by Warren Kozireski
Roberts Wesleyan College announced in July that it has received NCAA notification officially advancing the program to provisional status with active status anticipated for next summer in its transition to Division II.
All teams will again be ineligible to qualify for East Coast Conference or NCAA postseason spots, but does maintain its membership in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), so can compete in the postseason in that conference this academic year.
Men’s Tennis
The unit advanced to the NCCAA national championships for the third consecutive year with an at-large bid after an 18-7 campaign.
Charles FarresCharles Farres was named NCCAA All-American First Team and ECC Rookie of the Year after his 46 win freshman season which set a school mark for combined wins (single and doubles) in a season.
First singles senior Beka Buchukuri has 78 wins over his first three campaigns while sophomore Robert Beer, playing largely fourth singles, was second last season with an 18-8 overall record.
Farres, with senior and Second Team ECC All-Conference selection Sam Thorold, went 13-6 at first doubles last year with Beer and Buchukuri going 11-7 at second doubles. Thorold is expected to move into the third singles spot this fall with junior Emanuel Rauchle at fifth singles.
Recruits to the squad, which lost one senior and one transfer, are Matt McCall from Section III where he was first singles at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School, St. Bonaventure transfer Puneet Sharma from DuBai, and Churchville-Chili graduate Andrew Messenger.
“We have done a good job filling the holes created by graduation and transfers,” head coach Tom Linhart said. “We should continue to be very competitive and look to qualify for our fourth consecutive post season appearance.”
The fall portion of the schedule opens with the “Thruway Showdown Tournament” with Daemen and LeMoyne September 6 at Roberts.
Cross Country
The women and men each had impressive seasons in 2012 with the women taking second at the NCCAA National Championships and the men fourth. With minimal losses to graduation on either side, the Redhawks are primed for 2013.
Kim MillsSenior Kim Mills, with juniors Rachel Prutsman and Megan Hulton, make it three NCCAA All-Americans and the depth doesn’t stop there. First Team All-East Coast Conference pick Hannah Taft is back for one more season and junior Rachel Cannon was a Second Team selection.
Freshman Rachel Hutchinson arrives as does Division I transfer Elizabeth Valento and Division II transfer Julia Berkowicz along with Churchville-Chili products Abigail Monroe and Rachel Davis to bolster an already formidable group of runners.
“The young and very talented Roberts team of a few years ago is not so young anymore,” head coach Andrew Dorr said. “The team didn’t graduate anyone within the top-12 and now there are some juniors and seniors who are ready to roll. The team has added experience and depth to its high level of talent and is ready to improve on last year’s impressive campaign.”
Justin BenderFor the men, NCCAA All-American Justin Bender returns after a stellar freshman year along with a sophomore trio of Thomas Rodger, Ryan Brizzolara and Enock Bar to anchor the unit and make up for the loss of All-American Matt Hussey to graduation.
They will be joined by freshman Keith Pease, who finished ninth at the state championships last fall, and Matt Watson who also finished ninth at the Class C states.
“We lost only one key runner since last year and the last two recruiting classes are the best we’ve seen in a long time, so we’re confident that the men will take another big step forward.”
The team will host the Talon Invitational September 14 and the annual Harry F. Anderson Invitational two weeks later among five scheduled meets.
Women’s Volleyball
Finishing in third place in your first year in a conference bodes well for the future, but it also led to a Rookie of the Year honor, two players being named to All-Conference teams and head coaches Kirsten and Jon Meyers being named East Coast Conference Coaches of the Year.
Maggie ConcannonMaggie Concannon led the ECC in assists with 1,004 and was named Rookie of the Year while now-junior Jordan Wilson was named to the ECC All-Conference First Team after leading the team in hitting percentage, finishing second in blocks and third in kills.
Junior Kendall Havener was named Second Team All-Conference after leading the squad in blocks and second in service aces. And senior Cory Phillips is hoping to bounce back after missing two consecutive seasons with torn ACL’s. She led the team in kills her first two seasons.
The team welcomes five freshmen including outside hitter Alex Tahauri, who is expected to move into the line-up and contribute offensively right away.
“Finishing third in our conference was a great starting point entering Division II and ECC,” said Myers. “It set the bar high however.
“Health will play a key factor in our success this year – if we remain healthy, there is a good chance we can compete for a regular season conference title.”
An early key will be replacing departed seniors Alexa Antoni and Gisela Ocasio, who finished last season 1-2 on the team in kills with Ocasio adding a team-high 363 digs with Antoni fourth in the same category.
The Redhawks begin the season on the road before their home opener September 11 against LeMoyne. Their first conference home match is October 2 versus Daemen.
Men’s Soccer
A so-so regular season ended with a trip to the NCCAA National Championship semi-finals for the Redhawks and, despite losing two All-Americans in Brandon Conley (Brockport) and Donovan Wilson, expectations are high.
“We are very excited to be competing in the NCAA Division II East Coast Conference–the competition is excellent,” said head coach Mark Fish. “We have a very strong returning group and a talented entering recruiting class. We have high expectations and certainly will be working hard for a return to the NCCAA National Tournament.”
Part of that returning class will include senior captains Derek Holmes and John Lobene and a strong junior class with 2012 leading scorer All-American junior forward Michael Cunningham, Alex Harling, Jake Zito, Matt Hohler and Stephen Stewart, who tied for the team lead in assists last year.
Brandon BianchiAdd sophomores Brandon Bianchi (Spencerport), who finished second on the team in goals and points as a freshman, and starting goalkeeper Florian Witte (Germany), who played just under 18 minutes total in his first season and depth certainly shouldn’t be an issue.
Newcomers include midfielder Malcolm Shaw from Toronto, Schenectady twins Tai and Kenny Aderounmu and St. Bonaventure transfer Garth Brungard.
The team opens at home September 5 versus Daemen and will host their conference schedule opener September 20 against Molloy.
Women’s Soccer
Each of the top four point-getters are back and the team welcomes a new head coach with a familiar face as they begin the final year of transition into a full-fledged Division II program.
The new head coach is Bobby McColl, who was an assistant coach with the program before leaving for one year to assume the head coaching duties at Greenville College.
“I am fortunate to be inheriting a strong program with a lot of potential,” McColl stated. “We have a good blend of experience and up and coming talent that I believe will help us to establish ourselves in our second year in the East Coast Conference. The goal is to improve on last year’s conference finish and compete for a place in the NCCAA National Tournament.”
Brittany KinmondFormer Spencerport scoring whiz Brittany Kinmond is back for one more season after leading the team in scoring last season and being named to the NCCAA All-American Second Team. Fellow seniors center-mid Briana Tata, Mandi Hocheheimer and sophomore Brittany Houghton also return from the top four.
One of the early keys will be replacing starting goalkeeper Brenna Maggio. Brockport grad Marissa Sell should get the first shot after she allowed only one goal over five games and 200+ minutes last season.
Among the recruits is Churchville-Chili’s Isabella Mitrevski, who was the Monroe County Division III Player of the Year and All-Greater Rochester First Team last season. All-WNY First Team pick Courtney Harnett also arrives via Orchard Park along with Kiki Luedke and Brittany Maggio.
The team opens their regular season at home September 5 and 6 versus LeMoyne and Bloomfield College with their conference opener also at home September 20 against Molloy.
