Tell that to , the two-time All-American and National Champion midfielder, who was , picked by the Philadelphia Waterdogs.

Or ask , the hard-throwing right-hander who led all Division II pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings and received All-America honors before signing this summer with the Houston Astros. He is now living his childhood dream of playing pro ball, pitching for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers of the Carolina League.

Lewis and Carver aren’t just occupying roster spots. They’re thriving.

Lewis delivered exactly the kind of professional debut scouts dream about: a behind-the-back shot against the Boston Cannons, part of a two-goal night that set the tone for a rookie season spent chasing a title with the league’s best regular-season team.

Carver has “carved” out a bullpen role for the Woodpeckers, the Astros’ Single-A affiliate, continuing to rack up strikeouts, fanning seven batters over his first 4.2 innings in the minors.

While both Panthers are on their way, the path they took to get there was not a straight line. Both credit Adelphi—and the outstanding guidance and support they received from their coaches—for providing the map to success.

Speed, Setback and a Second Chance

For Lewis, the breakthrough didn’t come easily.

A hamstring injury derailed the start of his senior season, and for a while, he wasn’t sure his draft stock would recover. “There goes your speed,” he said, describing how the injury took away the very tool that defined his game.

Head Coach leaned on a familiar analogy to keep him grounded, comparing Lewis’s recovery to Samson regaining his strength as his hair grew back. It stuck.

While he didn’t really feel like he was playing like himself again until the National Championship game in May, Lewis got a call on draft night in April that he’d been selected 29th overall by the Waterdogs, the team he grew up rooting for.

Coach Purdie says that resilience was always part of Lewis’s appeal. He points to Lewis’s incredible work ethic—a level of dedication that drove him to watch game film on bus rides home and organize players-only sessions just to keep the offense sharp—as the thing that separates him from other players.

“He wanted every practice to be perfect so we could be perfect on game day,” Coach Purdie said, crediting Lewis as the heartbeat of Adelphi’s back-to-back national championship runs in 2024 and 2025.

Taming His Fastball, Transforming His Career

Carver’s transformation was less about overcoming injury and more about rebuilding from scratch.

When first-year head coach arrived at Adelphi in the summer of 2025, he inherited a pitcher who threw in the mid-90s but couldn’t consistently find the strike zone. Coach Gaffney’s fix was simple: Commit to locating a glove-side fastball and trust it, even after shaky outings.

Carver bought in completely. “He was as coachable a player as I’ve ever had,” Coach Gaffney said, recalling how the same fastball command that once eluded Carver became the foundation for his standout 2026 season.

The turning point, in Coach Gaffney’s memory, came against a scout-heavy crowd for a Franklin Pierce matchup, when Carver outdueled a Power 4 transfer from Kansas State and served notice that his stuff played against anyone.

Weeks later, after going undrafted, .

Carver thinks it couldn’t have happened without the mentoring he got from Coach Gaffney. “He’s always looked out for me,” he said in a . “He’s always wanted the best for me. He’s always had such a huge belief in me.”

It was a life-changing experience for Carver. “I really don’t see a life that I’m living where I’m not talking to Coach Gaffney,” he said.

The Journey Continues

Both are adjusting to life as professionals while still leaning on the lessons that got them there.

Lewis is chasing a PLL title in Philadelphia while starting a master’s degree in health education back at Adelphi, supported by a highly competitive (only up to 126 students are awarded each year). He is also helping coach the men’s lacrosse team.

Carver is learning the rhythms of daily professional life in Fayetteville, applying the same routines and resilience that Coach Gaffney and his staff drilled into him during a season that transformed his career.

Different sports, different journeys, but the same story: Adelphi didn’t just prepare Lewis and Carver to compete. It taught them how to believe they belonged. It’s a lesson that’s taken them far, and has a good chance of taking them even further.

The post Panthers in the Pros: Kyle Lewis ’26 and John Carver ’26 appeared first on ÇŃ×ÓĘÓƵ.

Moving Beyond “Check-the-Box” Corporate Responsibility

Both Ledecky and McCarthy have witnessed the role of corporate responsibility change dramatically in recent years. What was once often treated as philanthropy—or worse, a public relations exercise—has become a test of an organization’s values and leadership. McCarthy cautioned against companies that simply “check the box,” recalling one organization that touted a $1 million charitable initiative to plant saplings in the Amazon rainforest, then spent a whopping $25 million promoting the effort. The imbalance, he suggested, illustrates the difference between meaningful action and marketing.

