SUNY Oneonta Athletics

Women’s Basketball (12-2/6-1)

Jan. 14 at Brockport, W 77-38
The women’s basketball team dominated host Brockport from the opening tip last Friday en route to a lopsided 77-38 win on the road in SUNYAC action. Junior Samantha Szkotak (New York Mills, New York Mills) equaled her season high of 21 points to lead the Red Dragons’ offense as Oneonta moves to 12-1 overall and 6-0 in the conference.

After Brockport took its only lead of the game at 2-0, Oneonta seized control of the game with 10 unanswered to take a 10-2 lead at the 14:21 mark. A lay-up by senior Erika Puffer (Unadilla, Unatego) capped the run for the Red Dragons.

Oneonta continued to pour it on, building a lead of 32-16 by halftime. The Red Dragons shot 46 percent in the first half and 58 percent in the second half in the night’s win.

Oneonta had its lead back to 20 points by the 15:31 mark of the second half on a lay-up by Szkotak. A jumper by sophomore Gabi Regan (Troy, Columbia) pushed the Red Dragons lead to 30 points with 6:27 remaining in the contest. The final margin of victory came on the last basket of the game by junior Ashley Welytok (Amsterdam, Amsterdam).

Senior Rebecca Bucci (Marlboro, Our Lady of Lourdes) added 10 points and a team high nine boards tonight while Regan finished with 10 points off the bench.

Jan. 15 at Geneseo, L 66-71
In a battle between the last two undefeated teams in the SUNYAC, it was host Geneseo that got the edge last Saturday with a 71-66 win over the Red Dragons. Oneonta had three players in double figures led by junior Madison Slagle (Rome, Rome Catholic), who had 16 points.

The contest was one of two completely different halves for both teams. Oneonta shot 60 percent in the opening half, but only 36 percent in the second half while Geneseo shot 35 percent in the opening twenty minutes and 57 percent in the final twenty minutes.

Oneonta scored the game’s first 10 points thanks to Slagle, who had the hot hand for the Red Dragons in the first half scoring all 16 of her points in leading Oneonta to a 40-30 lead at the break. Slagle was 6-of-7 from the floor including 4-for-4 from long distance.

Geneseo clawed its way back to pull within one point at 13-12 before Oneonta opened up its lead again with a 12-3 run to lead 25-15 just under the midway point in the first half. Sophomores Regan and Kate Wilverding (Manalapan, NJ, St. John Vianney) came off the bench to combine for nine points during the run.

Geneseo kept chipping away at Oneonta’s lead from the opening whistle of the second half and finally tied the score at 54 apiece at the 10:09 mark. The final tie of the game was at 6:43 on a basket by Geneseo to knot the score at 58-58. Nine unanswered points by the Blue Knights gave them the cushion they needed as they secured the home win.

Bucci scored 10 points and grabbed a team high 10 boards while Szkotak added 13 points for Oneonta.

Men’s Basketball (5-9/4-3)

Jan. 14 at Brockport, L 57-61
Senior Derek Hahn (Youngsville, Sullivan West) scored 18 points and grabbed a game high 15 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough last Friday as the Red Dragons dropped a road contest at Brockport 61-57. The loss for Oneonta ended its three-game win streak in the SUNYAC as they fell to 5-8 overall and 4-2 in conference play. The difference in tonight’s game came at the foul line as the hosts converted 21 free throws to Oneonta’s 14.

Neither team shot particularly well with Brockport holding a very slight edge at 34 percent to Oneonta’s 33 percent. The Red Dragons did out rebound the Golden Eagles 44-35 including an 18-12 advantage off the offensive glass. Oneonta did turn the ball over 21 times to only 11 times for Brockport.

Oneonta fell behind early in the game 6-0 before answering with back-to-back three-point baskets by senior Shane Gillette (Hurley, Kingston). After the game was tied at eight apiece, Brockport went on a 10-2 run to open up an eight-point lead at the 8:37 mark of the first half.

