Men’s lacrosse comes up short to SUNY Brockport

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Sophomore defender Jack Crowley takes a hit from a SUNY Cortland forward during their game on Wednesday April 12. The men look to fight for a playoff spot against SUNY Oneonta on Saturday April 29. (Ash Dean/Photo Editor)

Geneseo men’s lacrosse suffered a pair of setbacks in their pursuit of making the playoffs this season, with a 13-6 loss to SUNY Plattsburgh on Saturday April 22 and a 7-6 loss to SUNY Brockport on Wednesday April 26.

The Knights pulled ahead early in the game against Plattsburgh, leading 4-2 at the end of the first quarter. They were held to just two more goals over the remaining three quarters, however, as Plattsburgh took the lead halfway through the second and never looked back.

“They’re a good team,” head coach Nick Fiorentino said. “There were definitely some opportunities that we had that we didn’t execute on. It’s a great opportunity for us to reflect on our mistakes and take a step forward to get better.”

Junior forward Joshua Merkel led the Knights on the score sheet with two goals, both of which came in the first quarter. Fiorentino thinks the difference came down to possession and an inability to flow into an attack from defense.

“A lot of offense stems from defense,” he said. “There were times where we missed a few clears, missed a few ground balls, dropped a few passes and that kind of deflated us a little bit. [Plattsburgh] did a good job possessing and taking a lot more shots, so they were able to get into a better routine.”

With the loss to Plattsburgh, the Knights fell to 2-2 in the conference, they are tied with Brockport and SUNY Oswego for the final two spots in the SUNYAC Tournament. With Geneseo’s loss to Brockport and Oswego’s 10-11 loss to SUNY Cortland on Wednesday April 26, Brockport pulled ahead into third place at 3-2. 

Geneseo now must beat last-place SUNY Oneonta at home on Saturday April 29 for a chance to get into the tournament. In a win-or-go-home situation, the team has had to regroup and reflect on the situation as part of their preparation.

“We had to take a deep breath and take into perspective what’s needed of us over this last week,” junior defender Ryan Cates said. “It’s been a lot of focus, effort and energy. It’s all we can control. The other things will come as long as we control those things and really put our best effort forward.”

Among other things, the Knights will have to rely on their defense. The defensive unit has been strong throughout the season, despite the relatively young players. Sophomore defenders Jack Crowley and Jake Okun have started every game this season, even though they are underclassmen.

“Our defense has done a good job [this year],” Fiorentino said. “We came into the year installing new systems, so I feel it’s kind of a benefit that they’re younger guys. They’ve done a good job.”

Despite not knowing what to expect out of their defense coming into the season with a new head coach, Cates believes that they have done an adequate job.

“It was a little bit of a question mark coming into the year,” Cates said. “But I think our defense has really been the cornerstone of our team.”

The Knights have faith in their abilities and have confidence that they can get the job done against Oneonta. 

Beyond that, their belief is that the sky is the limit. 

“We know if we get in, we can be a dangerous team, so we’re really confident,” Cates said.

With their season on the line, Geneseo men’s lacrosse will face off against Oneonta on Saturday April 29 at 12 p.m.

This year in Geneseo sports: spring

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Senior distance runner Morgan Meaney leads the pack during the meet hosted at Geneseo. Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams are hoping to earn another SUNYAC title this year. (Ash Dean/Photo Editor)

Though not yet complete, the spring season for Geneseo athletics is shaping up for an exciting finish. Men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse and softball are all in contention for the playoffs, while men’s and women’s track and field have already won the SUNYAC Indoor Championship and will have a chance to challenge for a SUNYAC title in outdoor track as well.

Men’s lacrosse has been the surprise success story this season, as they have a chance to clinch their first SUNYAC Tournament appearance since 2012. First-year head coach Nick Fiorentino has the team at 8-5 overall, but 2-3 in the conference. The Knights need to win their final regular season game at home against last-place SUNY Oneonta on Saturday April 29 to get into the playoffs.

Women’s lacrosse is on their way to the playoffs, despite having a bit of an off year by their standards. With a 7-7 record overall and 4-3 in the SUNYAC, they sit in fourth place, with just two conference games remaining against St. John Fisher College on Friday April 28 and against SUNY Potsdam on Saturday April 29. 

In her 14th year with Geneseo, head coach Carly Ritchlin is one of the coaches with the most wins in the NCAA; her streak of winning seasons and of playoff appearances will live on for at least one more year.

Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams have seen several record-breaking performances from their athletes this season. After securing two individual national championships in indoor events, senior jumper/sprinter Alexa Wandy has set school records in the triple jump and 400-meter dash so far in outdoor events.

Senior distance runner Sara Rosenzweig ran the fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase time in Division III this season at the Princeton Larry Ellis Invitational on Friday April 21.

On the men’s side, junior distance runner Isaac Garcia-Cassani holds the school record in the 1,500-meter run. Additionally, the men’s 4 x 800-meter relay team set school records at the Bucknell Bison Classic on April 15, with the men finishing in 7:40.43.

The women are currently ranked fourth in NCAA Division III by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, while the men rank third in the Atlantic region. They will compete at the SUNYAC championships on May 5 and May 6 in Cortland.

Geneseo softball is facing possible elimination from playoff contention, however, with only two doubleheaders remaining, as they sit in seventh place with a 6-8 record in the SUNYAC. The Knights have not been able to gain momentum in the conference, despite a 12-6 record against non-conference opponents. 

The softball team currently sits two games behind Buffalo State for the final playoff spot. With just four games remaining against fourth-place SUNY Oswego and first-place SUNY Cortland, closing the gap will be difficult.

