MVCC women’s soccer team advances to national championships at Herkimer CCC

Bradley Griffin named athlete of the week

Mohawk Valley Community College’s women’s soccer team advanced to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament by defeating District B representative Nassau CCC 3-0 in the Region III championship game held at Tompkins-Cortland CC.

The 17-3 Hawks were led by Samantha Spohler (East Durham/Cairo-Durham High), Samantha Smith (Ilion/Mohawk High), and Jackie Welch (Rome/Rome Free Academy) with one goal each.

Goalkeeper Caitlyn Smith (Madison/Madison High) made four saves in this victory as the Hawks advance to the NJCAA Final Four Tournament to be held at Herkimer CCC on Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15.

Men’s Soccer: The Hawks, seeded No. 3, reached the semifinal of the Region III tournament before falling to No. 2 seeded North Country CC, 4-2. M

MVCC reached this level by knocking off Finger Lakes CC, 2-0, on goals by Brandon Butts (Schenevus/Charlotte Valley CS) and Matt Owusu (Brooklyn/Samuel J. Tilden High). Making the assist on both these goal was Steve Wilday (Broadalbin/Galway HS). Goalie Shane Sullivan (Sherrill/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High) made two saves against Finger Lakes.

In the game against North Country, Butts scored again while Dan Cain (Marcy/Whitesboro High) tallied a goal off a pass from Orainge Pringle (Staten Island/Port Richmond HS). Sullivan made five saves as the Hawks finish the season with an 11-6 overall record and 11-4 in Region III.

Women’s Cross Country: The Hawks placed second out of a field of 24 colleges and finished tied with SUNY Delhi for the Pepsi Cup at the NJCAA Division III National Championships held at Finger Lakes Community College this past weekend.

MVCC was led by sophomore Hannah Hoffman (Rome/Rome Free Academy) as she finished second in 20 minutes, 8 seconds on this 5K course. Cassie White (Marcy/Whitesboro High) finished in fourth place with a time of 21:04 as both she and Hoffman were named First Team All-Americans. Michelle Page (Whitesboro/Whitesboro High) finished in ninth place in 21:11 and was selected a Second Team All-American.

The Hawks’ women’s cross country program was also named “Team of the Decade” for the time span of 2000-2009 in their particular sport. This award is based on the performance of MVCC’s teams during the decade, which includes winning three NJCAA National Championships. The coveted Pepsi Cup is awarded to the college with the best men’s and women’s teams combined finished at the national championships.

Men’s Cross Country: Todd Butters (Rome/Rome Free Academy) finished the men’s 5-mile course in eighth place with a time of 28:41 as MVCC earned third place out of a field of 25 colleges. Butters was named Second Team All-American for the second time. Garrett Parker (Marcy/Whitesboro High) was named a Third Team All-American after finishing in 11th place in 28:49.

Ice Hockey: The Hawks split their action while winning their first game with an 8-6 final over SUNY Canton. Leading MVCC on the ice was David Roy (Clinton/Clinton High) three goals while Dustin Frankey (Rome/Rome Free Academy) assisted on two of the goals while scoring once himself. Goalkeeper Joe Koziarz (Utica/Whitesboro High) made 52 saves as the Hawks improved to 1-5 overall and 0-4 in Region III.

In a Region III contest against Monroe CC, the Hawks fell 15-3. Roy and Frankey had one goal and one assist each. Against Hudson Valley CC, MVCC fell 10-3 as Mike Nassar (Deerfield/Whitesboro High) tallied two goals and Frankey added another.

Men’s Basketball: The Hawks are off to a strong start this season having won back-to-back games in the Torchis Classic last week. In the opening round, MVCC ran off to an 86-66 victory over Queensboro Community College behind the play of Bradley Griffin (Rochester/Charlotte HS) with 31 points. Jerome Davis (Rochester/Franklin HS) followed suit with 17 points.

MVCC carried this momentum into the championship game as the Hawks held off Orange Community College for a 65-59 victory on the shoulders of Davis and his 29 points. Griffin tallied 27 points in keeping pace.

Earlier in the week, Griffin scored a career high 39 points as MVCC defeated Tompkins-Cortland CC, 93-74. Davis added 17 points. MVCC is undefeated at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Region III competition.

Women’s Basketball: The Hawks continue to pick up momentum by remaining undefeated and capturing the Torchia Class championship last week. In the first round, MVCC cruised past Lackawanna College, 65-34, as freshman Isayra Diaz (Harlem/Richard Green HS of Teaching) led the Hawks with 16 points.

In the title game, MVCC was led by Domonique Washington (San Bernardino, Ca/Redlands East Valley HS) with 17 points as the Hawks flew off with a 76-71 victory. Washington was named tournament MVP while sophomore Desiree Fauvelle (Newport/West Canada Valley HS) was named to the All Third Team of the Torchia Memorial Classic.

Earlier in the week, the Hawks (4-0 and 2-0) defeated Tompkins-Cortland CC, 74-66. MVCC was led in scoring by Keonti Powell (Bronx/JFK) and Liz Unger (Hamilton/Hamilton HS) with 16 points each.

Athlete of the Week: Bradley Griffin averaged 31 points per game in helping the Hawks basketball team to three wins last week. Griffin was named as the MVP of the Anthony Torchia Classic. For his performance, Griffin was named MVCC’s Athlete of the Week. The sophomore Recreation and Leisure major, is a graduate of Charlotte High School in Rochester.

MVCC women’s soccer team advances to national championships at Herkimer CCC

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