Editor’s note: Baltimore Watchdog reporters enrolled in a sports journalism course conducted group interviews with Towson athletes. Below are their profile stories.
By Isaac Donsky
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Twin sisters Kerri and Nicole Liucci do everything together. They learned lacrosse together. They played on the same teams growing up. They attend the same university. They play the same position on Towson’s women’s lacrosse team. One is often confused for the other.
So it was no surprise that when COVID-19 struck their hometown of Melville, New York, they worked to give back to their community.
Together.
From mid-March to late August, the Liucci sisters worked at a daycare facility in Melville, watching and caring for the children of essential and front-line workers. For the twins, it was all about giving back.
“The parents were working and helping out the community,” Kerri said, “and we in turn were helping the community by watching their kids.”
In any other year, the twins would have spent spring on Towson’s lacrosse field, where both play midfield. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed that in early March when the remainder of their sophomore season was cancelled.
“We were in the middle of practice when we were told,” Kerri said. “It was devastating. We had just come off our best game of the season against Ohio State and were looking forward to UMass on Saturday. It all came to an end so quick.”
Returning home to Long Island, the sisters found themselves on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. New York was among the hardest hit states. They decided almost at once that they couldn’t just sit on the sidelines. They needed to be on the field.
This came as no surprise to their teammates.
“They have always been willing to help others on our team and constantly go out of their way to help others,” said Kaitlin Thornton, a senior attacker for Towson’s women’s lacrosse team. “The twins are such kind people and would jump at this opportunity to help.”
Both Kerri and Nicole want to pursue careers in physical education, so getting the chance to work face-to-face, or in this case mask-to-mask, with children was an excellent opportunity.
“I think working there gave me a better understanding of working with kids,” Nicole said. “I learned how to deal with some of the issues kids have, especially listening.”
A typical day for the twins involved working from early in the morning to late in the afternoon, shepherding the children between activity stations. For safety reasons, the children were not allowed to socialize for the first three months, staying by themselves or with siblings.
“The really challenging thing was that we couldn’t really do any physical activity with the kids,” Kerri said. “We could go outside for a quick walk, but that was about it. Every kid basically had to be on their own.”
As cases in New York dropped, the kids were allowed to interact with each other more often. But this opened up the risk of COVID contraction. Both sisters understood this risk.
“More and more people from our town were testing positive towards the end of the summer,” said Nicole. “But it never got to the point where I was too scared to go to work.”
The sisters had good reason to feel safe, as the staff of the facility had taken steps to ensure safety. Temperatures were taken before shifts started every day, and employees had to answer a questionnaire before entering the building.
“They did the same things inside as well,” Kerri said. “It wasn’t anything that made us scared. It helped us feel safe.”
Along with working full-time, the sisters had to balance their work with classes and homework. It was a challenge, but nothing they couldn’t handle.
“For the first couple of weeks, it was difficult to figure out a schedule,” Kerri said. “Once we started getting into the routine of things, we had a set schedule that we worked from. I just set days and deadlines, kind of like what I do at Towson.”
Since the resumption of classes, the sisters have been back on Towson’s campus, adjusting to the new normal of being a student-athlete during a pandemic. Practices are limited to just 15 minutes a day, and the question of whether there will be a spring season is up in the air.
While they are frustrated with the restrictions, the sisters are optimistic that they’ll get to play in the spring.
“I feel like if we all do our part in the next couple of weeks leading into Thanksgiving and winter break,” Kerri said, “we could be fine. Hopefully, everyone is doing what they’re told and staying safe and healthy.”
While they wait for the season that may never come, the sisters remain focused on giving back to their community. And while they can no longer help in person, they can still give back by spreading the word.
“In a time like this with everything going on,” Kerri said, “everyone should be coming together.”
By Matt Kells
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Nicole Liucci was coming off one of her best performances of the season. She scored four goals as the Towson women’s lacrosse team beat Ohio State 21-14 on March 10. After starting out 1-4, the Tigers’ season was looking up.
And then, in a matter of days, the season was over.