Ledecky sees an even greater responsibility for sports organizations, whose growing visibility gives them a powerful platform. A team can strengthen its community while also building a profitable organization. As McCarthy put it, “Doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive.”

The distinction, both men argued, lies in whether social responsibility sits on the sidelines or becomes part of how an organization operates every day. For the Islanders, that commitment is built into the rhythm of the season. Take “” as an example. At each home game, a nonprofit organization is given the opportunity to raise funds and share its mission.

Sustaining this commitment is essential. Ledecky rejected a “one-and-done” approach to community engagement, sharing the story of Colin Moon, the son of a fallen firefighter. The Islanders have taken Moon under their wing, welcoming him back each year to the owners’ box for his birthday. Relationships like these, Ledecky suggested, are what make ownership meaningful. “It’s satisfying to have the resources, venue and platform to do good in the community,” he said.

Why Ethical Leadership Matters

Embedding the values of corporate social responsibility into an organization requires leaders willing to protect them—particularly when short-term pressures pull in another direction. McCarthy framed leadership in simple terms: “When you’re a CEO or you’re a leader, you have the power to serve.” Ledecky described that responsibility as stewardship, noting that team owners are temporary caretakers of institutions that belong, in a larger sense, to their communities. He recalled how former Islanders owner Charles Wang carefully considered who would be the right steward of the franchise when selecting its next ownership group—a responsibility Ledecky hopes to carry forward one day.

The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility

Looking ahead, both speakers pointed toward a model of corporate responsibility that is more authentic and more deeply integrated into organizational strategy. One-time gestures and well-publicized donations will carry less weight than measurable impact and long-term relationships. For organizations with significant visibility, that also means using their platforms more intentionally, creating opportunities to turn awareness into action.

Ledecky also sees service becoming increasingly valuable at the individual level. His advice to students was straightforward: Find an organization “near and dear to your heart” and get involved. In a stack of 50 résumés, he said, the candidate who has stepped outside of themselves to serve others stands apart.

ÇŃ×ÓĘÓƵ’s Legacy of Social Responsibility

ÇŃ×ÓĘÓƵ has long turned out graduates with the skills needed to thrive professionally. Notably, these students place high value on being active, engaged citizens—making their mark within their organizations, their communities and the world at large. This is the result of a deliberate commitment to social responsibility and ethical leadership that is organically woven into the very fabric of how the University teaches, leads and serves.

At the ÇŃ×ÓĘÓƵ Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, the conversation around ethics is hardly new. Since the school’s founding in 1964, ethical practices have been a cornerstone of its approach to business education. In recent years, expectations of corporations have shifted, and so, too, has the conversation—expanding into a broader, more intentional focus on corporate social responsibility and the role organizations play in strengthening communities.

In 2003, a gift from the late Amy Hagedorn ’05 (Hon.) and the late Horace Hagedorn ’01 (Hon.), founder of Miracle-Gro, was used to establish the annual Hagedorn Lecture Series on Corporate Social Responsibility. Since then, the series has brought prominent leaders to ÇŃ×ÓĘÓƵ to examine how businesses can balance the push and pull of profit and purpose.

The post Beyond “Checking the Box”: Islanders Owner Jon Ledecky Shares What Real Corporate Responsibility Looks Like appeared first on ÇŃ×ÓĘÓƵ.

The Knicks’ championship run was magical. What was it like for you?

As clichéd as it sounds, it was emotional and incredible for many reasons. After the final buzzer went off, I couldn’t help but think back to when I was a freshman in high school, when I knew I wanted to become an athletic trainer, and to my journey from Adelphi as an exercise science major all the way to the ultimate mountaintop—an NBA championship. It also made me look back at the support my friends and family have given me. They know firsthand how many birthdays, weddings and major life moments that I have missed since I started working in the NBA in 2016, and they have been so gracious throughout the years. Reflecting on all of that made me immensely grateful.

Were you part of the ticker-tape parade?

I was! It was truly the most magical hour and a half of my life. To see hundreds and thousands of people along the route was insane and intense in the best way possible. From the people on the street, to the folks within the buildings releasing shredded paper from floors above, to workers in the rafters of construction sites and people climbing the street signs and lights, it was nothing that I have seen before! It was incredible, something that I will remember for a long, long time.

