Note: This piece is a op-ed from Editor-in-Chief Dan Aulbach. Any thoughts or opinions expressed are his own.
As the Fall 2024 semester comes to a close, two of the Marist Center for Sports Communication’s hardest-working seniors leave with it. Not only do they happen to be crucial editors of this publication, but they are also two of my close friends.
And damn it, I really did try to get them to stay another semester. Nonetheless, they deserve their flowers.
Luke Sassa is proof that hard work behind the scenes refuses to go unnoticed. After my freshman year as a contributing writer with Center Field, Luke and I were elevated to the editorial board. We did not talk much to start, but as the year progressed, so did our increased roles in Center Field. It was only a matter of time before our paths really crossed, exchanging information about sports journalism as well as becoming friends.
When Luke and I were informed that we would be leading the publication for the next two years, we got to work immediately. Using an illustrious Google doc we labeled “the Center Field Motherboard” we got to workshopping an ideal outline for the club as well as goals for the publication.
This is where I really got to learn about Luke: he is the most organized person I have ever gotten the pleasure of working with. As someone who refuses to go through the 3,000 unread emails in my student account, I was shocked at how effortlessly he created a foundation that has allowed us to publish content on a daily basis. He regularly applied skills he learned through his internship at SNY and consistently made everyone around him better with his depth of journalism knowledge.
Our two main goals before becoming co-editors were simple: expand our multimedia approach and get Center Field chartered into a student club. Two tasks that at the time seemed daunting that are now far behind us.
The crucial factor in getting these two goals done was Luke and I’s fluid teamwork and management. We have workshopped, experimented and adapted our approach to the intersection of sports journalism and social media which has evolved into an entire multimedia board. That’s something he and I are both very proud of, and also something that could not have been done without his commitment to our dual leadership and a trust that has only strengthened in 1.5 years of being co-editors.
Luke constructed our club chartering process and led the way to the finish line while I was abroad last semester (all the while a leader for Marist’s Sports Analytics Club). Getting that call from him in my apartment in Florence was the biggest sigh of relief, but I never doubted Luke would lead the group toward our biggest goal yet.
Seeing the strikethroughs of our completed goals in the Motherboard made me realize how lucky I was to learn from Luke over these past three years. He’s a hell of a writer and has put together some incredible work for us, but he’s an even better person and has poured his heart and soul into his portfolio.
Jimmy Tsiantoulas embodies his passion for sports through his extensive body of work both as a head producer for Red Fox Report and one of the assistant editors for CF. His work goes beyond the assistant editor title: he’s the man behind the camera for our Relay Throw shoots, he’s put together creative writing features for the site and is a reliable editor who seldom complains, even when it’s totally justified.
He’s the ultimate vibes guy as well. Whenever I’m leading a meeting he is listening and contributing, and when he’s coaching me through a Red Fox Report shoot I do the same. It’s this collaborative relationship that I hope everyone in the CSC at Marist gets to experience, and it has allowed us to thrive through the years.
Going to Notre Dame with Jimmy and Derek Dowgiallo is by far a top college memory. Walking around the vast campus with a camera, tripod and microphone in 30-degree weather, we created our own tour of the campus in prelude to the Marist basketball game that night. We could have screwed around the entire day and enjoyed the town, but the three of us produced as much content as we could (we celebrated the night prior with some Dave’s Hot Chicken). Having fun in the midst of working through your biggest project yet is proof you’re with treasured company.
Jimmy’s versatility of sports media and his ability to produced refined and professional content leaves me with no doubts that he’s well on his way to bigger things. It stinks that one of the few New England sports fans is departing, but we’ve tortured the New York crowd here enough.
The lucky news for is that this Center Field and the CSC has the ability to create lifelong friends. While I hope professionally I cross paths with these two soon enough, I’m so fortunate these two have made me a better journalist, editor and person. You’ll see their work soon enough floating around the internet and on your TV.
On behalf of Center Field and the entire Editorial Board, we thank you two for your unwavering commitment to excellence in this publication and we wish you the best. Much love, guys.
-DA
Edited by Ben Leeds and Marley Pope