First-Ever Merrimack Roadshow A Major Success

ANDOVER, Mass. -- Merrimack College coaches know the importance of getting off to a strong start on game day, and safe to say they did exactly that with the first-ever Merrimack Roadshow hosted at The Autograph Tavern on Wednesday.

The jam-packed crowd heard from Merrimack athletic director Joe Foley, men's hockey coach Scott Borek, men's basketball coach Joe Gallo, football coach Mike Gennetti and women's basketball coach Missy Traversi. Jacob VanRyn, who serves as a broadcaster for Merrimack football and men's basketball, served as the master of ceremonies and spoke to coaches about their respective teams and the overall development of the athletic department.

"Thank you so much for coming to our inaugural coaches roadshow," Foley told the crowd while opening up the program. "I'm really proud of the work our students are doing, representing all of us in such an incredible way. The way they represent Merrimack is a terrific thing."

Foley continued: "The incredible work that happens doesn't happen without great leadership, and you're going to get to hear from these people. But they can't do their jobs as well as they do without the support of you all. So whether you're showing up in the stands, buying tickets, wearing your Merrimack swag around town, following us on social media, or donors, if your making gifts to support these programs, I want you to know how grateful I am to each and every one of you for all the ways you support our student-athletes."

Sitting in front of the Hockey East Championship trophy, which fans had the opportunity to take photos with, Borek received a loud ovation from those in attendance. He spoke about the postseason run which concluded with the program's first-ever Hockey East Championship and note a point of pride was the fact the men's hockey team averaged a 3.7 GPA during the spring semester. 

"Thank you all for being part of that community," Borek said. "Let's continue to grow it, and let's continue to chase it."

Borek, Gallo and Gennetti, all of whom have been at Merrimack for the better part of the last decade, provided plenty of entertainment. The three shared funny stories including Gallo's time as a football videographer and spoke about being intertwined with each other's programs. They said those relationships, and the fact there are not silos at Merrimack, are what make the department so unique. 

"A completely new place, but the same people," Gallo said. "It's always been about the people here."

Traversi, who took over at the helm of the women's basketball program in April, talked about building her staff and roster in a relatively short amount of time. 

"It's been a blast," she said.

Following the panel discussion, coaches took questions from the audience and gave Merrimack swag to those who participated. It wrapped up the 40-minute session, which followed a casual meet-and-greet with those who attended. 

The Merrimack Roadshow in Andover marked the first of three events this summer. The next will be held at Legal Sea Foods-Harborside in Boston on July 15. You can register for the event here.