Community newsletter covering Wayne County
05/04/2025
COLLEGE SPORTS WRAP
By John Addyman
For May 4 25
We’re entering the last weeks of the 2024-25 college sports season, with lacrosse competition shifting to the NCAA playoffs, track and field conference championships finishing up, baseball and softball schedules coming to an end in the next week or so…lots happening.
The great thing about this week’s column is there are so many local athletes who really excelled this week in the toughest challenges, setting records and leading their teams.
LACROSSE
St. John Fisher women’s lacrosse stormed to its 13th consecutive Empire 8 Conference title on Saturday, wasting second-seeded Geneseo State 13-6 and completing an 18-0 regular season record.
The Cardinals got started in the Empire 8 tourney on Thursday by crushing a good Nazareth University team, 22-4. Freshman midfielder Maddy Obstarczyk (Macedon/Penfield) got into the game but did not record ay stats.
NCAA playoff action begins Friday, with the selection show Monday morning at 10:30 revealing who’s in the field and where the Cardinals will start action.
Geneseo got to the championship game by beating Brockport State on Thursday, 13-9. Senior attacker Sophie Lyko (Pal-Mac) fired two shots, picked up a ground ball and caused one turnover. In the game against Fisher, Sophie scored a second-period goal just before halftime (Dany Emler assist) and tying the game at 5-all. She also took three shots, scooped one ground ball and caused one turnover.
The Knights finish their season with a 12-7 record; Sophie started every game for Geneseo, scored 20 goals and had seven assists.
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Sixth-seeded Utica University women’s lacrosse had their post-season stopped in the first round of the Empire 8 playoffs, getting floored by third-seeded Brockport, 2-16. Pioneer junior defensive back Ella Stanton (Pal-Mac) picked up one ground ball and caused one turnover in the loss. Utica put together a 7-10 season (4-5 E-8); Ella started 16 games, scooped 21 ground balls and caused 10 turnovers.
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The Fisher men also claimed an Empire 8 Conference lacrosse championship, beating Nazareth University on Saturday, 21-10.
Nazareth got to the championship final by stopping third-seeded Geneseo in the semifinals, 14-12. Golden Flyer senior Andy Hamel (Wayne Central) scored an unassisted goal in the first period. He took four shots, scooped one ground ball and caused a turnover. Freshman midfielder Alex Garrow (Wayne Central) got off one shot.
In the championship game, Andy did not get off a shot and Alex picked up one ground ball. Nazareth’s season ends with a 13-6 record; Andy played in 16 games and scored 15 goals with four assists; Alex played in 19 games and scored seven goals, with four assists.
St. John Fisher, with its 15-4 record, is on its way to the NCAA big dance, where competition starts this weekend.
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Nazareth University’s women made it to the Empire 8 Conference semifinals before bowing out. The Golden Flyers worked a 15-5 quarterfinal win over Hartwick on Tuesday. Senior midfielder Grace Seither (Pal-Mac) scored twice in the first period for Naz, Liddie H***e assisting on the first tally. She put three shots on goal and had four draw controls.
On Thursday, the drive ended with a 4-22 smothering loss to unbeaten St. John Fisher. Grace picked up one ground ball, caused two turnovers and had one draw control. Sophomore Kathryn Verdine (Newark) was on the field but did not record any stats.
Nazareth completes a nice 11-8 season; Grace played in 15 games and scored five goals with two assists; Kathryn played in nine games and had one goal.
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The season is over for Alfred University men’s lax, eliminated in the first round of the Empire 8 playoffs, 7-16, by third-seeded Geneseo State. Freshman Keagan Hoesterey (Pal-Mac) had a big day nevertheless, producing his second hat trick in his first year of collegiate lacrosse. He scored in the first period (freshman Mike Halsey assist), and in the second and fourth (unassisted). Mike (Pal-Mac) got his own goal in the fourth period (Brendan O’Bryan assisting). Sophomore Drew Smith (Gananda) got into the game but had no stats.
