11/23/2021
It was a very successful fall season for SUNY Cortland’s varsity athletic teams. Here are some of the highlights from Red Dragons student-athletes and coaches:
Football
The season continues for SUNY Cortland’s football team on Saturday as it hosts Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament at noon at the Stadium Complex.
The Red Dragons defeated Springfield, 26-21, in the opening round of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 20.
Cortland dominated the Empire 8 awards for the 2021 season, as 15 players were named first team all-conference. Senior quarterback Brees Segala was named Offensive Player of the Year, senior linebacker Dylan Dubuque was named Defensive Player of the Year and sophomore defensive lineman Nick Lardaro was the league’s Rookie of the Year. The coaching staff, led by head coach Curt Fitzpatrick, was recognized as the best in the Empire 8.
Cross country
Junior Ryan Cory earned All-America honors with a 40th place finish out of 299 runners at the NCAA Division III men’s cross country championships in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 20. Cory, who had finished first at the Division III Region 3 Championships at SUNY Geneseo on Nov. 13, is the 13th Cortland men’s runner to earn All-America honors.
Cortland’s men’s team placed second at the SUNYAC championships and was fifth at the Region 3 championships.
The women’s cross country team, led by freshman Vanessa Burkard, placed fourth at the SUNYAC Championships in October.
Field hockey
Field hockey finished the 2021 season with a 16-3 record after a 2-1 overtime loss to Ohio Wesleyan in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Freshman forward Kierra Ettere, who scored 26 goals and had eight assists in 18 games, was named the SUNYAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year and was named first team all-conference. Freshman forward/midfielder Hanna Corrigan, junior forward Lily Fox and senior goalie Megan McGuinness were also first team all-conference selections.
Women’s golf
Women’s golf closed the fall portion of its season by winning the team title at the Nazareth Invitational on Oct. 10. Freshman Paige Cerminaro won the tournament by six strokes.
Cerminaro was the runner-up – and freshman Claudia Winterberg was fourth – as Cortland won the Williams College Women’s Golf Fall Invitational on Oct. 3.
Men’s soccer
The men’s soccer team finished tied for ninth nationally with a record of 18-3-1 after its season ended with a 4-1 loss to Amherst in the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament on Nov. 20.
Graduate student Blake Aronson led the nation with 10 game-winning goals.
Seven Cortland players were named to the All-SUNYAC team and coaches Steve Axtell, Sean Streb and Drew Francisco were picked as the conference’s Coaching Staff of the Year.
Women’s soccer
The women’s soccer team went 10-5-3 and saw its season end in a 1-0 loss to SUNY Geneseo in the SUNYAC championship game.
Eight players were named to the All-SUNYAC team, including first team selections: senior forward Jaden Galluzzo, freshman midfielder Katie Cosenza and junior midfielder Bryn Thompson.
Swimming and diving
The Red Dragons were double winners, with both the men’s and women’s teams placing first at a dual meet at Buffalo State on Nov. 13.
Senior diver Taylor Williams was named the SUNYAC Women’s Diver of the Week on Nov. 9. Williams was second in 1-meter diving and third in 3-meter diving during a dual meet at Ithaca College to open the season.
The swimming and diving season resumes at the Cortland Snowflurries Invitational on Dec. 3 and 4.
Women’s tennis
The women’s tennis team completed the fall portion of its schedule with a 5-3 record, including a 4-1 mark in SUNYAC play. The season will resume in April.
Junior Abby Madigan was named SUNYAC Singles Player of the Week in September after winning 6-0, 6-0 in a non-league match at Alfred University.
Volleyball
Volleyball finished the season tied for 17th in the nation with a record of 27-4 following a loss to Tufts in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Cortland had defeated Geneseo in the SUNYAC finals and Merchant Marine in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Senior outside hitter Hannah Southcott and junior libero Carly Haegele were selected as honorable mention All-Americans by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Head coach Erin Glickert was voted the ACVA’s Region 3 Coach of the Year.
For the latest on SUNY Cortland athletics, visit CortlandRedDragons.com.