Athletics
2023-24 YEAR IN REVIEW:
The 2023-24 year was another exciting and successful year for Wildcat Athletics. 10 teams competed in a postseason tournament, with two teams securing NAC Championships and punching their way to an NCAA tournament appearance. Multiple statistical records were broken, including James Mion becoming SUNY Poly men’s volleyball sole leader in solo blocks with 75 and softball star Trinity Critelli becoming the SUNY Poly softball all-time strikeout leader with 545.
At the annual Wildcat Athletics Banquet, each team honored their best student-athletes with a Blue & Gold Award and a Most Outstanding Player Award. Eric Perricelli and Taylor Hunter won the Scholar-Athlete Awards for the highest GPA amongst student-athletes. Matthew McCord won the Play of the Year, and Anthony Rose won the Performance of the Year. James Mion and Trinity Critelli won the Wildcat Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards after completing record-breaking seasons at SUNY Poly. The Wildcats also honored the graduating seniors and Chi Alpha Sigma recipients at the banquet.
Men’s Soccer
Coach Peterson Jerome and the Wildcat men’s soccer team completed another successful season, clinching the program’s ninth postseason berth in the last 11 years. The Wildcats finished the year with a 13-6-1 record, which was capped off with the programs second ever NAC championship. The 13 wins ties the 2023-24 club for the third-winningest season under coach Jerome. The Wildcats historic season came to an end in the first round of the NCAA tournament with a 2-1 loss to Amherst. The NCAA Tournament appearance was the 5th under Coach Jerome.
Headlined by coach Jerome winning his second NAC Coach of the Year award and Kevin Ryan winning his first Defensive Player of the Year Award, eight Wildcats were represented in the 2023 NAC Men’s Soccer end of the year awards. Abus Mohamed Ali and Kevin Ryan were named to the All-Conference first team, Thomas Nimineh and Matthew McCord were named to the second team and Ryan Primus was named to the third team. Jephte Joseph rounded out the Wildcats’ awards as he was named to the NAC sportsmanship team.
Women’s Soccer
The SUNY Poly Women’s soccer team put together another solid season in 2023, finishing the regular season with a record of 8-7-1 to clinch a spot in the NAC Conference Tournament. In the postseason tournament, the Wildcats would drop a heartbreaker in the first round, being eliminated by SUNY Morrisville on penalty kicks. The team’s eight wins on the season is the most the SUNY Poly Women’s Soccer club has had since 2017.
Four Wildcats earned NAC season awards. Leading goal scorer, Hannah Shipley, was named to the All-Conference first team. Amanda Sweet was voted to the second team and Katie Bowers earned a spot on the third team. Carolyn Roser was named to the sportsmanship team.
Men’s Cross Country
The SUNY Poly Men’s cross-country team wrapped up a decent 2023 campaign that saw the team finish in the top ten in seven races, including a third-place finish at the Bruce Bridgeman Invitational and fourth-place finish at the Steven A. Warde Invitational. Spencer Daley, Caleb McDermott and Noah Breedy led the way for the Wildcats for much of the year.
In the NAC Championships, The Wildcats finished in 9th place, with Caleb McDermott and Spencer Daley finishing in the top 50.
Women’s Cross Country
The SUNY Poly Women’s cross-country team competed in nine races throughout the 2023 season, placing in five of the competitions. Grace McClay and Rosalea Claeys paced the Wildcats for much of the season, consistently scoring for SUNY Poly.
Grace McClay would be the lone Wildcat to compete in the NAC cross-country championships, placing 31st in the 6k event with a time of 32:46.
Women’s Volleyball
The SUNY Poly Women’s volleyball team is looking forward to a fresh start in 2024, ending the 2023 campaign with only two wins. Working with a strong core of returning players, and a nice infusion of new young talent, the Wildcats will head into the Empire 8 hungry for success. Brennah Durfee was named to the NAC Sportsmanship team.
Golf
In the program’s second year, The SUNY Poly varsity mixed golf team competed in eight events. The team enjoyed a solid season, culminating in a ninth place finish in the NAC Championship Tournament. In the tournament, the Wildcats were led by Isaac Falk, who placed 16th, and Ryan Till who placed 37th. The Wildcats will look to take another step in the right direction next season.
Women’s Basketball
The SUNY Poly Women’s basketball team had an uncharacteristic 2023-24 campaign, finishing the season under .500 with a record of 7-18. Freshman guard Alysa Jackson was a bright spot throughout the course of the season, averaging over 12 points and 2 steals a game, which led to her being named to the NAC All-Conference third team. Alivia Turk was also a consistent contributor, providing nearly 10 points and 8 rebounds a game. Turk was named to the end of the season sportsmanship team. The SUNY Poly Women’s basketball team will look to get back to their winning ways when they enter the Empire 8 next season.
