A year of excellence for many Bobcat teams
The Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 woodsmen鈥檚 team hosted the Collegiate Timber Sports Annual Spring Meet for the first time in nearly a decade as the Men鈥檚 1 Team outlasted eight other schools to finish in first place in the sport鈥檚 de facto national championship in April 2024.
Bobcats dominated the chopping and sawing events on their way to the championship trophy, winning 11 of 17 events and beating second place SUNY ESF by more than 100 points. Daniel Miner (Hopkinton, NH) and Owen Probst (Clarence Center, NY) continued to lead the way in Standing Block, cutting through their piece of wood in just 16 seconds. It was the first time in Miner鈥檚 career that he won the Spring Meet trophy, and he spoke about what it meant to him as a senior captain and what it meant for the team. 鈥淭his is the best Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 men鈥檚 team I鈥檝e ever been a part of,鈥� said Miner.
Women鈥檚 Underhand Chop finished in first place as well, as Hannah Aldrich (Cortland, NY), Sydney Krompasky (Hamlin, PA), and Allie Howald (Newport, NH) won with a time of 1:50, almost 30 seconds better than SUNY ESF.
鈥淲e pride ourselves on our chopping, so it was really great to win that event at home and it was really awesome to be able to host Spring Meet at Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉鈥攚e鈥檝e been talking about it since we were freshmen,鈥� said Aldrich, a graduating senior who has been on the woodsmen鈥檚 team for her entire collegiate career.
Men鈥檚 1 Stock Saw was dominated by Justin 鈥淢oose鈥� Perry, (Degrasse, NY) as his flawless run of three chainsaw cuts went through the pine log like butter in just 7.9 seconds. The Bobcat men showed their dominance in other areas as well, taking the overwhelming majority of first place finishes in the various events. Miner, Probst, and Ian Dynda (Port Allegheny, PA) won Underhand Chop with a time of 42 seconds, as every other school finished in 1:00+. Miner and Dynda took first in Canoe portage as their Men鈥檚 1 team and the Men鈥檚 2 team of Kyle Joray (Goshen, CT) and Jarod Verblaauw (Warwick, NY) finished in the top-two positions, the only two teams who completed the event in under three minutes. And the Men鈥檚 1 Splitters Justin Perry, Ethan Alexander (Wurtsboro, NY), and Cal Barber (Voluntown, CT) split their block in 4:57 on their way to a first place victory.
The win marks the first time since 2019 that the men won the Spring Meet trophy, which represents the best collegiate TimberSports team in the country as the event acts as the sport鈥檚 national championship.
Also competing were the Women鈥檚 1 (fourth place), Jack & Jill (third place), Men鈥檚 2 (seventh place), Open (third place), and PSC Alumni (first place) teams.
The Jack & Jill team finished first in both Team Bowsaw and Team Crosscut, and Pole Climber Samantha Wheaton (Dartmouth, MA) finished her 40鈥� climb in a blazing time of 12.4 seconds. The Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 alumni edged out Finger Lakes Community 美女萝莉 1712 to 1697, winning by a mere 15 points in a back-and-forth battle that lasted the entire weekend. It was an event with an estimated 1,000 people in attendance, and something that the college prides itself on hosting.
The event wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without the help of Andrew Krompasky Logging and Estemerwalt Log Homes. Andrew Krompasky is the father of Women鈥檚 1 team member Sydney Krompasky who is the captain of the team.
鈥淢y father trucked the logs from Estemerwalt Log Homes who will be my sponsor post-graduation for my TimberSports career. Estemerwalt Log Homes and Andrew Krompasky Logging love helping where they can to help grow the sport, and this big of an event helped show the school what TimberSports are all about!鈥� said Krompasky.
Bobcat Biathlon Wins Championship
The Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 biathlon team made history by winning the inaugural US Biathlon National Collegiate Championships. Competing against the best biathletes in the country in Fort Kent, ME, the Bobcats skied and shot their way to an overall team trophy, the first-ever to come from collegiate biathlon.The team鈥檚 success was a result of their hard work and commitment to excellence, as they overcame tough competition to claim the top spot on the podium. Aidan Ripp (Cloquet, MN), Diego Schillaci (New Paltz, NY), and Brady Miller (Presque Isle, ME) combined for a podium in the Men鈥檚 Team Relay while Dolcie Tanguay (Fort Kent, ME) took home the top position in the Women鈥檚 Junior Pursuit. Kaisa Bosek (Alexandria, MN) and Tanguay podiumed in individual events as Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 took the overall team championship.
