A Jersey girl and Boston boy met in Binghamton and the rest as they say … is history. Women's soccer player Emma Kurth '14 and baseball player Billy Bereszniewicz '14 met as freshmen student-athletes in 2010 and now as they hit the 10-year mark of their relationship, the couple is planning their Summer 2021 wedding – a date pushed back a year due to COVID.

This is a love affair between two prominent, talented student-athletes - a facilitator and a table setter. A collaborator and an agitator. A steady midfielder and a driven center fielder.

Met early in freshman year
Emma arrived on campus from High Bridge, N.J. in August for soccer preseason training. She was four-year starter, captain and two-time all-conference midfielder at Voorhees High School who also was an exceptional student. Her dad, Richard, was a 1974 Binghamton alum and she was excited to be on campus. Billy arrived from Sudbury, Mass. a few weeks later. He was a captain and three-year starter for a Lincoln- Sudbury Regional High program that went 65-8 during his tenure. The baseball program was ranked No. 1 in Massachusetts and was one of the top scholastic programs in the country. In Windham Hall, Billy lived next door to several of Emma's teammates and the two met when the teams interacted.

"I remember Billy and his roommates coming over to borrow a vacuum at some point," Emma recalls of their first encounter.

Billy remembers his first glimpse of Emma. "I remember her standing in front of me in the common area of our suite, decked out in Binghamton soccer gear: a black sweatshirt and black sweatpants."

The two also shared a common class in the fall semester of 2010 - English with Dr. Osvaldo Oyola. The baseball and women's soccer programs had a tradition of socializing and with several teammates also hitting it off, Emma and Billy began to get to know each other.

Early dates included walking trips to Denny's (pancakes) and then once they had a car on campus, dinners at Applebee's (2 for 20 menu). Special occasion dinners at Lost Dog Café and Little Venice. Watching movies and drinking IBC Root Beers in Billy's dorm room were common. The two could often also be seen sharing lunch at the Events Center Hungry Bearcat.

Emma played in all 17 games in her freshman season and her team narrowly missed a postseason bid. Over the holiday break, the two met each other's parents and things began to get serious.
"I had no doubt that Emma was the girl I had always been looking for … but I was very committed to staying focused on baseball and had yet to let anyone else in emotionally," Billy says.

But while the couple didn't make it official until the spring, both knew they had found someone special. After a lengthy conversation in Battle Library one night, they took the titles of girlfriend/boyfriend, to the surprise of no one.

"I feel like they've been married since the day they met," baseball teammate Shaun McGraw says. "From the day they started dating, they seemed perfect for each other. It was a match made right from the start."

Bereszniewicz begins noteworthy baseball career
In February, it was Billy's turn to begin his collegiate athletics career as the baseball team opened its 2011 season. He shook off an injury and started 32 games in center field, helping the Bearcats reach the postseason. Billy led the team with a .353 average and earned national Freshman All-America honors.

Just as Billy had been a mainstay at Emma's games in the fall, she returned the favor and watched his home games in April and May. As with all BU athletes, the pair always understood the bond of being an athlete and all the attached expectations and pressures.

"We loved watching each other's games," he says. "We both knew how hard the other worked in preparation for each season to be the best players we could possibly be and perform on the Division I stage."

Reflecting on what drew them to one another
Emma and Billy were quickly head-over-heels in love, something rather rare for 18-19-year-olds. What clicked between them?

"From Day 1, I realized I had never met a nicer, more kind-hearted person than Emma," he says. "Ten years later, I still don't know a single person she's rubbed the wrong way or who she doesn't get along with. Her empathetic nature toward our friends and family continues to amaze me every day."

"Our passion for sports is the most obvious quality that drew me to Billy, though there were a lot of different qualities," she says. "As I got to know Billy, I saw that his passion went much further than just baseball. He brings that same passion and gives one hundred percent to everything in life – his job, relationships with friends and family, and our relationship. He always made the effort to plan things for us to do at school. Billy also has the ability to make me laugh at any time, even in some of the worst times."

Their relationship blossomed over the next three years, as did the athletics and academic success. Emma became a starter and key contributor at center midfield for a women's soccer program that reached the postseason in two of her final three seasons. She was selected to the America East All-Academic Team in both her junior and senior seasons as a double major in Spanish and English and was chosen for a special assignment in February 2014 when she worked the Sochi Olympics in Russia for three weeks as an NBC intern.

Billy's baseball career skyrocketed as the team won back-to-back America East titles in 2013 and 2014, with Emma cheering in the stands. As a senior, he hit .367, collected a BU-record 77 hits and swiped 23 bases, leading the Bearcats to an improbable NCAA berth after the team dropped its opening conference tournament game before roaring back with four straight elimination-game victories. His senior season also concluded with America East All-Conference and All-Academic Team laurels. Billy's academic focus also positioned himself well for the future and as a byproduct, helped some of his teammates stay on course as well.

