Date: Jun 16, 2011

Hofstra Student Makes Major League Debut at Citifield

Senior Maggie Doherty to sing national anthem at June 22 Mets game

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY –  Call Maggie Doherty lucky #140.

That was her spot in line on a bitter cold day in March when hundreds of hopefuls converged on Citifield for the New York Mets annual anthem auditions. Five hours after she arrived, the 21-year-old senior from Saratoga Springs, N.Y.,  finally got her shot at the big leagues.

A Capella (audition rules), Doherty sang “Rolling in the Deep” by the English singer-songwriter Adele.

“We were in the room where they do all the post-game press conferences,”, said Doherty, a lifelong Mets fan, “and I remember thinking ‘I’ve seen (manager) Terry Collins and (former manager) Jerry Manual on that stage a million times and now I get to be in the same room.’ ”

Out of more than 250 people who auditioned, Doherty was among about two dozen called back for the final round. She was confident - she’s sung the national anthem hundreds of times in public, including at Hofstra Pride basketball and lacrosse games, but hardly convinced she would be one of the five winners.

“I audition for things and I enter contests and I never actually win anything,” she said. The congratulatory call came during her media law midterm. “I’m beyond excited. I’m a huge Mets fan so this is a dream come true.”

Doherty is a journalism major with dual minors in political science and music. She’s been on the Dean’s List every semester, tutors at the campus writing center and is vice president of Sigma’cappella, Hofstra’s coed a Capella group. She hopes to combine her passions and become a music writer.

For now, though, she’s focused on more important things: what she’ll wear to the game, the busload of people her family is bringing to the game and whether she’ll get a chance to meet any of her favorite players (David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Daniel Murphy, in that order) during sound check.

“They said that they can’t guarantee I’ll meet anybody but that if I hang around, there’s a good chance some of the players will come over and take some pictures with me,” she said. “I’ve done the anthem hundreds of times at sporting events, even at Saratoga Springs racetrack, but this is going to be a whole different feeling, standing in the middle of the field and being on the big screen.”

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from more than 150 undergraduate and 160 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business, communication, education and allied health services and honor studies, as well as a School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

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