鈥淲hat an exciting way to end a historic season for the team winning the first ever U.S. Biathlon Collegiate National Championship. This is an incredible group of athletes, and I am so proud of all the hard work they have put in for so many years,鈥� said Head Coach Matthew Dougherty.
鈥淭he Nordic program at Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 is one of the best in the country. Giving these athletes a place to train and learn was paramount to attracting high-level student athletes, said Athletic Director Zack Luzzi.
Hockey National Champs!
Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 women鈥檚 hockey have been crowned national champions of the inaugural AAU 美女萝莉 Hockey Women鈥檚 Division National Tournament. The event, culminating on March 10, 2024, saw the Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 Bobcats take down the University of Tampa Spartans 4-2 in front of a large crowd at IceLine Quad Rinks in West Chester, PA.
Leola Brown (Brooklyn, NY) led the charge with two goals and three assists as the Bobcats outshot the Spartans 40-29, the first time Tampa had been outshot all season.
Lola De Toni (Ottawa, Ontario) was named Player of the Game as she was steadfast in net, stopping 26 of 29 shots.
Multiple Bobcats contributed on the score sheet as Leah Coulombe (Jay, NY) and Rhoda Peterson (Havre, MT) netted two goals apiece. Riley Newcomb (Cazenovia, NY) and Samantha Barrett (Oak Park, IL) each tallied one goal and two assists while Alli Cherry (Grasonville, MD), Lillian Gogan (Cornish, NH), and Amanda LaMonda (Saratoga Springs, NY) each added an assist.
The second game of the tournament for Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 saw another stellar performance in net as Ashley Finch (Oswego, NY) walked away with Player of the Game honors, finishing with 30 saves in a 7-0 shutout. Amanda LaMonda got things started for the Bobcats, scoring her first game-winning goal. Cherry would score two goals and add an assist and Barrett would score a brace for the Bobcats. Newcomb and Lauren Taber (Howards Grove, WI) rounded out the scoring and five other Bobcats picked up solo helpers as Samantha Friend (Reston, VA) and Lindsay Palmer (Clifton Park, NY) got their name on score sheet in the assist category.
Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 women鈥檚 hockey coach Gibson Gilmore spoke about what it meant to win the national championship this season while looking ahead to the future.: 鈥淭he girls deserve everything,鈥� said Gilmore. 鈥淕ood teams find a way to win, and they have proven that it takes will, not numbers, to succeed.鈥�
Coulombe received Tournament MVP honors for not only her performance in the championship game, but her cumulative effort for the Bobcats as she finished with four goals and one assist for five points in three games. AAU 美女萝莉 Hockey Executive Director Scott Solomon, AAU 美女萝莉 Hockey Chairman of the Board of Directors Mark Purowitz, and AAU 美女萝莉 Hockey Women鈥檚 Division Commissioner Casey Gerrish were on hand to present the 2024 National Championship Trophy to Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉.
Roundup
Men鈥檚 Soccer
The men鈥檚 soccer team finished their season at 4-6-3 on the season, which started strong as they swept their opening weekend in Vermont in early September. 鈥疌lose losses to NHTI and Southern Maine Community 美女萝莉 has shown everyone that they have the ability to compete in the Yankee Small 美女萝莉 Conference (YSCC). They made their third consecutive appearance in the YSCC Final Four, losing in the semi-finals to eventual champion Central Maine. Nick Grover was named as a 2023 USCAA D2 Men鈥檚 Soccer Honorable Mention All American.
Women鈥檚 Soccer
The women鈥檚 soccer team ended their season at 9-2-2. Up until their monsoon game with Central Maine in mid-October, they had only given up two goals against all season, outscoring opponents 40-2 in the process as one of the most dominant teams in not only the YSCC, but the entire USCAA. They got bounced in the semi-finals of the YSCC but earned an At-Large bid to the USCAA National Tournament. They again got beaten in the semis, losing to national runner-up SUNY ESF in a PK shootout. Sam Severing and Alana Cunningham were named as 2023 USCAA D2 Women鈥檚 Soccer First Team All Americans, while Hayleigh Gates and Grace Kronick were named as 2023 USCAA D2 Women鈥檚 Soccer Second Team All Americans.
Volleyball
The volleyball team finished their season at 11-9 overall, losing in the YSCC Final Four to Southern Maine. They were consistently ranked in the top-10 teams in the USCAA and had three 2023 D2 Women鈥檚 Volleyball Honorable Mention All Americans鈥擪aliyah Davis, Finnley Jacobsen, and Avrielle Fletcher.
