May 31, 2023 | Sarah Fetters
If you have ever lived in North Carolina, most likely you’ve seen a house-divided flag fluttering near a front porch. My neighbors have one – half splashed in Duke blue and half covered in Carolina blue.
But what about a heart divided?
When I sit down Friday to watch UNC Wilmington and Duke baseball play the opening game of the Conway Regional, seven years of my professional life will come to a head. I spent five years in athletics communication with the Blue Devils and the last two with the Seahawks’ Division for University Advancement communications.
So how am I going to watch Friday? Not chewing fingernails off or cringing through every pitch, but by doing the thing both institutions taught me – to enjoy the unfolding of a story.
As a kid who grew up wishing I could be the next JJ Redick or Jon Scheyer (but was 5-foot-3 and could barely dribble) and then had an office in Cameron Indoor Stadium, working for Duke was fulfilling a dream.
By the nature of college athletics jobs, spending time with student-athletes and covering games meant I was always watching the unfolding of some type of story. Events alone gave me memories for a lifetime: football bowl wins, men’s basketball capturing the 2015 NCAA title, tennis tournaments and so much more.
It was everything to me. But those are the surface-level stories.
The bigger picture is how the people supported me even after I left. When I went to Vanderbilt as its Director of Football Communications in August of 2020, some of the first congratulations texts were from former coworkers. That November, when Sarah Fuller became the first female to play Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football, several Duke football players reached out saying she was in great hands.
What I learned about Duke was that the relationships it gives remain with you far after you leave the building. That was the true unfolding of the story of my time as a Blue Devil – support across a lifetime.
In my new role at UNCW, I regularly interact with alums. When doing an interview for a feature story, I spend roughly an hour listening to their stories unfold and hearing how their Seahawk experiences did not end when they left a building, either.
Just ask Aldo Plata '03, whose connection with former UNCW men’s basketball coach Jerry Wainwright sparked Plata’s professional course. He will be in the Duke dugout on Friday as the baseball athletic trainer after serving in the same role as a Seahawk.
“Working baseball at UNCW allowed me to have the opportunity to work with USA Baseball, which allowed me the opportunity to travel with two gold-medal winning teams, which allowed me the opportunity to come to Duke,” he said. “There's a great sense of pride.”
Pride is in no short supply for UNCW athletics with five programs (men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s golf, men’s tennis and baseball) having claimed Colonial Athletic Association titles this spring to set the record for the most in a year in school history. I have witnessed firsthand how those title-winning student-athletes will have memories and relationships that will unfold and deepen over their lifetimes.
Their broader Seahawk connections will also unfold and inspire.
Just like sporting events led to relationships being built at Duke, I think of the power of UNCW Alumni Association events like Commencement Toast and Homecoming and the bringing together of people they offer.
“As an alumnus, I eat, breathe, sleep, and live for Homecoming,” African American Graduate Association (AAGA) president Roger Hyman '96 said. “It gives you the opportunity to reconnect with your classmates who you may not see all year.”
For two years with the Seahawks, stories I’ve written on alums are covered with phrases like:
- I connected with professors who really invested in me and pushed me forward.
- UNCW is a foundational pillar of who I am.
- It’s about connecting with friends, nostalgic moments and being part of the Seahawk family.
- UNCW just continues to astound me.
This place and its relationships offered stick with you far after you leave the state’s coastal university. (Or stay in the area because the ocean is literally five miles from campus!)
“Our recent graduates leave UNCW’s classrooms behind for now, but they join a teal network eager to support them and help them pursue their goals,” Chancellor Aswani K. Volety said.
So where does my divided heart sit heading into Friday? Conflicted a bit, but mainly proud. Proud to say a piece of me will call each of these places home and that relationships from both institutions will continue to unfold over my lifetime.
Last spring when I sat down with UNCW baseball head coach Randy Hood he told me, “We have this aura about us this time of year.”
It still rings true today. And the reality is the aura extends beyond the baseball diamond and into the hearts of those in both dugouts.
As a communications professional and adorer of words, I know I am biased in looking for a story to share and giving space to those who do not always have it. But Friday, when it’s Blue Devils and Seahawks, I’m hoping I let the story come to me and watch it unfold throughout nine innings.