Men’s lacrosse confident in journey to SUNYACs

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Sophomore foward/defensive-midfielder Jack Brunner runs up the field in search of an open teammate. This season seems promising for the Knights; they are more successful than recent years and hope to continue building off of this momentum. (Ash Dean/Photo Editor)

Geneseo men’s lacrosse earned an 11-8 away victory over SUNY Potsdam on Saturday April 15, improving to 8-3 overall and 2-1 in the SUNYAC conference.

Sophomore forwards Zachary DeBottis and Kyle Wanamaker led the offensive charge for the Knights, scoring three goals apiece. Junior midfielder Alex Leuze also added four points on one goal and three assists.

Geneseo found themselves up 10-4 early in the third quarter, but Potsdam cut the deficit to two with four straight goals. The hosts’ momentum and hopes to complete a comeback were quelled with a goal from Wanamaker to improve their lead to three with 1:02 remaining in the game.

“We knew coming in we needed to play well, and the guys definitely came out and executed,” head coach Nick Fiorentino said. “It was one of those games where we knew we had to focus on us and what we had to do to be successful. I was really proud of the guys and anytime you can get a win in the conference it’s huge.”

The Knights performed on the defensive side as well, with junior defender Ryan Cates finishing with six ground balls. Junior goalkeeper Michael Yehl had 17 saves in the contest, tying his highest save total of the season.

“We gave up a lot of shots, but I was able to see a bunch of them so it definitely helped the team out,” Yehl said. “Coming up with big saves and clearing the ball definitely gave us some transition game as well as some offensive momentum.”

Yehl has started every game in net this season and has recorded at least 10 saves in five of his last six games. Fiorentino recognizes the importance of having a solid presence in the cage.

“Mike [Yehl] comes with a year and a half of experience, and you can’t teach experience,” he said. “He’s playing well and he’s a leader out there for us, so we’re excited that we have that facet of our game going for us right now.”

Yehl has been the starter since he won the job during his freshman season, so it would take a lot for him to lose his spot. With four other goaltenders on the roster, however, he has a few extra reasons to stay at the top of his game. 

“I have four goalies behind me, which is a completely new experience for me,” Yehl said. “I’ve always been the only goalie or one of two goalies, so just having four guys behind me pushing me every day has made me a lot better of a player.”

The Knights now have eight wins on the season, the most the program has achieved since 2010 when the team won 10 games. With three games remaining to decide their playoff fate, Fiorentino said that the team is feeling good about their chances. 

“When you win ball games, you’re going to feel good,” he said. “We’re excited. One of the team goals was to get into the conference tournament and we’re close to capturing that goal.”

The Knights will need at least one more win over their final three games to be in contention for a spot in the SUNYAC Tournament. The team’s morale is high, but they know there is still more work to be done.

“We’re not a stagnant team—we strive every day to get better,” Yehl said. “So far this season, coming out with eight wins and two in the SUNYAC is giving us a lot of confidence going into our last three games.”

Geneseo men’s lacrosse will travel north to face SUNY Plattsburgh on Saturday April 22 at 1 p.m. They will then finish out the regular season with two home games against SUNY Brockport on Wednesday April 26 and SUNY Oneonta on April 29.

Geneseo nominated for best hockey community in nation

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The Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena is one of the most loved aspects of both the Geneseo campus and the community. The rink has been nominated for the chance to win $150,000 for rink renovations in the Kraft-Heinz Hockeyville USA 2017 contest. (Jake Wade/Lamron Archives)

The Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena—home to the Geneseo Ice Knights and Livingston County youth hockey—advanced to the semifinal round of Kraft Hockeyville USA 2017. 

The contest’s top four finalists were voted on from Tuesday April 18-Wednesday April 19, and the two finalists will be announced on Saturday April 22.  

Geneseo was voted one of four finalists for the distinction of being named the best hockey community in the nation in the first round of voting that ran from April 11-13. The grand prize for the contest includes $150,000 in arena renovations and a chance to host an NHL preseason game televised live on NBC Sports Network in the fall.

The contest is sponsored by a partnership consisting of Kraft-Heinz, the National Hockey League, the NHL Player’s Association, NBC Sports Group and USA Hockey. Of almost 1300 arenas that were nominated across the country, “The Ira” was announced as a top 10 finalist for the contest on April 8.

As a semifinalist, Geneseo is guaranteed at least $25,000 in prize money for arena upgrades. Should they move on to the final round, they will be in contention for either the grand prize or $75,000 as the runner-up.

The community around Geneseo has certainly proved its appreciation for hockey. In each of the past four years, the Ice Knights have been able to draw an average attendance that ranked in the top five nationally for NCAA Division III men’s ice hockey. The team is appreciative of the support they get from the community and they emphasize that this contest and the awards won from it are for the fans more so than for the team or the college itself.

“The community and the hockey team go hand and hand,” head coach Chris Schultz said. “We rely on the community, and it’s really important to me to have the community benefit from a contest like this because they deserve it.”

The Ira received several nominations to be entered in the contest, according to Schultz. The one that was ultimately accepted was from a member of the community who had grown up through the youth hockey programs that also calls the facility home. 

“The youth hockey organization here is so involved with us and such big supporters of us,” senior goaltender Bradley Hawayek said. “They’re the ones who started it all. The support that we’ve gotten from all of them so far has been huge in getting us to this point.”

Potential upgrades to the arena may involve the bleachers and lighting, but many other things can be addressed in a building that has seen a lot of use over the years. 

“This building sees more foot traffic from the community than any other building on campus,” Schultz said. “Over the course of 50 years, there’s a lot of wear and tear, so we can put that money to good use.”

Schultz expects to see many people involved in the decision-making to be sure everyone impacted has a voice. 

“It’s my hope that we put together a committee that represents everyone that needs to be represented, and I would hope that the community would be involved in that as well,” he said.

