This year the Bonnies Men’s Basketball team earned their ticket to the Big Dance. As a cheerleader, I was blessed enough to be able to ride along with them on one of the most overwhelming and exciting tournaments in NCAA basketball. The day the call was made that we were headed to the March Madness Tournament, my current life got flipped upside down. Our cheer team, as well as the players, had to immediately prepare to be on the road for an uncertain amount of time. We were given last-minute travel plans and at the drop of the hat we were off to city after city.
Our first stop was Dayton, Ohio. I’ll never forget that feeling of pride as I entered the Dayton arena for the March Madness play in game. That night, the Dayton Arena felt like the Reilly Center. Looking back, the whole game is a blur except for the last minute on the game clock. Bonnies were up and there was no way UCLA could recover in time. I remember hearing “Let’s go Bonas” radiating throughout the arena and tears of joy starting to stream down my face as the clock hit zero. Bonnies win. The Bonnies defeated giant UCLA for a spot to play in Dallas in the 2018 NCAA March Madness tournament.
After the Dayton game, we immediately packed for our 2 a.m. flight to Dallas, Texas. Walking into the arena in Dallas for the first time was one of the most overwhelming experiences I’ve ever had. Every year you hear people talk about the March Madness Tournament and see it on T.V., but to be there and feel the excitement was surreal. At the start of the game, I walked onto the court in my Bonnies uniform and let me tell ya… I felt like Beyoncé walking on the red carpet. Thousands of fans and spectators across the country had their eyes on us and our beloved basketball team. A little college from Olean, NY had made it to the Big Dance and they showed the world what we could do— and I don’t mean this just in the basketball sense either. The amount of Bonnie fans that showed up to the American Airlines Arena that day touched my heart. This school is so special and the pride our students, faculty, and alum have for it is unprecedented. That week of travel in the March Madness Tournament proved to me that I was in the right place; that I had chosen the best school. It didn’t matter what part of the country we were in, Bonnie pride was everywhere. I mean, how often do you walk down the street in TEXAS and hear “Go Bonas” shouted at you from a cab driving by?!
Even though our time in the tournament ended sooner than we had hoped, I could not be prouder to be a part of the Bonnies cheer program and this University. I’ll never forget how blown away non-bonnies were by our fans. Even a few Florida cheerleaders came up to me after the game saying that they could’ve never imagined such a big turn out for their team and how lucky we were to have that support. It just goes to show that St. Bonaventure does not go unnoticed. We are small, but we are mighty and I could not be prouder to be a Bonnie and of how we showed the world who we are.