With 6:21 left in the opening half, Brockport had its largest lead of the game at 23-14 before Oneonta clamped down and made a closing run at the Golden Eagles.

A jumper by Hahn at the end of the first half capped a 19-1 run that saw the Red Dragons enter the locker room with a 33-24 lead at halftime. Hahn already had a double-double in the first half with 12 points and 11 boards.

Oneonta’s largest lead came early in the second half when senior Brian Hooks (Cohoes, Shaker) hit a three-pointer to give the Red Dragons a 36-24 lead. Hooks finished the game with six points.

Oneonta still had a nine-point lead with just over eight minutes to go when sophomore Dan McLaren (Troy, Troy) made a jumper to give the Red Dragons a 47-38 lead. It was at this point that the Golden Eagles took over the momentum of the contest and closed the gap.

Five straight points gave Brockport a 50-49 lead at the 4:47 mark. It was Brockport first lead since late in the first half.

Oneonta’s last lead of the game came with 3:19 remaining at 53-52. Brockport hit 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch and Oneonta was only able to convert on two possessions over the final minutes of the game.

Joining Hahn in double figures tonight were Gillette and classmate Troy Talbot (Brooklyn, The School for Legal Studies), who scored 11 points and 10 points respectively.

Jan. 15 at Geneseo, L 73-79
Talbot tied his season high of 23 points, but a second half comeback fell short last Saturday on the road at Geneseo, 79-73. Talbot’s near heroics kept Oneonta close down the stretch. He scored eight of Oneonta’s final 13 points including baskets that brought the Red Dragons to within two points on two occasions during the final three minutes of the game.

Oneonta struggled from the field for a second straight game and fell behind early. The Red Dragons shot only 28 percent in the first half when they saw themselves in a hole at halftime by the score of 38-28. Senior Hooks hit a three-pointer with 31 seconds to go in the opening half to cut the deficit to 10 points entering the break. Oneonta finished the game shooting only 33 percent from the floor while the hosts shot 57 percent.

In the second half, Geneseo’s lead stayed steady between nine and 13 points until the 8:20 mark. A lay-up by senior Hahn got Oneonta as close as it had been since early in the first half at 64-56. Back-to-back free throws by Talbot got the Red Dragons even closer at 64-60 with 6:47 left in the contest. The Red Dragons just couldn’t get the tying basket when they trailed 71-69 and 73-71. On the latter situation, Geneseo scored on back-to-back possessions to open its lead to six points.

Talbot was joined in double figures by classmates Hooks and Hahn, who each scored 15 points. Hahn, who has been a monster on the boards in the last two weeks, tied his career high with 17 boards in last Saturday’s game to lead everyone.

Women’s Track & Field

Jan 15th at NYC Gotham Cup
The Oneonta State track & field teams sent half of its squad to New York City for a chance to compete on one of the world’s fastest indoor tracks and were able to come away with some strong performances.

In the women's field events, freshman Michelle Chartrand (Boiceville, Onteora)was .02 meters shy of her season best, hitting 4.97 meters (16-03.75ft) in the long jump. Junior standout Sarah Timmons (Schodack, Maple Hill)came away with a 9th place finish in the weight throw with a distance of 14.75 meters (48-04.75ft). Kacy Boburka (Binghamton, Chenango Valley) was also just short of her personal best placing 5th in the high jump with a height of 1.60 meters (5-03.00ft).

On the track side of competition, freshman Danielle Kennedy (Stony Point, Albertus Magnus) had a solid performance in her first Track & Field meet as a Red Dragon. Her time of 11:06.23 in the 3,000-meter run was the third best time ever in the program's history. Sophomore Pam Ernst (Miller Place, Miller Place) ran an indoor personal best time of 19:37.81 in the 5,000 meter run placing 19th overall.

