Category: Sports

After a rocky start to their season, the Houghton women’s soccer team still finds themselves in fourth place in the Empire 8 Conference. After their last four conference matches, the Highlanders came out with a record of 2-2. The play on the defensive end was outstanding. Led by the play of junior goalkeeper Sadie Dunnett ‘20 the team surrendered only 3 goals over the stretch. “Although we’ve had a bit of a rocky season, we’re feeling optimistic looking forward. We played well against Nazareth who is a solid team, despite an unfortunate result,” said Dunnett. “We commit every season to the Lord and we hope to play out the next few games in a way that is pleasing to Him.” The Highlanders will travel to Stevens on Saturday, Oct. 28 to play in what will be their most important contest of the year. After claiming a 3-3-1 record in conference, the team needs only one more Empire 8 win to clinch a berth in the Empire 8 tournament; Stevens will be their last chance to do so.

After six straight disappointing contests, the men’s soccer team finally made its way back into the win column against Alfred State College on Thursday, Oct. 19. In the 4-0 victory, three Highlanders were able to hit nylon for the first time time in their collegiate careers. Those goals were scored by sophomore forward, Dan Bussy ‘20, junior defender Darcy Mitchell ‘19, and sophomore defender Caleb Kaiss ‘20. Junior midfielder, Zach Shilvock ‘19 also contributed a goal of his own. Unfortunately, the team will not be making the Empire 8 tournament, but the future looks bright for this young squad. The team will head to Nazareth College on Saturday to play their last game of the season.

The women’s tennis team made history this season by becoming the first team in their program’s young history to compete in the Empire 8 tournament. The team played hard, but was defeated by Nazareth College with a score of 5-0. “It was very exciting to see all of our team’s hard work moving towards an achievable goal. Making it to the final four tournament this season was a great bonding experience for us. I am very thankful to be a part of tennis here at Houghton,” said team captain Amanda Carl ’19. The win was a huge step in the right direction for a program that is now threatening to make themselves the top team in the conference.

The cross country teams had another solid outing at the Highlander Invitational at the Field of Dreams. The weather held up for the men’s team, and it showed. The team had six runners finish in under 29 minutes led by Matthew Gostomski ‘19, followed by Daniel Burdo ‘20, Tyler Deuschle ‘20, Joel Wheeler ‘21, Dominik Sullivan ‘21, and Dillon Bell ‘21. The team’s top five was an average of 27:43.7. “It was nice to be able to see what shape we were in and what we can do in good conditions,” said Daniel Burdo about the race. Unfortunately, bad weather rolled in for the women’s team. The top five averaged a time of 26:08.2, led by Shelby Langlois ‘20, followed by Emily Blosdale ‘20, Rachel Hummel ‘18, Gwen Stokes ‘20, and Anja Oberg ‘21.

Women’s volleyball, currently on a four game losing streak, will look to make their way back into the win column this weekend when they host Canton, Keuka, and Allegheny. Unfortunately, the team will not be making an appearance in the conference tournament. Despite the disappointing end, the Highlanders fought well all season. This young squad will be one to contend with in the coming years.

Women’s field hockey came up with a huge conference win against Elmira, jumping out in front early and cruising to a 4-1 win. The win improved their conference record to 2-6 and kept their playoff hopes alive. The rest is out of their hands. Saturday’s games will determine who snags the last spot in the tournament. The team will play their last game here at home against SUNY Morrisville on Saturday, October 28 at 2:00 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

The Houghton Men’s Soccer team kicked its season off at the Oswego tournament on September 1. After dropping the first game to Oswego by a score of 5-0, they were able to rebound and squeak out a 3-2 win in an overtime contest with SUNY Purchase. In their home opener the Highlanders fell behind Hiram due to a penalty kick scored by the Terriers. The equalizing goal came from junior striker, Ben Lawrence; it was his first of the season. Lawrence would go on to win Empire 8 offensive player of the week. Twenty minutes later, game winning goal was scored by junior midfielder, Zach Shilvock. The goal was Shilvock’s first as a Highlander and could not have come at a more important time. “After taking a year off, it felt great to be able to start off strong and help the team right away.” said Shilvock.

