New Fields & Fall Sports

The new turf athletic field at Regis. Included in the project were new areas for track & field events, and a new softball field

Over the winter Regis College completely renovated their outdoor athletics fields. With a few million dollars and some significant construction work, the old fields were torn out, a few more acres of land were cleared, and the result are brand new athletics fields for our students. Due to problems with the old fields, several of our teams were forced to play home games at off campus sites. This kept the number of fans in attendance down, and was a mental hurdle our athletes had to overcome before each game. With the new facilities here on campus, the fans are turning out, and the athletes appear more relaxed and better focused.

The Regis women's soccer team finishes their first pre-game warm up on their new field

As the athletics photographer, I marked my calendar months in advance to make sure I would be available for the first games on the new turf field. Last Saturday that day had finally arrived and the Regis women's soccer team took on Salve Regina for the first of many contests to be had at the new complex. The team lost this game, but I'm sure they will start a home winning tradition very soon.

Regis goaltender Ashley Hibbard (on ground) puts herself in harms way to beat an attacker to the ball

The men's team was next and they looked comfortable on the turf field versus the natural grass they played on last year. The pace was quick and tempers flared a bit before cooler heads prevailed.

(Left)Ricky Guyette gets his head in the game as teammate Shawn McDonough looks on

(Right)Shawn McDonough (left) and Josh Fidalgo (right) squeeze out Salve Regina William Shaheen for a loose ball

One thing about turf fields is that they can be a nightmare for professional photographers. Sure, they lines are clean and there aren't any brown spots where the grass is gone, but they act like asphalt on a hot day, giving off heat and causing visual distortions picked up by long focal length lenses. This happens even on a relatively cool 70 degree day in Massachusetts in September. An example of the problem is to the right.

Regis sophomore goalie Andrew LaMacchia fields a low shot making the save look routine

Just a few days later I was back on the field for my first field hockey game. At that point my only experience with field hockey was watching a few minutes of it on ESPN2 at 3am. Being an ice hockey fan, and a new lacrosse fan, I had a rough idea of what I was in for but it still was a long day of shooting as I kept finding myself out of position. Live and learn as they say! I did manage to get some shots that I was happy with and more importantly, I learned a lot for the next field hockey match I'll be shooting.

Sophomore Meghan Robohm (white) cuts off a Salve Regina attacker and steals the ball

































(Left) Defender Joanna McDonough gets to a loose ball to safely clear the Regis zone
(Right) Regis goalkeeper Sara Ankerud reflects back on the first half

With the school semester in full swing, I'll have frequent posts concerning Regis athletics, and some Hockey East including Boston University, Boston, College, Northeastern, & UMass so keep checking back in, and thanks for stopping by.

~ Brad

Almost Time for College Sports

Sarah McNult (white) prepares for the opening tipoff against Christine Sancinito (blue)

It's almost Labor Day which means kids and young adults all across the country are preparing to head back to school. It means rental prices on the Cape will soon begin to fall much like the temperatures in the New England nights. It also means the return of collegiate sports.

As the athletics photographer for Regis College, a small DIII school outside of Boston, I get to photograph some great, young athletes throughout the year. Being a DIII school means they aren't likely to turn pro, and they probably won't make it into Sports Illustrated or onto ESPN, but they play for the reason we all played for as kids: the thrill of the game. Our student athletes give their all for the love of sport. They play hurt, they play sick, they play under tremendous academic pressure, but still they play. You really have to respect these young men & women for their devotion.

(LEFT) Jesse Vega (white) commits to go hard to the basket while being tightly checked by a Curry College defender

(RIGHT) Sarah McNult sinks a technical foul shot in a 74-60 win over Curry College

Regis College recently went coed which means all of our men's teams are in their infancy. I feel lucky to be a part of the beginning of what I think will be a long and proud tradition of men's athletics at Regis, building on top of an already successful and strong base of women's sports. There will be trials and tribulations along the way but I believe the spirit of our student athletes will carry them through.

The Regis men's soccer team suffers a 4-1 defeat in their first ever homecoming game

This is also a time for change within our athletics department as we undergo some renovations and work to enhance the student experience. Our gym is like a cavern and I'm forced to shoot at ISO3200 indoors, but I think that the relationships I've built with our coaches will pay off as we work together to get the gym a strobe setup which should yield some really terrific shots starting with fall volleyball. In addition we've built new athletics fields with a new track, allowing our teams to play their home games here at Regis for the first time in a couple of years. These improvements will certainly make for a better experience both for our athletes, and our spectators.