Ben Franzone ‘26 [guest writer] and Aiden Konold ‘26 [sports editor]

Come next season, the Holy Cross women’s basketball team will be without departing seniors Bronagh Power-Cassidy, Cara McCormack, Janelle Allen, and Callie Wright. Under the leadership of these seniors, the Crusaders won two regular season Patriot League titles, two Patriot League Tournament Championships, appeared in March Madness back-to-back, and most recently, won an NCAA Tournament game. 

The strong winning culture established under head coach Maureen Magarity, though, transcends the contributions of any group of players. Magarity strives to establish a great environment even through the recruiting process. 

Sophomore guard Kaitlyn Flanagan was forced to speak to coaches over the phone when she was being recruited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting with coaches in-person makes a big difference, but Kaitlyn didn’t need to meet the Holy Cross coaching staff to feel comfortable. 

“In talking to them [the Holy Cross coaching staff], I think that the biggest thing for me was that these are the coaches I had felt most comfortable talking to,” Flanagan said in a Spire interview. “It was difficult over the phone to try and make connections with people, especially COVID was during my recruitment process, so that was interesting. So getting up here and visiting with basically nobody on campus, it was big for me to make a connection with the coaches. And I think that was the biggest thing that led me here.” 

Shortly after Bronagh Power-Cassidy committed to Holy Cross, the community convinced her that she had made the right decision. 

“The coaches were just great people and easy to connect with,” Bronagh said. “It’s just a great environment in general, it’s why I decided on Holy Cross.”  

Callie Wright, the Memphis transfer from Canada, had planned on attending a school known for its academics. Holy Cross matched that description and resembled a change of pace from Memphis, but more than the academics, Callie soon fell in love with Holy Cross’ close-knit community. 

“I connected with the coaches right away so it was a great thing, and then met some of the players on FaceTime,” Callie said. 

Cara, meanwhile, had some familiarity with Holy Cross because she attended several basketball camps at the Hart Center growing up. Early on in the recruitment process, Holy Cross’ high academic standards attracted Cara. 

“When they recruited me I pretty much instantly knew I wanted to come here,” McCormack said. 

Janelle Allen, an Illinois native, never personally heard of Holy Cross until she was recruited. When Allen was a sophomore in high school, she took a visit to Holy Cross. Though the coaching staff did not yet include Coach Magarity, Janelle loved the other girls on the team. 

By her second visit to campus and after coaching changes were made, Janelle had the opportunity to meet with Cara and several members of the coaching staff. Janelle met with Bronagh and the new coaching staff soon after moving in at Holy Cross to start her freshman year. Janelle already liked being far from home. 

“I loved it, didn’t feel out of place, felt like I could really get along with the people and I have,” Janelle said of arriving at Holy Cross. 

Simone Foreman, who was tasked with guarding Caitlin Clark in the NCAA Tournament this year, grew up in Odenton, MD, nearly 375 miles south of Holy Cross. Simone immediately felt comfortable in her new home on the Hill. 

“Going to other schools, it was fine and I did make connections,” Simone said, “but I just feel like Holy Cross, there was no doubt in my mind, no doubt in their mind, that I was family, and that I would be treated like family, too.”

Lindsay Berger, a junior forward, played high school basketball at Parkland High School in Allentown, PA. She always wanted to play at a great academic school, and Holy Cross fit Lindsay’s criteria to a tee. 

“I knew that I’d be in good hands,” Lindsay said of arriving at Holy Cross. “I just felt really comfortable and I knew right when I turned onto College Street, ‘Yes, this could be it.’ ”

Though Coach Magarity sets a high standard for her players the moment they arrive on campus, she always listens to them. 

“She takes a lot of our input,” Kaitlyn Flanagan said. “And we can actually see it put into action too.” 

“She’s probably the most welcoming person I’ve ever met,” Cara McCormack said of her head coach. “With her as your coach, you always know she has your back and I think that’s really important. No matter if you’re the first person on the floor [or the] last person on the bench she has your back and you have the green light.” 

“It makes you want to play harder,” 2-time Patriot League Championship MVP, Bronagh Power-Cassidy, said. “That just means everything we do on the court is for each other and that’s our coaching staff and each other as players.”

“If you’re having a bad day, she’s very caring and lets it be known that she’s there for you,” Callie Wright said of Magarity. “It makes it really easy to want to play for her.” 

Coach Magarity lets her players be themselves; she understands that no two players are the same. 

“She lets these young women be themselves and she’s really good at that, allowing them to function under their own umbrella… and we’re able to mold them into the Holy Cross athlete within the confines of who they are,” team strength and conditioning coach Aysia Shellmire said of Coach Magarity. “She’s really good at navigating and just having a feel for what is on the mind of her players.” 

“If something’s too hard, she’ll see it in their face and be like, alright, take a breath, like hold on,” Aysia continued. “Let’s draw back and get back into it.”