The Highlanders split their games in the Fredonia tournament and currently hold a record of (3-2). You can see the team in action on Wednesday, September 13 at 7:00 on Burke Field as they take on SUNY Geneseo.

Women’s Soccer

Women’s soccer stumbled out of the gate losing games to Mary Washington and Brockport. Despite the early hiccups, the team is still in great shape. Perhaps one of the brightest spots is the young talent joining the team this year including freshman striker, Kealy DeForest. DeForest’s first career goal as a Highlander was also the first of the team’s season. “Pure excitement of the fact that I had just scored my first collegiate goal! I’m so thankful for the amazing supportive team, and coach I have. They have really helped me grow as a person, and player!” said DeForest.

“We are excited to have such a large freshman class joining our team this year…many of them have the ability to start, or play a fair amount of minutes” said senior captain, Jess Beattie.

The start may not have been what they expected, but that doesn’t change the way the team sees their season. “Every year our team expectation is to play good soccer for the glory of God. The team goal this season is to advance to the NCAA tournament… Besides the rough start, the team expects to come out with some wins over the next couple weeks to turn our season around.” said Beattie.

The Highlanders will look to do just that on Wednesday, September 13 as they travel to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

Women’s Field Hockey

The Houghton Field Hockey team came out firing to open their season winning their first three contests against SUNY Oswego, Keystone, and Keuka. Unfortunately, the first misstep came in the form of a 1-0 loss to Washington and Jefferson on Saturday, September 9. “We’ve had a strong start to our season and we are really hoping to prove our consistency as the season progresses. Overall we aspire to be a team that models excellence for the glory of God on the field, in the classroom, and in our lifestyles.” Said senior Alyson DeMerchant.

The Highlanders will travel to SUNY Cortland on Tuesday September 12.

Volleyball

Brianne Starks got off to a great start in her premier season as head coach of the Highlanders Volleyball team. The team won three out of four in their St. Lawrence Tournament. The team now holds a record of (5-4) after dropping three of their next five. “We’re hoping to redeem ourselves tomorrow against [Buffalo] State, who we beat in three a couple weekends ago. They are a strong team but we managed to outplay them last time.” said sophomore Jaimee Glendenning.

Women’s Tennis

The Houghton Women’s Tennis team started off slow this year dropping two conference matches between St. John Fisher, and Nazareth. Fortunately the team fired back against the newest member of the Empire 8, Sage College, beating them by a score of 5-4. That momentum carried into the team’s most recent match as they rolled to an 8-1 win over Pitt-Bradford. “Last year we ended up fifth in our conference, this year we are looking to be fourth in the Empire 8” said Senior Jacqi Lewis. Achieving that goal would land the Highlanders a spot in the conference tournament.  

Men’s and women’s basketball as well as men’s and women’s indoor track and field came to a close on Saturday. The Nielsen center was packed with over 300 people who came to see Highlanders play host to cross-town rival Alfred University. Down by 8 early in the game, the Highlanders had their work cut out for them. With Phil Pellegrino ‘17 coming into the game with 999 career points, the Highlander faithful were just waiting to erupt. When Pellegrino stepped up to the free throw line the anticipation was palpable. After draining the first basket, the crowd’s excitement couldn’t be contained any longer as they cheered on their 1,000-point scorer. “Scoring 1,000 points was something that I never really thought of my whole college career. I hear of so few people doing it that it never registered to me that it was a possibility. Being able to do it in front of a home crowd on my last game was something out of a dream. The amount of support that whole Houghton community gave me throughout the process was an unforgettable experience,” said Pellegrino.

The Highlanders went on to defeat Alfred on the backs of Dylan Lambert’s ‘19 41 points and a clutch three-point shot from Pellegrino that would prove to be the game winner. “…It was the ultimate high note. Having transferred from Alfred U after my freshman year it was a pretty sweet victory for me personally. Every senior contributed a ton to the game, so it really sent us all out with a good taste in our mouths. I can’t say enough about the support and love that all my teammates and the Houghton community has given the entire year. I couldn’t have asked for a better college basketball experience,” he said.

