Siena hosted first and second round action of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament from MVP Arena. Eight teams played six games in 48 hours with more than nine million viewers watching across the country. A team of Siena students helped to pull it off.   

Microphones in the press conferences needed to be shuttled from one speaker to the next. Statistics needed to be rushed to the broadcasters. The locker rooms needed to be managed; the spirit teams needed to be escorted; media vouchers needed to be distributed. There are countless jobs that need to be filled at any March Madness host venue, and in Albany, more than 30 Saints were instrumental in the massive operation. Plus, they had some of the best seats in the house for one of the most popular sporting events on the planet. 

 "It takes an army to run a successful NCAA Tournament, and we could not have done it without the dedication and outstanding effort put forth by our Saints," said Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Mike Demos (above, middle), who served as the assistant media coordinator for the event. "Not only did a number of Siena students gain valuable hands-on experience volunteering at a premiere NCAA event, but they also acquitted themselves extremely well and earned well-deserved praise from both the competitors and NCAA staff on site." 

Jack Bloniarz '23

"For my job, I was the Band, Spirit Squad Check-In Person for the weekend. I was responsible for checking in all teams and making sure all teams were escorted in an efficient and timely manner. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget and I am so glad I had the opportunity to be a part of the event." 

 

Jack Bloniarz '23, band/spirit squad check-in

Olivia Witkowski '25

"I had an amazing time working at March Madness, and it was incredible to see the inner workings of the tournament. I got to be surrounded by reporters and photographers from all over, as well as some of the best teams in the country. It was incredible to see Dan Hurley, Mike Woodson, Randy Bennett, and Jim Larrañaga just a few feet away from me, and it was just as exciting to Adama Sanogo, who was First-Team All-Big East this year, as well as Norchad Omier, and Trayce Jackson-Davis. I have always wanted to see a March Madness game, and I not only did that, but I got to work at it as well. The energy was electric. This was a great opportunity for me and so many other students to expand our horizons of working in media." 

Olivia Witkowski '25, press conference microphone assistant

Carter Gooley '24

"I loved this experience and really look forward to potentially working more events like this in the future. I was really nervous heading into this weekend, but right away, all the people I worked with were great, so that nervous feeling went right away. This was a childhood dream of mine. I am forever grateful for this opportunity and experience and loved every single second of it. And I now have some new favorite college basketball teams!"

Carter Gooley '24, locker room steward

Nick Mancusi '23

"I worked with the media operations team to distribute lineup sheets, stats, and media packets which we stocked in the media room. The designated media room was right next to the tunnel, so I got to see the players as they entered and left the court! The opportunity to work the March Madness tournament was a unique experience, and I learned so much. Being behind the scenes of a major event like that was insightful and so much fun, and I’m glad I got to be a part of it!”

Nick Mancusi '23, copy machine operator

Jaden Whittaker '25

"This experience was once in a lifetime! Only having two minutes to get everyone their box score was a mission, and I was always running. I had to walk on the court to get to the other side and needed to be off by the time the game was ready to resume. I would definitely want to experience this again and make more connections. Being in an atmosphere where UConn was playing and the loyal fans that they had, MVP Arena was ecstatic and you could just tell by everyone's faces that both games they played were worth while."

Jaden Whittaker '25, stat runner