Athletics

The Morrisville State College women’s basketball team is making final preparations as they approach the start to the upcoming 2012-13 season on Friday. Under direction of new head coach Steve Kaneshiki, Morrisville State is looking to utilize some new faces to move the program forward. Key to achieving that goal is the camaraderie necessary to make remarkable improvements as the season wears on.

The Morrisville State College athletics department has named hunt seat equestrian team rider, Rachel Kenney (Esperance, N.Y.) the Mustang Athlete of the Week for the week ending November 11. Kenney led Morrisville State to reserve champion team honors twice over the weekend, finishing atop the open equitation on the flat class two times, and posting a first place finish in the intermediate equitation over fence class. She also qualified for regionals in intermediate equitation over fences.

The Morrisville State College hunt seat equestrian hosted two Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) events over the weekend, earning team reserve championship honors at both, just points shy of show champion Skidmore. On Saturday, Skidmore recorded 43 team points to claim the show’s top honor, while Morrisville State came in second with 35, narrowly beating Hartwick who registered 33 points on the day.

The Morrisville State College men’s basketball team is making final preparations as they approach the beginning of the upcoming season. Coming off the program’s best ever NCAA record of 19-8, including a 14-1 mark in conference action, the Mustangs are looking to build on that success in 2012-13 and knows that they have to remain focused as each game approaches, starting Friday.

The Morrisville State College men’s soccer team was defeated by nationally ranked #6 Carnegie Mellon University in the first round of NCAA Tournament action, 3-0, Saturday evening in Pittsburgh. Carnegie Mellon controlled the ball for much of the first half, but the Mustang defense, led by freshman goalkeeper Rob Larkin, held strong and fought to keep the Tartans off the board. Morrisville State created a few outstanding scoring opportunities, including a one on one with the goalkeeper, but was unable to convert.

Senior forward Chris Kaleta (Hamburg, N.Y.) registered a hat trick and assisted one to lead the visiting SUNY Cortland Red Dragons to a 5-3 hockey State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory over host Morrisville State Saturday night in Morrisville. The win is the first for the Red Dragons in 2012, as they improve to 1-4 overall, 1-3 in conference play, while the Mustangs drop to 0-7, 0-6 in SUNYAC action.

A second period scoring burst led top nationally ranked Oswego State to a 5-1 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory over host Morrisville State College Friday evening in Morrisville. The loss drops the Mustangs to 0-6 overall, 0-5 in conference action, while the Lakers remain untouched at 5-0, 4-0 in SUNYAC play. James Jarvis (Pickering, Ont.) scored the lone tally for the Mustangs, while Ryan Marcuz (Richmond Hill, Ont.) collected the assist.

Additional information became available this morning for the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Regional game between Morrisville State College and Carnegie Mellon University. Tickets for the contest are $6 per adult, $3 for students and senior citizens and $2 for children ages 3-12. Fans are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs. Additionally, live stats and live video will be available through the following site: http://athletics.cmu.edu/sports/msoc/2012-13/ncaahost1.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men’s East Poll has released their current regional rankings, listing Morrisville State College in a three way tie for the tenth position. This marks the first time any collegiate sport at Morrisville State College has achieved a regional ranking. Stevens Institute of Technology (16-2-1) holds the top position, while Morrisville State (15-4-1) is tied with Union (12-5) and Ithaca (7-5-6) for the tenth spot.

The Morrisville State College western equestrian team opened team competition for the 2012-2013 season Sunday, claiming reserve honors in the morning show before following with high point team honors in the afternoon.