During the postseason, Aysia assessed each player and divided them into categories based on what she thought their needs were. If a player was struggling with mobility, for example, they would concentrate on that specific built-in program for one day out of the week and lift with their teammates the other days to build team culture. 

The culture the team has built has allowed them continued success throughout the season. Even in facing adversity during a mid-season four-game losing streak, the Crusaders came together. 

The team used this time to have a tough and honest conversation about what each player needed from their teammates, and it allowed them to learn what they needed to give to those around them whether on or off the court. 

“I think adversity definitely helps when you’re in [the] playoffs and in those big moments [with] big crowds,” Cara said. “You’re not going to be able to face those moments unless you have struggles throughout the year and I feel like even though it was frustrating, it was important for us and I think it made us better.”

After maintaining the first-place spot in the Patriot League standings for most of the regular season, the Crusaders’ losing streak to start the month of February put the number one seed and their season on the line. Magarity remained calm and steadfast during her team’s quest to win the Patriot League Tournament for a second straight season. 

“She didn’t go on power trips,” Janelle said of Magarity. “What you see is what you get and she was very real, so I really appreciated that. She had respect for us so it was easy to respect her as a coach as well.” 

Power-Cassidy echoed messages of optimism during this stretch, noting that the coaches did a great job at preparing the team for each game. 

“We started the season really well and then we had that stretch, where it just seemed like we couldn’t win a game,” Power-Cassidy said. “I think physically we were prepared, we were prepared by our coaches, but I think it was when we had a conversation and our mentality as a team shifted. We stopped playing not to lose and we’re playing to win.” 

This change in mentality fueled the Crusaders into the Patriot League Tournament.

“Just having that hardship earlier in the year stuck to us because we knew we could mentally get through whatever was thrown at us in those last couple games,” Bronagh said. 

Although she’s seen mid-season slumps before, Aysia Shellmire emphasized how important it is for the team to stay connected and remain committed to their game.

“If you prepare with the habits that you admire in other people… and you’re inspired by that, I think it’s really important for them to understand what it takes to get there and do everything they can to get there,” Shellmire said.

Although the team’s culture remained, their mentality shift catapulted them back into the playoffs with the chance for another March Madness berth on the line. 

Expectations were high for the Crusaders, the no. 15 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and the 2023 Patriot League Tournament champions. The 2024 campaign required a team effort as the Crusaders journeyed through highs and lows to cross the finish line. 

Cara McCormack, one of Holy Cross’ most prolific shooters, often relied on the support of her teammates when she was not playing at her best. 

“Your body is gonna hurt, you’re gonna have rough shooting days and you’re gonna have lapses on defense,” McCormack said. “People are going to tell you to keep shooting and they have the utmost confidence in you. It kept telling me to keep going and they [my teammates] believed in me so it made everything like way easier when I didn’t believe in myself.” 

“I think just having such good people around you kind of makes everything a bit easier,” Power-Cassidy said. “Not every day is going to be perfect and it’s not going to be easy… We put ourselves in challenging situations as student-athletes, but just knowing that everybody on that court with you has had tough days…they can empathize with you and support you.”

The Crusaders ended the regular season with an overall record of 21-13 and defeated Bucknell in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament and Loyola in the second round. The Crusaders capped off their tournament run by defeating Boston University for the second straight year in the championship game; this time on their home court. 

“We all wanted to win a championship in the Hart Center; that was huge. I know that was a goal of mine coming in as a freshman,” Power-Cassidy said. 

Hundreds of enthusiastic fans packed the Hart Center and cheered on the Crusaders as the team hoisted the Patriot League trophy and headed to Iowa to play UT Martin in the First Four. The Crusaders steamrolled their way into the first round of the tournament by way of a 27-point win against the Skyhawks. 

Senior guard Cara McCormack posted 23 points, 7 rebounds, and converted 7 three-pointers, second most in a single game in Holy Cross history, and the Crusaders held UT Martin to just 21 points in the second half. 

“It’s easy to make shots when you have people that surround you that are such great players… Janelle was hitting me with such great passes… I feel like I did shoot well, but it’s not really on me. It’s a credit to my team and the people that are surrounding me,” McCormack said about her performance against UT Martin.

“I think everybody stepped up… and that was probably one of my favorite wins of the season. I think it was such a great all-around team win. And to be able to kind of do it in that arena [Carver-Hawkeye Arena] was just so cool,” Power-Cassidy said about the team’s win against UT Martin. 

Although the Crusaders were aware of what would be waiting for them should they make it to the first round, the group was only focused on what was ahead of them and was determined to beat UT Martin.

“We were just trying to focus on the step that was ahead of us,” Power-Cassidy said. “I want to make sure we keep playing, so the only way we can do that is win this next game.” 

Meanwhile, the coaching staff was diligently preparing for the work that would be ahead of them in the next round. 

“I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve come up to this room and they’re all on their computers watching this game, that player, that scout,” Lindsay Berger said of the Holy Cross coaching staff. “They never stop working.” 

