Women’s lax takes down another ranked opponent

The Geneseo women’s lacrosse team has dealt with many game cancellations and reschedulings, but when the Knights finally get the opportunity to play, they make a statement. Due to the recent inclement weather, the team has yet to play a home game. The most recent game against No. 17 St. John Fisher was intended to be a home game for Geneseo, but was moved to the Cardinals’ turf field.

Coming off their first loss of the season to SUNY Cortland, the Knights looked to bounce back with a win over another ranked opponent.

It was a back-and-forth match as the teams traded goals throughout the game before Geneseo was able to eventually pull ahead and secure the 11-8 victory.

The Knights were led by senior midfielder Emily Haggerty and sophomore midfielder Liz Felix, who tallied three goals each.

Head coach Carly Ritchlin had a lot of praise for her team after the win.

“Our St. John Fisher game was a big win for us,” Ritchlin said. “Having to travel up to their field for our ‘home’ game is not ideal. But the players have handled it well and expect to win no matter what conditions.”

The Knights are looking forward to playing their first home game, as there is always an advantage in playing on familiar ground in front of loyal fans. For now, however, the team is focused on improving and playing at the high performance level Ritchlin has trained her team to strive for – something that she acknowledges does not come without pressure.

“Every game is going to be a battle from here on out; when you are ranked, you have an x on your back,” Ritchlin said. “Everyone is going to bring their best game, everyone wants to beat a ranked opponent.”

Everything seems to be clicking for the Knights. Ritchlin noted how the defense has been stepping up and keeping Geneseo in the game. The offense has continued to get stronger in all aspects, particularly with working together as a cohesive unit.

“We work every day in practice to get better at the little things, because the little things make the big difference in a win or loss,” Ritchlin said.

Editor’s note: 

The women’s lacrosse team took down SUNY Fredonia 9-8 on Wednesday April 9. 

No. 6 junior attack Katey Hart scored a hat trick in the win, including the game-winning goal with two minutes and 47 seconds remaining. Sophomore midfielder Liz Felix, who assisted Hart’s final goal, had two assists and one goal of her own on the day.

Weather doesn’t dampen mood for women’s lax

After an undefeated start to the season, the Geneseo women’s lacrosse team suffered its first loss at the hands of rival SUNY Cortland on March 28. Senior attack Caroline Buonocore scored four goals to become the first player in program history to surpass 200 career tallies, but it was still No. 2 Cortland who came out with the 15-6 win against the No. 9 Knights for both teams’ SUNYAC opener.

Senior midfielder Emily Haggerty added a goal to become the fourth player in program history to tally 200 career points.

Despite the loss, head coach Carly Ritchlin didn’t dwell on the negatives.

“The one message that I made sure the girls knew is that we lost to the number two ranked team in the country,” Ritchlin said. “It’s a loss that we learned from, a loss where I can look at the stats and see that we are very even with most of them. As far as being physically comparable to Cortland, we were right there.”

One of the biggest obstacles for Geneseo this season has been adjusting to the weather. In addition to rescheduling a number of games, the inability to practice outdoors has been the biggest issue for the Knights.

The field is currently unusable and therefore the team has been forced to practice in Kuhl Gymnasium. This severely limits the squad in what they can go over and practice, while the other schools have the luxury of using a turf field year round. It is something the Knights know they have to adjust to, but it puts them at a disadvantage right out of the gate.

“We are going against teams that practice outside on turf every single day and we are stuck in the gym,” Ritchlin said. “A lot of the things that we need to go over and practice to compete with schools we cannot do; we have to adjust while we are playing the game. Out of the top 20 teams in the country, we are the only team with grass. So we are the only team that is fighting to practice on a regular field.”

The Knights are not using the weather as an excuse for losing, however, and Ritchlin admits that the team still has things to work on; in particular, getting more shots off and maintaining a high level of intensity. These factors are crucial in order for the Knights to return to their winning ways.

Women’s lax looks to uphold success

Last season, the Geneseo women’s lacrosse team had the best year in program history. This year, the Knights are looking for that same spark and success from the previous year. After receiving an at-large bid following a runner-up finish in the SUNYAC tournament last year, the Knights upset previously undefeated Susquehanna University (Pa.), 15-7, in a first-round matchup, before falling to Bowdoin College, 10-6, in the second round.

This year’s squad has big shoes to fill but is off to a good start. Geneseo ranked 10th in the Lacrosse Magazine NCAA Division III Women’s Preseason Top-20 Poll, released in January.

