Hockey: Men’s Hockey started off the new year with a 3-1 victory over Brown. An early goal from the Bears was matched quickly by Lucas Buzziol less than a minute later. A goal in each of the second and third periods by John Prokop and Brandon Buhr accounted for the rest of the Union total. The following night the team found another win in New Haven beating the Bulldogs of Yale. Buzziol opened up the scoring off a nice point shot tip in. Josh Nixon cashed in next on the loose puck in front of the net opportunity. Yale then went on to score three straight and take the lead but Nixon was able to find space in front of the net on the power play to tie the game up. The game came down to the final two minutes when Caden Villegas hammered home a rebound to win 4-3. Their next game against 19th-ranked Clarkson didn’t have the same outcome. Standout first-year Ben Muthersbaugh lit the lamp for Union early on in the first. The next goal would go to Clarkson but followed in the final minute of the first by a Riley Brueck tip-in goal. Nixon scored in the opening two minutes of the second but then it was all Golden Knights here on out ending in a 5-3 loss. The team came back very strong the next night in Canton against the Saints of St. Lawrence. Union dominated right from the start as Nate Hanley got a turnover in SLU territory and scored first. He was followed by two power play goals from Brandon Buhr and another power play goal from Villegas. Even a SLU power play yielded points for Union as Parker Lindauer scored short-handed to go up 5-0 in the first. The Saints wouldn’t go without a fight scoring 4 of the next 5 but a goal from Ethan Benz and a third from Buhr to complete the hat-trick all but sealed the deal. A last-minute empty netter from Hanley for his second of the game was the icing on top of an 8-5 win. The team returns home this weekend for a Friday night matchup against Dartmouth and a Saturday afternoon bout against Harvard. The women’s team hasn’t had the same luck to start 2025 as they face 4 straight top 15 teams. The first of this stretch they played host to number 8 ranked Quinnipiac 8-1 with the lone goal coming from Paige Greco on the power play. The number 14 ranked Princeton Tigers came to Messa the ensuing night beating Union 5-2. Kendal Davidson and Danica Mark each netted a goal in the 2nd period. The following weekend two ECAC opponents come to town for their second matchup of the season against Union, the first of which is the number 10 team in the nation, St. Lawrence. While the team fared better than in their first meeting, with goals from Karianne Engelbert and Mallory Mauracher, it wasn’t enough to come back from the Saints early power-play goals and momentum leading to a 2-4 loss. The final game of this stretch was against the 7th best team in the nation Clarkson who won 4-0. The team looks to turn this skid around on the road this weekend against Dartmouth and Harvard, Two teams they’ve already beat this season.
Basketball: The Women’s team adds on to a nice win streak to start the year going 3-0 against Liberty League opponents. Grace Ardito and Jelena Perovic lead the scoring against Bard with 12 each and Jenna Forman held it down in the paint with 9 rebounds and 8 points in the 54-31 victory. In a narrow 66-62 win against Ithaca, Perovic filled the stat sheet with 15 points and 8 rebounds and Kate Peek led the game with 16 points which is the highest total of her career. The next day was a large 74-57 win over Skidmore where Perovic tied her season-high 16 points as well as 11 rebounds to complete the double-double. Strong performances also came from Grace Ceseretti with 15 points, Jenna Forman with 14 points, and Emma Riley with 10 boards. The team looks to continue this win streak against St. Lawrence and Clarkson this weekend. The men’s team started the week squeaking by Bard in a 63-62 victory. Everyone got involved in the scoring as Tanner Tedesco, Matthew Garside, Jack Plesser, and Christian Dufort all scored over 10 points. In the next game Tedesco, Plesser, and Garside accounted for 46 of the teams 71 points but it wasn’t enough to get past Ithaca in a 71-81 loss. Union bounced back the very next night with a decisive 80-57 win over Skidmore. The team’s leader in points, Plesser, scored 17, followed by Brendan Reid with 14 points. The two capital region natives nearly got double-doubles with Tedesco dropping 13 points and 9 assists, and Dufort recording 10 points and 9 boards. The team hopes to carry the momentum into the weekend hosting St. Lawrence on Friday night and Clarkson the next day.
Swim & Dive: In a double meet against Springfield and Hartwick, Union Women saw multiple top finishes. Jessica Konsky finished 1st in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 2:01.94, 3rd in the 100 Backstroke finishing at 1:05.44, and 3rd in 200 Back with a 2:19.23. Chloe Matthews finished 4th in the 200 Fly at 2:27.44, 4th in the 100 Free with a 58.49, and 3rd in the 100 Fly at 1:04.56. Kristina Valenti took the 1st place crown in the 200 IM with a 2:19.92, she took 4th in the 200 Breast at 2:38.25 and also 5th in the 100 Breast at 1:12.65. Grace Furtado finished 5th in the 200 Fly at 2:29.8 as well as a 4th place finish in the 200 Medley Relay alongside Konsky, Valenti, and Matthews. Alison SIlver took 2nd in the 50 Free with a 26.43, as well as 2nd in the 200 Freestyle Relay alongside Sarah Ramirez, Meghan Seidberg, and Maya Gerber. The 5th place 200 Medley Relay consisted of Molly Miller, Sarah Ramirez, Amelia Dino, and Samantha Picciotti swimming a collective time of 2:01.98. The 5th place 200 Free Relay of Kirin Lennon, Gabi Acosta, Kathlyn Pomeroy, and Picciotti swam a 1:57.8 to finish off the day. Diver Aurelie Truquet posted a score of 202.25 for 6 dives on the 1-meter board and 221.85 for 6 dives on the 3-meter board. Maggie Clifford posted a 127.2 on the 3-meter board and Aaron Armstrong posted 139.45 on the 1-meter board. The men’s team contributed some great finishes as well. Drew Hill placed 2nd in the 200 Fly swimming a 2:02.89, 2nd in the 100 Fly at 50.73, as well as placing 2nd in both the 200 Medley Relay alongside Megas, Javier, and Kraus and the 200 Free Relay. Also, on that 2nd place 200 Free relay was Josh Hiller who placed 3rd in the 200 Back at 2:09.96. The second leg of the 200 Medley, James Javier Jr., also placed 4th in the 100 Breast at 1:03.34, and 4th in the 200 Breast at 2:25.38. Along with his contribution to the 200 Medley, Walter Kraus also helped the Union 200 Free Relay place second at 1:32.6. The second Union 200 Free Relay placed 3rd lead off by Tony Piacentini, who also placed 3rd in the 1000 Free with a 10:39.76, and 3rd in the 500 free at 5:09.72. He was joined on the 200 Free Relay by Rob Shontz, Finn Weafer, and Myles Gronbach. Brayden Green placed 3rd in the 200 Fly with a 2:08.93, 4th in the 100 Fly at 55.30, and 3rd in the 200 IM at 2.08.14. Nick Megas, who was part of the 2nd place 200 Medley team, swam a 1st place 50 Free at 22.22, as well as 4th place in the 200 Free at 1:49.59, and 3rd in the 100 Free with a 49.59. Come support both Men’s and Women’s Swim & Dive as they host RPI on Sunday at 1:00 and celebrate their senior days.
Let’s Go U!