Alfred turns off the lights in the locker room with a 6-9 record; Keagan scored 14 goals and made 19 assists; Mike had 12 goals and a healthy 25 assists; Drew had 11 goals and three assists.
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Junior goalkeeper Jack Acker (Wayne Central) had a tremendous day in front of the net with 18 saves, but Hartwick College spoiled the Brockport State men’s entry in the first round of the Empire 8 Tournament, 11-12, on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles end their season 8-9 and were in the conference playoffs for the first time in three years. On his season, Jack started 15 games and made 228 saves versus 167 goals for a .577 save percentage.
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Vanderbilt University women’s lacrosse had the fourth seed going into the American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals on Thursday, running into top-seeded James Madison and bowing out, 6-16. Commodore junior goalie Molly Joyce (Macedon/Penfield) stopped nine shots in the game, but 16 got through. Vandy finished up with a 9-9 record; Molly started 16 games and played in 18, making 125 saves while allowing 177 goals, a save percentage of .414. She had a 9-6 record.
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Daemen University women’s lacrosse got pounced-on twice in wrapping up the season. Last Sunday, in the regular-season finale, against 2th-ranked Dominican, the Wildcats were shot down, 4-18. Junior defensive back Jenna Havert (Newark) picked up four round balls, caused one turnover and had one draw control in the loss – it’s the seventh time this season she had grabbed at least three ground balls.
Next for the Wildcats was a first-round game in the East Coast Conference playoffs, meeting top-seeded Mercy College on Wednesday, and getting slammed, 2-21. Jenna caused one turnover in the loss. Daemen packs up the sticks with a 5-11 record.
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The Neumann University women’s soccer schedule came to a halt in the America East post-season Saturday. The Knights defeated Marywood University last week to get a crack at top-seeded Marymount University in the title game. When the dust had cleared, Marymount had won, 22-12.
Senior midfielder Lian Sydorowicz (Wayne Central) completed her two-sport (lacrosse and ice hockey) collegiate career for Neumann on the field Saturday, picking up one ground ball. The Knights put the jerseys away with a 10-10 record; Lian played in 13 games.
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The Roberts Wesleyan men finished their season in the East Coast Conference championship semifinal, getting stopped by Mercy University on Wednesday, 8-11. Sophomore defender Carlos Bueso (Newark) picked up one ground ball in the Redhawk loss. Roberts finishes with a 6-8 record; Carlos played in 12 games.
TRACK & FIELD
Geneseo State’s men and women’s track and field teams won the Empire 8 Conference Championships, held at Brockport State over the weekend. For the men, it was their first-ever conference title.
Sophomore Sophia Barclay (Pal-Mac) took fifth place in the 100 hurdles (16.22) for the Knights and was sixth in the 400 hurdles (1:06.95) and 16th in the high jump (1.40 meters).
St. John Fisher’s wonderful Wayne County freshman athletes had a great showing at Brockport. Oren Welch (Marion) claimed second place in the pole vault (4.80 meters) and placed eighth in the 110 hurdles (15.89). Michael Prentice (Wayne Central) ran the third lap of the third-place 4-by-400 relay (3:19.60), anchored the fourth-place 4-by-100 relay (42.84) and came in 11th in the 400-meter dash (49.70).
Brockport’s women had a superlative meet: Senior Leah Lloyd (Pal-Mac) finished fifth in the 3000 steeplechase (11:26.50 – a post-season qualifier) and was 11th in the 1500 meters (4:58.27). Senior Vanessa Ramos (Wayne Central) anchored the winning 4-by-800 relay that set a meet record in 9:23.28, and came in 12th in the 800 meters (2:22.71). Junior Lexi Rodriguez (Williamson) won the 400 hurdles with a meet-record 1:02.84 and took the first leg of the second-place 4-by-100 relay (49.04).