Men’s Track & Field

Jan 15th at NYC Gotham Cup
On the men's side, sophomore and Oneonta native Nick Madison (Oneonta, Oneonta) continues to have success as a Red Dragon. In the 3,000 meter run he solidified an indoor personal best with a time of 8:54.34 crossing the line in 25th. Madison puts himself fourth on the all-time list in that event.

All three men that competed in the 400-meter dash qualified for the SUNYAC championships. Seniors Tim Greenberg (Oneonta, Oneonta) and Sean Daly (Weedsport, Weedsport) battled each other in the same heat running 52.36 and 52.51 respectively. Freshman Tom Haskins (Tully, Tully)also qualified running a time of 53.51.

Sophomore Jared Reynolds (Coeymans Hollow, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk) qualified for the conference championship in the mile, running a time of 4:32.58.

Reynolds was joined by Nate Weber (LaFayette, Tully), John Longo (Endwell, Maine-Endwell), and Mitch Todorov (Clifton Park, Shenendehowa), as they placed 9th in the 3,200-meter relay with a time of 8:13.67, good enough to be third on the Oneonta all-time list.

Sophomore Dustin Cox (Pulaski, Pulaski) placed 6th in the high jump just missing a personal best by .01m with a height of 1.96m (6-05.00ft).

Freshman Ulysses Miles (Rochester, Fairport) hit the SUNYAC qualifying mark in the triple jump with a distance of 12.72m (41-08.75), good enough for 7th place finish.

Greg Humbert (Staten Island, Susan E Wagner) placed 4th in the weight throw with a distance of 15.83m (51-11.25). Not only did he qualify for the SUNYAC and ECAC championships, but the throw was the second best all-time.

Wrestling (9-4-1)

Jan 15th at Brute Adidas Homecoming Invitational, 2nd place with 101.5 points
Seniors Michael Gregg (Islip, Islip) and Brian Kramer (Hopkinton, MA, Hopkinton) claimed titles at 141 and 184 lbs. respectively in leading the SUNY Oneonta wrestling team to a second place finish at the Homecoming Invitational hosted by Ursinus College. The Red Dragons scored 101.5 points, finishing behind the hosts, who scored 113.5 points.

Oneonta had a total of 15 wrestlers finish fourth or better including Kramer and Gregg. In all, the Red Dragons had five second place finishers, five third place and three fourth place finishes.

In winning at 141 lbs., Gregg recorded one pin and two decisions. He opened with a 45 second pin versus Bernardo Barbosa of Valley Forge Military Academy before recording an 8-5 decision over Kevin Homan of Muhlenberg in the semifinals. In the championship match he defeated Luke Bilyeu of West Chester, 9-4.

Kramer won by pinfall in his opening match at 184 lbs. He recorded the pin in 3:19 against Steve Neshewat of UMBC. In the semifinals he won a 4-0 decision over teammate, Jacob Smith, before defeating Nate Murren of Ursinus, 5-3, in the championship match.

The five wrestlers who finished second for Oneonta were, David Bailen (Airmont, Suffern) (125), Ben Mikac (Lackawanna, Williamsville East) (133), Frankie Provenzano (Islip, Islip) (165), Stephen Provenzano (Islip, Islip) (197) and James Lamonica (Staten Island, Monsignor Farrell) (285).

Oneonta’s third place finishers included, Chris Bourgignon (Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson) (125), Andrew Cabibbo (Poughkeepsie, Roy C. Ketcham) (133), JP Sala (Islip, Islip) (157), Eric Simmons (Ballston Spa, Ballston Spa) (174) and Matt Kurey (Binghamton, Chenango Valley)(197).

Rounding out the list of top-4 finishers on the day were, Matt Eberlein (Levittown, Island Trees) (157), Chris Gevinski (Jamesport, Riverhead) (165) and David Kohls (Mechanicville, Mechanicville) (174), who all recorded fourth place finishes for the Red Dragons.

