Welcome back, Falcons. It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly six months since we were last at school. A lot has happened since then, and this semester will certainly be different for Bentley fall sports than it’s been in the past. However, despite current setbacks, there is plenty to look forward to in the sports community.
First up is some big news from the Athletics Department. Vaughn Williams has been named as Bentley’s new Athletic Director, replacing longtime coach Bob DeFelice, who had served in the role since 1991. DeFelice will continue to serve as Bentley’s head baseball coach, a position he’s held since 1968. Williams is coming from Boston College, where he was the Senior Associate Athletics Director. He also served as the AD at Kennesaw State University from 2011 to 2017, and held director roles at the University of Connecticut, the University of Toledo, and the University of Utah. Williams received a B.S. in Sport Management from UMass Amherst in 1992, where he was a member of the football team, as well as a master’s degree from Boston College. He is only the third AD in Bentley history.
Williams’ arrival isn’t the only change the department saw this summer: Barbara Stevens has also announced her retirement after 34 years as the women’s basketball coach at Bentley. Her accolades include a NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship in 2014 and an induction to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. Assistant coach C. White has been named as Stevens’ replacement. Joining Stevens in retirement is assistant AD Cindy Scott, who will be stepping away from her position after 22 years. Before coming to Bentley, she was the women’s basketball coach at Southern Illinois University for 21 years. Congratulations to Stevens and Scott for two great careers.
Now for the unfortunate news regarding fall sports, or lack thereof: the Northeast-10 Conference voted to suspend all sports through December 31 as a result of COVID-19, meaning that Bentley will not be competing in any fall sports. This was likely inevitable, as schools across the country have been cancelling sports due to COVID concerns. The hockey team, which competes in the Atlantic Hockey conference of Division I, also faces the possibility of a shortened or postponed season. Atlantic Hockey has yet to make an official announcement, but is looking at a number of options with the hopes of having a season in some form.
Bentley has developed a three-phase approach for returning student-athletes to athletic activities. Phase one, which will last two weeks, will have no practices or athletic activities. Phase two (also two weeks) will enable athletes to complete strength and conditioning, while phase three will allow athletes to practice and work on further developing skills. While there is still a lot up in the air right now, we can only hope that sports will be able to return to campus in some form this year.
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