A Look at 40 Years at Albertus

The following article appeared in the From The Hill Magazine Summer 2025 Issue. Follow these links to make a gift, update your information, or submit a class note.

By: Michael Kobylanski, M.S., Director of Athletics

Athletics has a long history at Albertus Magnus College dating back to its opening in 1925. Tennis and dance were sports and activities mentioned in the historical chronicles of the institution even in its infancy. Along the way, the story of athletics at Albertus is filled with its share of triumphs and achievements, with some adversity sprinkled in. 

Now, as the College sits on the doorstep of its Centennial Celebration and with 35 years of NCAA intercollegiate athletics in the rearview mirror, the Falcons are perched at a position of strength. Sponsoring 18 programs – including the addition of six in the last eight years, and nine in total since 2014 – there is no denying the prominent role that athletics plays within the campus community. 

Albertus boasts 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and 16 conference titles. The department has produced 10 All-America selections, four Academic All-America selections and 32 GNAC Players of the Year.

Our former student-athletes have moved on to careers as doctors, lawyers, teachers and business owners. They are community leaders, positive contributors to society locally, nationally and even internationally. They descended on the picturesque and intimate campus for various reasons, but ultimately shared a common experience of donning the Albertus blue and white and obtaining a quality education that shaped their future years.

“I have nothing but good memories of Albertus,” said Lori Wiesniak Mazzabufi ‘93, a former softball student-athlete. “I had so many great experiences educationally and athletically.”

Added Perry Constant ’97, a former men’s basketball student-athlete: “Albertus set the foundation for me with my work ethic, hard work, effort – all of the buzzwords – for my career and where I am today.”

An emphasis on recreational offerings and the College’s physical education requirement gave way to a new era when the institution went co-educational in 1985. Then, in 1986, Albertus held a dedication for the Celentano Playing Fields, which allowed several of the Falcons’ teams to practice and play games on campus by the end of the decade.

One strategic decision led to another – a plan to formalize intercollegiate athletics, which accelerated quickly in the late 1980’s. Volleyball, softball and cross country were deemed “intercollegiate” programs in 1986. Tennis, basketball and soccer emerged in the late 1980’s and soon became a part of the Albertus sports landscape. Fencing, track and field and swimming were among the early offerings that did not maintain any longevity.

However, before the Falcons could even play their first official contests as NCAA Division III members, a catastrophic event occurred – the July, 1989 tornado that ripped through Connecticut and the heart of the Albertus campus. The Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center took a direct hit.

“I was standing in the vestibule and I was scared to death,” said Tom Blake, who served as Athletic Director and head men’s basketball coach at Albertus in the early 1990’s. “In three or four minutes, it was over. I saw a light coming into the gym and two feet of water (on the floor). We didn’t even have all of the office furniture yet.”

As an institution and an athletic department, Albertus showed its resiliency in the months ahead. Repairs were made to restore the new facility into a crown jewel of campus and a key factor in recruiting efforts. An official dedication and opening ceremony for the facility was held that fall.

When Albertus Magnus College entered the NCAA ranks for the 1990-91 academic year, the Falcons rolled out 10 teams in men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and swimming. In the years ahead, swimming was replaced by baseball. 

Entrance into the NCAA Division III era came without a conference affiliation – the Falcons were independent in the first few years, followed by acceptance into the NEWAC. A pivotal moment came with the formation of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference in 1995. In finding a league affiliation, the Falcons now had greater postseason access.

“The goal at that time was to get into a conference,” said Larry Wielk, who served as Albertus’ Dean of Students from 1986-96. “The CCC was first mentioned…but then we got connected with the NEWAC, and the GNAC was the offshoot of that.”

While the women’s basketball team collected the first-ever conference title in Albertus athletics history with the 1994-95 NEWAC crown, it was the men’s basketball team who won the first-ever GNAC Championship in 1995-96 against Emerson. That was followed by the 1996 men’s soccer team, which earned a shootout win over Rivier in the conference championship match. A third title in roughly 15 months came courtesy of Albertus’ softball team with the 1997 GNAC Tournament title. The 1999 baseball team won its first GNAC championship over rival Endicott.

Four years later, the baseball team stood atop the GNAC once again – and this time, the championship came with the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Albertus won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in any sport that year with a 5-1 win over Endicott.

The second decade of Albertus athletics also saw the addition of women’s soccer in 2004 and men’s volleyball in 2009. The hiring of Mitch Oliver in the summer of 2007 ushered in a new era for the Falcons men’s basketball program – one that has seen Albertus elevated onto national stage ever since. Since the 2007-08 season, Oliver has guided the Falcons to almost 350 wins, eight NCAA Tournament appearances, eight GNAC Tournament titles, three trips to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and one Sweet 16 appearance. 

The first-ever NCAA Tournament game in men’s basketball history (2010) was capped by a game-winning half court heave from Byron Reaves to give the Falcons a 57-55 win over William Patterson. The 2014 team reached the Sweet 16, the deepest that any Albertus team has advanced in the NCAA Tournament.

The third decade of Albertus athletics saw a surge of growth and development. Celentano Field was resurfaced into an artificial turf venue and was rededicated in August, 2011. Lights were added at Celentano Field four years later. The facility enhancements continued with the state-of-the-art Shea Softball Complex in September, 2017 and the addition of the new Student-Athlete Weight Room, Team Room and Athletic Training spaces in 2019.

“It’s just unbelievable now,” said Chris Everone ‘01, a member of the men’s soccer and men’s tennis teams while an undergrad. “We used to play on a grass field with drains on the field.” 

Men’s and women’s lacrosse were added into the athletics offerings and took the field for the first time in 2014. Men’s golf followed in the fall of 2015. Field hockey made its debut in September, 2018, while men’s ice hockey hit the ice for the first time in November, 2019. Women’s swimming and diving – which had been a part of the athletics program upon inception in 1990-91 – returned for its second act beginning in October, 2019 as well.

Additional athletic highlights from the 2010’s included the second GNAC title and first NCAA Tournament berth from the men’s soccer team in 2012. In total, the men’s basketball team won the GNAC Tournament Championship seven times from 2010-19 with seven NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Following the COVID-19 pandemic that started the most recent decade, athletics eventually returned to its previous state. The men’s golf team captured its first-ever GNAC title in 2021 and qualified for the NCAA Championship. Two years later, the men’s basketball team claimed the GNAC Tournament title again by knocking off the No. 1 team in the nation to advance to the NCAA Tournament. 

The most recent sport expansion included men’s swimming and diving and women’s ice hockey in 2023-24, and women’s golf in 2024-25. Spirit squads such as cheerleading and dance are also expected to be added in the years ahead.

Over the last 35 years, athletics has been a vehicle for institutional growth, positive promotion and goodwill both on-campus and within greater New Haven, and as a rallying point for the campus community at large.

As athletics begins its second 35 years at Albertus, and the College moves into its second century as an institution, one thing is abundantly clear – athletics will continue to play an integral role in the strategic planning and vision of Albertus. And as far as what the future holds for the Falcons’ teams – you’ll just have to stay tuned to an ever-evolving collegiate athletics landscape to see what’s to come.

“I’m proud to see where the program has come,” said Brian Puzycki ‘92, a member of the Albertus Athletics Hall of Fame.