Pioneer Weekly Update: Nov. 6th Edition

Weekly Schedule:

Thu. Nov. 9: Men's Basketball vs. Alfred University (scrimmage) * 7 p.m. 

Fri. Nov. 10: Women's Basketball vs. Alfred University (scrimmage) * 6:30 p.m.

Sat. Nov. 11: Football vs. Castleton * 1 p.m. * Live Stats * Live Video

Sat. Nov. 11: Swimming vs. Oswego * 1 p.m. 

Make sure to follow Alfred State athletics at www.alfredstateathletics.com for the latest news, statistics, and schedules.

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Team Updates

Cross Country: Men 4th, Women 5th at ECAC Championships

The cross country team wrapped up the 2017 season with a strong showing at the ECAC Championships at the Hudson Valley Sports Dome in Milton, NY. The men finished 4th out of 12 teams that scored while the women were 5th.

Jacob Hanss (East Rochester-Mechanical Engineering Tech) finished 2nd overall on the 8k course with a time of 27:17.6. He was just 9.6 seconds behind the overall winner Ryan Haun from St. Joseph's (Long Island). Shawn Rutledge (Watkins Glen-Diesel Mechanic) finished 14th (28:26.3) and Eric Hulbert (Mexico-IT Network Administration) was 16th (28:30.6). NYU won the competition with 39 points followed by Hobart (107), Vassar (110) and Alfred State (115). St. Joseph's, Hood, USMMA, Farmingdale State, Mount Saint Mary, and Baruch rounded out the top 10.

Olivia Leonti (Port Byron-Nursing) was the top female finisher for the blue & gold. She finished 18th overall crossing the finish line of the 6k course in 27:23.3. Katherine Frascella (Franklinville-Nursing) was 25th in 28:07.1 and Cassidy McCourt (Buffalo/Emerson-Sport Management) was 30th in 28:45.6. Vassar won the women's title with a score of 24. St. Joseph's was 2nd (54), Farmingdale was 3rd (77), Mount Saint Mary was 4th (102), and Alfred State 5th (135). 

Football: 1-8

Husson scored four touchdowns in each of the first two quarters as they defeated Alfred State 63-0 on Saturday.

Willerm Greffin (Brooklyn/South Shore-Sport Management) was the top Pioneer on offense finishing with four catches for 25 yards.

Dashown Wilson (Bronx/DeWitt Clinton-Criminal Justice) led the defense with eight tackles while Austin Parker (Port Byron-Architectural Technology), Owen Davis (Lansing-Sport Management), and Justin Espinal (Beacon-Human Services Management) all had seven tackles.

Women's Soccer: 12-4, ACAA Champions

The women's soccer team won the ACAA Championship this weekend with a pair of shutout victories. They defeated Valley Forge 6-0 and then downed SUNY Canton 2-0 in the finals.

Michayla Salatel (Geneseo-Financial Planning) scored the game winner in both games over the weekend. She scored the lone goal of the 1st half vs. Valley Forge before the offense exploded for five goals in the 2nd. Brooke Geibel (Arkport-Nursing) added to the lead before Dannielle O'Buckley (Jamaica/Ansbach-Surveying and Geomatic Engineering) and Sarah Finzer (Walworth/Wayne-Nursing) both scored twice to put the game out of reach. Allison Danielak (Brockport-Drafting/CAD) played the first 70:37 to earn the victory while Kathryn Parsons (York-Diagnostic Medical Sonography) played the final 19:23.

In the finals vs. Canton, the Pioneers got on the board 21:40 into the game when Salatel drilled a shot into the back of the net from five yards out. Julia Yanarella (Wappinger Falls/Roy Ketcham-Forensic Science) was credited with the assist. The game remained 1-0 until the final moments of the 1st half when Geibel netted her 3rd goal of the season after getting a pass from Melissa Mineti (Livonia-Nursing). The Pioneers held a 8 to 1 shot advantage in the 1st half. Neither team could net a goal in the 2nd half as Alfred State held a 10 to 5 shot advantage.  Danielak made all four her saves in the 2nd half to preserve the victory, the shutout and the championship.

Chloe Cox (Tucson, AZ-Radiology) was named the ACAA Tournament MVP while Yanarella, Jocelyn Brittingham (Hornell-Nursing), and Kylie Newman (Waverly-Nursing) were named to the All-Tournament team.

Earlier in the week, the Pioneers closed out the regular season with a hard fought 1-0 loss to cross count rival Houghton. Danielak made six saves in the contest.

Swimming: Men 0-2, Women 2-0

The women's swimming team picked up their second consecutive victory, 194-83, on Saturday vs. Buffalo State. The men's team won five events on the day but were defeated 172-125 by the Bengals.

