2025 Spring Friends of Rochester Athletics Newsletter

Men’s Basketball (7-18, 1-13 UAA)

Team Highlights

• Again played one of the toughest schedules in Division III, finishing #2 on the SOS list.
• Played nine games against teams ranked nationally at the end of the season.
• In an early season 5-game win streak, Rochester swept both games at the Mark’s Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout for the sixth time in eight years, bringing its record at the event to 13-3 all-time.

Individual Highlights

• Logan Jagodzinski ’25 was named All-UAA, All-Rochester Area, and MVP of the Mark’s Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout.
• Corvin Oprea ’26 finished 12th in Division III in free throw percentage, making 90% during the season, ranking as the fifth best in a single-season at Rochester.
• Oprea and Nate Sock ’25 (M) were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
• Four players, David Ackles ’27, Nate Beitel ’26, Jagodzinski and Oprea were UAA All-Academic, while Beitel was also a Provost Circle Scholar.

Women’s Basketball (13-12, 6-8 UAA)

Team Highlights

• Defeated two league champion teams (SUNY Cortland, Ithaca).
• Swept both Chicago and Emory in UAA play.
• Defeated six regionally-ranked opponents.
• Played the region’s toughest overall schedule as measured by the NCAA Strength of Schedule criteria.

Individual Highlights

• Abby Gress ’24, ’25 (M) was named Honorable Mention WBCA All-America, D3hoops.com All-Region 3, WBCA Senior All-Star and USBWA All-Rochester Area.
• Gress was named First Team All-UAA and Erin Lillis ’25 was named Second Team All-UAA.
• Five players, Gress, Peyton Jones ’27, Bridget Miller ’26, Tia Poulakidas ’27 and Raquel Williams ’25 were named UAA All-Academic.
• Lillis, Poulakidas and Williams were College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honorees.
• Williams received the University of Rochester Athletic Leadership Award and was a Lysle ‘Spike’ Garnish Scholar recipient in the fall.

Squash (10-9, 2-0 Liberty League)

Team Highlights

• Claimed sixth straight Liberty League title, defeating Denison and St. Lawrence back in February.
• Ranked fifth in the College Squash Association (CSA) Hoehn Cup Tournament, ending the season #17 in the nation.
• Led the Liberty League with eight All-Conference honors, including Player of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year.

Individual Highlights

• Yash Fadte ’25, was the recipient of the CSA Skillman Award, the top honor given out to an individual in collegiate squash.
• Fadte was Liberty League Player of the Year, and was joined on the All-Conference Team by Omar Zakaria ’25, Dhirren Rajarathinam ’27, Tom Whiteley ’25, Arnav Mandhana ’25, Jake Koeppel ’25 and Preston Wu ’28.
• Koeppel, Whiteley and Zakaria repeated as CSA Scholar Athletes, while Sam Knoll ’25 and Alejandro Porras ’25 joined them in received Liberty League All-Academic honors.
• Whiteley and Porras were named Phi Beta Kappa in the spring.

Men’s Swimming & Diving (5-3)

Team Highlights

• Regular season wins over SUNY Cortland, Nazareth, Alfred, Fredonia and Brockport.
• Finished second of eight teams at the Ithaca Bomber Invitational.
• Earned CSCAA Scholar All-America Team accolades for a fall GPA of 3.52.
• Placed seventh at the UAA Championships at Emory.
• 23 new program all-time top-10 marks were recorded during the season.

Individual Highlights

• Max McClung ’26 and Brian Wong ’28 combined to set five new individual school records. McClung in the 100 and 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly and Wong in the 100 and 200 breaststroke.
• Three relay school records also fell this season, the 200 medley relay (McClung, Wong, Noah Falkenhagen ’28 and Ben Friedberg ’26), the 400 medley relay (McClung, Wong, Falkenhagen and Michael Scholtz ’27), and the 800 freestyle relay (McClung, Connor Kann ’28, Scholz and Bryce Berkhof ’25)
• Berkhof received the Lysle ‘Spike’ Garnish Scholar Award in the fall and Nate Attwell ’27 received an O’Brien Book Award.
• Berkhof, Brendan Habert ’26, Attwell, and Max Wozinski were CSC Academic All-District honorees and Jeremy Mah ’25, McClung and Scholz joined the group as UAA All-Academic.

