By Yuki Elkotby
On Feb. 14, the Brooklyn College women’s basketball team played against Medgar Evers College as a continuation of the CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). The game fell on Senior Night, which recognized the senior athletes graduating from BC. The Bulldogs swept the game with a final score of 96-34. A whopping 12 players made their way onto the scoring board, and the team improved 9-4 in the championship.
The victory was a positive tip-off to the graduating seniors, many of which will be completing their last semester as a Bulldog.
Brianna Gutierrez, who spent four years playing for the women’s basketball team, ended her career on a great note with a season-high of 16 points in this game, making her the top scorer in the game. Gutierrez, whose career statistics are indicative of constant growth, reflected on her initial years playing for the team.
“[I would advise my freshman self to] not get frustrated with myself, and to have confidence. I have grown to take more accountability with it and focus on it a lot more. But that was my goal at that time, just to keep playing the sport I loved,” she told The Vanguard.
Gutierrez’s journey with the Bulldogs was supplemented by those around her, whether in her athletic and academic careers or her personal life.
“I learned how helpful it could be to have a supportive team around you and supportive coaches. They helped a lot whether it was personal stuff or things with basketball. There is always someone to reach out to and always someone to get help from.”
Gutierrez was excited for the incoming freshman and first-year athletes as she shared advice in her following sentiment.
“Don’t allow [for] anything to make you lose love for the game, or make you lose confidence. Because you’re playing college basketball, you have something to contribute. You aren’t here for no reason; keep your confidence, keep your love for the game.”
The interviews continued with Mary Golgin, a senior playing as a forward, who was a part of the top-three scorers of the night with 12 points within her 21-minute court time. Golgin’s collegiate athletic career has been nothing short of confident prowess that shows both on and off the court. Golgin discusses that this exact ideal is what she could’ve told her past self.
“Stay confident, and put in the extra work even when you’re tired. It’ll work out and it will pay off in the end. The earlier and the more work you put in the earlier years the more, it’ll pay off for you in the future. Stay confident and learn your role on the team.”
Dolgin took away a lot of valuable lessons and memories from her time on the team. But, something she highlighted was the dedication to reach her goals.
“Aside from basketball, just know that not everything will be easy but the journey will be rewarding in the end. Everything we’ve achieved was so much, we worked so hard for everything and it was hard to get to where we were every single year, to finish off on top. Part of [playing basketball at BC] was going through all the hardship and the adversities with our team and then coming out in the end.”
Continuing, “Don’t let bad experiences turn into a snowball effect and turn it into something bigger than it was, and just always keep a positive mindset.”
Aleah Rafat, a senior and the Bulldogs’ #21 forward and center, has had nothing short of a great career with the Bulldogs. Her impressive statistics across her four years playing with the team are reflective of her supportive attitude towards herself and her team.
“Focus on what you can control. I am a big believer that you controlling your attitude and your team’s attitude is everything. Attitude is super contagious, I’ve always tried to keep it at a point where like I’m an uplifter and I encourage and I’m a supporter even in times of toughness.”
To Rafat, teamwork has been an incredibly important contributor to the team’s success. Even in times of strife, the foundational sportsmanship has allowed for the team to prevail.
“I think chemistry is super important. Every year there have been ups and downs, but I think by the end, winning […] is proof that we got it together and put everything aside for the one specific goal.”
Rafat looks to past BC athletes and current coaches as inspiration for her career.
“Chanel Jemmott, Sarah James. I think those two people who had a lot of [inspiration for] me in terms of on the court but also off the court. They took control of the team. All the coaches Rocco, Nicole, Stan, Meg, Alex; they love this game and they love every person that comes onto their court.”
When reflecting at the end of the basketball season, a repeated theme throughout all of the players’s memories was teamwork. Graduate student Alina Estrella elaborated on what it means to be a part of a team.
“I have learned to value the family I have created here and how much I love my teammates and also just the leadership. That was something I was working on in my last school. Certainly, I achieved progress in it, coming here as an older player.”