Students and fans have been voting both online at www.krafthockeyville.com and by texting “IraNY” to 35350. Up to 50 votes can be submitted per day through both methods, as well as once per day on twitter using the hashtag #IraNY. The top two finalists will be announced on Saturday April 22 for a final round of voting that will run from Monday April 24 at 12 a.m. to Tuesday April 25 at 11:59 p.m.

Knight of the Week: Danni Napoli

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Sophomore mathematics major Danni Napoli is a key figure within the Geneseo athletic community, as she represents the Knights on both the field hockey and softball fields. Napoli hopes to earn a SUNYAC title for both teams within the same year. (Jenna Harbus/Staff Photographer)

Being a student athlete in college is a commitment that requires a prominent level of time management and work ethic. Mixing a sport with the workload of a college student is a tall task, so one can only imagine what it must be like to add a second sport onto such a demanding schedule.

Sophomore outfielder Danni Napoli of Geneseo softball is one of the school’s few two-sport athletes. After winning a SUNYAC Championship with women’s field hockey in 2016, Napoli is leading the softball team in slugging percentage, runs batted in, doubles and walks. She is also batting .404 on the season, which is good for her second year on the team.

A native of Wading River, New York, Napoli played several sports growing up. She eventually settled on field hockey and softball while attending Riverhead High School. As a child, she said that sports were a huge part of her life, and she was inspired by her father and older brothers.

“I grew up with two older brothers and they both played sports. I always wanted to play with them. I would beg my dad to take me to my brothers’ baseball practices,” she said. “He always tells me this story that he left me home once and I cried the whole time, so he never left me home again.”

Napoli’s relationship with her brothers motivated her when it came to sports. Both college athletes, they taught her what it takes to be successful as an athlete.

“My brother Mike played baseball and had the best work ethic ever,” she said. “My other brother played football and still makes me come to the gym with him to this day.”

Along the way, Napoli learned the importance of taking things one day at a time, a trait that especially comes in handy as a two-sport athlete.

“I think it’s really important to take every single minute as its own and if something doesn’t go right, to bounce right back and do the best you can the next time without getting down on yourself,” she said.

Sports are not the only important thing, however, in Napoli’s life. Now a mathematics major, academics played a significant role in her decision to come to Geneseo.

“I knew for sure I wanted to major in math, so I wanted to go somewhere that had a good math program,” she said. “Then I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to play field hockey or softball, but Geneseo was a place that would let me have it all.”

After contacting both softball head coach David Sylvester and field hockey head coach Jess Seren to express her interest, Napoli was assured that she would have the opportunity to play both sports. While that opportunity is rewarding, it is not always easy to transition between seasons—when there is not enough time to attend all practices for both teams, according to Napoli.

With one SUNYAC title under her belt in field hockey, she is currently focused on winning another with softball. The team currently has a 14-6 record on the season, and Napoli believes that the team has the chemistry to accomplish that goal.

“I always say it would be the best year of my life if I could win two SUNYAC tournaments,” she said. “This is one of the best groups of people I’ve been around. We have great chemistry and then when the softball part comes in, it makes it that much better.”

Napoli hopes to become an actuary after graduation. She claims that she is often made fun of for not liking chocolate, and her favorite athletes are baseball players Mike Trout, Derek Jeter and Bryce Harper.

Napoli and the rest of the Geneseo softball team are set to travel for doubleheaders against SUNY New Paltz on Friday April 14 and SUNY Oneonta on Saturday April 15.

Men’s lacrosse falls to Cortland at home

Sophomore defender Jack Crowley fights to maintain possession against the SUNY Cortland forwards during their game on Wednesday April 12. The men fell to Cortland 12-8 on their home turf, but hope to be successful during their next game against SUNY Potsdam. (Ash Dean/Photo Editor)

SUNYAC competition has finally begun for Geneseo men’s lacrosse. The Knights had a great start on Saturday April 8, beating SUNY Oswego on the road in overtime 8-7. They then took a loss 12-8 at home to defending SUNYAC champions SUNY Cortland on Wednesday April 12.

Junior forward Alex Leuze was the overtime hero against Oswego, scoring the game-winner with 1:29 left. Leuze finished with three goals in the game—his highest scoring game as a Knight. Head coach Nick Fiorentino confirmed that the game was as close as it looks on paper, but that a late timeout just before the winning goal was crucial in pushing them over the edge.

“It took all 60 minutes and a little extra,” he said. “We were able to get the ball on the ground defensively and get it to the other side of the field to call timeout. What we talked about and what we thought would happen happened and the guys took advantage of it.”

With just five conference games that decide who advances to the SUNYAC Tournament, every game has the potential to either make or break a team’s hopes of the playoffs. The Knights are currently in a four-year playoff drought, but a win like Saturday April 12’s can set them on the right track.

“You play a team once and that’s it,” Fiorentino said. “You have to get on top of those victories because once you get two or three games in, you know what place you’re fighting for. You don’t want to be the guys on the outside looking in.”

Sophomore forward Zachary DeBottis said the players understand the weight of these games as well.

“It’s the biggest part of the season,” he said. “Every game you just have to grind it out because every team wants to beat every team in this conference.”

Having to go up against a 9-1 Cortland team a few days later, a loss to Oswego could have put the Knights in a hole that would have been difficult to climb out of. Even with the win under their belt, the men saw room for improvement leading up to the game on Wednesday April 12.

“Anytime you play a quality opponent, you’re going to find a lot of things you have to do better, and that was the case on Saturday,” Fiorentino said.

When asked how he was preparing the team for a tough game against Cortland, Fiorentino relied on a mantra he has trusted throughout the season: worrying only about what they can control.

