Red Baron Athletics Recap - Fall 2021
Fall: Women's Soccer | Women's Volleyball | Women's Cross Country | Men's Cross Country
Winter: Men's Basketball | Women's Basketball
All-Season: Esports
Nearly two years – 670 days to be precise – went by without the SUNY Corning Community
College women’s soccer team playing a single contest. However, for the first time
since the COVID-19 pandemic, soccer is back on Spencer Hill.
In their first season since the pandemic, the Red Barons produced a 2-8 record under the tutelage of first-year head coach Kevin Weber. SUNY Corning’s wins came against Onondaga Community College on September 14 and Lackawanna College on October 6.
In the win over OCC, SUNY Corning clawed its way back from a 3-0 deficit to secure a 4-3 come-from-behind victory on the road. Lillian Betts ignited the offense with a pair of goals and one assist. Her second goal of the match went down in the record book as the game-winning tally.
Gabrielle Coletta and Suyen Lau added one goal and one assist each, while Ava Bruehwiler was credited with an assist on Betts’ game-winner. Backstopping Corning to the win was goalkeeper Anamaria Milazzo, who made 10 saves en route to her first collegiate victory.
Corning’s second win of the year took place on its home turf, as the Red Barons powered
past Lackawanna by a 4-1 final score. Autumn Garrison did the heavy lifting by scoring all four goals, one of which was unassisted. Stephenie Longwell, Bruehwiler and Coletta were all credited with one assist each, while Milazzo stopped
seven shots.
At the conclusion of the season, Corning placed four student-athletes - Garrison, Bruehwiler, Coletta, and Milazzo – on the Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) All-Conference Team.
Garrison totaled 23 points on 10 goals and three assists, while Bruehwiler (3g-3a) and Coletta (3g-2a) added nine and eight points, respectively.
Milazzo anchored the Red Barons’ defense as the starting netminder and amassed 105 saves while starting in all 10 games. She made 10-plus saves on five occasions, including a season-high 21 stops in Corning’s season-opening match against Genesee Community College, a team that went on to claim third place in the NJCAA national tournament.
For more information about the women's soccer program, click here.
The COVID-19 pandemic halted women’s volleyball a season ago, but the Red Barons returned
to Kenner Court in the fall of 2021. In what was a shorter season than in previous
years, SUNY Corning Community College posted a 4-7 record behind the efforts of first-year
head coach Jared Kucko.
Corning opened the season with a pair of setbacks at home but found its groove shortly after and won four of the next five matches, which included a three-match win streak from September 26 – October 6.
During that three-match run, Corning collected road wins against Niagara Community College (3-0), Onondaga Community College (3-1), and Tompkins Cortland Community College (3-2). The Red Barons earned a four-set win over Genesee Community College to round out their four wins.
Horseheads, New York, native Abigail Whitford paced the Corning offense with team highs in kills (68) and service aces (30). Mikala Coots added 58 kills, the second-highest total on the team, and was one of five Red Barons to finish the season with 70-plus digs.
Arguably Corning’s most efficient hitter was Kylie Lynch, who posted an attack percentage of 21.2%, a mark that led all players with 80 or
more attempts. She had 48 kills with 19 errors on 137 attempts. Lynch was Corning’s
most impactful blocker, as she produced nine blocks, eight of which were solos.
Brianna Pratt orchestrated the Corning attack as the team’s starting setter. She dished out 193 assists, added 32 kills, and logged the team’s second-highest dig total with 81. The only player with more digs was the starting libero, Lauren Weaver, who amassed 177 and ranked fourth in NJCAA Region 3 with 4.32 digs per set.
For more information on the women's volleyball team, click here.
Joddie Decker was the sole member of the women’s cross country team this past fall, and despite
not having a running mate to set a pace alongside her, the Penn Yan, New York, native
undoubtedly had one of the greatest performances in program history.
Decker ran in six races throughout the 2021 campaign, but none as big as her final race at the 2021 NJCAA Division III National Championship, hosted at Council Farms in Milledgeville, Georgia.
On the national stage, Decker produced a season-best time of 20:52.04, a full 20.64 seconds faster than her previous fastest 5K time of the season. Decker placed ninth in the national field and as a result she was lauded with NJCAA All-American honors.
