Wrestling:
The wrestling team ended its season on a high note with an 18–15 win over SUNY Cortland on Feb. 18. It is the first time since 2012 the Bombers have beaten the Red Dragons in a dual meet, bringing their season record to 11–2.
Sophomore 125-pounder Jimmy Kaishian started the match off strong for the South Hill squad, gaining his first points of the match by escaping from the bottom position, then landing a key takedown as the period came to a close. The final score was a 7–3 win.
The Bombers forfeited the 133-pound match, but came back strong, winning the next 184-pound match from Carlos Toribio in a duel between the meet’s two top-ranked wrestlers.
Up next for the Blue and Gold is the NCAA regionals from Feb. 28 to March 1.
Gymnastics:
The gymnastics team competed at Rhode Island College on Feb. 21. With a team score of 187.500, the Blue and Gold were able to pull off the victory against the Anchormen.
Freshman Kendra Balcerak had the highest individual score of the day for the Bombers with a first place finish of 9.675 on balance beam. Balcerak also came in first place on the uneven bars with a score of 9.625.
Freshman Rachel Lee and senior Valerie Cohen tied for first place on the vault, each posting a score of 9.475.
Balcerak said the team is gaining momentum for the rest of the season.
“We just have to continue to work hard and believe in our skills and more importantly ourselves,” she said. “Then everything should fall in place.”
The gymnastics team will compete next March 1 at SUNY Brockport.
Men’s Tennis:
The men’s tennis team lost its first contest of the year after the squad was shutout 9–0 by the University of Rochester on Feb. 21.
The loss to Rochester is the sixth consecutive time the South Hill squad has fallen to the Yellowjackets in its series.
Junior Chris Hayes said despite the slow start to the season, the team is still very optimistic heading into its next match.
“We competed hard as a team,” Hayes said. “Rochester is a very strong team, and although the score may not reflect it, I thought we competed very well and took a step in the right direction heading into this weekend.”
The Bombers will look to pick up their first victory of the year as they welcome the St. Lawrence University Saints on Feb. 28 to the Glazer Arena.
Men’s Lacrosse:
The men’s lacrosse team opened its season with a 13–10 victory Feb. 22 against Marywood University.
The Bombers’ victory was contingent on their aggressive play — outscoring the Pacers 45–34 and winning 18 out of the 24 face-offs.
Sophomore John Januszkiewicz led the Bombers with four goals and two assists.
Senior attacker James Manilla, who added a goal and two assists for the day, said he was pleased with the outcome of the match and is looking forward to the next one.
“We’re happy to come away with a win, but a game like today’s gives us a solid gauge of where we need to improve,” he said. “We’re all eager to get back on the field and play against another good team to prove ourselves.”
Next up for the Blue and Gold is a match against Rochester Institute of Technology on Feb. 28 at Higgins Stadium.
Swimming and Diving:
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams fared well in competition this past weekend, claiming second and first, respectively, in the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association Championship/Empire 8 Championship.
The teams travelled to Webster, New York, for four days of competition.
Head coach Paula Miller received the Women’s Coach of the Meet Award, while Erin Harner was named the Women’s Diving Coach of the Meet.
On the other side of the pool, the men’s squad finished second with a total of 1,128.5 points, falling only to Stevens Institute of Technology.
Senior Matt Morrison completed a sweep of the diving events. His performance also earned him his third straight Diver of the Meet honors.
The Bombers compete next in the NCAA Championship from March 18–21.
Track and Field:
The men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the Bomber Quad and the Cornell Marc Deneault Invitational over the weekend.
On Feb. 20, senior captain Rashaad Barrett led the Bombers to a second-place finish in the 60-meter dash in 6.94 seconds. Junior Andrew Brandt also recorded a first-place finish in high jump with a height of 2.01 meters.
For the women, the distance medley team consisting of freshman Taryn Cordani, junior Eliza Dewart and seniors Alexa Rick and Leigh Martino finished first with a time of 12:23.94.
On Feb. 21, the men’s top performance was the 4×400-meter relay team with a second-place finish. Juniors John Fausold and Jordan Smith, freshman Gerardo Munoz and senior Dennis Ryan finished the event in an ECAC qualifying time of 3:27.17.
The 4×400-meter women’s relay team, consisting of Dewart, junior Christine Kelly, freshman Sophia Feuer and Martino, finished in second, meeting an ECAC standard at 4:02.07.
Both teams compete next Feb. 27 at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference Indoor Championship at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York.
Men’s Basketball:
The men’s basketball team concluded its regular season Feb. 20 with an 83–74 road win against Elmira College. The win secured the fourth seed in the Empire 8 Tournament.
Seniors Keefe Gitto and Max Masucci led the South Hill squad with 20 points and 19 points, respectively, while junior guard Sam Bevan racked up 15 points in the victory.
The Blue and Gold went into halftime up two points over the Soaring Eagles before both teams exchanged baskets for the first 10 minutes of the second half. The score was tied at 49 before the Bombers finally pulled away from Elmira.
This was a must-win game for the Bombers, as they needed at least one Stevens Institute of Technology loss to allow the team to secure the final playoff spot in the Empire 8 playoffs.
The South Hill squad finished off the regular season with a record of 12–13 and a 9–7 record in conference play.
The Bombers will play their first playoff game Feb. 27 against St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.
The men’s basketball team concluded its regular season Feb. 20 with an 83–74 road win against Elmira College. The win secured the fourth seed in the Empire 8 Tournament.
Seniors Keefe Gitto and Max Masucci led the South Hill squad with 20 points and 19 points, respectively, while junior guard Sam Bevan racked up 15 points in the victory.
The Blue and Gold went into halftime up two points over the Soaring Eagles before both teams exchanged baskets for the first 10 minutes of the second half. The score was tied at 49 before the Bombers finally pulled away from Elmira.
This was a must-win game for the Bombers, as they needed at least one Stevens Institute of Technology loss to allow the team to secure the final playoff spot in the Empire 8 playoffs.
The Bombers finished off the regular season with a record of 12–13 and a 9–7 record in conference play.
The Bombers will play their first playoff game Feb. 27 against St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.
Women’s Basketball:
The women’s basketball team wrapped up the 2015 regular season with a 66–43 win over Elmira College on Feb. 20 in Elmira, New York, to improve its record to 21–4.
The Blue and Gold started the game with a 14–2 run through the first 9 minutes of action. Heading into halftime with a 27–11 lead, the Bombers never looked back and led the Soaring Eagles by a score of 42–16 with 15 minutes left, and maintained at least a 23-point margin until the final 2 minutes of the game.
Senior forward Francesca Cotrupe scored a game-high 12 points, grabbing 13 rebounds in the process, for her third double-double of the season. Sophomore guard Alex Gilligan scored 10 points, surpassing 100 points on the season. She became the ninth player to do so this year, which set a program record for the Bombers.
The No. 1-seeded Bombers will face off against No. 4-seeded Nazareth College on Feb. 27 in the first round of the Empire 8 Tournament. If the Bombers win, they will advance to the title game Feb. 28.
