Paul Smith’s College student/athletes, paced by its women’s teams, make headlines during fall season

PAUL SMITHS, N.Y. – When Paul Smith's College students weren't in the classroom this past fall, many of them excelled in the field of play representing Smitty Nation in a noteworthy manner and in a variety of sports.

These student/athletes picked up honors in no fewer than four collegiate sports, both men and women, and occurred as a team and as individuals. The fall efforts were led by the three women's teams, all grabbing conference championships. 

"The coaching staff did a superb job of keeping the student athletes engaged in training and preparing for athletic competition through the 2020-2021 school year, despite the pandemic and near total absence of competitions," said Jim Tucker, Paul Smith's College (PSC) Athletic Director. "This, combined with a very successful recruiting effort across the board, resulted in several very talented athletes on campus who want to excel and have a strong desire to win in their selected sports."

To Tucker's point, the women's soccer squad went undefeated in the regular season prior to winning the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) tournament with a 1-0 victory over Albany Pharmacy. Grace Kronick had the game's lone tally, on a set-up from Hayleigh Gates. Abigail Cancilla earned Defensive Player of the YSCC tournament, while Kate Roefs and Brooke Kiefer both earned YSCC All-Conference honors. 

Earlier, in the conference semi-finals, Roefs was unstoppable with four goals, while Danni Lockwood added another in a 5-0 drubbing of New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI). 

Goalkeeper Anna Thrasher was named YSCC Conference Tournament MVP with 10 saves in the championship match. She led the conference with only seven goals allowed this season.  

The conference title earned the Bobcats an automatic bid to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Nationals. PSC coach Bailey Walton received Coach of the Year honors. 

On the men's side, soccer keeper Steve Donnelly and striker Marvis Nosa made the YSCC All-Conference Team, while Coach Zack Luzzi was Coach of the Year. Paul Smith's finished the season blanking its final three opponents, including a 4-0 victory over conference-leading Albany Pharmacy to conclude the regular season. Nosa fired home three goals in the first half to lead the Bobcats.  

Then, in the post-season, the drama really started. In the YSCC tournament, PSC opened with a
 1-0 win over NHTI, followed by a 2-1 decision, once again, over Albany Pharmacy in the conference semi-finals in a contest that saw Donnelly prove his mettle.

In a thrilling conference championship match, Central Maine jumped out to a 2-0 advantage before Nova reeled off two quick goals to tie the matter. The game then went to extra time where Central Maine took the decision on a penalty kick and advanced to the USCAA national tournament.

YSCC honors also went to the Bobcat volleyball team, which captured both regular and post-season titles, the latter occurring with defeats of Southern Maine and NHTI. In addition to receiving Player of the Week honors in September, Alli Cherry and Jordan Louis were placed on the all-conference team, while Cherry was the tournament's Most Valuable Player and Louis collected the award for Offensive Player of the Tournament.

The team got an automatic bid to the USCAA National Tournament, and has been ranked in the top five in USCAA Division II volleyball all season.

PSC runners made their own headlines in the autumn of the year, having advanced to the YSCC Championships in cross-country at Vermont Tech. PSC entered the event having placed second, third and fourth in fall invitationals.

Freshman Jessie Church led from start to finish and won the YSCC Women's 6K (3.7 miles) Championships in 27 minutes, 54 seconds. Three of her fellow Bobcats earned all-conference honors, as Ellen Haas placed fourth in 29:16, followed by Melody Ascioti, fifth, in 29:37, and Ellie Judice, seventh, with a time of 31:03.

The Paul Smith's College women won the event scoring 25 points to second place Albany Pharmacy's 31. Nine women from PSC took part in the 6K event, with Michelle Martineau finishing 18th for the Bobcats as the team's fifth scorer.

Captain Zack Sprott-Scribner ran the Bobcats to a second-place finish in the men's 8K (4.9 miles) event, thus earning all-conference honors with a personal best time of 31:38. Brady Miller wound up ninth in 32:57, while John Thompson took 11th in 34:10. Nate Shader was the fourth Bobcat in the lineup, and crossed the line in 35:39.  

Expectations are high that both the men's and women's teams can finish in the top 10 at USCAA Cross Country Nationals, Nov. 12, in Virginia Beach.

During the fall golf schedule, PSC, whose home course is Saranac Inn, proudly produced a pair of YSCC All-Conference selections. Sophomores Madison Bentley and Daniel Miner finished the season with the YSCC's second and third lowest scoring averages, respectively.

Finally, the Bobcats were as dominant on water as they were on land, capturing both the New York State collegiate championships in bass fishing and in the canoe marathon. The effort from the Bobcat anglers included the lunker of the tournament, weighing over 7.5 pounds.

About Paul Smith's College

At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. We are the only four-year institution of higher education in the Adirondacks. Our programs - in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship and the sciences - draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. For more information, visit paulsmiths.edu.

Follow all the Yankee Small College Conference Social Media Accounts: YSCC Athletics on Facebook, Twitter @YSCC8, and Instagram @yankeeconference, and our YouTube channel. 

The Yankee Small College Conference will live stream Championship Sunday. You visit YSCCSportsNetwork.com or you can download the YSCC Sports Network App on your mobile devices, Roku, Apple TV or your Amazon Fire products. Visit yankeeconference.org for more details.