Women’s Swimming & Diving (6-4)

Team Highlights

• Topped SUNY Cortland, Nazareth, Alfred, Fredonia, Grove City and Brockport during the season.
• Ended second among nine teams at the Ithaca Bomber Invitational.
• Finished seventh at the UAA Championships at Emory.
• Had a team fall semester GPA of 3.61 to earn CSCAA Scholar All-America Team accolades.
• The team moved 18 marks into the All-Time top-10 in program history across all events.

Individual Highlights

• Ariana Pasquella ’26 set a new school record in the 200 breaststroke and also established a new Speegle-Wilbraham Aquatics Center pool record in the same event this season.
• Five divers, Kaela Springer ’28, Lizzie Budde ’25, Lilia MacKenzie ’28, Julia Sides ’27 and Marlena Vieira ’26 qualified for the NCAA Region 4 Diving Championships, second most among all teams.
• UR had four honorees on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team – Leah Tang ’25, Gloria Ng ’25, Morgan Edstrom ’26 and Rachele Bachmann ’27.
• 13 individuals received UAA All-Academic praise – Alicia Albuquerque ’27, Bachmann, Budde, Sophia Dmytruk ’27, Edstrom, Paige Lovelace ’26, Ng, Talia Proweller ’26, Sides, Jessica Spahn ’25, Izzy Stevenson ’26, Tang, Vieira.

Men’s Indoor Track & Field

Team Highlights

• Finished runner-up at the Liberty League Indoor Championships for the second straight season, scoring 176 team points at the meet.
• Rochester ended fourth of 54 teams at the All-Atlantic Region Indoor Championships at Ithaca.
• Four athletes qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and UR finished 45th as a team at that competition, hosted at Nazareth.
• Nine individuals combined for 11 All-Region honors from the USTFCCCA.

Individual Highlights

• Sean Hendricks ’25 earned First Team All-America honors for the second year in a row, finishing fifth in mile at the NCAA Championships, finishing in 4:10.30. He also won the All-Atlantic Region title in that same event.
• Jordan Johnson ’25 received Second Team All-America accolades in the weight throw, ending 12th in his first career appearance at the NCAA Championships.
• Gabe Thyne ’25 also was a Second Team All-American in the heptathlon, placing 11th at nationals after winning the Liberty League and All-Atlantic Region titles the previous two weeks.
• Johnson won two titles, in the shot put and weight throw, at the Liberty League Championships, setting new school records in each event. He was named Liberty League Men’s Field Performer of the Meet for that performance.
• Cole Goodman ’25 won the Liberty League triple jump title for the second year in a row, setting a meet record of 23’10” (7.26 meters).
• New school records were set this season by Ronan Marston ’28 (60 meters), Mitch Lienert ’24, ’25 (M) (200 meters), Johnson (weight throw, shot put) and the 4x200 meter relay of P.J. London ’25, Greg Palma ’28, Lienert and Marston.

Women’s Indoor Track & Field

Team Highlights

• Rochester’s women were second at the Liberty League Indoor Championships, scoring 140 points.
• UR ended ninth of 55 scoring teams at the All-Atlantic Region Indoor Championships at Ithaca.
• Four individuals represented Rochester at the NCAA Division III Championships at Nazareth, coming in two individual events and one relay, with the Yellowjackets placed 26th overall as a team at that meet.
• Rochester scored nine All-Region honors from the USTFCCCA for the indoor season.

Individual Highlights

• Megan Bell ’25 finished third in the 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning First Team All-America honors in that event for the second straight year. She also won the Liberty League title in that event for the third consecutive season.
• Bell established a new school record of 2:07.95 in the 800 meters at the Boston U. Valentine Invite in February, moving her into the top-10 all-time in Division III history.
• Rochester’s 4x400 meter relay of Bell, Nora Chen ’27, Raquella Casserino ’27 and Eva Ciuffetelli ’27 received First Team All-America accolades for the fourth straight year, finishing sixth at nationals. That group also won the Liberty League and All-Atlantic Regional titles.
• Chen qualified individually for NCAA’s in the 400 meters and earned Second Team All-America honors with an 11th place finish.
• Deziree Garrick ’25 won the weight throw at the Liberty League Championships, while teammate Cora Rose set a new school record in the shot put at the same meet, tossing 43’6” (13.26 meters) to rank second in the field.

