Students, alumni reflect on sports legacies at St. Rose

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) – Many have asked what will happen to the campus buildings and the items inside, some hold sentimental value to families. Students and alumni took the time to reflect on the role the college played in their lives but also worried about the legacy left behind.

Kathleen Heffernan graduated in 1965, many of her family members are alumni.

“And the very first one was Sister Clara Agnes from the class of 1929,” said Heffernan.

She said Agnes was brilliant and was not even five-feet tall.

“She was an athlete, unmatched. The very first year they had a hall of fame for athletics she was the first person chosen,” said Heffernan.

A plaque hangs on campus in honor of Sister Agnes. She was on the first basketball team.

Heffernan was emotional when she came across a group of student athletes on campus.

While some have packed up and left, members of the women’s soccer team are enjoying their last moments here. They are proud of the team’s accomplishments this season.

“We’re the first Saint Rose women’s soccer to ever go unbeaten in a season,” said Thea Juul, who is an attacking midfielder from Denmark.

She said they got the school closure news just 12 hours before their biggest game of the season. And they lost.

“And the team that we played in the sweet 16, Adelphi, we had beaten them twice by 5-0 like prior in the season,” said Anna Maria Dzyadyk.

She is a center attacking midfielder who majored in Chemistry.

“I just feel like the whole morale of the team was shifted and it was a game that we should’ve won very easily and I think that news just kind of broke our team a bit,” said Aleysha Richards, a senior defender on the team who majored in Biology.

Despite the challenges, all of the ladies are graduating Saturday, however questions remain around why the closure was so sudden and what happens next.

“Back home, at least in Denmark, if something like that were to happen they would figure it out before, or like at least let us know that like there’s a potential of the school closing,” said Juul.

“In terms of my transcripts like going into grad school, I need to get that done immediately because past May 31 we don’t know what’s going on here and like I wanna make sure that everything is sorted out,” said Dzyadyk.

The school said in a statement:  “We are in the process of finalizing a record retention agreement with an institution of higher education and will communicate those details to the saint rose community soon.”

As far as the many legacies left behind, the school said it will determine what happens to the buildings and items inside once the academic year finishes. Heffernan made a promise regarding the sentimental plaque.

“I won’t have it thrown away. I can’t have it thrown away,” said Heffernan.

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