Decker is Corning’s first cross country All-American since Rebecca Copp, who claimed the national accolade in 2001 for the Red Barons. Copp was alongside Decker for the 2021 season, as she served as the head coach of the women’s cross country team.
In total, Decker turned in four top-10 finishes in six races this season, three of
which she finished fifth or better. One of her three top-five finishes took place
at the NJCAA Division III Regional, a race that she placed third and was named to
the NJCAA All-Region 3 Team.
For more information on the women's cross country team, click here.
SUNY Corning Community College fielded a team of six runners during the fall season
and competed in seven races over the course of two months. Under the direction of
head coach Matt Skerritt, the Red Barons produced a pair of top-three finishes and capped the 2021 campaign
by tying for fourth place at the NJCAA Region III race.
First-year runner Chase Ripley was the team’s top runner throughout the season, as he crossed the finish line first for Corning in each and every race. He owns the top two fastest 8K times of the season, a well as three of the top five.
His fastest time of the year came at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational, where he clocked in at 31:00.5 and his highest finish occurred at the Bruce Bridgeman Invitational, hosted by Finger Lakes Community College, where he claimed ninth place, CCC’s lone top-10 finish of the year.
The brother tandem of Dennis Pierce and Dakota Pierce had a fine season for the Red Barons. Dennis, who completed his second season with the team, finished second for Corning in five of seven races and produced the team’s third-fastest 8K time of the year (31:21.5) at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational.
Dakota had a solid first season on the trails and logged the fourth-fastest 8K time of the season (31:25.2), which also took place at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational.
Rounding out the CCC cross country runners were Sean McKenna, Matthew Klerks, and Bryan Armpriest. McKenna and Armpriest set personal best 8K times at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational
with times of 33:18.3 and 35:55.7, respectively, while Klerks clocked a personal best
time of 33:39.2 at the NJCAA Region III competition.
For more information on the men's cross country team, click here.
After seeing the 2020-21 season halted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SUNY
Corning Community College men’s basketball team returned to the hardwood for the 2021-22
campaign under the guidance of head coach Isaac Bushey.
The Red Barons are off to a solid start to the season and will head into the New Year with a 4-3 overall record with a 4-1 mark against NJCAA Region III opponents. After suffering a double-digit setback in its season opener, Corning bounced back with a 14-point win on Kenner Court against North Country Community College.
From there, CCC dropped back-to-back games before rattling off three straight wins. The streak began with a signature win on the road against No. 7 nationally-ranked Mohawk Valley Community College, 78-56. Corning then produced its most dominant win of the season thus far with a 98-60 triumph over SUNY Adirondack, before closing out the 2021 portion of its schedule with a nail-biting 84-79 win against Hudson Valley Community College.
Bryce Smith, a product of nearby Elmira High School, has been a key factor in Corning’s success so far. The 6-foot-7 big man is averaging a double-double with 12.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. His play has not gone unrecognized, as he was tabbed as the NJCAA Region III Athlete of the Week on November 23, 2021.
The Red Barons feature a well-balanced team, one that has seven players averaging
6.0 points per game or more. Rochester, New York, native Andre Starks leads the team in scoring with 12.8 points per game and ranks second on the squad
with 3.0 assists per contest. Philadelphia native Damont Hanton is just shy of averaging double figures with 9.4 points per game and is second with
1.4 steals per contest.
Josh Green of Newark, New York, has been a steady contributor with his all-around play. The 6-foot-5 wing is fourth in scoring (8.6 ppg) and is second rebounding (6.1 rpg). MarKel Norman of Fairmont Heights, Maryland, has been a do-it-all type of player from the guard position for the Red Barons. He ranks fifth in scoring (7.8 ppg), first in assists (3.2 apg), first in steals (1.8 spg) and fourth in rebounding (3.2 rpg).
Maurice Doby and Jamere Kosh have been consistent contributors from a scoring perspective, adding per-game averages of 6.3 and 6.0, respectively. Doby ranks third on the team in steals per game (1.1), while Kosh is third in assists per game (2.1).
The Red Barons have 15 games remaining on the 2021-22 schedule, including eight home contests on Kenner Court. CCC opens the second half of the year with four of its first five games on the road, before settling into a five-game homestand from January 19-February 2. To view the complete schedule, click here.
