On November 9 and 10, the Cortland Team Handball Club participated in a competition, hosted by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, that both improved their skills and allowed the new squad to gain more exposure to the unique sport of handball.
From 2003-2007, the United States Team Handball’s Women’s National Team used SUNY Cortland as their training center. During this time, there was a club offered for students as well but unfortunately, the club dismantled in 2009.
The club was re-established in Spring 2023 by German Native Debroah Seipp while she was studying for a short duration at Cortland. This team has been eager to uphold her legacy.
“From a team that started with 8 players, to a 25-person roster with tryouts this season, I’ve been able to see the team evolve in just the two semesters that I’ve been a part of the club,” said Taylor Lane. “I even proposed the addition of a Public Relations role to make ourselves more known on campus and continue to grow even bigger.”
Last Spring, the team traveled to UNC for the 2024 USA Team Handball Collegiate National Championships. The team had such a great experience that they accepted an invitation to attend another event at UNC this fall with their new and improved roster.
“The atmosphere was awesome,” said President and coach Nicolas Pepe. “This was our team’s first time at an invitational tournament.”
While the team was still new to the rules, the refs and opposing players assisted in any confusion the team had, which made it a competitive yet friendly atmosphere.
“It was a great experience,” said rookie Justin McNeely. “As I’ve only played in practices, it was exciting to finally play in my first handball competition. It was also cool to meet people from other teams.”
Collegiate Team Handball clubs are hard to come by and the teams Cortland faced at this invitational have a long-standing history. The lineup included: West Point Gold and Black teams, Carolina A and B teams, DC Diplomats, Miami Storms, and a North Carolina alumni squad.
“It was a big threat, and I was definitely nervous at first,” said rookie Lucas Ferro. “But once we started playing, we realized that we could play with those guys.”
The invitational highlighted exceptional performances from Cortland’s top scorers, Thomas Panattieri, Alex Rodrigues, and Brendan Mancuso, whose skill and determination stood out on the court. The hard work of goalies, Sawyer Meckley and Vinny Graff, did not go unnoticed.
“Having some players who hadn’t played competitively made it tough, but we held our own against the top teams in the nation,” said veteran player and Vice President Thomas Rice. “The improvement I saw from last tournament to this was definitely significant.”
Rice and several other veteran players thought the team was ready for the competition and that they gave it their all.
“The experience was a blast and I’m so happy to see how far the club has come in such a short amount of time,” said Rice. “We can definitely be a top contender in these tournaments, it just takes patience and determination to keep improving.”
As the club continues to prosper and gain more traction, they seek to continue participating in more competitions and increase their exposure to more handball teams around the country.
“Not only did our players improve, but our team bonded and became closer together throughout the tournament,” said Pepe. “Looking into the future, this team has a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing it grow.”
Stay tuned for more updates regarding their continued progress on the club’s Instagram @cortland_handball_club.