Head coach Carly Ritchlin, in her 11th season with the Knights, returns nine of 11 starters from last season’s 13-6 squad that made the program’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Though the team is expected to have similar success, Ritchlin knows it won’t be easy.

“I think the first thing we decided to do at the start of the season was that work needed to be done,” she said. “We couldn’t just rely on the fact that we were successful last year and that it would just carry over into this year, and we would just show up to games and win games and have it be that easy.”

One of the key factors in continuing the winning ways of last season is to rely on the depth of the squad. Despite losing five seniors, four of whom were starters, Ritchlin acknowledges the team’s talent and is confident it has younger girls who can step up and fill these roles.

On Saturday March 1, the Knights traveled to St. Joseph’s College, where they had their first game of the season.

Geneseo senior attack Emily Haggerty scored five goals and added an assist to lead the Knights to a 14-4 victory. Senior attack Caroline Buonocore and senior attack Meredith Weber each finished with two goals and an assist for the Knights.

During the early minutes, Geneseo fell behind, but the team then fired out three consecutive goals and finished the game with a 37-11 advantage in shots. Ritchlin knows there is still work to be done but is stressing total commitment and focus from her players.

“We are trying to find the small things to make a difference; one of the things we are working on this year is individual preparation,” Ritchlin said. “What we are doing individually is to prepare so that when we come together as a team, we have all the necessary tools that are put together that will allow us to win these big games.”

Sylvester takes reins for softball

After a season of uncertainty, Geneseo’s softball team is looking to pick up right where it left off. This time, however, the players will know who is leading them. Last season, on short notice, assistant coach David Sylvester stepped up and led the Knights to one game short of the SUNYAC championship. During the offseason, Sylvester was officially named head coach of the team and is looking for his players to have another successful season.

Sylvester, who has been part of the program since 2010, led the Knights to a 22-13 record and the program’s fifth-straight appearance in the SUNYAC tournament. Making their 15th postseason appearance in 16 seasons, the Knights battled their way back from a first-round loss to SUNY Plattsburgh (7-4) with two victories over SUNY Oswego (6-0) and Plattsburgh (5-4), again, before falling to SUNY Cortland 8-7 in an elimination game to finish as runner-up.

Sylvester spent three seasons as the Knights’ pitching coach before being elevated to interim head coach prior to last year’s campaign. Geneseo has compiled an overall 88-68 (.564) record, including a 43-29 in the SUNYAC, with Sylvester in the dugout.

“I am really looking forward to the opportunity to continue what I have been a part of for the last five years,” Sylvester said. “We had a good season this past year, and I’m excited to keep building on the successes we’ve had and moving the program forward.”

To continue the success, Geneseo will look to players such as junior Samantha Brown and senior Samantha Trapasso. Both players were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association East Region all-star team as second-team selections last year.

A first-team pick to the SUNYAC all-star team last spring, Brown started all but one game for the Knights at shortstop and led the team with 55 hits. She batted .401 with 38 runs scored, 12 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .453 – ranking second on the team in all four categories.

Trapasso was one of the conference’s top power hitters, leading the SUNYAC with a .740 slugging percentage and 45 runs batted in. She led Geneseo in both categories, as well as in batting average (.423), on-base percentage (.467), home runs (eight), doubles (13), total bases (91) and extra-base hits (22). Trapasso ranked second in the league in doubles, home runs and total bases and ranked third with 52 hits.

This season, the Knights look to get past nationally ranked powerhouse Cortland. Last season, Geneseo lost by one run in the SUNYAC finals to the Red Dragons, who went on to a successful NCAA tournament. Playing under the same coach in a familiar system should help Geneseo potentially reach this goal.

The Knights kick of their season with the Dot Richardson Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. starting on March 16.

Another SUNYAC title for Blue Wave

The Geneseo Blue Wave swimming and diving teams are champions – yet again. The men and women added another trophy to their ever-growing mantle on Saturday Feb. 22. Entering the year, head coach Paul Dotterweich had a vision of both of his teams winning the SUNYAC championships. Without waning on his goals, Dotterweich saw his dream, and the dream of the athletes, come to fruition.

“It feels great, particularly when the athletes perform as well as they did,” he said. “We had 100 percent improvement on our in-season swims, and everyone on the team had at least one personal best swim with many having personal bests in all their events. It was awesome.”

Dotterweich was named the SUNYAC Women’s Coach of the Year for the second straight season and the fourth time in the last seven years. He was also named the SUNYAC Men’s Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his 14-year career with Blue Wave.