Though the Highlanders failed to reach their goal of making the playoffs, the team posted a final record of 10-15. “It was great to win against a rival to end the not only the last game of the season but my college career as well… [it] was just all you could ask for” said Johnathan Stowe ‘17.

The Houghton Women’s basketball team closed their season out in an exciting way as well. Unfortunately, the outcome was not as favorable as the men’s game. The Houghton crowd thought the game was won when Madison Detwiler ‘19 converted the two most crucial points of the game at the line giving the Highlanders a two-point advantage with five seconds to play. Instead it was Alfred’s Jamie Wilcox to the rescue, scoring a two-point jumper as time expired to force overtime. Despite the Highlander effort, Alfred prevailed by a score of 83-78. “The end of the season is always tough, even more so after an overtime loss. That hurt. We did improve from last year, but I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I thought our team wasn’t capable of more as far as wins and losses go. I am most thankful for my time here because I have made amazing lifelong friends…I can’t wait to see what the team does next year,” said Elle Reed ‘17 after her last game as a Highlander.

The team may see a bright future. Major contributors such as Laura Call ‘18, Brittany Lenart ‘19, Madison Detwiler ‘19, Leslie Moose ‘19 and Cori Beck ‘20 will be returning next year for another run at the Empire 8 tournament.

The Houghton indoor track and field team also had a productive season. In the Empire 8 Championships the team recorded 20 personal best performances. A school record was set in the men’s 4 x 4 by Cory McCarty ‘17, Dan Burdo ‘20, Nate Moore ‘18, and Will Baggs ‘20. The men’s team set a school record by scoring 16 points in a conference meet, and Nikki Garns ‘18 set the Division III era school record in the 200 meter. To top off conference competition, Leland Roberts ‘19 pole vaulted his way to becoming an Empire 8 Champion.

At the National Christian College Athletic Association national tournament, Gwen Stokes ‘20 earned All-American honors in the high jump, making third place with a leap of 1.52 meters.

Rebekah White ‘18, Stokes, Garns, and Emma Fox ‘20 now hold the school record for the women’s 4×400 meter run, after sprinting to a time of 4:14.39 at nationals. The foursome finished in 6th place overall.

Three former major-leaguers and dozens of junior high and high school baseball players gathered in the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex on Saturday to participate in the Elite One Day Baseball Clinic. The clinic was hosted by the Houghton College baseball team. The clinic was split into two sessions. One took place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and was geared towards varsity and junior varsity players. The other took place from 2:30 to 4:30 and was geared more towards junior high players, according to a Houghton College press release.

Players who attended the clinic had the opportunity to meet and learn from former pro players like  Dan Cevette (Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates), Brian Jones (Team USA), and Ron Bush (Detroit Tigers). All players had a chance to split up and work on things like hitting, base running, and spin recognition in groups, according to the event website. Baseball team members and baseball coaching staff assisted in running the clinic.

According to the clinic schedule, players split up into position groups and worked on drills specific to certain positions. Catchers worked on skills like popping up after catching the ball. Infielders worked on turning double plays, and quick hands. Outfielders worked on reading fly balls.

Houghton pitcher, John Kopicky ‘19, said the pitchers’ program varied a little from the other position groups. Instead of throwing on the mound and doing drills, they took the opportunity to learn from the professional players leading the clinic.Kopicky said,  “Dan Cevette, who was drafted in the third round out of high school talked to all the pitchers and gave tips and just a talk focused on pitching…pitching is a little different and they benefitted more in the short time by hearing tips and asking questions rather than throwing on the mound”.

Though this was not a recruitment camp, Houghton may see a few of those in attendance as Highlanders in the future. “Well the intent was to help players get better. We weren’t really bringing them to recruit them, but some caught our attention,” said Kopicky.

The clinic is one of several like clinics which have drawn people to the field house in the last few semesters. Athletic Director Harold “Skip” Lord said, “in ways that are both missional and also draw prospective students.” The athletic department plans to run two to three such clinics per year, featuring elite athletes who “fit” the mission of Houghton College and the athletic department, Lord said.