Hartwick College junior Brynita Haas (Red Creek) finished 10th in the 10000 meters (41:11.18) and anchored the ninth-place 4-by-400 relay (4:43.64). Freshman Julia Weinscheider (Williamson) ran and jumped to an 11th-place finish in the 3000 steeplechase (12:41.86) and took the second lap of the ninth-place 4-by-400 relay (4:43.64).
Gwenna Haas (Red Creek), a Houghton University freshman, was 11th in the 400-meter dash (1:02.04), 14th in the 800 meters (2:23.89), and ran the opening leg of the sixth-place 4-by-400 relay (4:21.38).
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Cortland State’s men and women swept the SUNYAC championships Friday and Saturday.
Alfred State freshman Ben VanVranken (Red Creek/APW) made the event interesting and came in second in the pole vault (4.40 meters). Sophomore Charis Evans (Red Creek) ran the third leg of the third-place 4-by-100 relay (50.80) and took the opening leg of the sixth-place 4-by-400 relay (4:22.78).
Fredonia State sophomore Aiden VanAmburg (Clyde-Savannah) ran the second lap of the second-place 4-by-400 relay (3:19.96), and sophomore Quillan Shimp (Clyde-Savannah) came in third in the 400 hurdles (57.10).
Potsdam State senior Emma Robbins (Newark) finished third in the triple jump (10:36 meters—the program’s second-best mark) – becoming the first woman from the school to qualify as All-SUNYAC at the outdoor championships. And she wasn’t done. She anchored the sixth-place finish in the 4-by-100 relay (51.83), came in ninth in the long jump (4.58 meters) and ran the second lap of the seventh-place 4-by-400 relay (4:24.29).
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Roberts Wesleyan freshman thrower Kaylea Wagner (Lyons) had a big day at the East Coast Conference Track & Field Championships on Thursday – she finished third in the shot put (10.66 meters), sixth in the discus (27.80 meters) and eighth in the hammer (35.98 meters). Sophomore teammates Jessica Montemorano (Clyde-Savannah) came in 12th in the 800 metes (2:48.23).
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Grad student Justin Jantzi (Wayne Central) had a lovely weekend helping his RIT teammates to finish third in the Liberty League Track & Field Championships. He ran the second leg of the fifth-place 4-by-100 relay (43.21), came in third in the 400 meters (48.81) and sixth in the 200 meters (22.09).
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Trinity Wells (Newark), a junior distance runner at Colorado State, finished 25th in the 1500 meters (4:55.56) at the Doug Max Invitational in Fort Collins, CO on Saturday.
SOFTBALL
The season has been a difficult one for UMass softball, which won less than a third of its games…
…until this week, when the Minutewomen won HALF their games and graduating senior Taylor Richardson (Lyons) put a memorable capper on everything with a dramatic walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 4-3 season-ending victory.
Many of Taylor’s game experiences this year have been as a pinch runner, but in the last game, the nightcap of a doubleheader with Saint Louis University, she had a bat in her hand and hit 1-for-4, but that one was everything.
The week started with a doubleheader loss to Fordham, 3-4 and 2-9. Taylor played in left field in the first game and hit 1-for-3 with a run scored. She wasn’t on the field in the second game.
UMass beat Stonehill College on Wednesday, 3-2 in eight innings. Taylor again took as spot in left field and was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Next came the three-game set with Saint Louis, starting with a doubleheader on Friday where UMass lost the first game, 1-3, and won the second, 6-2. Taylor hit 0-for-3 in both games and was again in left field.
In the final, and probably the most memorable game of her UMass career, she was 1-for-4. The Minutewomen close the scorebook with 14-33 record (6-16 A-10). Taylor ended her season with 44 at-bats and a .159 average with two RBIs – the big one at the end of the rainbow.
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Corning Community College softball beat Genesee CC on Sunday, 19-11 and 25-2, split with Onondaga CC on Tuesday, 11-10 and 7-8, and finished with a loss to Erie CC on Thursday, 5-6.