For the women, junior Abby Max was named the Most Outstanding Swimmer after leading Geneseo to its seventh straight and 22nd overall team title at the SUNYAC championships.

Junior John Nasky led the men’s side and was named the Most Outstanding Swimmer in the conference championship. The victory was the 21st title in program history and the 15th in the last 16 years.

Geneseo didn’t just win – they blew the competition out of the water. The men won with a score of 808 points while second place SUNY Oneonta earned 464. Similarly, the women topped the field with 880 points ahead of runner-up SUNY Cortland with 573.

There are over three weeks to prepare for the NCAA championships, but Dotterweich said they are “tricky” to train his teams for.

So far, six swimmers have been invited to participate in nationals. Nasky and Max will be joined by senior Lauren Boyce, junior Stephanie Wilcoxen and sophomore Kala Wilkins and Julie Holloway. Divers look to qualify for nationals at the NCAA Division III Region Four Diving Championships on Friday Feb. 28.

Out of Bounds: Superstitions shame Syracuse fan

I want to apologize to any Syracuse University Orange fans out there because I am the reason the No. 1 college basketball team in the country is no longer undefeated. I take full responsibility for the crash of a legendary season, but the real question is: How did I affect the outcome? It’s simple. I went to the game.

On Feb. 19 the Syracuse Orange (25-0) faced the Boston College Eagles (6-19) in the Carrier Dome. ESPN did some fancy calculations and determined that the winning probability for Syracuse was 99 percent. I consider myself a fairly logical person, but when it comes to sports, I am the most superstitious person ever. The 1 percent chance it had to lose was determined by my attendance of the game.

Bud Light is currently running an ad campaign with the slogan “It’s only weird if it doesn’t work.” The ads feature fans going through great lengths to make sure they follow a superstition that they believe will let their team win. For example, one features a man repeatedly playing the same song on the jukebox at a bar, even though it resembles “figure skating music,” because every time it comes on, there is a big play in the game.

Personally, my superstition is one that makes being a huge sports fan quite difficult and confusing. I cannot watch my team play a full game of its sport. When a game comes on television, I will only watch in five-minute intervals and then spend 10-minute breaks doing something else before returning to the game.

The superstition started at a young age when I would watch Mets games but be too embarrassed to watch them get humiliated night after night. Many times, however, I would turn off the game halfway and then they would come back and win the baseball game. From then on, I convinced myself that any team would just do better the further I stayed away.

My theory came into play on Feb. 19 as I traveled to Syracuse to attend my first game of the season. I had been to games in previous years and had seen them lose and win games at a pretty even ratio. The second I sat down in my seat, my favorite college basketball team was doomed. I was stuck there the whole game, trapped with no way to escape or not watch except for physically leaving the venue and driving away in my car; I was forced to watch the entire game. Long story short, Syracuse lost in overtime and saw their perfect season slip away because I watched every minute.

I had gone all year being a casual viewing fan. I am a huge supporter and loyal follower, but when it came down to watching a game straight through, I refused all season. This began the greatest beginning to a year in Syracuse basketball history. I had it down to a system in that I would watch various parts of the game but never the end. When I felt like it was safe to check the score, I would put on the channel basically knowing in my mind that Syracuse would have the victory. Then I had to go and screw everything up.

The biggest regret I have in life is not taking to heart the Stevie Wonder song that graces those Bud Light commercials. “Superstitious” should be the mantra in my sporting life. So if you have a crazy superstition, please stick to it. I can tell you firsthand that it’s hard to live with the guilt knowing you cost a team a crucial win.

Blue Wave expects SUNYAC titles

While the regular season has come to an end for Geneseo men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, they will continue competing in the upcoming SUNYAC championships. Starting on Thursday Feb. 20, the Blue Wave will travel to Buffalo to compete in the first day of the championship meet

In the first week of the season, head coach Paul Dotterweich made a bold statement about his hopes for the season: “I expect both teams to be crowned SUNYAC champions.”

His statement seems to reflect his past of leading many teams to SUNYAC championships, including six straight titles from the women. Now, Dotterweich is a few days away from his prediction coming true.

Assessing the regular season, Dotterweich said, “The season progressed as you would hope with the athletes swimming faster as the season went on.”

Before the team travels west, it had to compete in a final meet at the Ithaca College Invitational. With Blue Wave’s ticket to the SUNYAC championships already punched, it was time for the team to show off its depth – an important reason for its success this season.

