XC Conference Win Highlights Weekend Athletics

10/19/2015

In another busy weekend for Mighty Oaks athletics, the men's and women's cross-country teams took home the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) championship in ESF's first year as a member of the conference.

In the men's race, the squad posted a perfect score of 15 points led bu senior Steve Slonosky, who came in first place with a time of 28:36 on the 8K course. ESF claimed the top seven spots in the men's race:

1. Stephen Slonosky (28:36)
2. Peter LeDuc (28:48)
3. Michael Persson (29:01)
4. Reed Scott (29:05)
5. Christian Freeman (29:19)
6. Ryan Shaw (29:21)
7. Dana Carris (29:32)

In the women's race, the team earned an overall score of 28 points. ESF was led by freshman Marissa Lathrop, who finished in second place with a time of 20:40. Also finishing in the top 10 for the Mighty Oaks were Erin Cuddihy (fourth - 21:00), Courtney Pitman (fifth - 21:03), Cara Keogh (eighth - 21:45), Elle Palmer (ninth - 22:03) and Allison Cronk (10th - 22:11).

The cross-country team will now focus its attention on the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championships in Lakeland, Florida, Nov. 6.

On the soccer field, the women's team came away with a 3-1 win over Alfred State. The Pioneers got on the board first only two minutes into the game. The Mighty Oaks held their composure and tied up the score at the 34-minute mark in the first half with a blast from 18 yards out by junior Heather Carl, her 12th goal of the season.

In the second half, ESF took the lead at the 72-minute mark off a diving header from junior Sarah Lundy assisted by senior Bryony Striffler. Another goal six minutes later by sophomore Anna Bishop gave the Mighty Oaks a 3-1 advantage over Alfred State.

The Mighty Oaks women improve to 9-1-1 overall and are ranked second in the USCAA. The team will play King's College in the first game of the HVIAC championships hosted by Albany College of Pharmacy Oct. 24-25.

The men's soccer team fought hard for a 1-1 tie against Alfred State in a double overtime thriller. The Mighty Oaks were playing without senior Captains Rob Hamm and Wyatt Wesner, who were both out with injuries. The first half was scoreless by both teams. Alfred State opened up scoring at the 61-minute mark going up 1-0. The Mighty Oaks played most of the second half a man down because of foul trouble but managed to find the back of the net at the 86-minute mark when sophomore Geoff Golick nailed in a header off a beautiful pass by senior Zack Reda to tie up the game 1-1. Both team were unable to score in the two overtime sessions resulting in a 1-1 draw. The men's team is now 6-6-1 overall and faces Albany College of Pharmacy in the first game of the HVIAC conference tournament Oct. 24. The match against the tournament hosts is a must-win for the Mighty Oaks as they fight to earn an invitation to the USCAA soccer national championships.

The ESF Woodsmen's team had another strong performance this week in snowy conditions at Paul Smith's College. The women's team came in second place while the men's finished in fifth place. The Jack-and-Jill team finished fourth overall. The team has its home meet at Tully, New York, Oct. 24. The meet will showcase more than 30 events with 10 schools participating.