Jan. 19th vs. Cortland, W 35-9
The SUNY Oneonta wrestling team came away with a 35-9 win last Wednesday versus rival SUNY Cortland in dual-meet action. The Red Dragons got wins at 125, 157 and 184 lbs. and received four forfeit wins to account for seven victories against its rival, who were ranked #16 in the latest Div. III poll.

Sophomore Bailen led off for Oneonta with a tech fall at 125 lbs. He defeated John Zastempowski 15-0 in a match that ended early in the third period.

At 157 lbs., sophomore Sala trailed late in the match 3-2 entering the final period before he was able to score an escape and a takedown to grab the lead 5-3. His opponent, Adam Willman, scored an escape to pull to within one before Sala closed out the match with another takedown for the final of 7-4.

Senior Kramer registered Oneonta’s final win at 184 lbs. over Alexander Meyers, 7-3.

Women’s Swimming & Diving (2-3)

Jan. 17th at Skidmore, W 127-97
The SUNY Oneonta women’s swimming and diving team defeated Skidmore College in its traditional Martin Luther King holiday meet this past Monday.

Leading the women on the day was sophomore Kristen Magliola (Shoreham, Shoreham Wading River) and newcomer Melissa Erickson (Silver Spring, MD, Academy of the Holy Cross). Both won two individual events in the competition. Magliola won the 200-yard individual medley (2:16.55) and the 200-yard backstroke (2:16.04).

Erickson won both the long distance freestyle events clocking a time of 11:18.41 in the 1,000 and a time of 5:31.76 in the 500.

Single event winners for the women included, freshman Alexxa Poliachik (Niagara Falls, Niagara Wheatfield) in the 50 free in a time of 27.03. Freshman Chandler Shepard (Delhi, Delaware Academy) in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 57.87. Junior Jacqueline Haight (Smithtown, Smithtown East) was the third single event winner, taking the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2:40.53.

Men’s Swimming & Diving (2-3)

Jan 15th at Kumpf Invitational at Rensselaer, 6th with 163.5 points
Freshman diver, Jermaine Miller (Elmira, Southside), pulled off a diving double last Saturday in leading the Red Dragons at the Kumpf Invitational hosted by Rensselaer. Oneonta finished in sixth place overall with 163.5 points. Ithaca College won the team championship with 608 points.

Miller, who has had an immediate impact on the men’s team in his first year with the team, won both the 1-meter and 3-meter events to collect 40 points on the day for the Red Dragons. Earlier in the season, Miller posted scores good enough to provisionally qualify for the NCAA championships in March.

In taking first in the 1-meter event, Miller posted a score of 271.30 while posting a score of 280.77 in winning the 3-meter event.

Sophomores Alex Miller (Oneonta, Oneonta) and Alex Vaughn (Windsor, Windsor) along with freshman Ryan Walsh (Wingdale, Arlington) all contributed at least one top-10 finish in the Invitational. Miller was 8th in the 200-yard backstroke and 9th in the 200-yard individual medley.

Walsh had the team’s highest overall finish in the pool with a 6th place finish in the 200-yard freestyle, clocking a time of 1:52.52.

Vaughn took a 10th place in the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2:27.66.

Jan. 17th at Skidmore, W 137-88
The SUNY Oneonta men’s swimming and diving team defeated Skidmore College in its traditional Martin Luther King holiday meet this past Monday.

On the men’s side it was A. Miller and Walsh who pulled off double wins on the day. Miller won the 200 IM and the 200 back in times of 2:10.48 and 2:07.93 respectively.

Walsh won the 200 free (1:50.01) and 200-yard butterfly (2:03.96).

Freshman Connor Vander Plaat (Chester, Warwick) won the 50 free (24.14), classmate J. Miller won the 3-meter diving, senior Mitchell Wohl (Schenectady, Niskayuna) won the 1-meter diving and sophomore Scott Bertoldo (Attica, Attica) won the 200 breast (2:25.88) to round out the athletes that won an individual event for the Red Dragons.