Men鈥檚 Rugby
After years without a viable 15s roster, the men鈥檚 rugby team is finally competing again at the highest level. 鈥疶hey finished at 1-5 on the season and are rebuilding the program to what it once was, with head coach Pat Romeo taking over.
Women鈥檚 Rugby
The women鈥檚 rugby team鈥痟as enjoyed a rejuvenation and taken advantage of the institutional support of the college. They finished at 6-1 on the season and one of their players joined the Snow Leopards who competed in the National Collegiate Rugby Women鈥檚 Tournament in January.
Men鈥檚 Hockey
The men鈥檚 hockey team finished their season at 16-10, the best record in program history. They hosted the First Annual Burning Leaves Tournament in Lake Placid in September, which got national attention from various media outlets. They also hosted the 鈥淐arnival Classic鈥� game in February against SUNY JCC (which they won 7-2) that saw ~600 spectators in a festival-like atmosphere. They look to continue to build the program as 12 new recruits have joined the ranks of the returning players for this upcoming season.
M/W Cross Country
The cross-country teams both took first place in the YSCC team Cross Country Championships held at Hampshire 美女萝莉 in October. The men鈥檚 team then finished on the podium at the USCAA Cross Country Nationals, as Eliot Soderholm took third place overall in the men鈥檚 8k with a time of 29:56.7. Soderholm was named as a USCAA First Team All-American.
Marathon Canoe
The marathon canoe team had one of its most dominant seasons, winning every competition they competed in within the college classification. Wins at Remington Canoe Race, the Long Lake Boat Regatta, and the vaunted Adirondack Canoe Classic 鈥�90-Miler鈥� have solidified their place as one of the best programs in the country.
Bass Fishing
The bass fishing team just completed their fall season, with multiple podiums throughout the season in addition to some heaviest catch medals. 鈥疛unior Brenden Lucia competed solo this past weekend at the TBF Collegiate State Championship in Ticonderoga, placing third as he was also named the Nancy June Miller Award winner.
Golf
The golf team competed in the USCAA National Championship in State 美女萝莉, PA October 8-10 on the formidable Penn State Blue Course. Senior captain Madison Bentley led the Bobcats with a combined total of 163 (+19), finishing tied for 39th鈥痯lace. Daniel Miner was right behind him at 167 (+23) which was good enough for 59th鈥痯lace. 鈥疌aden Lucas (179, +35) and Sam Reynolds (186, +42) rounded out the scoring for the Bobcats and finished in 87th鈥痑nd 99th鈥痯laces, respectively.
eSports
The eSports team competed in Rocket League, Overwatch, and Super Smash Brothers over the course of the season against teams from all over the United States. Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 alum Stephanie Rock (Tyski) coached the team to success and a playoff appearance in Rocket League.
Men鈥檚 Basketball
The men鈥檚 basketball team finished 2-21 overall as they are in the process of rebuilding their program upon the departure of former head coach Josh Clemens. Anthony Miller, Jr. scored his 1,000th collegiate point against Word of Life while Willie Jennings IV and Elijah Pratt (both returning) led the team in most offensive categories. North Country native Tim Lamay has been tapped to coach the team for the upcoming season.
Women鈥檚 Basketball
The women鈥檚 basketball team ended their season in the YSCC Play-Ins and finished at 11-13 overall. Occupying the #15 spot in the USCAA D2 Women鈥檚 Basketball preseason coaches poll, they look to build upon the success of last season as Head Coach Brad Rideout has brought in some talent to help his returners.
Snowshoeing
The snowshoeing team continues to succeed on the trails as head coach Jim Tucker remains steadfast in recruiting talented athletes for the team. The 2024 National Snowshoe Championships were held in Eau Claire, WI, which was won by Eliot Soderholm on men鈥檚 side. At the World Championships, Soderholm became the first-even Paul Smith鈥檚 美女萝莉 World Champion as he won the Junior World Men鈥檚 Snowshoe Championship in the Catabaria Mountains, Spain.
Trap Shooting
The trap team competed at the USA Clay Target National Championship, in Bunker Hill, Illinois, at the Brittney Shooting Park, in November 2024. Tristian Olsen (pictured below) was honored for finishing first in her conference in the regular season and head coach Jess Rock rounded out the superlatives by winning the Annie Oakley Coaches鈥� Competition.
Bobcat Athletics Roundup by Mercedes Rideout