Quincy University is a small private and Catholic liberal arts college that is in Quincy, Illinois. QU may be best known for the enrollment size, majors included, and the university. Many students mentioned QU is a great college to attend if you are not too concerned about the number of students or class sizes but instead, getting a great education while seeking after different major opportunities. QU most popular majors are Business, Management, Marketing, along with great Education and Health-related programs. Outside of academics, QU is known for competing in one of the top Division II conferences in the country known as the GLVC, which stands for the “Great Lakes Valley Conference”. Sports programs at QU have drawn a lot of interest from all over from the US and even out of the country, for students to attend. Three student-athletes at QU were all able to chime in and say how they feel their sport has impacted QU in the past.

It is hard to try to imagine what the world would be without sports. It would be even harder to imagine what it will be without sports in college programs. Sports is what brings people from all over the world together. Many people have found their best friend in sports, rather it was meeting at a tournament as strangers, playing for the same team as teammates, or even just competing in different events. Sports has been so idolized throughout the years that fans are willing to do anything just to see their favorite player or favorite team play. It is sports that enlightens the communities within the college towns and everyone around it. Whether you are physically involved in sports or not, people still compete while cheering for a specific team or player.

“I think the football team means a lot to the university and the community. I think we do a lot for the university and building the brand of the university. The culture we have put in place since Coach Bass has been here has been contagious to other teams. You can tell other teams are bringing in our ideas and making their own. I think we are starting to turn the corner in the winning aspect. We are increasing every year our win/loss ratio every year and our goal is a championship,” Trey Mosley, football player said. “In the community we do a canned food drive and also volunteer every week at the crossing along with helping out at special events such as “Night to shine” and the Super Bowl Sunday events that the church puts on. Overall, I think our program is in a great spot right now and it’s only up from here.”

There are a total of 15 sports programs at QU with roughly over 370 athletes. Every college does not have a men’s volleyball team but, Quincy University does.

“I think the volleyball team consists of several different athletes from different countries who are here with the same purpose. The volleyball team is known as passionate individuals who want to perform in all matters as well as school, since the team gpa is very high. The program competes against the best teams in the country, so it brings challenges, but we work hard everyday to make it happen,” Noam Hannoun said.

Many colleges would not have the bragging rights that they have without athletes. This goes for both private and public universities as recruiting top prospects out of high school, transfers from other high major programs, all bring attention over to the institution. When schools win in their programs, more money can come in that way and can allow some institution to even gain national attention enough to gain a famous sponsor such as Nike, Adidas, or Under Armor. For example, as great as the academics is at the University of Alabama, many people would not know just because all the attention goes to their football program and how much success they have been able to achieve under Head Coach Nick Saban in his tenure there.

 It has been nearly a year since the COVID-19 pandemic halted spring sports and turned the world of collegiate athletics upside down across the country, but according to the Quincy University athletic department, they announced that it will be allowing spectators for all home outdoor sports contests this spring. There still will be limitations in place to ensure the safety of all student-athletes and game day staff. The university will be allowing up to 25% capacity of each outdoor venue which includes QU Stadium (baseball and football), Legends Stadium, and the Mart Heinen Softball Complex. 

Included within the 25% capacity will be a family pass list in which each student-athlete that is dressed out to play will be allowed two tickets for family members. Each team’s head coach will be in charge of distributing and reporting this pass list to the game day personnel 48 hours prior to the contest. Parents and family will not be permitted on the field after the conclusion of any home contest. Separate entrance and exit routes will be provided when applicable. 

“The fans is what makes the sports at QU what it really is and without them, the programs wouldn’t be as successful. The feeling on the field is different and the energy that the fans bring to the home games are unmatched. I just hope everything can clear up by the start of the season at the beginning of next month so I can get back in the flow of things with my teammates and we can continue to raise that bar even higher this year with the help of the fans,” Paul Sullivan said.