Senior Jule Deren picked up a pair of first-place swims to lead Blue Wave on Saturday Feb. 15. Deren took top honors in the 1,650 freestyle (18 minutes, 16.72 seconds) and the 500 freestyle (5:19.50).

Sophomore Caroline Russo also registered a first-place effort for Geneseo, taking top honors in the 200 individual medley (2:18.52).

Freshman Amanda Barry took a pair of second-place finishes in the 400 individual medley (4:48.97) and the 200 breaststroke (2:31.19), while freshman Nicole Fico took second in the 200 freestyle (2:01.49) and third in the 50 free (25.57).

Dotterweich fully understands what makes this team so successful, stating, “The athletes have done what has been asked of them. I am confident in our training program. The hard work is behind us now we have to go out and execute.

“The team culture and chemistry is great,” he added. “I believe that is what sets the best teams apart.”

The SUNYAC championships run Wednesday Feb. 19 through Saturday Feb. 22 at Erie Community College in Buffalo.

Home water proves advantageous to Blue Wave victory

Loyal fan support and a positive atmosphere, both key attributes that have made the Geneseo Blue Wave teams unstoppable while competing in the Alumni Pool this season.

Head coach Paul Dotterweich acknowledged the importance of swimming in familiar waters.

“Home meets are always easier on the athletes,” Dotterweich said. “The travel takes a lot out of you and makes for long days. I think there is an advantage to having some of your last meets being at home.”

On Saturday Feb. 8, Blue Wave hosted the Geneseo Invitational, its final home meet of the year. Similar to the rest of its season, Geneseo swam its way to another victory, capping off one of its most successful runs in team history.

Junior Kenny Athans led the men as a four-event winner that day. Athans was victorious in the 100 breaststroke (1 minute, 1.39 seconds), the 100 freestyle (48.63) and the 200 individual medley (2:00.21). Sophomores Kristian Tialios, Andy Schunk and Tyler Roth joined Athans in helping Blue Wave kick off the meet in winning the 400-medley relay (3:36.12).

For the women, junior Abby Max was also a four-event winner, winning the 50 free (24.88) and the 200 back (2:13.01), while also adding legs to both of the Geneseo’s winning relays.

The divers had a record-setting day, as senior Brandon Peifer had a school’s best dive on the 1-meter board and senior Emily Wanamaker won her 1-meter event, as well.

Dotterweich noted the team’s dedication and focus both in and out of the pool.

“I have been very pleased with what I have seen from the team all season,” Dotterweich said. “They have been working very hard and are starting to see the results form that hard work. The dedication extends outside of the pool with proper nutrition, rest and hydration … Taking care of your body allows you to train at the next level.”

Blue Wave’s season is far from over though, as the team will travel to Erie Community College to compete in the SUNYAC Championships starting Feb. 19.

Dotterweich said he expects the teams’ focus will continue through the SUNYAC Championships and hopefully beyond to the NCAA Championships.

Blue Wave undefeated in SUNYAC with one meet remaining

As the Geneseo Blue Wave men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams approach the final stretch of the regular season, they are proving to be a force to be reckoned with.

On Saturday Feb. 1, Blue Wave took on conference foe Buffalo State College in its final home meet before the Geneseo Invitational. Like all the other SUNYAC teams that lost to Geneseo this season, Buffalo State suffered the same fate.

The women’s team improved to 11-2 with a 159-94 victory, while the men picked up their ninth win of the season at 159-119 over the Bengals.

Junior Abby Max led on the women’s side. Max continued her impressive run of victories with four event wins, three of which set pool records for Geneseo.

Max set a pool record in winning the 100 backstroke (59.11 seconds) while also winning the 500 freestyle (5 minutes, 13.30 seconds).

Max then teamed with seniors Lauren Boyce and Lily Powell along with freshman Emily Jaworski to swim to a record-setting 200 medley relay. The team wasn’t done setting records, as Max, sophomores Julie Holloway and Kala Wilkins and junior Stephanie Wilcoxen were the first to reach the wall in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:38.67.

For the men, it was a family affair, as brothers freshman Kevin Schaub and junior Bryan Schaub won a combined five events. Kevin Schaub was victorious in three individual events, as he won the 100 backstroke (55.38), 200 backstroke (1:58.41) and 400 individual medley (4:29.06).

Sophomore Justin Ongkingco was also a double winner on the day with the fastest times in the 50 freestyle (23.13) and 200 breaststroke (2:22.04).