COVID-19 forced the cancellation of spring sports at Towson and universities across the country. With classes moved online, Nicole and her twin sister, Kerri, both midfielders, went home to Long Island, New York.
The move home provided an intriguing opportunity for the sisters, both of whom are education majors. They worked in a childcare facility in the school district they went to growing up from the end of March through summer. They looked after students in kindergarten through sixth grade whose parents worked in hospitals, field facilities or testing sites.
With everybody experiencing tough times during the coronavirus pandemic and even more so in New York, the Liucci sisters said they were glad to have the opportunity to help.
“I think that it gave me a better understanding of working with kids, especially during a difficult time,” Nicole said. “I learned how to deal with certain issues like kids not listening and how to deal with similar situations.”
Following COVID-19 protocols became a big part of the morning routine. Kerri explained that students and staff alike got their temperature checked and were asked questions pertaining to their health, which made the atmosphere a little more at ease knowing that the safety of everyone on site was the top priority.
In March and April, siblings were limited to being with siblings, which made it difficult for staff to come up with activities that would keep everyone engaged without having the ability to bring students together.
For education majors, the choice to look after kids whose parents needed a helping hand was a no brainer. Still, going into a childcare facility posed some risks.
“When I got the call I was definitely hesitant, and then I realized if I wear a mask, if I did all the precautions, I knew I’d be doing something good, so we went ahead and did it,” Kerri said.
It is this giving and selfless mentality that defines the Liucci sisters. Kaitlin Thornton, a teammate on the lacrosse team, was asked if she was caught by surprise that Nicole and Kerri worked at a child care center amidst the height of the pandemic.
“No, it did not surprise me,” Thornton said. “They have always been willing to help others on our team and constantly go out of their way to help others. The twins are such kind people and would jump at this opportunity to help.”
In times of crisis, there are individuals who will do anything to help, whether it’s administering tests to those who have a high risk of being infected by the coronavirus or donating money to help aid those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
Due to the possible risk of contracting the virus, some people would love to volunteer but feel that the chance of getting infected holds them back from helping. To those who are still on the fence, Kerri said that following the precautions of washing your hands and getting your temperature checked should keep you safe.
“You should do what you feel comfortable with, but I felt safe doing it,” Kerri said.
Added Kerri: “In a time like this I feel like everyone should be coming together,” Kerri said. “Just being there for one another in time of need.”
By Conor McGinley
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Many people responded to the coronavirus pandemic by staying home and staying safe. But Kerri and Nicole Liucci, twin sisters who play together on the Towson women’s lacrosse team, decided they needed to work in their community to help others in need.
That’s nothing new for the sisters, who often put the well-being of others before themselves.
“They have always been willing to help others on our team and constantly go out of their way to help others,” said Towson teammate Kaitlin Thornton, who is also from Long Island, New York. “The twins are such kind people.“
In the spring and summer, Kerri and Nicole worked at a daycare center near where they grew up.
“It was mostly for kids K-6 with parents who were working in the hospitals or at any of the field sites set up and testing sites,” Kerri said. “Their parents knew that they would be safe since it was from the school district.”
The twins were initially unsure about working at the daycare. They understood the safety risks, and New York was hit hard by COVID-19. But they decided they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help.
“When I got the call, I was definitely a little bit hesitant,” Kerri said. “But then I realized that if I wore a mask and did all the precautions, I would be doing something good.”
The twins are both studying education and are interesting in being physical education teachers. So this experience was useful to their future career. Still, there were challenges.
“Most of the time it was siblings with siblings with a limit on how many students could be in each room,” Kerri said. ‘That was really challenging because we couldn’t do any physical activity. We could go outside for a while for a walk, but that was about it.”
That meant they couldn’t do sports with the kids, or play sports themselves. It was one of the first times in their lives they weren’t playing lacrosse or another sport.
Out of high school, the twins both liked the idea of playing at Towson. They attended a lacrosse camp on campus and liked the feel.
“When we got the opportunity, we were excited because it fit perfectly academic-wise,” Kerri said. “We were just really excited to continue to play and work towards getting a degree.”