“We can control our effort and our attitude,” he said. “Everything we do is about what we can control, so we’re going to be high energy and be thorough in our preparation.”

Ultimately, the Knights came up short, suffering a 12-8 setback to the 24-time SUNYAC Champions the Red Dragons.

With 17 goals and 11 assists totaling a team-high 28 points, DeBottis is gaining a reputation as an offensive leader for Geneseo. Pleased with the success he’s having thus far this season, he credits the new system Fiorentino has brought in in his first season as head coach.

“Coach [Fiorentino] puts me in a lot of good spaces to either get shots or set up shots for my teammates,” DeBottis said. “His system works well with the guys we have. He wants to play to all of our strengths rather than put in a universal system that might not work for everyone.”

By following up a solid freshman season with the impressive stat line he is putting together this spring season, it is clear that DeBottis has a bright future with the Knights.

Geneseo men’s lacrosse are 7-3 on the season and will fight for their second conference win on the road, facing SUNY Potsdam on Saturday April 15 at 1 p.m.

Men’s lacrosse adapts well to new coach

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Senior mid-fielder Eric Lengenhausen looks for an open teammate to pass the ball. The Knights have had a promising season thus far, maintaining a 6-2 record, a momentum which they hope to keep for the remainder of the games. (Ash Dean/Photo Editor)

Geneseo men’s lacrosse is set to begin conference play on Saturday April 8 on the road at SUNY Oswego after finishing their non-conference schedule. The Knights recorded a resounding 22-2 victory over Elmira College on Saturday April 1 and a 8-4 win against Scranton University on Wednesday April 5.

The dominant performance against Elmira saw eight different Knights with a multi-goal game. Sophomore forward Zachary DeBottis and senior forward Tim Wright led the offense with three goals each. First-year head coach Nick Fiorentino was pleased with the effort on both sides of the ball.

“It was definitely our best offensive performance so far,” he said. “I think on the defensive side, too, they’re communicating well and pressuring the ball.”

Moving ahead of the Knights’ winning game against Scranton, Fiorentino emphasized the importance of the contest as their final chance to compete before beginning conference play.

“Scranton is a very well-coached team,” he said. “We’re going to be able to really see where we’re at, and it’s an exciting opportunity for us.”

In their first season under Fiorentino, the Knights enter SUNYAC competition with a 6-2 record. They have already surpassed their final win totals of five from each of the past four seasons. The Knights will now have to finish in the top four in the SUNYACs in order to advance to the playoffs—something they have not done since 2012.

Fiorentino has approached his coaching all season as a learning experience for both himself and the team; they adjust throughout the season, as each game teaches them more about themselves and what they need to do in order to remain successful.

“I think after some games, through two losses against very well-coached teams, we were able to identify some things we need to work on,” he said.

A winning record heading into conference play has not always proved to be a promise of success for the program. During the 2016 season, the Knights went 4-3 against non-conference opponents, but won just one more game over the rest of the season to finish 1-5 in the SUNYAC; they missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

One thing that the team has shown this year, however, is an ability to bounce back from a loss. Two of their highest scoring games this season both came after losses, which Fiorentino said could be a testament to how they reflect on themselves.

“Great teams are always going to look at themselves in the mirror and ask what they can do to better themselves,” he said. “That’s one of the things that happens right away after those losses—it is to put down a plan of what we have to do to be better.”

The players have responded well to his new system, as shown in the team’s results. Fiorentino is confident in the team’s ability to be ready to adjust as the season goes on.

“They’re extremely coachable and we throw a lot at them every day,” he said. “A lot of the time we’re in one place one week, and then we’re going at it from a different direction the next week, so it’s something where they have to be on their toes every day.”

With goals set on the SUNYAC Tournament and beyond, Fiorentino said the key to success is worrying about what they can control.

“Priority number one is our effort and attitude—we can control that,” he said. “What follows that is our execution. Our flow to our offense, communication to our defense and organization at both ends is critical for our success. If we can do that, I like our chances against anyone.”

The Knights will face off against their first SUNYAC opponent SUNY Oswego on Saturday April 8 at 12 p.m.

Men’s lacrosse defeated on the road

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Sophomore attacker Jack Ladd heads up the field through the rain in search of the net. The men currently have a 7-3 record, which they look to improve upon during their upcoming game against Elmira College on Saturday April 1. (Ash Dean/Photo Editor)

After starting the season 3-0, the men’s lacrosse team was dealt two losses on the road against St. John Fisher College on Thursday March 23 and against Skidmore College on Tuesday March 28. The Knights escaped the week with a win, however, as they came out on top over Olivet College on Saturday March 25. They now stand at 4-2 on the year.

The low-scoring affair against St. John Fisher saw Geneseo with a 4-0 lead in the third quarter, but a four-goal surge by St. John Fisher in a three-minute span tied the game going into the fourth quarter. The hosts were eventually able to pull away and win, 8-5, handing the Knights their first loss of the season.

“It was a tough game,” senior forward Tim Wright said. “We were up four and then they changed face-offs and it kind of set us back. They scored a couple quick ones on us and attacked a couple weak points we were not ready for, which cost us at the end.”

Wright saw limited action in that game due to an ankle injury and did not play in the games against Olivet and Skidmore. As one of the team’s leading players, Wright is tied for the highest number of assists on the team with junior midfielder Alex Leuze. 

The Knights performed well in the 18-11 win over Olivet, who kept it close early on but found themselves down 12-5 after the Knights scored five unanswered goals to end the first half. Despite the score, Wright suggested that the team was not overly pleased with the performance and that improvements could be made.

“It was a good game to kind of show us where we are,” Wright said. “Coming into a game like that where we should have rolled them and then allowing 11 goals … we figured out where we made some mistakes and are changing them.” 

