Draddy Gymanisum was full of energy at Manhattan Madness.
ISAIAH ROSARIO / THE QUADRANGLE
By Victoria Schiller, Contributor
Jasper nation gathered outside of Draddy Gymnasium on Thursday night, Oct. 24, for Manhattan University’s annual Madness event. Students packed the building as the cheer and dance teams, Pep Band, Student Engagement and Brother Jasper hyped up the crowd before the evening’s main events.
The Quadrangle newspaper had the opportunity to speak with student attendees, players and coaches after the event.
Daniella Beggins, a junior business management major on the cheer team, talked to The Quadrangle about her second-ever Madness and what led up to their performance.
“It was special this year because we split up into game day and competition teams, but we all came together to perform this routine,” Beggins said. “More than half of the girls are new to cheer, so it was a little rocky to get here, but the result was totally worth it and we felt so accomplished doing it.”
For many freshmen students, this was the major student event on MU’s campus. For freshman biochemistry major Aidan Febus, he had his first Madness experience while performing with the Pep Band.
“It was more than I expected,” Febus said. “Where I come from, we don’t have pep rallies like this, so I enjoyed it, especially being a part of the Pep Band.
Hunter Kwan, another freshman with a major in psychology, spoke to The Quadrangle after the event.
“I was really excited because my roommate is on the cheer team, so I was excited to cheer her on,” Kwan said. “A bunch of my friends were in it, so it was cool to see them have fun. It was a great environment to be in.”
For some senior students, attending Madness for the last time provided a bittersweet moment. Olivia Corsino, a senior marketing major and a member of the Jasper Dancers since her freshman year, spoke to The Quadrangle about her emotions following the event.
“It’s crazy,” Corsino said. “It still hasn’t hit me that this is my last one. I feel like I still have 500 more Madnesses to dance at. It’s my favorite time of the year. We call it “Jasper Dancer Christmas!”.”
Corsino, one of the captains on the team, participated in choreographing the dance performed at the event.
“Me and our other two captains, Molly and Christina, choreographed the whole thing, so it was really fun to get to show off our choreography,” Corsino said. “But I do think the best part is just being with my teammates. We all have such a great time together and we do gifts for everybody before we perform. Those are my best friends on campus, so it’s just so much fun to do what I love with them.”
Gianna Arias, a senior psychology major, believes that music is part of what made this year’s event so special.
“I definitely think the music is a big part of it,” Arias said. “The whole energy of the school coming together is honestly the best thing the school could have. The team’s harmony definitely makes me want to join in.”
The main event of the evening was the announcement of the men’s and women’s basketball team rosters and the introduction of the teams’ coaches. Heather Vulin, head coach of the women’s basketball team, told The Quadrangle how she felt after the big event.
“We’re truly grateful to our MU Student Engagement staff for putting on an incredible Manhattan Madness,” Vulin wrote in an email to The Quadrangle. “We truly appreciate being a part of it and having our basketball teams and all the Spirit Squads featured. I can’t wait to pack Draddy this year with the school spirit we saw last night! The Sixth Borough was rockin!”
*Editor’s Note: Elizabeth Kalaj contributed to this reporting.