SUNY Cortland’s athletic program has had a successful 2022–23 year, with many exciting moments from the fall season to the spring sports, including SUNYAC tournament wins and even some NCAA entries. It was an impressive year for Red Dragon sports. With all-American, all-region, and all-SUNYAC players, the Red Dragons as a whole, have been exciting to watch over the course of the year.
From records being broken down to down-to-the-wire wins, and major comebacks, every athletic team and athlete has a lot to be proud of as they close the book and leave campus for summer. But even though there has been an immense amount of success across the board, the success of certain teams and even individuals has really stood out to me as I look back on the year.
Here is my attempt to do what seems impossible… ranking—in my opinion—the top 5 athletic teams at SUNY Cortland for the 2022–23 academic year.
Women’s Volleyball
Coming back after an extremely successful 2021 season, on top of graduating a lot of talent, I thought it would be hard for the volleyball team to perform as well this fall, but they were able to once again prove themselves. Finishing the season with an overall record of 22-6, undefeated (9-0) in conference, another SUNYAC Championship, and a first-round win in the NCAA tournament, the Red Dragons had a very memorable season this year.
On top of the success of the group as a whole, there were multiple individuals on the team that were rewarded for their ability to execute on the court. Zoe Staats and Alexa Guedez were both selected as 2022 American Volleyball Coaches Association Division (AVCA) III women’s volleyball honorable mention All-Americans. Staats doubled as the SUNYAC player of the year. As well as Emma Reilly being recognized as AVCA Region 3 Freshman of the Year and SUNYAC Rookie of the Year. Alexa Guedez, Allie Sturgess, and Mikenzie Martens were also named All-SUNYAC players. The success of these players falls under the leadership of the SUNYAC Coach of the Year, Erin Glickert.
The volleyball team was able to record 14 3-0 wins and remain undefeated in conference play throughout the 2022 season. The group’s ability to not only sweep teams but also pull out close, down-to-the-wire wins is what makes them so special. Not only did this team have talent from experienced players like seniors or graduate students, but the rookie freshman also managed to make a name for themselves on the court and help the Red Dragons pull out huge wins. The group chemistry shows on the court, and everyone’s ability to execute their specific job has allowed the team to really stand out this past season. I am looking forward to seeing what they are able to accomplish this fall.
Women’s Basketball
After starting off the season with a tough overtime loss to Ithaca, the women’s basketball team did not let up. The 2022–2023 season was arguably one of the best the team has had in years. Being able to pull out close wins, down to the final buzzer win, and even a couple blowouts, the Red Dragons had a lot of talent this year that definitely shined through on the court and on the scoreboards. With a 24-5 overall record, the SUNYAC Championship, and a first-round NCAA tournament win, the women’s basketball team was, in my opinion, one of the most exciting teams to follow this year.
This season, the women’s basketball team managed to do what no one thought they could: beat New Paltz to win their first SUNYAC championship title since 2010. The Red Dragons have met the Hawks in the championship game in both 2020 and 2021 but lost both times. And after losing to them twice in the regular season—Cortland only lost two in conference losses— most fans, including myself, did not think the championship game would end with a different result. But the talent Cortland has definitely shined through in this final game, with the group being able to pull out a close 57-52 road win.
The talent that was present on the women’s basketball team this year was also recognized and rewarded by the SUNYAC. With four athletes being named All-SUNYAC players following the season and one also being named All-Region. Nyia Longford was named first-team All-SUNYAC, her third time being recognized, as well as a “D3hoops.com second-team all-region honoree on the women’s side”. Emily Morano and Casey Travers were recognized as 2nd team all-SUNYAC, as well as Sarah Tully, 3rd team.
The women’s basketball program is graduating a lot of talent this year—Longford, Tully, Morano, and Travers—mostly all of the team’s top scorers . It will be interesting to see how the younger athletes step up to the plate next season and who coach Jacey Brooks has in mind to fill the shoes of the graduating class, especially after such success this winter.
Football
After graduating their starting quarterback, Brees Segala, and wide receiver, Derek Cruz, a duo who proved they had the ability to execute plays and score touchdowns, it was hard to say what the 2022 season would look like for Cortland Football. Coming off an Empire 8 championship, a Cortaca Jug win, and a ticket to the NCAA tournament, the 2022 Cortland football team had big shoes to fill. But in my opinion, they did a pretty good job.
The Red Dragons managed to have yet another impressive season, finishing the season with an overall record of 9-2 and 6-0 in SUNYAC play. Junior quarterback Zac Boyes, who was playing under Segala in 2021, stepped up big time for Cortland as the new starting quarterback. Throwing for almost 3000 yards and adding 28 touchdown passes to his stat book in the 2022 season, he led a strong Cortland offense.