For more information on the men's basketball team, click here.
Under the guidance of head coach Mike Wright, SUNY Corning Community College women’s basketball is back on the floor for the first
time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck back in March 2020. The Red Barons will be
looking to build on a 1-6 overall record as they head into the second half of the
season.
Corning’s lone win thus far took place on the road against Mohawk Valley Community College by a 68-52 final score. In the win, Corning rode the momentum of a hot shooting night that saw the Red Barons connect at a 41.4% clip from the field on 29-of-70 shooting, a season best for the CCC women. A trio of players logged double digits, including Chyna Ames (22), Taylor VanDine (13), and Gabrielle Randall (12).
The most notable stat from the win over Mohawk Valley was the rebounding efforts of Randall, who pulled down 29 rebounds, 16 of which came on the offensive glass. The 29 boards set a new program record for the Red Barons, shattering the previous mark of 26 set by Angie Moon during the 1995-96 season.
Through the first seven games of the season, Ames and VanDine are averaging double figures in points with 11.4 and 10.4, respectively. Ames leads the team in blocks per game (1.6) – an average that ranks third in NJCAA Region III – steals per game (2.1), third in rebounds per game (5.7) and fourth in assists per game (1.7). VanDine leads CCC in assists per game (2.8), is fifth in rebounds per game (4.2), and has been the team’s most efficient shooter from the foul line, knocking down 18-of-22 attempts (81.8%).
Destiny Hammond and Randall are averaging similar scoring numbers with 8.8 and 8.2 points per game, respectively. Randall leads the team with 10.5 rebounds per game, a mark that ranks fifth in NJCAA Region III, while Hammond sits second on the squad in steals per contest with 2.0.
Not far behind in terms of scoring have been Kara Reese and Ava Bruehwiler. Reese has been a sparkplug off of the bench, adding 6.8 points and 3.7 rebounds
per game. Bruehwiler, a dual-sport athlete at Corning who also plays soccer, has chipped
in as both a starter and off of the bench. She’s averaging 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds
per contest.
Autumn Garrison, Joddie Decker, Madison Palmatier and Shaelyn Berguson round out Corning’s roster and have contributed throughout the early stages of the season. Garrison saw action in one contest so far this season and scored five points. Decker has started in one of three games played and averages 2.3 assists per game. Palmatier has started in six of seven games and has dished out 10 assists. Berguson has seen the floor in each of Corning’s seven games as a reserve and has averaged 2.9 rebounds per game.
The Red Barons return to action after the New Year and the second half of their schedule features 13 contests, seven of which will take place on CCC’s home hardwood. Corning will play four of its first five games on the road, before hosting four consecutive home games from January 19-February 2. To view the complete schedule, click here.
For more information on the women's basketball team, click here.
Esports – the newest athletics offering at SUNY Corning Community College – fielded its first team during the fall semester of the 2021-22 academic year. Despite it being the inaugural season for the esports program, the Red Barons are off to a fantastic start under the direction of first-year head coach Caleb McGuire.
The Red Barons field teams that competed in the following games: Super Smash Bros., NBA 2K1, Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch, and Rocket League.
Corning’s first-ever esports win took place on September 21, 2021, when the Red Barons secured a 2-0 win against Johnston Community College in Rainbow Six Siege. The winning team consisted of CCC student-athletes Keefe Ehrenberg, Race Walsemann, Dakota Keister, Sammy Jewers, Jason Reisinger, Chris Rice, and Jason Buchanan.
In NBA 2K21, Corning’s Sam Hall produced a stellar 9-2 record. Meanwhile, Joe Putnam went 9-1 in Super Smash Bros. and qualified for the national tournament. Putnam fell in the Round of 32, making him a top-32 gamer in the country.
Another highlight of the season featured CCC’s Valorant team, which clinched a postseason berth. The team of Zachary Schlaufman, Walsemann, Rice, Ehrenberg, and Buchanan entered the playoffs as the No. 16 seed, but ultimately fell in the opening round to the top-seeded team. Despite the early exit, it was nonetheless a strong and promising start to the program.
For more information about the esports team, click here.
Don Sherman, reporting for SUNY Corning Community College