On the diving boards, senior Emily Wanamaker took top honors in both diving events, sweeping the competition. On the 3-meter she set an 11-dive school record with a score of 446.85, which was an NCAA Zone qualifier by over 36 points, while her six-dive score of 289.05 on 1-meter exceeded the Zone qualifier minimum by almost 35 points.

Head coach Paul Dotterweich expressed enthusiasm for both teams as they head toward the final push of the season.

“I’m really excited,” Dotterweich said. “We have a lot of people swimming their best times, which is what I like to see this time of year.”

Blue Wave hosts the Geneseo Invitational at noon on Saturday Feb. 8 in the last meet of the regular season before SUNYAC playoffs begin.

Blue Wave finishing out strong season

While everyone was away on winter break, the Geneseo Blue Wave men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were on campus continuing their winning ways. The Blue Wave saw victories over Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY New Paltz, Monroe Community College and Westminster College. The team’s only loss came against Carnegie Mellon University.

The meets allowed several athletes from the team to be recognized by the State University of New York Athletic Conference with weekly honors. Sophomore Yonghoon Jun had three victories including a solo performance in the 100 butterfly and junior Abby Max won four events against Carnegie Mellon and three against Monroe Community College. For diving, seniors Emily Wanamaker and Brandon Peifer were both honored for their record-setting performances of the week.

To keep the streak alive after coming off a 4-1 stretch, Blue Wave had to face Division III rival SUNY Oswego on Saturday Jan. 25.

The men swam to a 157-132 victory, while the women defeated the Lakers in a dominant 172-102 decision. Both teams remain undefeated in SUNYAC meets.

“Our top swimmers especially are posting some great times right now,” head coach Paul Dotterweich said. “I think we are right where we need to be as we start to look ahead toward the end of the season,” he added.

On the men’s side, junior Kenny Athans led the way – his four victories of the day provided the spark for the Blue Wave. Athans swam the day’s fastest times in the 200-yard breaststroke (2 minutes, 16.51 seconds) and 50-yard freestyle (22.35). For the women, senior Lily Powell continued her impressive season with four victories of her own. Powell’s 58.74 time in the 100-yard butterfly set the record for the fastest time at Alumni Pool.

On the diving boards, freshman Anthony Burgois won the 1-meter event with a pool-record 307.40 score, while senior Brandon Peifer took first on 3-meter with a 294.90 score.

Dotterweich praised his team’s recent performances and said the team is “looking good” coming into the final push of the season. With only two meets left in the regular season including the Geneseo Invitational, Blue Wave is looking to finish strong before the always-challenging SUNYAC championships.

Blue Wave visits Buffalo State College on the morning of Saturday Feb. 1.

Women’s basketball finds consistency against Oswego

It was a true team effort by the Geneseo women’s basketball team on Tuesday Jan. 28 as the team cruised to an 83-58 victory over SUNY Oswego. Geneseo faced the Lakers once earlier this season in a much closer game. This time, the Knights were firing on all cylinders offensively, which spurred the team on to its third-highest scoring total of the season.

Forward junior Shannon McGinnis led the charge with 10 points of her own in the first six minutes of the game to put the Knights ahead with a comfortable lead. She finished the half out strong with 15 of the 24 points she would score in the game. It was McGinnis’ seventh double-double of the season.

Not to mention, several other players put on their own impressive performances. The Knights had one of their best shooting nights of the season, going 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range while holding Oswego to a 3-16 (18.8 percent) shooting performance from behind the arc.

“A lot of players stepped up as leaders today,” head coach Scott Hemer said.

Geneseo saw excellent play from freshmen Bridgit Ryan and Kayleigh Cavanaugh. Ryan played a strong first half with 10 of her 12 total points, while Cavanaugh earned seven points of her own in the second half.

The team’s success didn’t stop there. Guard junior Biz Reinhardt added 12 points, while forward freshman Katie Vienneau, guard sophomore Dana Cohan, forward sophomore Allison McKenna and center junior Katie Peterson would all go on to score six or more points on the night. The stellar play both offensively and defensively allowed the Knights to come away with a crucial conference win.

Coming off a loss from the previous game, Hemer looked for the Knights to improve on the mistakes they were making recently and come away with another victory over the Lakers.

“For us, it’s has been a factor of inconsistent play,” Hemer said. “Tonight we focused on two 20-minute halves and trying to control what we could control, and I felt we did a much better job.”

The Knights look to improve their SUNYAC record with a game against SUNY Fredonia on Saturday Feb. 1.u