If you think back to your college days, or for current students you may read about it in a book, you may have heard of a status symbol that many athletes held called "the big man on campus." It wasn't necessarily an award per se, but more of an aura that they held that allowed this person to do whatever they want and get away with it based on their achievements on the field/rink/court. To better explain it, Sippin On Purple came up with a great definition:
By definition, Big Man On Campus means, "an important male college student." While, I am not going to use that exact definition seeing as there is this thing called Title IX and overall the idea of BMOC is very ambiguous, but I will loosely use that with all male and female student-athletes eligible. Stereotypically, being the big man on campus means you are the popular, star jock who may be able to get away with a thing... While, Northwestern is probably one of the last schools, where a big time athlete could get away with something based on their status, I thought it'd be fun to make a completely hypothetical ranking of student-athletes going into next year who would maybe be able to skip to the front of the line at the nationally renowned.
So using a highly scientific method that involved many lists and throwing them all randomly on a board, here is my list of 15 athletes (both men and women) that would vie for Boston College's BMOC award.
15. Andrew Van Nest (Men's Basketball) - Next to Dennis Clifford he probably is the tallest man on campus at a towering seven feet tall. Plus he is from Harvard so he is likely very smart and can get whatever he wants using his vast intellectual wit.
14. Philip Nelson (Men's Tennis) - Lost in the shuffle of a struggling basketball and football programs was our struggling Men's Tennis team. They finished last in the ACC, only winning one match in conference play. Nelson however was the strongest point on this team, winning 42 percent of his matches. GO TEAM!
13. Laura McKenna (Women's Sailing) - Part of the national champion women's Eagles sailing crew, McKenna has brought home numerous honors at her time at the Heights including National Sailor of the Week in 2010. Also won the award for most consecutive sails without being attacked by a shark.
12. Kyle Bekker (Men's Soccer) - Soccer has been all the rage this summer, with both the Olympics and Euro Cup bringing the sport to more television sets in America. Bekker should ride some of that popularity into his senior season at the Heights. He played for the Canadian National Team and led the team during the CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying rounds. He is also seventh all time on the Eagles' all-time scoring list.
11. Chase Rettig (Football) - Poor, poor Chase. It's been a rough three years so far for him at Boston College. Gary Tranquill, Kevin Rogers and Dave Brock all ditched Rettig. But this year Chase might have found his best-est friend ever in Doug Martin, a guy who likes to play it fast and loose. Watch out ladies there is a new Chase Rettig on campus!
10. Katie Zenevitch (Women's Basketball) - At 6-foot-3, she is the tallest girl on the team, averaging a team-leading 6.1 boards a game. Yeah, probably best to just get out of her way.
9. Kristin Mewis (Women's Soccer) - A leader on the women's soccer team, Mewes will be joining the Women's National Team in London to compete against China in the Olympics. USA USA USA!!! If they win a medal, you know that will be a pass to do whatever she wants "Ms. Mewes did you finish your test?." "No, but I want a silver medal in London!"
8. Tom Bourdon (Baseball) - Even with the baseball team struggling to reach .500, Bourdon was the power behind the Eagles. With an OPS of over .900, Bourdon led the team with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. And remember back to that early Nike commercial with Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux "Chicks love the long ball."
7. Olga Khmylev (Women's Tennis) - One of BC's premier doubles players, Khylev made the list based purely on the fact that not only is she a fantastic player, but she is also the daugter of former Buffalo Sabre Yuri Khmylev. Don't mess with her, just sayin'.
6. Ryan Anderson/Patrick Heckmann (Men's Basketball) - Last year was difficult to watch with the young Eagles flopping all over the place as they tried to figure out how to play as a team. These two were the leaders, and are 1-2 in returning scoring for Steve Donahue.
5. Gene DeFilippo - Just kidding.
4. Alex Carpenter (Women's Hockey) - Only a sophomore this year, Alex has shown what she is capable of on the ice scoring 22 goals and 18 assists. Led her Eagles to the Frozen Four, and probably could beat up everyone who reads or writes for this blog. Seriously, women hockey players are TOUGH.
3. Johnny Gaudreau (Men's Hockey) - Measuring in at a mean 4-foot-10, Gaudreau skates the length of the rink faster than anyone in college hockey. With mind blowing goals, and insane stick handling, he was the offensive force behind the 2011-12 Eagles Championship team.
2. Kevin Pierre Louis (Men's Football) - While most people would be depressed if their partner in crime left the program for NFL dreams, KPL will probably just get mad. Mostly overshadowed by the Kuechly, this is KPL's year to shine. He is going to have a major chip on his shoulder all year, so if he asks for something, you probably want to just go ahead and give it to him.
1. Parker Milner (Men's Hockey) - Going into next season will there be anyone more revered then Milner? Seriously, Lower Dining Hall should just run a non stop loop of all the sick saves he made during the Hockey East and National Title Games. Men throw your girlfriends at him, girls throw yourselves at him, and everyone buy him a beer (but not too many he needs to be ready to play again in October), because Parker Milner is your 2012 Big Man on Campus at Boston College!
That's my list. Who do you have as the BMOC in Chestnut Hill for the 2012-2013 Boston College athletic year?