How did you celebrate the championship?

I celebrated with my co-workers and our significant others and families in the back of the locker room after the game. It was an incredible two-and-a-half-hour display of pure joy and it was amazing to celebrate that moment with your co-workers who went through the grind of the longest season in NBA history with you, and your loved ones who have also experienced all of the ups and downs of the season with you.

The players were obviously under a lot of pressure during the playoffs. Did the pressure grow for you in each round?

Not really, to be honest. During times of pressure, I like to lean on routine. This has remained the same since . Stick to your routine, expect the unexpected, remain calm during times of adversity and figure out a solution when problems arise, and everything will be fine. I focused on what I always do as a trainer—help manage player injuries, create and establish injury prevention plans for the players assigned to me, and assist in the day-to-day operations of the athletic training room.

You had a quick cameo appearance on TV that eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed during Game One of the Finals. Did you hear from people who saw you?

Yes I did [laughing]. All my friends and family from back home in Hawaii and along the East Coast texted me to let me know that they saw me. It put a smile on my face and reminds me of how lucky I am to have a great support system.

Tell us about your journey from Adelphi to the Knicks. How did your experience as a trainer with the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals help you this year?

My journey from Adelphi to the Knicks has been a long one. After I graduated with an exercise science degree from Adelphi [now within the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences], I went on to earn my master’s degree in athletic training from Division I schools in California.

I started my professional career in college athletics, which set the foundation of my athletic training skills and management. I then moved into professional basketball as the head athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Lakers’ minor league team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders/South Bay Lakers [now the Coachella Valley Lakers].

Three years later, I received my “call up” to the NBA in 2019 and started working for the Dallas Mavericks as the assistant athletic trainer. In my fifth year with the team, we ended up going to the NBA Finals. Sadly, we lost to the Boston Celtics in five games, but it was a very eye-opening experience. Getting so close but falling short of your goal fuels you to get to the Finals even more. And if you are lucky enough to get there, you know what to expect when it comes to the media madness and the heightened feeling in the locker room and arena; everything becomes a little more familiar and not so new to you.

I took that previous Finals experience and applied it this past season. I was able to help my co-workers and other players by letting them know what to expect when it came to the Finals. The schedule is different than in any other series, so having that previous experience truly helped me remain calm and focused.

This is something of an on-court interview kind of question, but what did winning an NBA championship mean to you?

Winning an NBA championship means to me the culmination of all of my hard work and sacrifice that I have put in over the last 13 years. You think back on the times where you weren’t making a lot of money, working 14 hours a day, seven days a week with no days off in sight for months, and you say to yourself, “It was all worth the struggle.” Because the feeling of winning an NBA championship is something that money can’t buy.

How did your degree in exercise science at Adelphi prepare you for this experience?

It helped me understand the demands of the body during exercise and what it does physiologically, hormonally and scientifically to the individual or athlete. The part of exercise science that I truly enjoyed during my time at Adelphi was learning about the heart, reading an ECG and being able to understand what is happening physiologically at the Human Performance Lab.

What would you say to other exercise science majors who are reading this article?

I would say to really explore the various career paths open to you while you’re majoring in exercise science and decide whether you will need to pursue a master’s degree or doctorate. From there, make sure you do your research on the programs that you want to apply to, paying attention to the connections or affiliations that professors have access to and may share with you. It is true what they say: “It’s all about who you know and sometimes not what you know” when entering the job market.

Most important, be true to yourself, and always do the right thing. I have learned that in life and in my career. If I make sure that I do the right thing, it usually results in fewer issues and better results.

The post For New York Knicks Athletic Trainer Heather Mau ’11, the NBA Championship Was a Thrilling Reward for Years of Hard Work appeared first on ÇŃ×ÓĘÓƵ.

How do you go from the classrooms of Hagedorn Hall straight to the high-octane energy of a World Cup stadium? Just ask Chris Leonard ’26.

A marketing major in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, Leonard never imagined he’d land on soccer’s biggest global stage with FIFA. But looking back at his relentless drive on and off campus, every single piece fits.

Leonard receives the 2026 Panther Leadership Award.

On campus, he served as a marketing intern for Adelphi Dining Services and had a seat on the Dining Advisory Board. A dedicated student-athlete, he served as captain of Adelphi’s and teams, held an executive board position on the , and earned both and distinctions. In May 2026, his campus contributions were recognized with the prestigious Panther Leadership Award in athletics.

