WRCU Expands Presence in Colgate Athletics

When Colgate Football takes the field for a home game at Andy Kerr Stadium, fans who can’t watch from the bleachers or via streaming now have another way to follow the action.

WRCU, Colgate’s student-run radio station, has started broadcasting home games for certain sports, reviving an effort that had long been in existence before it was discontinued a few decades ago.

The station began working with Colgate Athletics a few years ago to establish a presence within athletics and generate more interest from students. The effort led to the station broadcasting lacrosse and softball last spring.

Now this fall, the station is calling home games for football and soccer, and will add basketball and hockey. Come spring, the station will continue to cover lacrosse and softball. In addition, the station has launched a sports talk show at the start of the fall semester.

Fans can tune into games on the radio at 90.1 FM or by visiting the station’s website, wrcufm.org. The station will broadcast only home games, including football's Nov. 22 matchup against Bucknell, which lands at the start of the Thanksgiving break.

“I want WRCU to be a home for Colgate sports,” said Eli Senzel ’26, the station’s sports director. “It’s great to have students calling games again. It’s really fun to be on the air.”

The station has had a long history of broadcasting Colgate games, and has been a springboard for some big names in the world of sports radio. 

Joe Castiglione ’68, who was the voice of Boston Red Sox radio for 42 years before retiring in 2024, got his start in radio by calling games at Colgate. 

While Colgate doesn’t offer courses in radio broadcasting, the radio station proved to be more than enough for Castiglione, who learned through trial by fire.

Students continued to call games until the early 1990s, when Colgate shifted to professional radio stations for coverage.

“WRCU lost its ability to call games over 30 years ago,” Senzel said. “That was after having a history of calling every football game. We’d call baseball, basketball, and hockey. We went from all that to zero.”

The partnership between WRCU and Colgate Athletics has also resulted in another benefit by allowing students to gain experience in sports radio.

Senzel, an English and political science double major from Seattle, handles the play-by-play for football and soccer, and will add basketball to his palette as well. In addition, he hosts the station’s sports radio show.

It has been an exciting experience for the entire radio staff that works in the broadcast booth, from Senzel to the engineering team. The students study different majors, but are united by their interests in sports and radio. 

“Everyone has been really good at it,” Senzel said of the radio sports staff. “They do this because they love sports and have an interest in sports radio."

Jack Zizza ’26, a film and media studies major from Syracuse, N.Y., said he’s grateful for the opportunity to work as a commentator on football games alongside Senzel.

“I’m glad WRCU is broadcasting sporting events,” Zizza said. “It gives students valuable experience and offers listeners a fresh way to connect with the station. It’s a win-win all around.”

Senzel's radio show — called The 13th Hour — gives fans another way for fans to learn more about their favorite Colgate teams. In addition to analysis and recaps of recent games, Senzel will interview student-athletes. 

So far, his guests have been volleyball senior Carlie Rzeszotarski, men’s soccer goalkeeper Eric Widrick, and defensive back Joe Kelly. He said he wants to invite athletes from all sports, including those that are not aired on the radio.

“I’m trying to get every team involved because I’m here every week,” he said. “I want to bring Colgate Athletics to the community.”