Men’s Basketball
Another strong season for the SUNY Poly Men’s Basketball team propelled the squad to another NAC conference tournament appearance. Finishing the regular season with a record of 16-9, the Wildcats squared off with SUNY Cobleskill in the first round of the NAC tournament. The Wildcats would fall to the Fighting Tigers by a score of 90-74.
Leading point-getter for the Wildcats, Cheickne Toure, was named to the NAC All-Conference first team for his impressive season that saw him average over 20 points a game, while also averaging nearly 4 assists per game. Toure scored 30 points or more in four games throughout the season, which included two 33-point games against Morrisville St. and SUNY Canton. Forward Anthony Rose earned All-Conference second team honors, thanks to his 18 points and 7 rebounds per game.
Men’s Volleyball
The SUNY Poly Men’s Volleyball team continued its upward trend, ending the 2024 regular season with five more wins than last year with a record of 14-16. A strong stretch towards the end of the year helped push the squad back into the Conference Championship tournament where they would advance to the second round before losing to the #1 seeded Nichols College.
James Mion would make SUNY Poly Men’s Volleyball history throughout the course of the season, becoming the sole leader of solo blocks with 75. For his spectacular 2024 season, James Mion was named to the All-Conference first team.
Baseball
The SUNY Poly Men’s baseball team continued their upward trend in 2024, ending the season with a record of 18-16, which is the most wins in a season for the program since 2016. Sophomore infielder Ryan Pelton led the charge most of the season for the Wildcats, ending the season batting nearly .400 with six home runs and 37 RBIs. His six home runs throughout the season ties him for most career home runs of any SUNY Poly baseball player ever.
Ryan Pelton was not the only one to put together a strong 2024 campaign, as seven Wildcats were named to the NAC All-Conference team. Aaron Kifer, Ryan Pelton, Kurt Johnson and Ethan Merone were all named to the first team. Andrew Soule, Quinn Hill and Parker Wing earned second team honors. Lukasz Dubicki was named to the sportsmanship team.
Softball
The SUNY Poly softball team completed another spectacular season, which started with a seven game winning streak in Myrtle Beach and ended in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the NAC Championship game against Husson University. The Wildcats finished the season with a combined record of 26-10.
The Wildcats were well represented in the end of the year NAC awards, as well as being recognized as Division III statistical leaders in doubles and triples per game. Kimberly Birmingham was also recognized as a Division III statistical leader as she ended the season with the highest on base percentage of any Division III softball player (.652).
Trinity Critelli was a big reason behind the Wildcats success, striking out 215 batters over the course of the season, cementing herself as the SUNY Poly softball all-time strikeout leader with 545. For her masterful performance in the pitching circle, Trinity Critelli was named the 2024 NAC Pitcher of the Year.
Trinity Critelli and Kimberly Birmingham were named to the All-Conference first team. Jadyn Childers, Alivia Turk, Ava Faragon, Joy Stevens, and Taylor Hunter earned All-Conference second team honors. Ariel Bell was named to the sportsmanship team.
Women’s Lacrosse
The SUNY Poly women’s lacrosse team took a big step in the right direction in 2024, ending the regular season with a record of 6-8, clinching the 4th seed in the NAC Championship Tournament. The Wildcats season would come to an end in the first round of the tournament, losing to the future 2024 champs, SUNY Canton.
Katie Kopcza, Rylie Fischer and Jayden Brown earned All-Conference first team honors. Michaela Johnson and Elinor Slezak were named to the second team. Michalyn Fagan was named to the sportsmanship team.
Men’s Lacrosse
A successful 2024 campaign is in the books for the SUNY Poly men’s lacrosse team. Finishing with a 10-7 record, the Wildcats would capture their second NAC Championship in program history, defeating Maine Maritime by a score of 18-8. The win propelled the team into the NCAA Tournament, where they would lose to the University of Saint Joseph.
The men’s lacrosse team was well represented in the NAC end of the year awards, as head coach Brandon Misiaszek won his third Coach of the Year award, and Senior goalie Joseph VanZandt took home NAC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to that, six Wildcats were named to the 2024 All-Conference Team. Luke Taylor, Payton Thomas, Liam Podszebka, Ryan Sparacino and Joseph VanZandt were named to the first team, while Freshman standout Ryan Carroll was named to the second team.