Baseball (16-17, 10-10 Liberty League)

Team Highlights

• Qualified for the Liberty League Crossover series for the fourth straight season.
• Hit a program-record six home runs in an 18-7 victory at Scranton.
• Scored four walk-off victories at home on Towers Field during the season.
• 20 individuals were named Liberty League All-Academic

Individual Highlights

• Colby Cruser ’25 was named Co-Player of the Year in the Liberty League, First and Second Team All-Conference, and All-Region by D3baseball.com and ABCA.
• Joining on the All-Region teams were Josh Leadem ’24, ’25 (M) and Alexander Gonzalo ’25.
• Sammy Rosenfield ’25, Jackson Reed ’24, ’25 (M) and Leadem were First Team All-Liberty League, while Gonzalo made the Second Team.
• Reed became Rochester’s all-time hits leader, while Leadem broke the school record for career stolen bases.
• Sammy Smith ’25 (M), Cruser, Gonzao, Rosenfield and Sammy Besztery ’27 were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
• Jack Corcoran ’25 was elected Phi Beta Kappa and Cruser was a Lysle ‘Spike’ Garnish Scholar.

Golf

Team Highlights

• Rochester finished 11th of 43 teams at the NCAA Division III Championship, the programs best finish at nationals since 1994.
• UR shattered the single-season team scoring average record, shooting 292.9 strokes per round this season (previous record was 300.6).
• The Yellowjackets won their second straight Liberty League title, going wire-to-wire in 2025.
• Rochester ended second of 16 at the Farmingdale Spring Invitational and was 12th of 30 at the Jekyll Island Collegiate.
• UR was the top ranked team the region and cracked the NCAA top-25 during the spring.

Individual Highlights

• Shibo Wang ’27 and Alvin Su ’28 were named GCAA Honorable Mention All-Americans, with Su also earning a spot on the Division III All-Freshman Team.
• Wang was named Liberty League Player of the Year and First Team. He was joined on the First Team by Liberty League Rookie of the Year Luke Evans ’28 and Arjun Aujla ’27. Eddie Ren ’28 and Su were Second Team All-Liberty League.
• Ajula, Evans, Ren, Su and Wang received All-Region II accolades.
• Su and Wang were Second Team All-UAA selections.
• Wang was named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large, Marshall Kim ’26 earned Provost Circle Scholar honors and Gary Pan ’24 and Josh Pethel ’26 joing the pair on the UAA and Liberty League All-Academic Teams.

Lacrosse (5-12, 2-8 Liberty League)

Team Highlights

• UR played multiple ranked teams in 2025 and held its own in the deep and talented Liberty League.
• Seven of 17 games were decided by three goals or less, including two that went to overtime.
• 16 individuals received Liberty League All-Academic honors for their efforts in the classroom.

Individual Highlights

• Alyssa Gorny ’26 set Rochester single-season records for goals (55) and draw controls (82) while hitting the 200-point plateau for her career.
• Gracie Giannettino ’25 finished her career tied for the Rochester assist record (76) and also hit 200 career points this season.
• All-Liberty League honors were earned by Gorny, Isla Ablin ’28, Sara Mendelson ’28 and Campbell Sy ’25.
• Sy and Erin Esposito ’25 tied for the Rochester all-time career record for games played (66).
• Ablin ranked fifth in Division III in total saves and had the second-most in a single-season at Rochester.
• Giannettino was named a Lysle ‘Spike’ Garnish Scholar, Morgan Napolitano ’26 was a Provost Circle Scholar and Jenna Ufberg received the O’Brien Book Award.