Geneseo then traveled to take on Skidmore on Thursday March 28 and were handed a 10-5 loss, the fourth game in a row for the year in which a strong Skidmore defense held their opponents to just five goals. Now 5-3 on the year, one of Skidmore’s losses came against conference rival SUNY Plattsburgh.

An urgency to make the playoffs this season exists for the Knights’ group of seniors, who have yet to play in the SUNYAC Tournament. Only two non-conference games remain on the Knights’ schedule before they begin SUNYAC competition—games that will decide their playoff contention. Wright maintains that the team is confident in their chances of achieving that goal.

“That is goal number one, which we feel really good about,” Wright said. “[The SUNYAC] is pretty wide-open this year, so we have a chance. Whoever shows up to play that day is winning these games this year.”

Wright said that the level of togetherness that exists within the team this year could be a factor in the team’s ultimate success going forward—a quality inspired by head coach Nick Fiorentino.

“Coach [Fiorentino] is all about being a family,” Wright said. “We actually stayed here all spring break; he kept us together and we did a lot of team activities … We mesh very well, even our freshmen and transfers.”

Fiorentino seems to be making an early impact in his first year as the Knights’ head coach. Fiorentino’s new system was different at first, but the team is responding to it well, according to Wright. 

“He fires everyone up every day,” Wright said. “You’re running around all the time at practice and excited to be there. Everyone’s getting in shape and it’s making us play better.”

The Knights will host Elmira College on Saturday April 1 at 1 p.m. and then travel to the University of Scranton on Wednesday April 5 for a final contest before beginning conference play.

Men’s lacrosse off to promising start

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The Geneseo men’s lacrosse team has been working hard during their practices to help maintain their victory streak. With a new coach at the reins, the men anticipate a successful season ahead of them. Pictured above is Parker Weeks ‘15 during the alumni game last fall. (Annalee Bainnson/Assoc. Photo Editor)

Geneseo men’s lacrosse opened their season in March with three straight wins. The Knights kicked off the new campaign on March 1 with an 11-5 road victory against Morrisville State College, then celebrated their home opener on March 5 with a fourth quarter comeback to beat Alfred University 13-12. The team traveled to Ohio and beat Wilmington College 18-7 on Saturday March 18.

The Knights’ comeback victory over Alfred was one in which they had trailed throughout most of the game. After taking a 2-0 lead early on, they allowed five straight Alfred goals. Alfred held the lead throughout most of the game, but Geneseo was able to keep it close. In the fourth quarter, they rallied from a 12-10 deficit by scoring three unanswered goals to seal the victory.

Senior forward Tim Wright scored a behind-the-back goal to tie the game at 12-12 with just over seven minutes left in the game after sophomore forward Kyle Wanamaker found him with a pass in front of the net. Four minutes later, senior forward Michael Engstrom scored the go-ahead goal off a pass from junior forward Alex Leuze. 

“That fourth quarter was huge for us; we just never gave up,” Engstrom said in an interview with geneseoknights.com. “Defensively we held them to one goal and got some key goals from offensive players.”

Engstrom, the team captain, believes that the team’s work ethic could be a key to their overall success this season.

“We come into practice every day competing and working hard,” he said to geneseoknights.com. “We’re always working hard in the weight room and always looking to get better every day. I think if we take it one game at a time we’ll be very successful this season.”

Sophomore forward Zachary DeBottis has been the scoring leader for the perfect Knights thus far, with nine goals and three assists, totaling a team-high 12 points. DeBottis scored a career-high of five goals in the win over Wilmington, after tallying a pair in each of the first two games.

On the defensive side, three underclassmen have been mainstays in the lineup. Sophomore defenseman Jack Crowley, freshman defenseman Augie Holekamp and sophomore defenseman Jake Okun have started all three of the Knights’ contests in front of junior goaltender Michael Yehl.

The wins mark a successful start to the career of first-year head coach Nick Fiorentino. Fiorentino was hired in November with the hopes of taking the program back to the SUNYAC Tournament.

While this is Fiorentino’s first head coaching job, he has held assistant roles at some of the top programs in Division III. This includes experience playing for and coaching alongside the NCAA’s all-time leader in men’s lacrosse victories, Jim Berkman, of Salisbury University.

The team does not begin conference play until April 8, giving them a total of eight games to get acquainted with Fiorentino’s system and get into a rhythm as a team. For Wright, Engstrom and the rest of the seniors on the team who have never made a playoff appearance, this season should feature a sense of urgency to reach that goal.

A scheduled away game against Clarkson on March 15 was cancelled due to “snowy conditions and frigid temperatures,” according to geneseoknights.com. A make-up date for the game has not yet been scheduled.

The Knights will travel to St. John Fisher College on Thursday March 23 for a game scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Their next home game will be against Olivet College on Saturday March 25 at 1 p.m.

Blue Wave to send athletes to nationals

Seven athletes from Geneseo men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have qualified to compete at the NCAA Division III National Championships.

Junior diver Samuel Randall and sophomore swimmer Nancy Nasky will both be returning to nationals after being the only two athletes to represent Geneseo in 2016. Randall was the 2016 national champion in the 1-meter dive and has now qualified for nationals in all three of his collegiate seasons. 

Nasky was a 17th-place finisher in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 2016. Only the top 16 finishers earn scoring for their team, so this year will give Nasky a chance to accomplish that feat.

“I’m sure that her goal is to place in the top 16 this year and score some points for us,” head coach Paul Dotterweich said.

The men’s 200-yard freestyle relay team qualified for nationals with a conference record first place finish at the SUNYAC Championships. The team consists of junior swimmer Jeff Doser, junior swimmer Derek Secord, junior swimmer Scott Guyton and sophomore swimmer Matt Modelewski. The same four swimmers also set a conference record in the 400-yard freestyle relay and have competed together as a team throughout the season.

