. She joins senior opposite Logan Lednicky in the league, who recently signed with LOVB Houston. Cos-Okpalla was also drafted by MLV but ultimately chose to pursue her career with LOVB. We knew a move was coming soon after the news broke that she had signed with Valor Sports Agency just days before this announcement.
Cos-Okpalla is one of the foundational members of this Aggie championship team, having been part of the program for all four years and choosing to stay committed when Coach Morrison arrived to take over. She elevated her game each season under his leadership, helping her reach new heights and shatter multiple program records. She will leave Texas A&M as the all-time leader in total blocks (566), the single-season block leader (199), and the program’s hitting percentage leader (.422).
It’s fair to say she will be remembered as an Aggie legend, and she now turns her focus toward new goals with a promising professional volleyball career on the horizon.
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla Career stats:
Kills: 637 / 1.70 per set
Hitting %: .372
Blocks: 565 / 1.6 per set
Aces: 41 / .12 per set
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla Career Accolades:
- 2X All-SEC Team
- 4X SEC Player of the Week
- 10X SEC Defensive Player of the Week
- AVCA All-America First Team
- 2X AVCA All-Southwest Region Team
- NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team
- NCAA Champion
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
Sherry Bryant was born deaf, but that hasn’t stopped her from becoming a wife, mother and volleyball coach for Copper Sky Multigenerational Center’s youth volleyball league.
Bryant can’t hear and she doesn’t speak, but she uses hand gestures and written notes to communicate with players. During practice, she is often in the action pointing players to proper positions and cheering on successful plays.
Her desire to coach stems from more than her love of the game. She is able to spend time with her daughter on the court and show that deaf people are not limited.
“My daughter plays, and I feel it benefits her and the girls,” Bryant said. “If there are no volunteers, there might be no one to coach. Another reason is to show deaf people can do it.”
From time to time, Bryant’s players are unable to understand their coach’s instructions.
“This is my first (coaching) experience,” Bryant said. “My assistant coach (Nikki Lucchesi) helps me a lot. She speaks to the players.”
For Copper Sky Sports Coordinator David Aviles, picking Bryant to coach was simple.
“When you run a sports program there are times you run low on coaches,” Aviles said. “I reached out to the parents for the girls, and [Bryant] volunteered. She’s done a great job and really enjoys it.”
Bryant’s team won its first game. The players were attentive to her instructions.
“It’s inspirational for the kids to see that she’s out there coaching,” Aviles said. “She takes a hands-on approach and plays with them. It seems to be working well.”
This story appeared in the February issue of InMaricopa News.
Fresh off leading the Aggies to their first NCAA title, Cos-Okpalla was announced as one of seven collegiate athletes selected for LOVB and will take her talents to Utah. The middle blocker was highly sought after following her senior season, as she garnered First Team All-America honors and led the country in blocks with 199 on the year.
“I couldn’t be happier for Ifenna [Cos-Okpalla] as she starts her pro career,” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “When I took this job one of my goals for the program was to become the best place to develop our athletes into professional and international players. We want to build a clear pathway from college to the professional game, and I know Ifenna is going to thrive at the next level.”
The Flower Mound, Texas, native made history in the final match of her career, setting the program record for career blocks. She entered the contest with 561, one shy of the Jazzmin Babers former record (562), and with her second of the match passed the milestone and added two more to finish her career with 565. Her senior season on its own also made history, as she tallied 199 stuffs which was a single-season record.
Cos-Okpalla’s versatility is what made her stand out, as offensively she recorded 629 kills over her four years while recording back-to-back years with over 200 in 2024 (228) and 2025 (236). Not only did her production rise every year, so did her efficiency which culminated in the program record for hitting percentage in a season this year at .422 percent.
The All-American separates herself from other middle blockers nationwide from the service line, racking up a team-high 42 aces this season which is the most by an Aggie since 2019. Her variety of scoring helped her accumulate 396.5 points on the year.
Leaving a legacy, Cos-Okpalla departs Aggieland a two-time All-American, two-time All-SEC First Team honoree, three-time All-Region selection, an NCAA and SEC All-Tournament Team member and a program record 14-time SEC weekly award winner.
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After transferring to South Carolina prior to the 2025 season, defensive back Myles Norwood will enter the transfer portal in hopes of finishing his last year of eligibility elsewhere next fall. Norwood began his career at Iowa State, transferred to Ball State, and then to South Carolina. He will be looking for his fourth home this offseason.
Norwood was a collegiate track star turned defensive back in his college career. His journey began at Iowa Western Community College where he was a track and field participant for the Reivers. Following his freshman year in track he moved on to Iowa State to play for then head coach Matt Campbell (now Penn State). He spent two seasons with the cyclones appearing in just one game against West Virginia in 2022. In 2024, he transferred to New Mexico State in February, but never played for the Aggies before transferring to Ball State just three months later.
At Ball State, Norwood appeared in all 12 games for the Cardinals making seven starts. He was credited with with 38 tackles including 2.0 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and a team-leading 10 pass breakups. After his breakout season with the Cardinals, Norwood commited to the Gamecocks for the 2025 season. He appeared in 10 games, with two starts, in his time in Columbia as he racked up 19 total tackles this past season.
Updated Transfer Portal Tracker
In addition to Norwood, 11 other Gamecocks have entered the portal so far with the offensive line room taking the biggest hit. That list includes OL Tree Babalade, OL Cason Henry, WR Brian Rowe Jr., QB Air Noland, OL Mac Walters, OL Nick Sharpe, OL Trovon Baugh, DL Zavian Hardy, LB Jaron Willis, LB Taeshawn Alston, and K Peyton Argent.
A few others have already declared their move to the 2026 NFL Draft. Wide receiver Jared Brown was the latest to make his intentions known. He joins defensive tackle Monkell Goodwine, defensive tackle Nick Barrett, and defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. as those entering their names in the 2026 NFL Draft, with tight end Jordan Dingle expected to be the next name as his eligibility is out.
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