Kathryn Lewis (Sanborn/Niagara Wheatfield-Architecture) was a triple individual event winner to lead the women's team. She won the 1,000 free in 11:58.15, the 100 free in 58.69, and the 500 free in 5:44.63. Lauren Earley (Waterford/Shenendehowa-Forensic Science) won twice. She took the top spot in the 100 back in 1:11.12 and in the 200 back in 2:30.67. She also finished 2nd in the 500 free (5:51.27). Kaileigh Lehman (Lowville/Beaver River-Vet Tech) won the 100 breast in 1:17.80 and was 2nd in the 200 breast (2:54.75). Elizabeth Jurs (Elba-Agricultural Technology) won the 200 fly in 2:54.76 while Hannah Snayczuk (Machias/Pioneer-Nursing) was 2nd in 3:10.18. Snayczuk in turn won the 100 fly in 1:14.89 while Jurs was 2nd (1:15.96). Rachel Caltagirone (Buffalo/Tonawanda-Financial Planning) won the 50 free in 27.45.

The 200 medley relay team of Earley, Lehman, Sarah Stevens (Wellsville-Interior Design), and Caltagirone also won in 2:03.03 while the 400 free relay team of Lehman, Stevens, Elizabeth Drake (Lansing-Vet Tech/Ag Tech), and Lewis won in 4:03.30.

Ethan Dale (Lock Haven, PA-Architecture) was a triple winner to lead the men's team. He won the 100 breast in 1:04.93, the 200 breast in 2:25.17, and the 200 IM in 2:10.98. Ethan Tatro (Lockport-Criminal Justice) won the 100 free in 52.46 and was 2nd in the 50 free (23.23), Tim Olin (Perry-Mechanical Engineering Tech) won the 200 back 2:30.67 and was 2nd in the 100 back (59.23), Bryce Cutler (Newton, NJ-Network Administration) was 2nd in the 200 fly (2:19.39) and Nick Beach (Canandaigua-Heavy Equipment Operations) was 2nd in the 1m diving competition (244.60) and 2nd in the 3m (236.30).

Volleyball: 12-17, ACAA Tournament Runner-Up

The volleyball team wrapped up the 2017 season with a runner-up finish at the ACAA Championship Tournament. The team defeated #1 seed Finlandia 3-0 but fell 3-0 to #2 SUNY Canton in the finals.

After winning the first set vs. Finlandia the Pioneers won a wild second set to take control of the match. In the second, the Lions led 7-2 and 11-5 before Alfred State rallied back to take a 14-12 lead. Finlandia led 20-16 and 23-19 before another rally by the blue and gold. The game went back and forth the rest of the set until finally the Pioneers got two blocks by Shannon Dwyer (Cutchogue/Mattituck-Business Administration). In the final set, the Pioneers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

Bryanna Godfrey (Tioga-Financial Planning) led the team with 19 kills and 12 digs while Kiara Perkins (Coudersport, PA-Liberal Arts) finished with nine kills, 10 digs, and three aces. Sarah Raichlin (Binghamton/Chenango Valley-Nursing) passed out 37 assists, Madison Webster (Corning-Financial Planning) had 10 digs, and Dwyer collected four of the team 10 blocks on the day. 

In the finals the Kangaroos used a strong attack, precise passing, and solid defense to hold the lead throughout the match. They hit .322 (38 kills, nine errors, 90 attempts), served eight aces, and collected 34 digs. Godfrey led the Pioneers with 10 kills and six assists. Perkins collected eight kills, Raichlin passed out 18 assists, and Webster led the way with 17 digs. Godfrey and Webster were named to the all-tournament team.

Earlier in the week, the Pioneers defeated Hilbert 3-1 as they celebrated Senior Night and raised funds for the Allegany County Cancer Services. Godfrey led the team with 19 kills and 12 digs to eclipse the 1,000 mark for her career in each category. Perkins finished with 20 kills, Raichlin passed out 44 assists, and Webster led the team with 27 assists.

Wrestling:

Four Pioneers earned top five finishes as the wrestling team opened up their season at the Brockport Open. 

George Van Valen (Ithaca-Construction Management) led the way with a perfect 4-0 day. He won the title in the 184 lb. weight class with a pin of Armando Arce (Jamestown CC), a tech fall (18-0) over Thaddus Jeffries (Brockport), a major decision (11-2) over Jacquan Mcpherson (Lackawanna), and tech fall (18-1) over Travis Race (Brockport).

Brandyn Whitacre (Jamestown) finished 2nd at 197 lbs. He won 15-10 over Dillon Knoll (Brockport), pinned Carson Kinney (Lackawanna), pinned J.R. Miller, and pinned Samuel Slick (Buffalo Wrestling Club). In his final match he fell to Triston Engle (Brockport).

Jeffrey Gress (Lyndonville-Construction Management) and Casey Connor (Barnstable, MA-Business Management) each earned 5th place finishes. Gress was 5th at 133 lbs. after finishing the day 3-2. He pinned Jake Lehr (Cornell Unattached), won 16-0 over Kitan Salk (RPI), and defeated Patrick Lehman. Connor was 2-2 on the day and earned 5th at 141 with a pair of pins of Ryan Dimarco (Buffalo Wrestling Club).