JOHN GALLAGHER
SPORTS EDITOR
Statistics are conditional.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:2
If I can score like Leo Hermann, if I was a high school All State soccer player for two straight years, if I’m AMCC Newcomer of the Year, a two-time AMCC Offensive Player of the Year, if I’m First Team All-Conference and named to the NSCAA All-Region Team, if I nailed the game-winning goal five times last season, twice against conference opponents, if I set single-season and all-time program records in goals and assists, and if I lead my team to its first postseason conference tournament in program history, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I can swim like Elizabeth McNulty, if I hold eight university records in butterfly and individual medley events, if in my first year at Franciscan University I won every single event I swam except one, if this year’s all conference nomination makes it four straight, if I set the AMCC record in the 100-yard butterfly after being named AMCC Swimmer of the Week for the fourth time in a single season, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I can serve like Jarek Sulak, if I’m a First Team All Conference regular and if I’ve never lost a conference or NCAA first-round doubles match, if I’m Baron of the Week, Player of the Week, No. 1 singles, No. 1 doubles, and hold the highest current wins percentage in program history, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I can spike like Maria Ciola, if I’m First Team All Conference, if I lead the Lady Barons to their sixth-straight conference tournament with 249 kills, an average of 2.57 per set, and if I posted 14 games with more than 10 kills, if I served nine aces in conference matches to go with 94 digs, if my sophomore campaign ranks as sixth all time in program history for points in a season, but do not have love, I am nothing
If I can run like Joe Gallagher, if I’m named AMCC Newcomer of the Year and a member of the All Conference team, if I’m AMCC Runner of the Week and ECAC Rookie of the Week all in my first year, but I do not have love, I am nothing.
Straight up, if the most important thing we do on the field of play is play, we’re selling ourselves short.