The Cortland football team also recorded three All-American players following the 2022 season. Junior Patrick Luby was selected to the first team as a special teams player and kickoff specialist. Senior Connor Hill was named to the third team as an offensive guard, and senior Joshua Cordero was selected as a fourth-team cornerback. Cordero was selected to the AP second team as a defensive back, and earlier in the week he was an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) second-team honoree.
In addition to three All-Americans, seven players were named All-Region by d3football.com. Connor Hill, Patrick Luby, Joshua Cordero, and Jaden Alfanostjohn are on the first team. Daquan Griffin on the 2nd, and Zac Boyes and Cole Burgess on the 3rd.
Although the jugs unfortunately made their way back to Ithaca, the Cortland football team brought home another Empire 8 championship and made it to the NCAA tournament. It will be interesting to see how the Red Dragons play this fall now that Boyes has a lot more experience under his belt. Luckily for Cortland, the football team will have a lot of talent returning. Boyes, Laap, and Alfanostjohn will all be back in the fall to continue to lead the Red Dragon offense.
Women’s Lacrosse
Although the SUNY Cortland women’s lacrosse team just lost a tough one this past Saturday in the SUNYAC Finals against Geneseo, that does not discredit all the success they did have this season. Prior to the championship game, the Red Dragons were undefeated in conference play, and held a 14-4 record overall.
The women’s lacrosse team started off the season on an up-and-down, win-then-lose schedule, and it was not looking likely that the team would improve, or manage to win more than one game in a row. But they proved me and everyone else wrong. Beginning at the end of March, the Red Dragons went on an 11 game winning streak that continued all the way up until the championship game loss. And the team was not just managing to scrape by on close wins. Instead, no teams were even finding a way to come close to the team or give them a run for their money. Winning the majority of their games by at least 10 or more, the Cortland offense is what really sets them apart from all the other teams on their schedule.
Throughout the season, their offense has been very difficult for teams to stop, and the success starts at the draw circle. Amy Hoeffner, a midfielder, has recorded 131 draw controls in the 2023 season and 188 in her career. Not only has Cortland had the ability to gain possession of the ball, but they have also had the ability to execute on these possessions. With Hannah Keech and Toni Cashman both recording 100 career goals this season, Cortland has won nine games by 10 or more this season.
And the SUNY Cortland women’s lacrosse team is not done yet; even though the team lost to Geneseo on Saturday, the Red Dragons still got a ticket to play in the NCAA tournament. They will travel to Tufts on Sunday to play in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament, straight into the second round. Hopefully, Cortland can make up for the SUNYAC loss and win a few games in the tournament.
Women’s Soccer
The SUNY Cortland Women’s Soccer team was a very talented group this season, and this 2022 season was one that came to an end too early. The Red Dragons had a 13-1-5 record on the season and 8-0-1 in conference play. Their season came to an end after a tough loss to Geneseo in a SUNYAC championship game that came down to penalty kicks.
The Red Dragons are equally talented on both ends of the field, which made them very difficult to beat throughout the season. With a strong goalie, and an even stronger defense to protect her, Cortland made teams work to get the ball in the back of the net all season long. But the offense does not lack talent by any means; with a starting forward like Jaden Galluzzo and midfielder Simone Nivel, they did not struggle to put points on the board.
Galluzzo, a graduate student forward, was named an All-American following her success throughout her final season playing for the Red Dragons. Recording 15 goals and 36 total points on the season, she is a big reason for the successful 2022 season Cortland had. Not only was Galluzzo named a 2nd team All-American soccer player, she also earned recognition as All-Region, All-SUNYAC, and a finalist for the ‘C-Club Senior Athlete of the Year’.
On the defensive end, the Red Dragons were led by senior Bryn Thompson. Thompson is also a finalist for “C-Club Senior Athlete of the Year” and was named All-Region and All-SUNYAC following the season. Luckily for the Red Dragons, the defensive captain will be returning as a graduate student to play one last season with Cortland.
The women’s soccer team has been able to find so much success because they are equally strong on both ends of the field. They can execute offensively and make big stops defensively. Their talent on both ends of the field makes them very difficult to beat. It will be interesting to see who steps up and fills Galluzzo’s presence on the field, as this was her last season with Cortland, but I believe the young talent on the team will shine through for the team next season.
Although so many teams had impressive seasons this year, it is so difficult to narrow it down to just five. These are the five teams I really enjoyed following this year.
As the 2022–23 school year comes to an end and I look back at another year of Red Dragon athletics, it makes me excited to come back in the fall and see what is to come. Overall, all the teams this year were a pleasure to watch and truly accomplished some amazing things. I am looking forward to seeing how the spring athletes finish out their seasons and am eager for next year.