McCormack, Power-Cassidy, and Allen each gave the coaching staff credit in the post-game press conferences for the game plan they drew up following the UT Martin game. 

The Crusaders’ next opponent, the number one-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes, were led by NCAA all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark. No matter the threat Clark posed, the Crusaders remained confident in their game and were focused on the task at hand. 

“Our team was really trying to not take the bait,” Power-Cassidy said of the media attention surrounding the game. 

Simone Foreman, who had the tall task of defending Clark for much of the game, rose to the challenge and was committed to whatever it would take to stop the Iowa offense. 

“Respectfully, I can’t put her [Caitlin Clark] on a pedestal and then think less of [myself], I have to step up,” Simone said. “I just had to be on her, wherever she went I was there. I had to bust through the screens, I just had to work.” 

The Crusader defense held Clark to five points and five turnovers in the first quarter.  Though the prolific shooting of Clark and the battle-tested Hawkeyes was ultimately too much for Magarity’s Crusaders, Holy Cross put up a tough fight, leading for periods in the first quarter and only being down by 2 at the end of the first. 

Iowa’s head coach Lisa Bluder noted the toughness of the Crusader team to begin her post-game press conference. 

“I just want to congratulate Maureen and Holy Cross on a really great season,” Bluder said. “They’re just a really tremendous group of people. I thought they were very fundamentally sound, they worked really hard and it was just a great first-round opponent.” 

The Holy Cross–Iowa game was the most watched first-round game in women’s NCAA history, recording 3.23 million viewers. The women’s NCAA championship game reached 18.7 million viewers, greatly surpassing the men’s championship game. The Holy Cross women’s basketball team had the special opportunity to be part of the historic growth of women’s basketball.  

“I’m so grateful for them to be able to play on the stage they did and where women’s basketball is now,” Coach Fogarty reflected. “Being able to play against one of the greatest basketball players in the world is unbelievable.”

As for the players, having played the sport for most of their lives, it is bittersweet to finally have the stage and recognition the players have worked so hard for. 

“I feel like growing up I was always playing with boys and it was just always a comparison when it shouldn’t have been but now to have the same platform, the same stage as the men it just makes me so happy,” Foreman said. 

“I’m just so grateful to be able to be a part of women’s sports right now because I honestly think it means so much more just because we stand as representations of all of the women who were in our position previously but didn’t get the same recognition,” Bronagh said. “So as much as we’re doing it for each other, we’re doing it for everybody who paved the way.”

Next season, the Crusaders will have to pave a path forward without Janelle, Bronagh, Cara, and Callie. Come May, these four seniors will graduate, and look to take their talents elsewhere. Kaitlyn, Simone, and Lindsay will be heavily relied on to lead the next generation of Crusaders. 

“One of the things that has made us so successful is that we’re so optimistic and we play together on the court,” Lindsay said.

Simone already has a game plan set in place for next year, when she takes on an increased leadership role. 

“I feel like just being more active, being in the gym, staying later, encouraging my teammates, being more vocal,” Foreman said. “Stepping up in that way can go a long way… even just day to day when it gets rough.” 

Kaitlyn Flanagan will be the only returning starter next season. As a sophomore this past year, Kaitlyn started in all 34 of the Crusaders’ games, and she led the Patriot League in assists, assists per game, and assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranked 13th in the NCAA. 

Even after playing 40 minutes in a game, Kaitlyn can be spotted sprinting the hardest. Last season, during Kaitlyn’s freshman season, upperclassmen noticed that she was mature beyond her years. Kaitlyn’s consistent habits helped her improve each day. 

“Kaitlyn’s a little bit of a coach’s dream,” Bronagh said. “I think she just kind of represents everything you want in a leader– standing for each other, standing up for your teammates, and holding each other accountable, but also caring for them.” 

“She holds me accountable all the time,” Janelle said of Kaitlyn. “I appreciate it because leaders have to have a voice and you have to do what’s hard and do what people don’t want to do and say things that people don’t want to hear. And she does it and she does it with respect.”

“The way she puts her teammates first it’s very obvious how much she cares about everybody and I think sometimes they can go unnoticed but everyone’s very appreciative,” Callie said. 

Coach Fogarty views Kaitlyn’s qualities as emblematic of a strong leader, and highlights the overall culture of the team as being committed to each other’s success. 

“She came in with the work ethic, the competitiveness, the drive to want to be better, and then she had a lot of good people around her that supported her and boosted her and she kept that mentality going and wanted to be there right next to her doing the same thing,” Coach Fogarty said of Kaitlyn. “I think that she’s gonna be able to do that for [her] younger teammates going forward. She already does it for the team. She does it for the upperclassmen, she does it for the underclassmen, and a lot of it’s just because as a team, they are all driven to be great and that’s on and off the floor.”

Featured Image courtesy of Holy Cross Athletics.