Leonard’s global credentials took off when he secured an internship in Croatia through Adelphi’s business school, managing social media for a regional coffee brand.

That résumé—academic excellence, athletic experience, strong internships and global experience—helped him land his current role as an event ambassador for , where he stepped into a job as a ticket resolution assistant for the FIFA World Cup.

Working behind the scenes, Leonard managed complex ticketing software issues and resolved fan discrepancies to help Gillette Stadium—which hosted seven matches during the 2026 World Cup—rank number one in fan experience across the United States during the tournament.

Leonard reflected on his time at Adelphi, his World Cup experience and his key advice for current students looking to break into competitive industries.

Leonard competing in a cross country run for the Adelphi Panthers.

Q: What did the typical match look like for you at the stadium during the World Cup?

The call time was about five hours before the match started, so the rest of the ticketing staff and I would all meet for rundown of what to expect: who’s playing, the kind of reputation of the fans, any issues with the software that we were operating on, and then I went to the ticketing offices I was stationed at, right around the entrance gates to the stadium. We opened about four hours before the match started, and we had an influx of fans from there. It was my job to sort any issues out, de-escalate any tense situations with fans and get them into the game as soon as possible. Our operation closed down around halftime, so at that point, I was able to go into the stadium and watch the rest of the game, which was super cool.

Leonard, eighth from left, with stadium staff after the final World Cup game. (The sign, No Ticket Sales, answered the question he was posed most frequently; no tickets were left, but hundred of ticket and seating questions needed to be resolved. )

Q: The stadium ranked number one in fan experience in the United States. What specific initiatives contributed to that?

Seeing those rankings every week was a big motivator for the team, to push boundaries and elevate that fan experience. What we really tried to focus on was that these fans are coming from all over the world—so how can we centralize things and try to bring everyone that same positive experience?

Q: Looking back at when you were an Adelphi student, were there any key courses, professors or general experiences that you feel best prepared you for the demands of your industry?

My courses taught me so much about business professionalism and presentation skills, which all play a factor, but I think International Business with Associate Professor Sviatoslav Moskalev, PhD, was crucial for this role. Learning the different cultures in a classroom applied almost directly to this job because I’m speaking with people from Norway, Ghana, every continent, so learning about those different cultures in the classroom beforehand really set me up well to communicate effectively with fans from all over the globe.

And I think without that, I would kind of be focused on our country and what’s happening here, but to travel overseas and work with these global operations really taught me a lot about global business.

Q: What college networking helped open doors for you to secure the role that you have now?

Primarily for this role, I was able to utilize my own network, but it was actually Adelphi that helped me close the deal. The business school demanded boardroom-level professionalism and presentation skills from day one, pretty much. By the time I sat down for the interview, I already had that corporate polish they required to prove that I could handle such a massive, high-stakes operational role. The professors at Adelphi place a really big emphasis on that.

Something I learned at Adelphi is that taking those extra 90 seconds to just send that email and say, “Hi, I graduated from Adelphi, and this is who I am and what I’m interested in…”—you’re going to get picked out of the crowd. You’d be surprised about how far that will take you.

Q: Were there any strategies you used in creating your résumé or interviewing that helped you stand out?

In the sports industry, your rĂ©sumĂ© is almost secondary to your relationship-building skills. I think you can have the most qualified candidate on paper, but a company’s front office might feel more connected with someone with almost less experience, but more upside and opportunity. I think that’s where networking really shines over a rĂ©sumĂ© because I had my marketing internship with Adelphi and my experiences abroad, and I’m able to beat out a lot of these very qualified candidates.

Q: Is there a key piece of advice for searching for those opportunities?

I think a big thing that students tend to do is just hit the “apply” button on LinkedIn, which I think is a big trap for students nowadays because it’s very quick and easy. I think you can really maximize your network by reaching out to those Adelphi alumni who are very well-connected, asking for those 15-minute informational calls, building those genuine relationships before even looking at those kind of jobs because it makes it so much easier to look into a career when you know people, rather than going in fresh.

The post From Adelphi to the World Cup: How Chris Leonard ’26 Went From the Graduation Stage to a FIFA Stadium appeared first on ÇŃ×ÓĘÓƵ.