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By VICTORIA NICOLAOU
Staff Writer

Walking into a new environment at a new school, Michelle O’Keefe wasn’t completely sure what to expect from the Niagara Knights this season.

“You always hope for the best,” said O’Keefe, Niagara College’s first-year associate director of athletics and recreation. “You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

So far the Knights have exceeded all expectations.

The two “fall teams” as O’Keefe calls them – men’s and women’s soccer – both went to the OCAA Championships last fall. Although they experienced disappointing losses early in the tournament, seven Knights were named OCAA All-Stars. Men’s soccer player Jordi Amores was named a 2018 All-Canadian, the first Niagara College soccer player to win the award.

Both the Knights golf and cross-country teams competed well, said O’Keefe.

And all four teams currently playing – men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball – are ranked provincially, and appear to be heading toward the playoffs.

“It’s a great step forward,” said O’Keefe. “I’m thrilled for them. I think everyone’s doing well.”

O’Keefe’s office is nestled behind the athletic desk, with a window looking directly onto the Knights main court. The office offers O’Keefe the ability to watch the Knights as they practice, but the location also gives her a glance into what happens outside of official practices.

“I can see when the teams are practicing, when the athletes are training on their own or in small groups… they work really hard,” said O’Keefe.

O’Keefe said she is amazed at what she watches her student-athletes go through as they balance school, work and athletics. As a former student-athlete herself, O’Keefe knows what it takes to stay at the level necessary to compete successfully both on and off the court.

“It’s interesting in today’s day and age to see how important it still is to student-athletes and I’m just in awe,” said O’Keefe.

For O’Keefe, the moment that stood out this year was one she wasn’t even a part of.

Thirty-seven Knights athletes were recipients of the 2017-18 CCAA National Scholar Award. In addition to participating in the college’s sports programs, athletes must finish the season with an over 80 average in their NC program in order to be recognized by the CCAA.

O’Keefe wasn’t working at Niagara College during the 2017-18 season, but as she stepped into her new role this season, O’Keefe recognized the types of athletes with which she would be working.

“That is an incredible accomplishment,” said O’Keefe. “I cannot congratulate them enough.”

O’Keefe took over a program that underwent numerous head-coaching changes in the off-season. Three of the four teams currently playing – only Mike Beccaria, coach of the women’s basketball team for the last six years, has been with NC for more than one year – are under new leadership.

But O’Keefe gives all of the credit to longtime Niagara College Intercollegiate Co-ordinator Ray Sarkis, currently in his 40th year with the Knights. Sarkis knows “how to get things done,” said O’Keefe.

The three new coaches include: Phil Mosley, head coach of the Knights basketball program, Natasha Spaling, head coach of the women’s volleyball team, and Tommy Sloan, head coach of the men’s volleyball team.

O’Keefe said Sarkis’ experience and years of “institutional knowledge” was key in making the new coaches comfortable as they managed through the transition period.

It is still early in the process, but O’Keefe said Mosley, Spaling and Sloan have all been great this season, each one hard-working, organized and overall “lovely people.”

“The student-athletes are at the crux of everything they do, so I’m excited to see… how they do this year. But I’m more excited to see once they get a year under their belts how much more successful they will be,” said O’Keefe.

Later this term the Knights will host the 2019 CCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship at Niagara College. As host, the NC Knights women’s will get an automatic big into the tournament.

O’Keefe is looking to add a few peripheral events during the CCAA Championship weekend that she said will be interesting for Niagara College students. Two panels, including one focused on the potential opportunities in the Niagara region as it hosts the 2021 Canada Summer Games, are under consideration.

As the championship weekend gets closer, more information will be made available to students.

O’Keefe has only been at NC for seven months, but she already feels invigorated being around students and seeing the collaboration that happens around the Niagara College campus.

“Coming from a not-for-profit world where we’re in an isolated office to now being here where you can have conversations with anybody at any moment in time, to me, it’s just a breath of fresh air,” said O’Keefe.

“I love it.”