Podcast
One and One Podcast
Hosted by Bridget B. · EN
Welcome to the One and One Podcast, where a below average podcaster chats with an above average athlete. Join me, Bridget B., on my quest to get the stories of athletes who have worked just as hard, and have just as many compelling stories, but were not the ones featured on SportsCenter every day.
13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Niko Spezial
Apr 2, 202401:09:35Tap to summarizeNiko Spezial played baseball at Wake Forest University from 2010-2013. Afterwards, he was drafted in the 19th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft by the Washington Nationals and played Minor League Baseball in the New York-Pennsylvania League and the Gulf Coasts League in 2013. He talks about growing up in Northern New Jersey, how he got into baseball, and his decision to attend Don Bosco Prep for high school. Niko details his great high school baseball career where he pitched for a program that was ranked number 1 in the country and won a National Championship. Then, he describes getting drafted in the 2009 MLB Draft, his decision to attend college, and the recruiting process that led him to choose Wake Forest. Niko discusses the coaches he committed to leaving two weeks before he got to campus, his decision to stay, what it was like playing for Head Coach Tom Walter, the competitive baseball in the Atlantic Coast Conference, being a bullpen pitcher, and his highlights over his four years. Finally, he talks about getting drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2013, his time playing in the Minor Leagues, his decision to move on from baseball after 2013, and what he's been up to over the past ten years.
Transcribe →Danny Spond
Mar 26, 202401:05:02Tap to summarizeDanny Spond played football at the University of Notre Dame from 2010-2012. Prior to his Senior season, he had to medically retire from the sport due to debilitating migraines but he stayed on with the team for the 2013 season. Danny talks about growing up in Littleton, Colorado, getting into football at a young age, and being on a dominate Little League Football team as a kid. He describes what it was like to attend Columbine High School and how special the community is. He details his great Columbine Football career, how good of a program it is, playing many positions, and missing his final games as a senior due to a concussion. Then, he explains why he committed to Notre Dame, his transition to college football, what it was like the first time he put on a jersey, and the team's trying first two seasons. He details his first experiences with migraines prior to the 2012 season, getting cleared to play, and starting every game he played in as Notre Dame went undefeated in the regular season and played for the National Championship. Danny then discusses how the migraines came back prior to his senior season, how debilitating they were, his guess at what caused them, and the very hard decision to medically retire from the sport of football. Finally, he talks about his student coach position for the 2013 season, working with the linebackers, traveling to his home state of Colorado for a game against Air Force, still being a big fan of Notre Dame football today, and his great life with his wife and three children.
Transcribe →Steph Cruz
Mar 12, 202401:32:18Tap to summarizeSteph Cruz played volleyball at Fairfield University from 2009-2012 and currently has her purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She talks about growing up in Midland Park, NJ, getting into sports through her late father, her great high school career at Immaculate Heart Academy, and what it was like to play through her senior season as her father passed away. She describes her recruiting process, why she chose Fairfield, her transition from high school to college volleyball, and playing in the MAAC. Steph discusses her career at Fairfield, learning to be a great role player and teammate, winning a MAAC Conference Tournament, and playing in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Then, she talks about moving down to South Carolina a few years after college, how she got involved in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, earning her purple belt, the intense training schedule, teaching classes, and her goal of continuing to compete throughout her life.
Transcribe →Erin Dunston
Mar 5, 202401:24:38Tap to summarizeErin Dunston is the Assistant Athletic Director of Football Recruiting & Events at Ohio State University. Prior to that, she was the Director of On Campus Recruiting at Ohio State (2021-Feb. 2024), the Director of On Campus Recruiting at the University of Kansas (2019-2021), the Athletics Administration Associate at Purdue University (2018-2019), and a Graduate Assistant in Football Operations at Louisiana State University (2016-2017). She talks about growing up in Silver Spring, Maryland, attending the University of Delaware for undergrad, how she got started working in football while at grad school at LSU, and what it was like working for Head Coaches Les Miles and Ed Orgeron in the SEC. Then, Erin discusses her position at Purdue where she worked mainly with the football and men's basketball programs on many different projects, how the opportunity at Kansas came to be, getting to work with Les Miles again, what the position of Director of On Campus Recruiting entails (it's a lot!), and recruiting through the pandemic. She describes how the opportunity at Ohio State came up, what it's like to work in the Big Ten at one of the very best college football programs in the nation, working with Head Coach Ryan Day, all the work that goes into recruiting at the national level, what is it like to be a woman in a male dominated field, helping other women get into the field, and the relationship she has with the players. Erin also chats about the Ohio State - Michigan rivalry in the Dunston household as her younger sister Jillian played on the Michigan Women's Basketball team and now is an Assistant Coach for the program.
Transcribe →Ryan Henry
Feb 27, 202401:17:04Tap to summarizeRyan Henry played softball at Villanova University from 2019-2023 where she was a First Team All Big East Player, a part of 2 Big East Championship Teams, and made 2 NCAA Tournament appearances She talks about growing up in Ramsey, NJ, how she got into softball, her great Ramsey High School career where she was an All State player, originally committing to play in college at Fordham, and how she switched to Villanova. Ryan discusses being diagnosed with diabetes just a few short months into college, how that diagnosis led to studying theater and performing arts, not being completely happy her first 2 years at the school, and the Covid break being able to give her a reset. Then, she details her great 2021 and 2022 seasons where Villanova won back-to-back Big East Championships (the first 2 in school history), played in 2 NCAA Tournaments, her decision to come back for a 5th season, and the 2023 season where they came up just short of another Big East Title. Finally, she discusses what she's been up to since graduation, her desire to work in theater/film, and directing her first production "Delivery Boy" this past month.