“We try and keep them together as much as we can,” Dotterweich said, “just so that they’re familiar with each other for the take-offs and exchanges.”

On the women’s side, senior diver Claudia Kolakowski will join Nasky at nationals after qualifying with her performance at the SUNYAC Championships. This will be her first national appearance and she will be the only senior from Geneseo to compete there.

Freshman diver Samantha Reichman was one athlete that barely missed out on national qualification, according to Dotterweich. Although seven is an impressive number of athletes to be able to send to nationals, there were more athletes like Reichman who just missed out, according to Dotterweich. He added that he believes they will have the potential to qualify in the years to come.

“We’ve got a few who were on the edge, but it’ll take a little hard work to get there,” he said. “Our men’s 200 medley relay wasn’t far off, and we’ll have three of those four guys returning next year, so hopefully we can bring in a fast back-stroker to lead it off.”

The NCAA Division III National Championships will take place almost a full month after the SUNYAC Championships, where the swimmers last competed. The divers had the chance to compete a week later at the Regional Diving Championships, but the long wait to compete again is something the athletes need to battle with.

“The first week they’re excited because they’re going and then the second and third weeks can be a little more challenging when the rest of the team doesn’t have to come to practice and they’re still coming to practice,” Dotterweich said. “But I think the excitement of going to the national championships gets them through.”

The wait also serves as a chance to spend a lot of time fine-tuning the athletes’ training based on what they will compete in.

“Going into the conference meet, we were preparing them to swim in multiple events,” Dotterweich said. “Jeff [Doser], for example, trained more for middle distance all year, but now we can just focus on a 50-meter sprint for him.”

Overall, the team experienced a relatively smooth season, according to Dotterweich. They got through the season with few injuries, but Dotterweich credits depth for being able to overcome the injuries that they did have.

“That’s part of having a deep team,” Dotterweich said. “If we have those injuries and a couple people can’t get there, we’ve got people waiting in line to fill their spot and get the job done.”

The NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving National Championships will be held in Shenandoah, Texas, from March 15-18.

New rules in MLB to speed up game

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Nathan Karns, starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, throws a pitch during the first inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs during spring training on Wednesday March 1. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)

Major League Baseball spring training is now underway after exhibition games began on Feb. 22. Fans are excited—as always—for baseball to be back after another long winter without it, but not without some controversy.

One of the biggest stories around the league at the start of spring training does not involve a certain player or team; it involves the intentional walk. Yes, those four intentional balls that a pitcher throws to strategically put a man on first base. 

MLB has approved a rule change that eliminates the need for those four pitches to be thrown to intentionally walk a batter. Instead, the manager simply needs to make a signal from the dugout that they would like to do so and the batter will be awarded first base automatically. 

The rule change is one of many efforts that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is considering to make the game of baseball faster. Since taking over as commissioner of baseball in the 2015 season, Manfred has shown he is no opposition to the idea that baseball needs to change with the times. 

As a younger generation with a shorter attention span grows up with more entertainment options than ever in the palms of their hands, baseball needs to adjust in order to stay relevant. Some managers around the league don’t seem to be phased by the rule change, including New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

“I don’t think that’s a big deal,” he said. “For the most part, it’s not changing the strategy, it’s just kind of speeding things up. I’m good with it.”

It will do away with a play that has virtually no action without any consequence or change in the result of the play. So why is it controversial?

Traditional baseball fans may grasp for an argument against it by saying it eliminates the chance for error on those four pitches. Some pitchers do struggle to accurately lob balls out of the strike zone and with this rule, the off chance of a wild pitch is eliminated. Games have been lost because of situations like this, but the reality is that this rarely happens and it is not the real issue.

The rule change eliminates a physical aspect of the game. While in this instance the elimination is inconsequential and few will miss it, it shows a willingness of the league to do away with parts of the game before trying to make the game we already have faster and more exciting.

MLB should give more consideration to rule changes that reduce the amount of down time in a game before they start eliminating actual plays. Does a pitcher need to take over 30 seconds between pitches? Does a batter need to step out of the box to adjust his gloves after every pitch?

This is what the league should be looking at to combat the unfortunate number of natural breaks that exist in baseball. Limiting the time it takes to make a pitch, conducting a replay review and making a mound visit are steps in the right direction and the league has shown progress on all three of these examples. 

The pitch-less intentional walk will prove, however, to be nothing more than a ceremonial move. Intentional walks happened just once every 2.6 games in 2016, meaning the rule change would shave about one minute off of every three games. It likely won’t make the game faster. 

Changes of this nature on a bigger scale could make baseball a completely different game than the one it is now. For example, it was announced in the offseason that a rule—where a runner will be placed on second base to start extra innings—would be tested in the minor leagues. 

Rules like this are gimmicky and will accomplish very little at the expense of those who already love the game of baseball. 

Knight of the Week: McKenna Brooks

Sophomore forward McKenna Brooks has been a key aspect for the success of the Geneseo women’s basketball team. Brooks stays on top of her athletics and her school work, putting her time off of the court into her business administration major. (Courtesy of Geneseo Athletic Department)

Every great basketball team needs to have depth on the bench—talented players who can come into the game and make an impact at any time. It comes as no surprise then, that one of the biggest contributors to the undefeated Geneseo women’s basketball team this season has been one of their first players off the bench, sophomore forward McKenna Brooks.

Brooks has come off the bench in 22 of 25 games this season, but leads the team in field goal percentage, blocks and steals; she is also second in rebounds and third in total points. 

