College Sports Wrapped
Compiled by WRILEY NELSON
CROSS COUNTRY—SUNY Oneonta’s cross country teams hosted the SUNY Athletic Conference Championship meet at Fortin Park on Saturday, October 28. Geneseo won the women’s 6K event with a stunning 15 points and places one through 9. Oneonta seniors Megan Francoeur and Ella DePhillips placed tenth and eleventh with times of 23:03.5 and 23:12.8, respectively. Both were named to all-conference honors, Francoeur on the second team and DePhillips on the third. Oneonta placed second of eight in team rankings.
Geneseo also took home the championship in the men’s 8K race, boasting runners in all of the top three finishes and seven of the top 10. Junior Gabe Burns led the Oneonta team with a 16th-place finish in 26:17.8. The Red Dragons placed fourth in a field of 10 complete teams.
MEN’S SOCCER—Hartwick College men’s soccer blanked Utica University 2-0 in the first round of the Empire 8 Conference championship tournament on Saturday, October 28. Sophomore Timmy McQueeney scored in the 42nd minute thanks to a powerful cross by junior Sean Burke. Sophomore Kwame Amissah-Arthur added a late insurance goal on a pass by sophomore Daniel Kniffen in the 88th minute. Utica outshot Hartwick 6-5 but was unable to cash in, thanks in part to three saves by junior goalkeeper Dante Gesamondo. Hartwick will face Elmira College in the E8 semifinals on Wednesday, November 1.
SUNY Oneonta men’s soccer defeated Geneseo 2-1 in the first round of the SUNYAC on the same day. After a scoreless first half, senior Ian Zingaro scored on a penalty kick in the 56th minute. Junior Ali Somow added an insurance goal 15 minutes later. Geneseo bit into the Red Dragons’ lead with a goal in the 75th minute but were unable to make another shot afterwards. Senior Nate Hanna made three saves in the win. Oneonta will face Brockport in the semifinals on Wednesday, November 1.
FIELD HOCKEY—The Hartwick College field hockey team captured its second consecutive Empire 8 Championship with a 2-1 victory over one-seed St. John Fisher University on Saturday, November 4. The Cardinals made three shots in the first five minutes of play, but senior goalkeeper Ashley Luppens held them scoreless. Senior Julie Ruzzi opened the scoring in the 25th minute on a corner by junior Sami Shortino. Sophomore Caroline Aspuru added an insurance goal early in the second half thanks to an assist by senior Libby Fortin. St. John Fisher replied with a goal in the third quarter to cut the deficit in half. Ruzzi was named postseason tournament MVP.
MEN’S SOCCER—The 23-ranked SUNY Oneonta men’s soccer team fell 1-0 to Cortland in a tightly contested SUNY Athletic Conference playoff final on Saturday, November 4. Seniors John Bernardi and Nate Hanna and sophomore Joe Holder were named to the All-Tournament Team. Hanna finished the match with seven saves.
“We can’t have any complaints,” head coach Iain Byrne said. “We played great and had lots of chances, but we just couldn’t put one in.”
Junior Ali Somow made four shots on goal, including the final three of the game. Oneonta moved to 14-3-3; the Red Dragons received an at-large berth in the NCAA Division III tournament on Monday, November 6. They will face Catholic University of America at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 11.
VOLLEYBALL—Hartwick volleyball wrapped up the regular season with wins over SUNY Oneonta and Baruch College in a tri-meet on Saturday, November 4. They defeated Baruch 3-1 and Oneonta in straight sets. The Red Dragons went 1-1, defeating Baruch 3-2. Kaileigh Brandow and Shaelyn Thornton led Hartwick’s offense with 11 kills each. Thornton also set the pace defensively with 21 digs.