Rowing

Team Highlights

• Opened the season with a national ranking, checking in at #15 in the Division III poll.
• At the Liberty League Championships, UR’s 1st Varsity 8+ boat finished in fourth place overall, with the Novice 4+ entry claiming third place.
• UR’s Novice 4+ ended third at the New York State Championships.
• 11 team members qualified for Liberty League All-Academic honors.

Individual Highlights

• Aviva Bock ’25 was named First Team All-Liberty League, while Anushka Aritharan ’25 earned Second Team All-Liberty League honors.
• Bock was selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large Team.
• Elizabeth Carleton ’26 was elected as a Division III National Student Athlete Advisory Committee representative.
• Seven rowers were named to the CRCA Scholar-Athlete Team – Avery Alperin ’25, Aritharan, Bock, Carleton, Kennedy Leininger ’26, Ava Prevey-Sullivan ’26 and Julia Tricomi ’27.
• Leininger received Provost Circle Scholar accolades from the University.

Softball (24-13, 11-3 Liberty League)

Team Highlights

• Finished tied for first in the Liberty League and earned the right to host the conference championships at Southside Field.
• Undefeated regular season record at home, going 12-0.
• Earned a national ranking as high as #18 during the season.
• Scored a team record 27 runs in a victory over Union to close the regular season.
• Ten individuals received Liberty League All-Academic praise.

Individual Highlights

• Three individuals made the NFCA All-Region Squad – Molly Broccolo ’26 (1st Team), Riley Laygo ’27 (2nd Team), Bailey Nicholoff ’25 (3rd Team).
• Broccolo, Laygo and Nicholoff earned First Team All-Liberty League honors, while Julianna Lyons ’27 was a Second Team honoree and Rowan Mulholland ’26 received Honorable Mention status.
• Four softball players were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team – Savannah Nowak ’25, Maddie White ’26, Lyons, Mulholland.
• Both Broccolo and Laygo made the NFCA Division III Players and Pitchers to watch list.

Men’s Tennis (9-10, 0-3 UAA)

Team Highlights

• Rochester earned an NCAA Region II team ranking as high as #6 during the season.
• The Yellowjackets defeated several Northeast Region opponents, including RIT, Ithaca, Union and St. Lawrence in 2025.
• UR had six wins by shutout scores of 7-0.

Individual Highlights

• Krish Vennam ’25 earned an end of season singles ranking of #6 in NCAA Region II.
• Andy Liu ’28 led the team in dual match singles wins with a Division III win-loss record of 10-3.
• Alan Wang ’28 received Second Team All-UAA honors in doubles with Surya Rajamani ’26, while Vennam was a Second Team pick in singles. Wang also received Honorable Mention praise for his play in singles from the UAA.
• Vennam, Kavin Shukla ’26, Rajamani and Ethan Samora ’27 were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, with Vennam being selected as a Third Team Academic All-American.
• Five were honored as UAA All-Academic Team members – Ahaan Malhotra ’26, Rajamani, Samora, Shukla and Vennam.
• Vennam also was a Lysle ‘Spike’ Garnish Scholar and earned Phi Beta Kappa recognition, while Malhotra received Provost Circle Scholar honors.

Women’s Tennis (11-9, 0-3 UAA)

Team Highlights

• Rochester posted an 11-6 record against Division III competition, earning key wins over Northeast Region opponents, Union, Ithaca, RIT, William Smith, Allegheny and SUNY Geneseo.
• The Yellowjackets defeated Hamilton for the first time since 2002, winning 5-2.
• UR earned a season-high national ranking of #36 in Division III.

Individual Highlights

• Josephine Libby ’25 finished the season ranked #6 in NCAA Region II’s singles rankings, while Libby and Katie Yang ’28 were ranked #5 in Region II doubles.
• Neha Dania ’26 led the team in dual match singles wins in Division III matches, going 12-2.
• Yang and Libby were Honorable Mention All-UAA players at #1 doubles, while Libby was Second Team at #1 singles.
• Maya Bravo ’27, Sanjana Karnam ’26, Libby, Sahithi Mathukumilli ’26 and Jasmin Toor ’26 earned UAA Spring All-Academic recognition, with Libby and Toor securing College Sports Communicators Academic All-District accolades.
• Libby was named a Lysle ‘Spike’ Garnish Scholar in the fall and finished her career with 117 combined wins in singles and doubles, fifth most all-time in program history.

Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Team Highlights

• Rochester finished 30th at the NCAA Division III Championships in Geneva, Ohio.
• The Yellowjacket men were second at the Liberty League Championships for the fourth straight season, scoring 185 points at the meet.
• UR ended fourth of 55 teams at the All-Atlantic Region Championships at Williams, tying the teams best-ever finish at regionals.
• 22 individuals received Liberty League All-Academic accolades.

Individual Highlights

• Cole Goodman ’25 finished fourth in the Triple Jump at the NCAA Championships, jumping 15.17 meters to earn his eighth career First Team All-America honor. Goodman swept the outdoor Liberty League titles in the long and triple jump for the third year in a row.
• Jordan Johnson ’25 earned First Team All-America honors for the first time, ending sixth in the hammer throw at NCAA’s, also qualifying for nationals in the javelin. He set school records in both events during the season.
• Gabe Thyne ’25 secured Second Team All-America praise after finished 16th in the decathlon at nationals. Thyne also won the Liberty League and All-Atlantic Region titles during the outdoor season.
• Johnson received Liberty League Men’s Field Athlete of the Year honors.
• UR had five honorees on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team: Mitch Lienert ’24, ’25 (M), P.J. London ’25, Skye Crocker ’25, James Catania ’25, and Manny Eribo ’25.
• Crocker and Richard Santarosa ’25 earned Phi Beta Kappa accolades.

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field

Team Highlights

• The Yellowjackets captured their fourth straight Liberty League conference title outdoors, winning the meet with 193.5 points, defeating Ithaca by two points in the team standings.
• UR ended second among 55 scoring teams at the All-Atlantic Region Championships at Williams, the team’s third straight runner-up finish.
• Rochester ended in 17th place at the NCAA Division III Championships at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
• 26 members of the squad were named to the Liberty League All-Academic Team.
• UR’s coaching staff was named Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year for the 2025 outdoor season.

Individual Highlights

• Four individuals combined for six All-America honors following the NCAA Division III Championships.
• Megan Bell ’25 earned a runner-up finish in the 800 meters at the NCAA meet, running a school-record time of 2:05.11, the #7 performance in Division III history.
• Nora Chen ’27 finished fourth at nationals in the 400 meter hurdles, establishing a new school record time of 1:00.20 in the process.
• UR’s 4x400 meter relay team of Bell, Chen, Raquella Casserino ’27 and Eva Ciuffetelli ’27 finished eight at NCAA’s in 3:47.44, marking the fifth consecutive year that Rochester earned First Team All-America honors in that event.
• Ciuffetelli was named Liberty League Outdoor Rookie of the Year after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 400 meter hurdles and earning runner-up finishes in that event at the Liberty League and All-Atlantic Regional meets.
• Liberty League Champions include Bell (400 meters, 800 meters), Chen (400 meter hurdles), Aimee Oszer ’27 (javelin), Cora Rose ’25 (hammer, discus), 4x400 meter relay of Ciuffetelli, Chen, Bell and Maya Hatch ’26.
• Bell was a Phi Beta Kappa honoree and Lysle ‘Spike’ Garnish Scholar and both Alyssa Horng ’26 and Zoe Noble ’26 were named Provost Circle Scholars.
• Five were Academic All-District selections from the College Sports Communicators – Bell, Chen, Rose, Ciuffetelli and Ellie Ponko ’25.

During our annual March Matchness Challenge, students, alumni, parents, families, and fans stepped up, raising more than $312,000 from nearly 1,974 donors in just three days to support Rochester’s athletics program. This represents an increase of 49% in donations and 23% increase in donors over last year!
 

On behalf of the entire Rochester Athletics family, we extend our deepest gratitude to our dedicated alumni, parents, families, and fans who went above and beyond to support their favorite varsity teams during the #URMarchMatchness Athletics Challenge. Because of you, student-athletes across all sports now have greater access to the resources and opportunities they need to excel.