Born in Buffalo, Brooks’ love for basketball began at a young age through a close relationship with her mother, a former basketball coach. She remembers her mother bringing her to practices as early as age three, where she first picked up a ball and dribbled. As she grew up and began playing for travel teams, basketball became a bonding force between Brooks and her mom.

“My mom would always travel with me to games and it brought us closer,” Brooks said in an email interview. “We have such a good relationship with each other; she’s definitely my best friend.”

Having a coach as a parent also helped Brooks out on the court. She credits her mother as the biggest influence on her playing career.

“With her knowledge of basketball from being a coach, she’s always telling me what I can work on to get better and what I’m doing well,” she said. “After a game, she’s the first person to critique me—whether I like it or not. I don’t know if I would’ve found my love for basketball if it wasn’t for her.”

Brooks attended and played basketball at Oswego High School after moving to Oswego, N.Y. from Buffalo just before her freshman year of high school. Moving to a new school and not knowing anyone was frightening for her at first, but thanks to basketball, she quickly made 15 new friends that she also called teammates.

Toward the end of her high school career, Brooks visited Geneseo after head coach Scott Hemer had watched her play and expressed interest in recruiting her. She immediately fell in love with the campus and, on the ride home, told her mother she did not want to visit any other school.

“Before I left Geneseo, I already knew that I wanted to come here,” Brooks said. “The team was not only talented, but they were so welcoming and you could tell they all had a close relationship with each other.”

Now in her second season, the Knights achieved a perfect 25-0 regular season record. They will head into the SUNYAC Tournament ranked No. 16 in the nation and one of just five teams in Division III who remain undefeated.

“This season has been amazing,” Brooks said. “Winning games is nice, but playing with these girls is just so much fun. I think that’s why we’re so successful.”

At the moment, Brooks and the team are focused on the playoffs. With all five of the Knights regular starters in their senior year, however, Brooks is looking forward to the challenge of stepping into more of a leadership role next year as an upperclassman.

“Losing five starters is going to force a lot of us to step up and be leaders,” she said. “I think we’ll be ready when the time comes.”

In the classroom, Brooks majors in business administration. She loves to travel and cites Australia as her favorite destination. She is also an avid fan of Syracuse University men’s basketball, although they have “too many close games and give me a heart attack almost every time they play,” according to Brooks.

Brooks and Geneseo women’s basketball will be in action on Friday Feb. 24, when they host the SUNYAC semifinals at Schrader Gymnasium.

Spring 2017 men’s lacrosse preview

The Geneseo men’s lacrosse team is preparing to begin their 2017 campaign under new leadership. Nick Fiorentino, a native of Baldwinsville, N.Y., was announced as the program’s new head coach in November. 

Fiorentino’s resume includes coaching experience with some of the most successful programs in the country. After spending two seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Salisbury University, from 2009-10, Fiorentino then held positions on the staffs of Ohio Wesleyan from 2010-13, SUNY Cortland from 2014-15 and Rochester Institute of Technology in 2016. 

In these roles, he appeared in the NCAA Division III Tournament for seven straight seasons from 2009-15. 

This new opportunity with Geneseo will be Fiorentino’s first head coaching job. While he admits it will be challenging, it is an exciting opportunity that has been years in the making.

“If you talk to all the coaches in the country, they’re going to say every year is a challenge,” he said. “I’ve known for a long time that this is what I wanted to do. I have a strong passion and desire to be a head coach, so it’s exciting.”

Among the biggest influences on Fiorentino was Salisbury’s head coach, Jim Berkman, who is the NCAA’s all-time leader in men’s lacrosse victories. Fiorentino had the opportunity to both play for and coach alongside Berkman, and credits him as a role model in both lacrosse and life in general.

“The role that he played for me in my development set me up with the values and principles that I set my life to,” Fiorentino said. “His drive for excellence in life, not just on the lacrosse field, but as a person, helped mold me into the person I wanted to become when I was just starting as a coach.”

Fiorentino’s goals for the Knights include winning a SUNYAC championship, a feat that the program last achieved in 2007 under former head coach Jim Lyons. Fiorentino is no stranger to the SUNYAC conference, having won two titles as an assistant at Cortland.

The Knights have missed the playoffs for the past four straight seasons, but Fiorentino is determined to take the program back to the top of the SUNYAC conference. Geneseo is the only team other than Cortland to win a SUNYAC men’s lacrosse title, having won it three times compared to Cortland’s 24. 

“It’s there in our history. We want to get back there and be a prominent force in the SUNYAC,” he said.

As the team began practicing this month, Fiorentino noticed a strong sense of leadership in this year’s group of seniors, who are hoping to make their first career playoff appearances this season.

“[The seniors] had a big role in setting our goals,” he said. “This is a group of young men who haven’t played in the SUNYAC Tournament yet, so it’s a big deal for these seniors to get us back to the playoffs and competing for an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.”

While many of the team’s starters from last year will be returning, two notable senior departures stand out. Midfielder Joe Chiara finished his senior campaign tied for second on the team in points, and defenseman Matt Donoghue played in all of the Knights 13 games in 2016. 

While there may be some uncertainty regarding who the leaders will be on the defensive side, the offense certainly retains a number of experienced players. Junior attackman Ryan Kelly will look to expand upon on his performance last year, in which he scored a team-leading 22 goals.

Geneseo men’s lacrosse will kick off their season with an away game against Morrisville State on Wednesday March 1 at 4:30 p.m.

Blue Wave tapers training as SUNYACs approach

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Both the men and women swam into first place during the Geneseo Invitational on Jan. 28. The team looks to continue their success in their upcoming meets, as they are sending athletes to the Ithaca Invitational and to SUNYACs. (Keith Walters/Campus Photographer)

The Geneseo men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are set to begin their respective postseasons for February with high expectations. Blue Wave will compete at the SUNYAC Championships at Erie Community College from Wednesday Feb. 15-18.