Transcribe →Michelle Cruz
Feb 20, 202401:03:33Tap to summarizeMichelle Cruz played volleyball at Providence College from 2013-2016 and holds the school record for career digs. She talks about growing up in Midland Park, NJ, how her late father got her and her sister Stephanie involved in volleyball and other sports at a young age, and the position of libero. She details her excellent high school career at Immaculate Heart Academy where she won 4 straight state championships, was First Team All State, and broke the record for career digs. Then, she describes the unique story that led her to Providence College, the transition from high school to college volleyball, majoring in Computer Science, and playing for Head Coach Margot Royer-Johnson. Michelle discusses her great career at Providence where she played in every single game, switched from the America East Conference to the Big East Conference after Freshman year, led the team in digs each season, and was featured in a documentary entitled "Girls Who Code" Finally, she talks about what she's up to these days which includes preparing to become a mother, working in computer science, and still keeping in touch with many of her former teammates.
Transcribe →Kennedy Martin
Feb 13, 202401:13:09Tap to summarizeKennedy Martin played basketball at Truman State University, a Division II school in Kirksville, MO, from 2014-2018. She talks about being from Iowa but moving to Southern Illinois as a kid, her connection to the University of Iowa Women's Basketball Team which includes her younger sister Kate Martin as a current member of the team and her aunt Jan Jensen on the coaching staff, growing up going to the Iowa Women's Basketball camp every summer, and her experience at the Final Four last year. Kennedy describes her great three-sport career at Edwardsville High School, the phenomenal basketball program the school has that develops a ton of girls who go on to play in college, her recruiting process, and why she chose Truman State. Then, she discusses the transition to college basketball, how much she loved her team, highlights over the four years, her embracing her role on the team, being able to travel abroad, and writing for the school newspaper. Kennedy details a moving article she wrote prior to her Senior season discussing the different basketball paths her and her sister Kate took, what she's learned from it, and what she hoped to teach Kate. Finally, she talks about what she is up to now, which includes playing in a basketball league with men, being a new mother to her young son, and watching every Iowa game.
Transcribe →Kristina Lynch
Feb 6, 202400:47:52Tap to summarizeKristina Lynch played soccer at Florida State University from 2018-2021 where she was a member of 2 National Championship teams before transferring to the University of Notre Dame from 2022-2023 to finish her college career. She talks about growing up in Granger, Indiana, being a Notre Dame fan as a kid, how she got into soccer, and winning the NFL Punt Pass and Kick competition in 2010 and 2021. Kristina discusses her decorated career at Penn High School where she was the Gatorade Player of the year for the state of Indiana, a First-Team All American, and won 2 State Championships. Then, she describes her recruiting process, why she chose Florida State, the transition to college soccer, and the competition in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She details her career at FSU, which included winning 2 National Championships, going to 3 Final Fours, dealing with an ACL tear and recovery, and maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Kristina talks about her decision to use the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted due to Covid, why she chose to transfer back home to Notre Dame, how special it is to be at the same school as her younger brother (Ryan plays baseball for Notre Dame), an ankle injury that led her to redshirt in 2022, the highlights of this past 2023 season, and her exciting plans for the future.
Transcribe →Lexi Weger
Jan 30, 202401:15:45Tap to summarizeLexi Weger is the Graduate Assistant Coach for the University of North Carolina Women's Basketball program. Prior to that, she played basketball at Princeton University from 2018-2023 where she won 4 Ivy League Regular Season Championships, 3 Ivy League Tournaments, and played in 3 NCAA Tournaments. She talks about growing up in Alexandria, VA, going to Episcopal High School where she boarded all 4 years, her outstanding high school career there, the recruiting process, and why she chose Princeton. Then, she discusses the transition to college basketball, the success of the Princeton program, Coach Courtney Banghart leaving after her freshman year, and current Coach Carla Berube taking over. Lexi describes the great 2020 team and what could have been had the NCAA Tournament happened, her decision to take a gap year, and what she did for that year. She talks about several internships she's taken, her final two seasons at Princeton where they won a game as the lower seed in the NCAA Tournament both years, and how she realized she wanted to get into coaching. Finally, Lexi shares how she ended up at UNC, what it's like being back with Courtney Banghart, and her duties as the Graduate Assistant.
Transcribe →Kate Blasi
Jan 23, 202400:52:49Tap to summarizeKate Blasi is a registered yoga teacher, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and owner of Seaquence LLC. She talks about growing up in Bergen County, New Jersey, in an athletic family, playing many sports as a kid, and when and how she got into yoga. Kate discusses what she loves about yoga, her favorite kinds to do, why it has become a more popular form of exercise, and how she stayed connected to yoga during Covid. Then, she details becoming a registered yoga teacher in 2021 and all that it entailed, balancing teaching several yoga classes a week while working a full time job and having a family, using yoga techniques as a BCBA to help neurodivergent children, and also using yoga techniques on her toddler aged daughter to help calm her down. Finally, she describes her new business, Sequence, which is designed to support women through all stages of motherhood- from pregnancy through parenting using yoga-infused techniques.
Transcribe →