As the Quinnipiac men’s and women’s basketball teams prepare to compete in the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Championships, they won’t be the only “team” heading to Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The Quinnipiac Pep Band, a group of students who perform at games to energize crowds and boost school spirit, will also travel to New Jersey.
The band mainly performs during the winter sports season, when men’s and women’s basketball and ice hockey are in full swing, but members have expanded their presence at other sporting events.
“We recently started playing for soccer, rugby, volleyball and even the women’s club ice hockey team, which was nice,” Pep Band captain Sophia Berkowitz said.
The Pep Band welcomes any students interested in playing an instrument at Quinnipiac games, many of whom simply enjoy energizing the crowd and supporting the teams.
“I learned over the years not everyone is extremely musically talented, like Mozart, but everyone still gives it their all,” Berkowitz said. “There’s absolutely no judgment, which I genuinely love.”
Becca Steeves, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in public relations and the Pep Band’s co-director, traveled to Tampa, Florida, with the band in 2023 to cheer on the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team during the Frozen Four.
“It was literally life-changing,” Steeves said. “Those games, that arena, that environment, and coming into it as kind of the underdog, that was crazy.”
Unlike many college pep bands that operate as student clubs, Quinnipiac’s Pep Band is considered part of Quinnipiac Athletics, giving members the opportunity to travel with teams to major competitions.
“Athletics is very, very supportive of us traveling to support our teams,” Steeves said. “They love that we have a very robust spirit program. All of the teams, athletes and coaches are all super supportive of us.”
This March, the Pep Band will travel with the men’s and women’s basketball teams to Atlantic City to support the Bobcats as they compete for a MAAC championship and a bid to the NCAA March Madness tournament.
That commitment means many band members will give up part of their spring break, as the tournament runs through Tuesday night.
“That was something I had to consider in my first year,” Berkowitz said. “Did I want your normal college student spring break, or did I want to take this once in a lifetime opportunity to go with the MAAC teams?”
This year, however, the Pep Band will only stay through Tuesday. In previous years, the tournament took place entirely during spring break and lasted the full week.
“I usually wouldn’t have any spring break,” longtime member Nicholas Olson said. “So this year, I’m happy about it. I might miss a few days, but I’ll still have three or four days at home, which I’m excited about.”
Even while traveling for the tournament, members still find ways to enjoy the experience together.
“We all go to the mascot game, which takes place during the semi-finals of the men’s tournament,” Olson said. “We’ll go attend that and cheer on Boomer, which is always fun.”
“So honestly, it doesn’t even feel like I’m giving up my spring break,” Olson said. “It just feels like that’s what I’m doing for it. It’s kind of like going to Atlantic City with some friends and going to the arcades, restaurants and games.”
Whether fans are watching from home or attending the games at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, the Pep Band will be there supporting the Bobcats. The group is happy to trade part of their spring break for the chance to help fuel the energy of Quinnipiac’s postseason run.