New York, NY ? For the seventh straight year, the Wagner water polo team participated in the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run, a memorial event that honors the heroes who lost their lives in the tragedies of September 11, 2001.
"The Tunnel to Towers Run is a whole team experience,” remarks head coach Pat Beemer. “September 11th affected us all, but we ran side by side with members of our community whose lives were directly impacted by the tragedy. It provides our team a bonding experience while also raising money for an honorable cause."
The annual race was set up in 2002 to honor the legacy of Stephen Siller, a firefighter from the Squad Co. 1, Park Slope Brooklyn fire department who, after completing the night shift on September 10, 2001, raced back to Manhattan when the horrific events of September 11th occurred.
On his way to the World Trade Center on that fateful day, Siller was denied access to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Determined to get to Ground Zero, he abandoned his truck and set off on foot through the tunnel in full gear and was eventually picked by another unit and brought to the scene. He was last seen alive on West and Liberty streets where he was off racing to find his fellow brothers and sisters of Squad Co. 1. The annual race retraces Siller’s footsteps through Battery Tunnel, out through Battery Park and closing at Ground Zero.
“You do not realize what you are truly running for until you come out of the tunnel and see all of the service men lined up holding their flags in memory of all those who perished,” notes senior Alexandra Tomlinson on the image of the firefighters and policemen that lined the end of the tunnel waving American flags and holding signs featuring images of their fallen brothers and sisters. “It is definitely a feeling that can not be experienced through anything else.”
“I started walking near the end of the tunnel,” adds senior Tawny Murphy. “But the second you see all of the servicemen lining the route, cheering for you, it takes all you have to not tear up. And heaven forbid walking past them! That’s where you have to muster up the strength and push on through the rest of the tunnel.”
Senior Nicole Maichrowicz was not medically cleared to run in this year’s event, but watched from the sideline and allowed former Seahawk water polo and current swimming athlete Lindsey Rodgers run in her stead. “The most touching thing I witnessed from the sidelines was the firemen who ran in full gear just as Stephen Siller did,” recalls Maichrowicz. “Seeing this sent chills through my body as I was overcome with emotion and proud that my team is always involved in such an incredible event.”
All 15 water polo athletes participated in the race with the addition of Beemer, assistant coach Sadie Abuhoff as well as several parents and Wagner athletic staff members joining over 5,000 runners and near 20,000 participants in this year’s event. In total, the Wagner water polo team boasted 25 runners and supporters, raising more than $800 that will benefit several causes including the Stephen Siller “Let Us Do Good” Children’s Foundation, an organization that provides educational scholarships, counseling and financial support to children who have lost one or more parents.
"The support of the parents of our team members is phenomenal,” adds Beemer. “We had friends and family scattered along the course to cheer us on. We even had a couple parents run with us for the first time. It is amazing the support they give us even when the event has nothing to do with Wagner water polo."
To learn more about the annual Tunnel to Towers Race or to donate to the Siller “Let Us Do Good” Children’s Foundation, click
here.