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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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a great experience,\u201d said rookie Justin McNeely. \u201cAs I\u2019ve 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a>, Carolina A and B teams<\/a>, DC Diplomats<\/a>, Miami Storms<\/a>, and a North Carolina alumni squad.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a big threat, and I was definitely nervous at first,\u201d said rookie Lucas Ferro. \u201cBut once we started playing, we realized that we could play with those guys.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHaving some players who hadn\u2019t played competitively made it tough, but we held our own against the top teams in the nation,\u201d said veteran player and Vice President Thomas Rice. \u201cThe improvement I saw from last tournament to this was definitely significant.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rice and several other veteran players thought the team was ready for the competition and that they gave it their all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe experience was a blast and I\u2019m so happy to see how far the club has come in such a short amount of time,\u201d said Rice. \u201cWe can definitely be a top contender in these tournaments, it just takes patience and determination to keep improving.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot only did our players improve, but our team bonded and became closer together throughout the tournament,\u201d said Pepe. \u201cLooking into the future, this team has a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing it grow.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n