We are truly grateful. Go Yellowjackets!

Competing at the highest levels of Division III Athletics takes resources. The Friends of Rochester Athletics has embarked on an important project with a drive to get our alumni, family, and friends to join the George Eastman Circle (GEC) – the University’s leadership giving society – with donors being able to direct their support to their team of choice.

A gift at the George Eastman Circle level is a minimum of $1,500 for each of the next five years ($7,500). This five-year commitment enhances the team’s budget while helping to provide a world class experience for our student-athletes. It also allows for a level of stability in budget planning during the course of that gift.

Your support will help us by providing such opportunities as national recruiting, enhanced video and editing capabilities, specialized equipment, and out-of-region competition. Athletics were an important part of your Rochester experience. Through a gift to the George Eastman Circle, you can help ensure that today’s students have the same opportunities that you had. If you are interested in joining the GEC or learning more, please feel free to reach out to Terry Gurnett at tgurnett@sports.rochester.edu or Mary Kate Tierney, m.tierney@rochester.edu. 

Website Article - 2024-25 Athletic Department Awards

• 2024 NCAA Division III Triple Jump Champion, 8-time First Team All-American
• Competed at 2024 United States Olympic Trials
• 14-time Liberty League Champion, 2-time conference Field Performer of the Year
• Holds four Liberty League and Rochester records and is top-10 All-time in Division III history in indoor and outdoor triple jump
• Team captain and Dean's List recipient

• 2-time national champion, 10-time First Team All-American
• 16 Liberty League titles and six All-Atlantic Region titles
• Top-10 in Division III history in four events
• 2-time CSC Academic All-American, 3-time Academic All-District
• Phi Beta Kappa, Provost Circle Scholar, Garnish Scholar

• 4-year starter, team captain, UR's all-time receptions leader
• 2024 D3football.com All-American, All-Region
• 2-time First Team All-Liberty League
• CSC Academic All-District, Liberty League All-Academic, Hampshire Honor Society
• From the coaches letter of recommendation: “Trey is one of those athletes that we all love to coach and consistently sets the right example, both on and off the field. He has worked extremely hard to become a vocal leader and aligns himself with the coaching staff’s vision of what our team culture should be. When you need someone to volunteer for anything, he’s the first to respond and is always the first one to pick a teammate up when he is down."

• 4-year letterwinner and 2-time team captain
• 3-time Liberty League All-Academic
• CSC Academic All-District
• Member of VSAAC, served as President
• From the coaches letter of recommendation: “Savannah has held herself to such a high standard when it comes to work ethic and “doing the right thing.” She has set the example for our team as early as her first year on campus. She always hustles and works her tail off day in and day out and is very in control of her emotions despite the constant grind of being successful here at Rochester. She is the voice of reason and a model citizen for our team.”

• 4-year starter, playing at #1 or #2 singles each season
• Over 70 career victories and was 4-year All-UAA player
• Garnish Scholar, Provost Circle Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa
• 3-time CSC Academic All-District, 3-time UAA All-Academic, 4-time ITA Scholar Athlete

• 4-year starter, 2-time team captain
• Ranks 7th all-time in career assists at UR
• Garnish Scholar, Provost Circle Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa
• 2-time CSC Academic All-District, 3-time UAA All-Academic

• Cumulative Team GPA through Fall 2024 semester of 3.736
• Back-to-back winners, earning title in an extremely close race
• Six individuals with a 3.90 GPA or higher

The University of Rochester Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025 has been selected, with six outstanding individuals set to be inducted this coming fall.
 
This year's class will be formally inducted during Meliora Weekend 2025. The formal induction ceremony and celebration will take place on Friday, September 19, in the Feldman Ballroom within Frederick Douglass Commons on the River Campus.

Rochester’s newly elected Athletic Hall of Famers include:

• Andrew Evans ’98 – Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field
• Susan Johnson ’07 – Volleyball
• Jodie Lippman ’98 – Women’s Soccer
• Gabe Perez ’06 – Men’s Basketball
• Lance Ramer ’01 – Football
• Joanna Toke Brougher ’04 – Women’s Tennis