Tahlia Brody, a Geneseo women’s rugby alum from the class of 2016, has been named to the USA Women’s Eagles squad. This Geneseo alum made her debut the weekend of Mar. 25 with the Eagles as they faced off against Spain in Madrid and took home a victory with a score of 35-7. This was their first Sevens match of the 2023 season and as they started strong, they will continue to have an amazing season. The next time the Eagles play will be on Friday, Jul. 7 against Australia and Friday, Jul. 14 against New Zealand. 

In the year and a half that Riley Damerell has been here at Geneseo as the Assistant Director of Athletic Communications and Media Relations, the school’s varsity teams have flourished. The Ice Knights reached the 2022 NCAA Division III men’s ice hockey championship, and teams such as track and field, along with swim and dive, have been extremely consistent in achieving major All-American and SUNYAC honors among their members during his tenure. Damerell’s competitive spirit and expansive skill set have made following these successes enjoyable for the entire Geneseo community.

The Knights had a successful stint this past week as they beat both Clarkson University and SUNY Plattsburgh to move through some tough SUNYAC competition and improve their season record to 5-2. 

There is a new show set to air on Geneseo’s favorite radio station, 89.3 WGSU. On Fridays at 6:30 p.m., tune your radios over to the “Voice of the Valley” and listen to Chalk Talk for the scoop on everything sports, collegiate and professional. There will be civil discussions, heated debates, and even a few interviews along the way. And of course, listeners can call in at (585) 245-6893 to join the discussion or bring up points they wish to hear. On Friday, Apr. 7, we will be discussing Geneseo athletics, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, NBA, NFL, MLB news, and specifically the New York Yankees. As the world of sports changes every day, each week will include new fun topics, and we are always looking for suggestions.

The fifth World Baseball Classic (WBC) began on Tuesday, Mar. 7, and will continue until the final round draws a winner on Mar. 21. While this tournament, like the four before it, boasts three main contenders, several underdog countries could play their way to this year’s trophy. Delving into what teams to watch out for in each pool is the best way to get a view inside the tournament.

The Geneseo men’s lacrosse team continued their road trip this week, playing at both Morrisville State College and Ithaca College. A dominant victory at Morrisville was followed by a double-overtime loss to Ithaca, leaving the Knights with a 2-1 record for the year so far.

The National Hockey League (NHL) trade deadline was this past Friday, Mar. 3 at 3 p.m. and contenders such as the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs added much-needed depth before their big playoff pushes come in Apr.

After both teams earned their sixth-straight SUNYAC title on Feb. 25, Geneseo’s men’s and women’s track and field teams sent out to compete in the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) Championships in New York City on Friday-Saturday, Mar. 3-4. Each team competed against a field of more than 40 schools, claiming first place in their respective divisions. 

The Geneseo women’s lacrosse team held their own this past week with a successful trip to Nazareth College on Wednesday, Mar 1. This marked their first game of the year, and there would be no better way to kick off their season—the Knights played hard the entire game and achieved an 18-10 win over the Golden Flyers. 

On Saturday, Feb. 25, both the Geneseo men’s and women’s track and field teams immortalized themselves in greatness. Each team earned their sixth consecutive SUNYAC championship at the meet held by the Brockport Golden Eagles. These two days of competition were just a small portion of the incredible work that both teams have put into this season.

The Geneseo men’s lacrosse team traveled to Nazareth College to face the Golden Flyers on Saturday, Feb. 25, and brought home a win in their season opener. Their game was a close one as the Knights fought tooth and nail to ground out the victory with a final score of 13-11. 

SUNY Geneseo’s men’s and women’s swim and dive teams have each been powerhouses within their respective State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) divisions over the past decade. This year was no different, with both teams winning the SUNY title on Saturday, Feb. 18. This was the women’s fifteenth-straight season doing so, while the men’s team has come out victorious in the previous nine. 

Geneseo’s hopes for a fifth straight SUNYAC Championship in ice hockey came to an end Saturday night with a 5-1 semifinal loss on the road to Plattsburgh. Going into the playoffs, Plattsburgh was the number two seed, with Geneseo ranked third. In their two regular-season meetings this year, the teams tied the first game 2-2 on Nov. 12, with Plattsburgh winning the second 3-2 on Jan. 28.  

The Geneseo women’s basketball team was unable to emerge victorious against New Paltz on Friday, Feb. 24 in the SUNYAC semifinals. Advancing upon their first-round victory over Brockport, the Knights traveled downstate to face the top-seeded New Paltz Hawks. This game marked their third competition of the year. In the teams’ regular season series, the Hawks swept the Knights, defeating them in both games. In their first matchup on Jan. 14, Geneseo was outplayed by New Paltz, losing 64-46. The Knights then traveled to New Paltz on Feb. 10 and were trounced by the Hawks, losing 67-37.

The Ice Knights battled it out with the Buffalo State Bengals this past Friday (Feb. 10) with a large and exciting win of 6-0, which raises their record to 10-3-1 in SUNYAC play and 15-5-2 in the regular season! Right off the bat, the Ice Knights forced through the line of defense within the first 5 minutes with an impressive unassisted score by junior forward Jared Thomas. The Knights did not stop there; instead, they scored three more times to finish off the first period with a score of 4-0 holding off the Bengals.

Geneseo’s basketball program had a tough weekend, with the men’s team losing their away games at New Paltz and Oneonta. The women’s team fell to New Paltz 67-37 on Friday night (Feb. 10) before providing the program's lone bright spot, defeating Oneonta 46-37 on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 11). 

Coach Alan Heverly is one of the freshest faces at SUNY Geneseo—this academic year marks the beginning of Heverly’s time as the women’s tennis coach, a role that he is more than qualified for; he has served as the coach of Lehigh University, an NCAA Division I program, and Moravian University, a Division III program. With countless accolades and many years of experience, Heverly will prove to be an asset to the program. He has told himself that he will remain to coach for at least five seasons, but the Geneseo community would love to see him stay for longer.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. The much-anticipated matchup ultimately became a back-and-forth offensive bout with both teams giving it their all on America’s biggest stage. Despite the Eagles being favored and continuously praised for having the best overall roster in the NFL this season, the Chiefs were able to defy expectations and overcome the odds pulling out the upset. 

Tom Brady, the winningest quarterback of all time, has officially retired. The upcoming 2023 season will mark the first season that Brady will not play since the turn of the century. The seven-time Super Bowl champion, three-time MVP, and 15-time Pro Bowl selection has immortalized himself in greatness. He proved to be an idol for many fans and aspiring athletes, all the while creating a football dynasty.

This past winter break, Caitlin Schirmer, a sophomore biology major here at SUNY Geneseo and one of our very own women’s club rugby players, had the chance to play with an  all-star collegiate rugby team for Upstate 7s. Schirmer got to compete with this team in the Collegiate Rugby All Stars National Cup. The Upstate 7s team that Schirmer had the pleasure of joining were the Upstate 7s Snow Leopards; they achieved third place last year in the same competition that they traveled to this year. The Snow Leopards were voted “most spirited team” for many years prior to this one, which is why Schirmer made a perfect fit. The entire Geneseo rugby team is immensely proud of her, her hard work, and training to get this opportunity.