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Soccer phenom continues family's sports stardom at Alvernia

You might say sports are in the Stair family blood. �鶹��Ƶ holds a place there, too.

It’s also firmly rooted in the heart of first-year student Abby Stair and her parents, Rob '99 and Amy '99, who met on campus. While her parents didn’t make a push for Alvernia during Abby’s college search, you could safely say they were thrilled when it came up on her short list. A meeting with soccer coach Amanda Bezner and the fact that Abby could pursue a degree in sport management at Alvernia sealed the deal.

“Coach Amanda feels like a mom and soccer coach," Abby said. "The first time I met her, as soon as I got out of the car, she was screaming with excitement and gave me a hug … I felt so welcomed and wanted right away.”

Rob, a baseball player on the 1995 team, the first to make the NCAA regional
tournament, said he knew Alvernia was the place Abby needed to be 10 minutes into the meeting with Bezner.

“She isn’t like any of the coaches at any school we had met," he said. "She truly cares about the girls and treats them like family. Abby ended up committing to Alvernia the same day we visited.”

The bond with Bezner isn't the only strong connection Abby has developed. Her pull to her teammates was immediate, and she knows she’s made friendships that will stand the test of time.

“We all hang out all the time,” Abby said. “Even when we’re not in season. We’re a very tight-knit group. We have a really strong connection.”

Growing up, Abby remembers hearing her parents tell stories that echo her experience at Alvernia. But after she committed, they went further. 

"They talked about the sports they played and their teammates and how they met and how they still talk to them to this day," she said. "They’re in touch with all of them. I think that’s really special because knowing that these girls I’m playing with now could be my best friends 30 years from now is great. You really get to make those kinds of connections here.”

Amy, who played basketball, echoes that sentiment.

“Our team was very successful and we were close-knit," she said. "We made it to the NCAA playoff every year. I have so many great memories, especially from over Christmas break when we were the only ones on campus.”

Off the field, Abby’s class studies still focus on sports. She developed an interest in becoming a sport management major in her junior year of high school.

Ultimately, she’d love to become a sports agent, working with athletes or a particular team, perhaps focusing on other women in sports. And while there have been strides made in that area, Abby realizes there’s still much work to be done and believes it’s important for women to have other women willing to step up for them and for progress in the sports arena.

The classroom environment at Alvernia is something Abby sees as part of her standout college experience.

"I like the small class sizes here,” she said. “You know everyone in your class. If you
ever need help, you know someone, and if you ever want to talk to your professor, they know you by name. They know who you are. They see you. I feel like that’s part of what makes Alvernia so connected.”

And while she’s early on in her college career, Abby can already attest to being challenged in her studies, which she appreciates.

“You come to college because you want to get a degree, so you can get a job in the future, and that’s exactly what they’re setting you up to do," she said. "They push you, but set you up for success.”

Rob and Amy are excited for their daughter to carve out her own Alvernia experience in the years to come and love that she’s already on the right path.

“She had a really good first season of soccer this fall," Rob said. "She made second team all-conference. She came home this winter and was more motivated than I have ever seen her. Seven days a week she did either soccer, speed and agility or strength training. I love going to the games and visiting the campus. It has changed so much, but it still has the same feel to it that it had almost 30 years ago.”