SUNYAC Athletes of the Week - September 8, 2025
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The SUNYAC releases its fall Athletes of the Week for week two of the 2025 season. The conference recognizes the outstanding performances of 13 student-athletes across six different institutions during the week of September 1-7.
Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week – Brandon Mulholland, Cortland
Mulholland was Cortland's top finisher in a dual meet at Division I Cornell University. He finished in 16th place overall, and 11th among collegiate finishers, in 16:18.4 over 5,000 meters.
Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week – Kyra Pellegrino, Oswego
The Lakers hosted the Oswego Invite at the Fallbrook Recreation Center on Saturday. On a rainy course, Pellegrino set a new course record, and a new school record for the womens 4k with a time of 14:54.5. Her time is the fastest in the conference for the womens 4k so far this season.
Field Hockey Offensive Athlete of the Week – Nina Contrera, Oneonta
Contrera finished the week with four goals for eight points and helped Oneonta go 2-0 on the week. She started the week off on fire with a hat trick against Keuka, as Oneonta won the road match, 5-0. In their home opener against Castleton, Contrera recorded the game-tying goal at 56:37 to force overtime, and the Oneonta Red Dragons went on to defeat the Spartans in double overtime, 3-2.
Field Hockey Defensive Athlete of the Week - Kelly Davis, Salisbury
Davis, the senior from Salisbury, Md., posted two shutout wins this week over Washington (Md.) and No. 9 Messiah, both on the road, posting a total of seven saves.
Men's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week – Diego Rivera, Buffalo State
Rivera posted another strong weekend to lead No. 16 men's soccer to a 4-0 start on the season. Rivera picked up two goals and three assists across Buffalo State's weekend sweep at the annual Fredonia Classic. In the win over Bryant & Stratton, Rivera tallied his first multi-goal effort of the season. In Saturday's win over Alfred, Rivera earned an assist on three of Buffalo State's four goals.
Men's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week – James Cintron, Oneonta
Cintron manned the net for Oneonta and finished the week with two shutouts, totaling six saves, and was named the Mayor's Cup tournament defensive MVP as the team went 2-0 and won the Mayor's Cup trophy. In a 1-0 victory against King's College, Cintron ended the game with two saves, including a diving stop in the 84th minute to hold onto the win. In the Mayor's Cup final against UMass Boston, Cintron recorded three saves in the second half and totaled four overall for the Red Dragons 2-0 win over the Beacons.
Women's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week – Sydney Myers, Plattsburgh
Myers delivered a historic performance, tying the Plattsburgh program record for most goals in a single game with four goals all scored in the first half against VTSU-Johnson. Her offensive outburst included both the game-tying and game-winning goals, sparking the Cardinals to a dominant 6-1 victory.
Women's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week – Paytyn Crane, Oswego
The Lakers earned a 2-0-1 record this week and the senior goal keeper Crane was a huge part of their success. In almost 250 minutes of play, she collected 6 saves with a .857 save percentage. She was integral in the Lakers earing a tie against Geneseo making key saves down the stretch. She is second in the conference in goals against average, as well as second in goals against, only allowing two so far this season.
Women's Tennis Singles Athlete of the Week – Lisa Schulz, Cortland
Schulz, in her first year at Cortland as a foreign exchange student, opened the season with a pair of victories at second singles. On Friday she won 6-3, 6-4 in a dual match at Hartwick, and on Sunday she was a 6-0, 6-0 winner in a home match versus Utica. She also finished 1-1 at first doubles.
Women's Tennis Doubles Team of the Week – Emily DeLuca & Leah Bell, Oswego
The Lakers hosted a former SUNYAC foe, Brockport on Friday and completed a clean sweep 7-0. The first doubles team of DeLuca and Bell continued their succes this season with a clean 6-0 victory over their opponents.
Women's Volleyball Offensive Athlete of the Week - Kira Pirrera, Cortland
Pirrera averaged 4.64 kills per set and recorded a .250 attack percentage as Cortland finished 3-0 at its own tournament. She opened the tourney Friday night with a career-high 16 kills, a .444 attack percentage, two aces, two blocks and 10 digs in a sweep of Hartwick. The following day she broke her career high again with 22 kills and added 14 digs and two aces in a five-set win over Bowdoin, and she closed the day with 13 kills, 17 digs and two aces in a three-set win over Rochester.
Women's Volleyball Defensive Athlete of the Week - Alyssa Rich, Cortland
Rich helped Cortland finish 3-0 at its own tournament, averaging 4.1 digs per set over 11 sets played. She started with 11 digs in a sweep of Hartwick, followed by 20 digs and five aces in a five-set win over Bowdoin and 14 digs in a three-set win over Rochester.
