Fans follow Foxes to Albany

The Times Union Center in Albany, NY may be the home of Marist rival Siena. However, Red Fox fans made it their own on Sunday for the MAAC Women's Championship game. The Red Foxes prevailed 66-49, winning their fifth consecutive MAAC championship. And while the game was played an hour north, Marist fans made it feel like home.

Collaboration between Marist Athletics Assistant Director for External Affairs Frank Lombardy and the newly formed Booster Club allowed 46 student fans to make it to Albany on Sunday.

"It's truly a team effort on the part of the team, the administrators, and the students," Marist Athletic Director Tim Murray said.

"We worked closely with Bob Lynch and Frank Lombardy to get people up there," Student Booster Club Director of Operations Patrick Dillon said. "I love basketball. Last year I went and there were only two students on the bus. The Booster Club has allowed us to send out a message to 750 people."

According to sophomore Kate Tomaino, communication has really helped the Student Booster Club attract attendance at women's basketball games.

"Last year, I would've gone but I didn't know they had the buses," Tomaino said.

Tomaino attended both the quarterfinals game against Niagara on Saturday and the championship game on Sunday. After the Red Foxes' victory over Niagara, she and other Student Booster Club members spent nearly three hours in the Cabaret making posters and developing chants for the championship game.

"Growing up, I always watched women's basketball," Tomaino said. "During my junior year, I heard they were building a strong atmosphere. It was one of the deciding factors for me to come here."

For the season's entirety, the Marist band's presence at games has helped to pump up the crowd and provide entertainment during timeouts.

And for those who tuned into MSG for the game, they may have head announcer Dean Darling reference "that big tuba player back there is having a good time." That big tuba player was Vice President of the Athletic Band, junior Mike Walsh.

Walsh's main responsibility is getting the band fired up for athletic events.

According to Walsh, President Dennis Murray approached him before the game and encouraged him to provoke a loud, enthusiastic performance from the band.

For this year's MAAC tournament, Walsh brainstormed a variety of ideas. He and some other band members collectively decided to sport mohawks.

"We wanted to do something that would get people's attention," Walsh said. "Since we cannot change our uniforms, we thought mohawks were fitting."

Walsh had no problem drawing attention to himself and the band. Aside from playing music between timeouts and his crazy haircut, he helped initiate the popular Red Fox rumble among the mini-sea of Red Fox fans within the arena.

The relationship between women's basketball and the band has mutually benefited each party. While the band supports the basketball team, the Marist's success has helped the band.

"President Murray saw the other bands when we went to the NCAA tournament 2007 and gave us more funding for instruments," Band President Christopher Miller said. "He wanted us to model our band after the Tennessee Volunteers band."

The band sent 75 people to the MAAC tournament, more than any other school's band. The Marist also bussed down over 50 fans from the Hudson Valley.

"This team has been a consistent winner and they've won with great class," Murray said. "People want to be a part of that.