On Oct. 22 to 24, Sacred Heart hosted their annual family weekend event consisting of many different events on campus including a football game against Duquesne University where the stadium attendance record was broken.
Some of the additional events that families could purchase tickets for were Big Red’s Pre-Game Party, Champagne Continental Breakfast, performances in the Edgerton Theater, The Outpost and more.
“It was so fun to be able to show my parents around campus and let them see where I hangout with friends and go to class,” said freshman Shannon Dove. “It was awesome to see my best friend’s family bond with my family. It was very fun and made me feel even closer to my roommate because after the game, we all went out to dinner together.”
Freshman Bella Orlando and her brother, junior Louis Orlando, also had their parents join in on the family weekend festivities where they attended the tailgate and football game.
“The excitement from the crowd was something I had never experienced before,” said Bella Orlando. “Looking around all the seats were full, and people were cheering on every second of the game. It validated for me that I made the right choice in coming to SHU.”
The football game was the highlight of the weekend due to not only the team winning against Duquesne University but also the campus field attendance record being broken with 7,327 people in attendance.
“The game had the largest attendance in campus field history with 5,200 tickets pre-sold and 1,900 sold between students and walk-up sales the day of the game,” said Michael Smoose, Director of Athletic Communications and Marketing.
One possible reason that attendance was so large could be due to last year’s Covid-19 restrictions that barred some fans from going to games at the university.
“It’s been great to have fans back at games, particularly the students,” said Smoose. We’re happy the student-athletes got to compete during the spring, but it’s not the same without the fans, especially their fellow students.”
“It’s the best. The whole department has a bounce in its step after a football win. After we beat Duquesne at their place in the spring to win the NEC championship, I know they wanted revenge so to beat them again was a great feat.”
According to the Sacred Heart Athletics website, one of the top performers of the game was junior Malik Grant who had 186 rushing yards, 32 carries, and two touchdowns.
“Playing felt great. The atmosphere of the game was amazing,” said Grant. “It was great seeing everyone on our team come together. The energy the defensive brings us is electric and it’s amazing what they do on the field.”
“The offensive line works so hard so I can have success in my position,” he said. “Everyone works well together and when we all click like we did that day, it ends up being a win.”