Sophomore Lena Ramos (Newark) got the pitching win in the first Genesee game, throwing for two innings, allowing two hits and four runs, striking out one and walking three. She batted 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs plus a stolen base.
She batted 3-for4-4 with a run scored and an RBI in the first Onondaga game; in the second, she took the mound with one out in the second inning and finished the game (3.2 innings), allowing six hits and two runs. She batted 0-for-2.
Finally, in the Erie CC loss, Lena batted 0-for-3. The Red Barons are 18-13; Lena is batting .273; she is 3-2 as a pitcher with a 7.52 ERA.
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Finger Lakes Community College softball dropped four out of four games last week, falling to Onondaga CC on Sunday, 1-9 and 4-8, then losing to Erie CC on Tuesday, 3-11 and 7-9. Freshman shortstop Ella Upchurch (Pal-Mac) batted 0-for-2 in the Onondaga series, with one run scored. No stats are available from the Erie CC game. The Lakers are 9-19; Ella is batting .226 with 14 RBIs.
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Keuka College lost a softball doubleheader to Utica University on Wednesday, 2-7 and 5-17, but finished with a 6-5 win over Houghton on Friday. Junior pitcher Olivia Flynn (Williamson) absorbed the first Utica loss, getting touched for 14 hits, striking out three and walking one. She played center field and was the lead-off hitter in the second game, batting 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Olivia pitched and got the win against Houghton, throwing for 10 innings and scattering 10 hits for five runs, striking out 11 and walking three. Her record is now 4-12; Keuka is 6-28 (4-17 E-8).
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Senior Tia Brown (Newark) and her Lincoln University teammates were in the thick of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association playoffs over the weekend. The Lions opened with a Thursday morning 3-2 win over Winston-Salem State. Tia started the game at first base then got the save by pitching the last 1.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits, striking out one and walking one. She was also 3-for-3 as a batter, scoring one run.
On Thursday afternoon, the Lions got clobbered by Bowie State, 3-11, in this double-elimination tourney. Tia started the game at first base and pitched the last two innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits, but the damage had already been done and she did not get the loss. She batted 1-for-2 with a run scored.
Facing elimination, the Lions finished the game strongly against Fayetteville State and won, 7-6. Tia played first base, was 0-for-4 at the plate but an error allowed her to contribute two RBIs. Lincoln met Winston-Salem State again on Friday night and that’s where things ended, 6-10. Tia pitched a complete game, allowing 10 hits and 10 runs, striking out five and walking two. She was 2-for-4 at bat with a run scored and an RBI.
The Lions snap the scoreboard shut with a 17-30 record; Tia batted .309 this season with 16 RBIs; she was 3-9 as a pitcher with a 6.49 ERA.
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Monroe Community College won both of its games last Sunday, beating Jefferson CC 5-4 and 11-3. Freshman utility player Jenny Walter (Williamson) batted 2-for-5 in the first game with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. She went 1-for-4 in the second game with another run scored. The Tribunes are 15-6; Jenny is batting .338 with 12 RBIs.
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Sundown for the softball bats at RIT came on Saturday when the Tigers lost a doubleheader to Ithaca, 0-12 and 1-5. The Tigers were also beaten on Tuesday by Alfred, 2-9. Senior catcher and outfielder Kristin Hino (Sodus) batted 1-for-3 with a fifth-inning RBI earned by getting plunked with a pitch with the bases loaded in the Alfred game. Against Ithaca, she was 0-for-1 at the plate.
RIT puts the bats away for the season with a 10-25 record; Kristin played in 23 games and batted .301 with eight RBIs.