Added Kerri: “We previously worked at a summer camp. We’ve done physical activities with [kids]…Back in high school, we were close with our gym teacher, so that impacted our decision.”
The Liucci sisters saw significant playing time in their freshman year, and both were key contributors last season. The Tigers started 0-3 but won two of their final three games, including a 21-14 win over Ohio State on March 10. That was the last game before the season was cancelled.
“We were told to still get ready for Ohio State,” Kerri said. “So we went out and played and had the best game of last season. We were in the middle of practice when we were told to go home. We were just trying to turn our season around and compete on a good level against UMass on that Saturday, and it all just came to an end so quick.”
This fall, the transition back to being a student-athlete has been difficult at times.
“It’s a little rough,” Nicole said. “We have a lot of new rules, so it’s a bit difficult to leave your house and do certain things. Usually the past few falls, we’ve had lacrosse for a few hours every day. Now that we only have it for an hour every day — it feels a lot different.”
The Liucci sisters have had plenty of time in their careers to play with each other.
“They have always had such great connection with one another even since high school,” Thornton said. “They know where they are going to be and do not even have to look at each other. On the field they are sneaky and quiet, therefore when they cut they are wide open in the middle in order to score.”
They hope to return to the field this spring.
By Laura Lydic
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Kerri and Nicole Liucci, midfielders on the Towson women’s lacrosse team, are passionate about sports. They are also passionate about helping others.
When their season was cancelled in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the twin sisters made the most of their time back home in Long Island, New York, by volunteering at a daycare for children of essential workers.
Just weeks before they went home, they were on the field and hopeful about their season after beating Ohio State 21-14 on March 10. It was the last game they’d play during their sophomore season.
“[It was] devastating because that’s when our season was just turning around,” Kerri said. “And we were trying to compete at a good level against UMass on that Saturday and it all just came to an end so quick.”
Soon, they were home on Long Island, taking classes and figuring out why to do with their time. Then an opportunity arose to work at a daycare facility that’s part of the school district they attended growing up. New York was one of the hardest hit states by COVID-19, and they knew working with kids would be a risk — one they were willing to take.
“I realized if I wore a mask, if I did all the precautions then I knew I’d be doing something good, so we just went ahead and did it,” Kerri said.
During spring and summer, they looked after the children of essential workers in their community.
“It was mostly for kids in K-6th who had parents working either in the hospitals or at any of the field facilities set up,” Kerri said.
Added Kerri: “It was more so for the parents to be able to go to work and help out the community and we were helping the community by watching them. It was nice, it was cool.”
The twins’ willingness to help did not come as a shock to teammate Kaitlin Thornton, a senior teammate also from New York.
pandemic.
“No, it did not surprise me,” Thornton said. “They have always been willing to help others on our team and constantly go out of their way to help others. The twins are such kind people and would jump at this opportunity to help.”
Still, it was tough for them to be without lacrosse for the first time in awhile. The twins took up lacrosse in the first grade, around the age of 6. They started playing with their town team and played together at Ward Melville High School.
Playing lacrosse in college was a goal of theirs and Towson made that possible. Why did they choose Towson?
“The location because we are from New York and we didn’t want to go too far,” Nicole said. “And academic wise and the skill level at Towson for lacrosse all fit well together,”
The sisters have strong chemistry on the field.
“They have always had such a great connection with one another even since high school,” Thornton said. “They know where they are going to be and do not even have to look at each other to know where they are going to be on the field.”
Like many siblings, they are competitive with each other. And playing the same position for the same team heightens that.
“Playing time can cause conflict for us because we are both obviously playing for the same spot,” Nicole said. “And we will support each other no matter what, but I feel like it has caused some issues in the past.”
They are back in Towson this fall even though classes are online. And lacrosse has looked very different — with restricted hours and limitations on what they can do on the field.
“We do lift or conditioning for about an hour a day,” Kerri said. “And then we do like 15 minutes of lacrosse and that’s all we can do. We are split up in different groups, so no we can’t have full team practices just yet.”
They are hopeful that this spring they can return to the field for their junior seasons.