Athletics

Campaign Goal: Raise $10 Million in Endowed Funds for Athletics

Athletic competition is a joyful, bonding experience for our entire campus community. All 29 of Trinity’s intercollegiate teams do us proud. Our football, squash, rowing, hockey, basketball, baseball, and track teams invariably enjoy winning seasons, regularly lead in our conference, and often achieve national prominence. Team members also learn the lessons of competition and teamwork that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

Generous alumni have made possible the addition of such marvelous facilities as the new Paul D. Assaiante Tennis Center, two turf fields, a squash complex, and a community sports center, helping us attract exceptional student-athletes. Nevertheless, Trinity’s Athletic Department is more vulnerable financially than many of our more heavily endowed competitors. A successful Cornerstone Campaign will mean a yearly infusion of nearly $500,000 into athletics, making more resources available for day-to-day expenses like coaches’ salaries, field and court maintenance, uniforms, equipment, and travel.

This new investment will protect and sustain athletic competitiveness in NESCAC, and it will ensure a quality experience for Trinity’s student-athletes.  A Message from the Athletic Campaign Tri-Chairs.

​	“Trinity athletics are about creating a student-athlete experience that is second to none, while striving for excellence both academically and athletically.” ~ Mike Renwick, Director of Athletics Meet some of Trinity's alumni and student athletes

Robin Sheppard

Professor Robin Sheppard is professor of physical education and associate director of athletics at Trinity. A faculty member since 1976, Sheppard received her bachelor’s degree from Trenton State College and an M.A. from Trinity. One of Trinity’s synthetic turf fields was named in her honor.

 “If you want to see people get along beyond any previous barriers of country, color, or beliefs, watch them waiting for a pass. Watch them celebrate when a teammate scores. It’s a bonding experience. When alumni come back, we don’t talk about the winning goal, the come-from-behind victory, or the undefeated season. We talk about the people – and share fond, quirky personal memories.”

~Robin Sheppard

Paul Assaiante P'06

Professor Paul Assaiante is associate professor of physical education and assistant director of athletics for development and college relations. He coaches Trinity’s championship squash team. Professor Assaiante received his B.S. degree from Springfield College and M.S. from Long Island University at Stony Brook.

 “Through sports, students learn a great deal about themselves. It helps them grow up, be on time, and respect their opponents as well as their teammates. When you are all fighting for the same outcome, it doesn’t matter whether you are from Islamabad or Greenwich – the playing fields break down those barriers. The athletes gain a sense of humanity.”

~Paul Assaiante

Drew Hyland

Professor Drew Hyland is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Philosophy and faculty mentor for the men's basketball team.

“In sport, we actually see what kind of ethical person you are: A cheat or a fair player, a coward, a malicious bully or a ‘whiner,’ a player who ‘gets away with anything he can’ or a person of a higher ethical standard.

In 2005, I returned to my alma mater, Princeton, to deliver a lecture called ‘The Sweatiest of Liberal Arts,’ about the two loves that have remained inextricably intertwined throughout my career – sport and philosophy. I called the ancient Greeks to the defense of sport, noting that ‘the basic feature of their educational world was the conviction that there are two core disciplines without which a young person could not develop to full humanity: the arts and athletics.”

~ Drew Hyland