March Madness: Celebrating our Lancaster Ave. Neighbors

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Fun fact: the first time a boy called my home landline was in first grade to bet on our March Madness brackets. Needless to say, my mom was not impressed, but she’d be happy to know that I have not bet on sports since then (though I still fill out a bracket every year).

Students on-campus at Bryn Mawr follow March Madness in different ways. Some go to local bars or restaurants to watch, cheering on their hometown or favorite teams. On Saturday night, I went to local Gullifty’s (about a ten-minute walk from campus) with some friends to watch Villanova take on Kansas. It was a great game, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was crazy. My friend Abby Brewster ’18 and the other Kansas fan there bonded over their shared support for what was considered the opposing team. I’d recommend the appetizers and drinks at Gullifty’s, and the service was great.

“Trusting the process” at Gulifty’s with Mariam Haider ’18, Abby Brewster ’18. Picture by Kara Breeden ’18

Gullifty’s bar and TV setup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday night, students watched Villanova take on Michigan in the final in our Campus Center, organized by my friend Devica Bhutani ’18.

“V” for Villanova in the Campus Center with Rachel Terry, Devica Bhutani, and Mariam Haider (all ’18)

As soon as Villanova won, we ran to drop off our bags in our dorms, get bigger coats, and ran over to Lancaster Ave. where we expected many people to be celebrating. The celebration was much larger when Villanova won two years ago, but this year, Villanova had an Easter holiday around March Madness final time, so we had to walk about twenty minutes to Villanova’s campus to see the celebration. We saw Haverford people as well, and it was honestly a highlight of my senior year walking there with classmates and friends around midnight.

It was an amazing feeling to laugh and cry amongst friends and classmates as we watched a neighboring college win the NCAA men’s basketball championship for the second time in three years. It felt almost like our own school had won, and though I’m sad I could not attend the Villanova parade, I’m so happy for Philadelphia again.

2 thoughts on “March Madness: Celebrating our Lancaster Ave. Neighbors”

  1. Nice! I was too late for Villanova’s 1985 title, but when I started at HC the upperclass students still remembered the celebration.

    I ended up in grad school at Carolina, and was out in Franklin Street for the festivities in 1993 as a student and in 2005 and 2009 as a townie.

    Dave, HC ‘90, Bryn Man ‘87-‘90

    • Thanks, Dave! Would love to see other celebrations to compare. My classmates (class of ’18) still remember the 2016 one, which is still talked about.

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