Story by Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Jackson Sabo and his teammates on the Saint John's University hockey team depart May 16 on an 11-day international trip to Australia that will take them to both Sydney and Newcastle and includes three games against Australian professional teams.

But while the Johnnie sophomore forward is excited about those matchups, it's not just the time on the ice that he's most looking forward to down under.

"I really hope we get to see some wildlife," said Sabo, who recorded four goals and eight assists this past season. "I'd love to see a koala or a kangaroo."

It's exactly those experiences that both SJU hockey coach Doug Schueller and basketball coach Pat McKenzie '04 – whose team departs May 15 on a nine-day trip to Greece – are hoping to provide for their players.

"We let our players pick where we go," said McKenzie, whose team will visit Athens and Thessaloniki and play two games against local competition. "We took bids on different destinations and this was the trip they were most excited about.

"It's a great chance for them to travel with their teammates and see parts of the world they might not normally get the chance to visit."

NCAA rules allow Division III teams to make international trips every three years and many of SJU's varsity programs take advantage of that opportunity. Most recently, the Johnnie soccer team visited Brazil over the holiday break this past January (right).

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic did force some teams to put their travel plans on hold the past few years. This will mark basketball's first trip since a journey to Italy in 2019 (below) and hockey's first overseas excursion since a trip to Japan in 2018 (above).

"We were supposed to go last year, but there were still so many uncertainties with COVID that it just didn't seem prudent to do it," McKenzie said. "So we kicked it back a year and I think that's provided us with more peace-of-mind that we can go over there and not run into some of the potential issues we might have before.

"But these trips are an experience so many of the guys who have come through our program have really valued over the years. So it's nice to be able to have that piece back again."

Schueller agreed with that assessment.

"It's really about creating memories that are going to last a lifetime," he said. "I know when we did our senior exit interviews, the guys who got the chance to go on that trip to Japan in 2018 said it was one of the best parts of their careers here."

Schueller's team will bring 26 student-athletes on the trip (including a number of last season's seniors) and a traveling party of 58 in total, including parents, staff, alums, etc. The basketball team, meanwhile, will bring 14 players and a traveling party of 48.

While international trips mean a lot to each team, they are extra special for winter sports athletes whose season spans both semesters of a school year. That means they don't usually get the chance to take advantage of the many study abroad opportunities available at both SJU and the College of Saint Benedict.

"This is a way to give them at least a little taste of what that's like," Schueller said.

The trips also let teams get a jump start on the following season. The NCAA allows a total of 10 practices to prepare prior to departure.

"There is a real tangible benefit to that," McKenzie said. "It's good for the guys to get back on the court and it gives us a chance to maybe look at some things we might want to do differently next year."

But the real value is the experiences the athletes get to have traveling together with their teammates.

"It's a chance to see and do something new with your teammates," said Blake Berg, a junior guard who averaged 24.6 minutes per game on the Johnnie basketball team last season. "It's something we all get to experience together."

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go overseas with my buddies," Sabo added. "And while we're there, we get to play some hockey, which makes it even more cool."