Cradling the Community
Men’s lacrosse has come a long way since Sean Rotermund ’96 joined the squad as a freshman — its first year as a varsity sport at Bentley. Those early days are some of his best memories, with everyone working hard to build up a program, from trying to schedule enough games in a season to shoveling the fields just so they could play. “The upperclassmen were super welcoming and supportive, and there was a really great team atmosphere.”
Those teammates have stayed close, showing up to celebrate Sean when he was inducted into the Bentley Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023. “It was so fun to be on that stage with other great Bentley athletes. It was a special day to share with my parents and my kids,” he recalls. Sean still ranks second all-time among Falcons in points (238) and goals (149) and has three of Bentley's five highest single season goal totals all-time, including 46 in 1995. In each of his final three seasons, he was voted to the All-Northeast-10 first team.
The team email chain also started lighting up when Bentley lacrosse made the NCAA tournament in the 2023 season, ultimately reaching the finals. It reminded Sean of the team’s dominance in his years: they were ranked No. 5 in the country and never lost a game in the NE10, including three regular season championships and two tournament titles. “I’d love to see Bentley get back into the spotlight as a lacrosse powerhouse. That’s a big part of why I give back.”
Coach Jim Murphy knows how impactful Sean’s gift can be. “It gives us flexibility — it can be used for team travel, coaches development or recruiting to find the next Sean Rotermund. That gift goes a long way, immediately and down the road,” he says.
While lacrosse was a huge part of Sean’s Bentley days, it was a marketing of services class that excited him career-wise and set him on an entrepreneurial path. With his first “real job” selling checks and banking forms, it was sales itself, and working with people, that he fell in love with. “Sales was the next best thing to starting my own business, but I knew I didn’t want my success to be hampered by someone else. And coming out of Bentley, I felt like I had a leg up when I did start my own business.” That business, Clarity Software Solutions, has gone from startup to market leader in healthcare communications, earning multiple recognitions from business publications and consistently named one of the best places to work in Connecticut.
Sean’s advice for today’s Bentley students: take advantage of the resources available to you; network at every chance; get to know your professors. The Bentley family has an extensive reach, and you never know where a connection might be made. “It’s been fun as the lacrosse team has been getting more well-known again to have people in my circle bring it up to me. And I can say, ‘I played there, and I’m so proud of it.’”