BASEBALL
Utica University freshman pitcher Brennan Pipitone (Pal-Mac) got into his third game of the season for the Pioneer baseball team on Thursday against Cobleskill State in a 16-14 win. He got the ball with two out in the seventh inning and threw for one inning, facing seven batters, allowing two hits and two runs, striking out one and walking one. The Pios are 18-14-1 entering the Empire 8 Conference tourney next week.
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Alfred University baseball lost two games last week – to Brockport, 1-15, on Sunday, and 7-17 to Utica University on Wednesday. Freshman pitcher Axton Paul (North Rose-Wolcott) closed the Utica game for the Saxons, throwing 1.2 innings, allowing five hits and four runs, walking two. The Saxons are 4-29.
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Cayuga Community College baseball lost half its games during the week, hitting a bit of a rough patch in the schedule. The Spartans split with Jefferson CC on Sunday, 10-2 and 6-7, then lost twice to Herkimer College on Tuesday, 0-15 and 6-8, and came back to get a double regional forfeit at Columbia-Greene CC on Saturday, 7-0 and 7-0.
Sophomore infielder Jacob Laird (Sodus) batted 4-for-7 with two runs scored and three RBIs plus two stolen bases in the Jefferson CC series; against Herkimer, he batted 3-for-5 (with a double), knocked in two runs and stole three bases. The Spartans are 28-16; Jacob is hitting .306 with 39 RBIs and two home runs.
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Finger Lakes Community College baseball won three doubleheaders during the week, besting Corning CC on Sunday, 22-2 and 13-1, and again on Monday, 17-3 and 3-2, then walloping Tompkins Cortland CC on Tuesday, 12-0 and 8-3.
Sophomore third baseman Christian Morrison (Pal-Mac) batted 4-for-11 with six runs scored and seven RBIs plus a stolen base in the Corning games; versus Tompkins Cortland, he was 1-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Sophomore Ian Goodness (Pal-Mac) pitched the Lakers to the first Tompkins Cortland win, scattering three hits and no runs in five innings, striking out four batters and walking one. He’s 3-2; Christian is batting .310 with 24 RBIs.
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With the on again/off again lousy weather during the week, Keuka College was able to get in three games while tow more were cancelled and a third was suspended in the bottom of the third inning. The Wolves beat Elmira College on Tuesday at home, 15-8, then split a doubleheader with SUNY Polytechnic on Thursday, 2-7 and 8-5.
Senior third baseman Kyle Wood (Newark) jumped all over Elmira, starting off with a first-inning RBI double to center field and a three-RBI triple in the second inning. He notched another RBI with a sacrifice fly in the third inning of the first SUNY Poly game; in the second contest, he batted 2-for-3 with two runs scored and another RBI single into center field.
The Wolves are 13-20 (7-14 E-8); Kyle leads the Keuka batsmen with a .386 average, a .614 slugging percentage and 29 RBIs.
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Le Moyne College baseball beat Coppin State on Sunday, 23-7, then split a weekend series with Long Island University, 0-4, 12-11 and 2-8. Junior center fielder Paulie Goodness (Pal-Mac) stole a base, drew a bases-loaded walk and hit an RBI sacrifice fly to help lead the Dolphins over Coppin State.
In the LIU series, he batted 5-for-13 with three runs scored and two stolen bases. The Dolphins are 16-24 (15-9 NEC); Paulie is batting .279 with 14 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.
GOLF
Delhi State senior Gabriel Horsford (Gananda) won the Oswego State Spring Golf Invitational by carding a four-over par second round Sunday after a 10-over-par circuit on the first day of competition at the Oswego Country Club. Utica University junior Carter Lathrop (Gananda) came in tied for 33rd, shooting 20 over par on the first round and 13 over on the second.
With Gabe leading the charge, Delhi won the event; Utica was fifth.
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St. John Fisher sophomore Paige Lasher (Wayne Central) finished 36th last Sunday at the Northeast Women’s Golf Conference Championship at Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield, CT. The Cardinals finished eighth out of the 11 teams competing. Paige was 58 over par after the second round.