"Bill was a great student," McGraw remembers. "He followed a strict schedule and kept us in line."

Plans change after graduation
Their relationship faced perhaps its first big challenge shortly after graduation in Summer 2014. Emma had accepted a position at Citizen Schools in Boston and they were positioned to live together. Billy earned his bachelor's degree in management and finance and was preparing to start his business career when the Los Angeles Dodgers came calling.

On June 6, everything changed when the Dodgers took Bereszniewicz with their pick in the 28 th round of the Amateur Draft and sent him to Glendale, Arizona for their preseason camp. He spent two seasons in the organization, playing in Utah and California and reaching the Dodgers' High A level. Being on opposite coasts was difficult but the couple made the best.

"Obviously Billy getting drafted was amazing, and I'm so thankful that I was able to be a part of that experience, but it definitely brought some challenges," Emma says. "I had moved to Boston thinking we would be together, but that got pushed back a few years."

With Emma in Boston starting a new job in a new city, and Billy pursuing his dream of playing professional baseball on the West Coast, the two had to make do with long distance technology.

"We had to become really good at texting and sometimes even emailing, because the time difference and his baseball schedule did not allow for much phone time," Emma says. Emma made the most of the situation by living with her sister and building her own circle of friends and routine in Boston.

After Billy drew the curtain on his baseball career in 2015, he returned to Boston and the pair rented an apartment in Cambridge. Billy worked as an accounting analyst for J.P. Morgan and Emma finished up her master's degree in education from UMass Boston and started teaching sixth grade ELA in the Boston Public Schools. After three years with North American Management, Billy moved to Fidelity, where he has been a manager and consultant for almost two years. Emma, meanwhile, is in her fifth year teaching in the Boston Public Schools.

Engaged on Feb. 1, 2019
The pair made it official on the first day of February 2019 when Billy proposed.

"I thought I was meeting Billy in Boston after work and then we were walking to my parents' place to watch a New York Islanders game, which we often did," Emma says. "Billy proposed to me on the Boston Harbor Walk on our way there! I was completely surprised … it didn't really sink in until the next day."

Emma and Billy chose July 2020 for their wedding and then after the pandemic took hold, they decided to postpone until July 2021. The forced change in plans was difficult, both the couple knew it paled in comparison to the struggles many others were facing.

"We realized that millions of others are dealing with real issues due to COVID," Billy says. "We're making sure we are looking at things through the right lens and understanding how fortunate we are that our biggest decision of 2020 has been whether or not we should push our wedding to next year."

The Binghamton student-athlete bond and lasting power
All college couples share a strong allegiance to the school where they met, but for college athletes, the bond is more pronounced.

"We each dove headfirst into the Division I lifestyle and loved supporting each other and sharing the successes," Billy recalls.

Friends reference the pair's communication and mutual support as their key to a strong relationship.

"We never seemed to have the drama or roadblocks that most college relationships have," Billy says. "We've always allowed each other to be our true self, and got along with each other's friends as if they were our own."

"I think Billy and I have a lot of similar interests and values," Emma says. "The most important one for me is how much we both value our relationships with friends and family."

Any differences?

"The biggest difference is probably the fact that he is so calm and able to go with the flow," she continues. "I tend to be more anxious and like to have a plan, … sometimes down to the hour. Billy is more comfortable just seeing where things go and enjoying the moment. I think this works for us, though, because we tend to balance each other out!"

Pair cherish travel, time together
Despite busy work schedules, Emma and Billy have been able to experience some special vacations along the way. In 2017, they traveled to Barcelona and Paris for a few memorable weeks, and they have also enjoyed getaways to the Bahamas and Cancun during the holidays. In summers, the pair heads to the Cape on weekends to connect with family.

Back home in Medford, they recently bought a home and are settling in and enjoying the added space. Both keep up their fitness by playing recreational soccer, basketball, softball, tennis and running. Bowling now has been added to the list of activities.

Two challenges still remain, however. Emma is a New York sports fan while Billy bleeds Boston. That makes for some uncomfortable spectating. And another hurdle for Emma to clear … trading in her one-syllable last name for Billy's perpetually misspelled and mispronounced four-syllable last name.

"There's a reason we used 'Kurth' for all our wedding codes!" she laughs.

And speaking of laughs, Emma answered her students' questions about what her married name would be by writing it on the board and then listening to the 10-year-olds struggle to pronounce it.

Then they agreed on the only logical solution. "They will just call me 'Mrs. B,'" she says.

On July 10, 2021, you can be sure that when Mr. and Mrs. B are married, there will be many BU friends and teammates on hand, raising a glass to a no-doubt couple who set the standard as students, athletes and now husband and wife.