“Intramurals is a great outlet to get away from the stress of academics,” said Mike Medina, the assistant athletic director of intramurals.

It seems that many students agree because 75 percent of students at Quinnipiac University participate in intramural sports according to Medina.

“Intramurals are so important to me because it’s a time for me to go and run around, get all my stress and energy out and be refreshed for all of my homework ahead,” sophomore intramural volleyball player Veronica Fiore, said.

There are many intramurals played here at Quinnipiac. The most popular sport at the current time is dodgeball. In the fall of 2004, the university had eight dodgeball teams. That number increased to 16 teams in the spring. This fall there were 45 teams.

“Dodgeball has to be one of the best times I have had here at Quinnipiac so far,” Matt Dimick, a freshman who plays on the Purple Cobras, said. “Games were on a Sunday, which was so great because it let me have an hour of fun between doing all of my homework.”

Intramurals are a great way for students to release stress and have a distraction from their everyday lives. It is also a wonderful way to make friends.

“It’s time I got to spend with friends and have fun,” sophomore Kristina Branda who plays intramural softball, said. “It also brought back the joys of competition without taking up to much of my time.”

Brittany Serverino, also a sophomore and softball intramural player, agreed.

“Playing intramurals is so much fun. I am able to get together with all my friends and play a sport that I enjoy,” she said. “Intramurals is great for me because I played softball all four years in high school and I am not cut out for the college varsity level.”

Medina enjoys his job and loves his staff.

“I have a great staff. They do their job and have fun doing it. I don’t dread going to work,” he said.

He also knows that the students who play put all their effort into it and are the ones who make the program such a success. He loves being a part of the university and a part of the intramural program.

Students have always been able to make their own teams and chose their team names, but now this year it is easier than ever. Everything is done online. One person from the team can go to http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x14448.xml and fill out the sheet with everyone’s information.

There are many intramural sports coming up for the spring, but there are three in particular that start as soon as students come back from winter break. The deadline for 5-on-5 basketball, bowling, and dodgeball is Feb. 1.