For both teams, conference titles are nothing out of the ordinary. A win for the women would mark their 10th consecutive SUNYAC Championship. It would be the fourth in a row for the men, who have won the title in 18 of the past 20 seasons. 

In a sport that can place a lot of focus on individual success, the program has been able to cement itself as a perennial winner at the team level. Head coach Paul Dotterweich said his focus is always on team success.

“Aside from our academic goals, our number one priority is winning a championship and it takes 20 guys to get that done,” he said. “It comes back to our team culture and where our priorities are. We’re team first above everything else.”

Both teams will head into championship season ranked in the top 25 in Division III by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. After commanding performances at the Geneseo Invitational on Jan. 28, the men were slotted at No. 20 and the women at No. 21. It is the first time that both teams hold a spot in the rankings at the same time this season.

“That was cool to see,” Dotterweich said. “On a year-to-year basis, that’s always one of our goals: to be in the top 25 in the country. We’re happy to be in there and it’s nice to get some recognition across the country.”

For the athletes who will compete at the SUNYACs, preparation includes a decrease in training volume, according to Dotterweich. They will undergo a two or three-week “taper,” in which practices become significantly easier to give the athletes the energy they need. Mixed with the strength they have built up throughout the season, the Knights should hit their peak performance at the most important time.

For some, the challenge of training hard all season can take its toll and it can become a task within itself to stay healthy for the moment they have been preparing for since day one.

“We train our whole season for one weekend and it can be very unforgiving,” Dotterweich said. “We have a few guys right now who are battling illness and we’re a week out. You get the flu now and your season can be shot.”

The team’s maturity and work ethic, however, continues to shine. Dotterweich has gone the entire season without an assistant coach on the swimming side.

“The team has really stepped up,” he said. “I’ve had some upper class athletes that have been helping me out at practices and have done a good job of being a little more mature and focused, understanding that getting the job done is a responsibility that is a little greater on them this year.”

Beyond the SUNYAC Championships, the goal is to send as many athletes as possible to the NCAA Division III National Championships in Shenandoah, Texas, from March 15-18. 

Geneseo sent two athletes to nationals last year, sophomore swimmer Nancy Nasky and junior diver Samuel Randall, who won the National Championship in the one-meter dive. Dotterweich and diving coach Shawn Austin hope to send a few more athletes this year.

“Shawn [Austin] is hoping to take another diver or two. On the swimming side, I feel like we have a couple relays that have the potential and maybe a few other individuals,” he said.

Only 17 swimmers and three divers can compete for each side at the SUNYAC Championships, but the athletes who were left off of the squad will have a last chance to compete this season at the Ithaca Invitational on Saturday Feb. 11.

Blue Wave takes first place at home invitational

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The Geneseo Blue Wave swim team gets hyped up before the start of their home invitational on Saturday Jan. 28. Both sides had a successful meet; the men took first place out of six teams, while the women took first out of five teams. (Keith Walters/Campus Photographer)

The Geneseo men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams hosted the Geneseo Invitational on Saturday Jan. 28 at Alumni Pool, taking first place on both sides. The men finished with 653 points, outperforming six other teams. The women faced five other teams, and finished with a score of 601.

Senior swimmer Kevin Schaub led the men’s side with first-place finishes in the 200-yard butterfly, 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley. He was also part of Geneseo’s winning team in the 200-yard medley relay.

On the women’s side, senior diver Claudia Kolakowski swept the diving events, finishing with top marks in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. Kolakowski was named the Geneseo Knights’ Women’s Swimming and Diving Female Athlete of the Week for her performance and was named one of SUNYAC’s Athletes of the Week.

Another top performer included senior swimmer Brian Yale, who set a pool record of 52.68 seconds in the 100-yard backstroke. Senior swimmer Emily Smith also claimed individual victories in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke; in addition, Smith swam one leg of the first-place 200-yard medley relay team.

The meet marked the team’s senior day, and senior members were honored with a ceremony just before they took to the pool to compete in the final home meet of their careers. Schaub, Kolakowski, Yale and Smith—all seniors—had performances to remember, representing the team’s strong senior leadership. Head coach Paul Dotterweich reflected on his accomplished group of seniors.

“Swimming’s not an easy sport; there aren’t 2,000 people packing the pool like there are at the ice rink,” he said. “To make it through four years is challenging, but I think it says a lot about the camaraderie that they have, and the experience they are getting through our program.”

Despite the margin of victory over the competitors on Saturday Jan. 28, Dotterweich did not believe that the team had a strong performance by their standards—but at this point in the season that can be expected, according to Dotterweich.

“They lifted pretty heavy on Friday, and I think their legs were very tired,” he said.  “Overall, while we were successful in terms of beating the other teams, performance-wise they were feeling it a little bit. Ultimately, for us, it’s about performing at the end of the year at the SUNYAC Championship.”

Both the men and women have equal dual meet records of 7-2 on the season, and will head into the postseason in February looking to repeat as SUNYAC champions. Dotterweich credits the team’s culture for the consistent success.

“Winning, tradition, sustainability—everything comes from the culture of the team,” he said. “We recruit to that and bring in people that are buying into what we’re all about. We’ve got a great group right now, and they really have bought into that culture and those values.”

Postseason goals for the Knights include winning another SUNYAC Championship, and then sending athletes to represent Geneseo at the NCAA Division III National Championships in Shenandoah, Texas, from March 15-18.

The team has one last competition on their schedule before heading to the SUNYAC Championships. They will send just 18 athletes to compete at the Ithaca Invitational on Saturday Feb. 11, and then turn their focus toward the postseason.