It’s honestly hard to believe that I’m sitting here writing this. Just like that, my time at The Daily Campus is over. Apologies for the cliché, but it feels like just yesterday was the day after high school graduation and I was sending former Associate Sports Editor Jon Synott an Instagram direct message, asking him how to get involved in DC Sports. A universal experience, I know. Now, over 300 articles later, I’m drafting my final piece.
I debated what to write here, so I looked at my predecessor’s work. After taking a bit too much time perusing past senior columns, I decided to use this platform (whoever is foolish enough to take five minutes to read) to discuss my time here. Probably the best way to get some closure. I won’t waste any more of your time blabbering on (and my words, since I’m already eating way too far into the word count). Let’s begin.
Over that first summer when I joined the Sports section, I felt eager enough to write Azzi Fudd’s freshman introduction article — a fairly large task for my first piece. Then again, I was one of the very few committed members of the section, with just three other people writing in the edition.
That article, which I was sure the editors would tear apart, was still a lot of fun to write. I took something that I had an interest in — UConn basketball — and got to write about it. Jon ended up liking it enough to not rip it apart and just like that, I was looking at my first published article as I drove up to Storrs, Connecticut, getting ready to start college.
Just two days later, I stumbled into the hard-to-find Daily Campus building in absolute awe. The way the production room was designed felt akin to a superhero headquarters, tailored to a nerd like me. Newspapers everywhere on the wall, framed championship editions and more. It was truly a moment where I was confident that I had found my place — and the sports meeting hadn’t even started yet.
Though there were only a handful of people in the conference room, the atmosphere in the sports meeting was unmatched. Sports talk galore and people who were excited to see a new face join.
As I found my footing in every aspect of college, I began penning “Stratton’s Column,” which became “Stratton’s Take” and eventually “Stratton’s Stand.” My second-ever column set the standard far too high for my next three years as a writer. I wrote on the UConn football coaching vacancy, advocating for Kevin Kelley’s hiring — a polarizing coach breaking the bounds of football. It seemed like a good pick on paper, as he was smashing scoring records in his first few games at the FCS level, but he flamed out before the year was over.
The reception that piece received was otherworldly for a freshman who hadn’t yet published 10 articles. Not only did it take UConn Twitter (now known as X) by storm, but I also got recognition from people whom I’d long admired.
Dom Amore, a lead writer for UConn sports at the Hartford Courant, whose work I read religiously, mentioned me and my idea in his personal column. Equally insane was when ESPN’s Ryan McGee, who writes “The Bottom 10,” my favorite column ever, cited my idea in that very column. Getting that recognition was incredible and I don’t think I understood how unusual it was until it didn’t happen again.
Even though that particular high was unique, different highs kept coming my way. While I had already logged over 50 articles by the time my first semester was over, I do feel like I lucked into the women’s basketball beat. I started the winter as a hockey writer, but thanks to a series of events including an early-graduating editor and a writer who vanished, I ended up covering UConn women’s basketball — arguably the most historic program the sport has ever seen.
I’m already running out of space, but the rest of my time here was incredible. I was very lucky to have the chance to attend that year’s Final Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota along with two more on the men’s side. It’s rare that a writer goes 100% on Final Four coverage.
I was fortunate to end up as the associate sports editor for my sophomore year and eventually the sports editor for my third, and final year at UConn. I was a little less prolific those two years, but still managed to finish with 25 articles over 1,000 views, a best on the DC’s new website. That takes us to my “thank you’s,” which has to start with Jon.
Thank you Jon, for accepting my follow request on that June day and entertaining my direct message. Thank you for letting me write for the freshman issue and trusting me with the basketball beat so early. Thank you for being a great editor; you made my job really easy and taught me how to lead. And thank you for being my biggest mentor at UConn.
Thank you to Evan, my current co-editor, who has been a lasting friend at the DC. We managed to avoid any disasters this year and overall, put together a bunch of great sports sections.
Thank you to Cole for being the only person with more articles than me on the new DC website and being my right hand man for women’s basketball. You always brought life to meetings, which I immensely appreciate.
Thank you to Ashton and Taylor for being great editors my first year and helping my development.
Thank you to the entire sports section for indulging my dream to have highly-attended sports meetings and for helping us make a killer paper every day. The sports section doesn’t exist without you.
And a final thank you goes to my family: Mom, Dad, Sabrina and Emma for always supporting me.
I am forever grateful for my time at the DC – I’ll cherish it forever.