March has arrived, meaning one last week of February for the Buffalo State Sports Round-up to recap. This week gave us postseason action, regular season action, and the season debut of the women’s lacrosse team, as the sports season flips to spring. Which streak of Bengals finished the month strong? Let’s take a look.
Men’s Hockey:
For the second straight year, the Buffalo State men’s hockey team booked its ticket to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships, locking in the No. 7 seed. For Wednesday’s first round match-up, the Bengals took a familiar trip to Oswego to battle the No. 2-seed Lakers – the same team that defeated them just days prior.
The Lakers landed an early punch, finding the back of the net within the opening three minutes – but fueled by revenge, the Bengals responded minutes later with a goal. The score remained even as each team headed to the locker room for the first intermission.
Oswego State dominated puck control to start the second period, keeping the Bengals’ offense at bay and applying pressure to the defense. One penalty later, and the Lakers regained the lead with a power-play goal by senior forward Matt McQuade. Right as the Bengals were back at full strength, another penalty struck. The Lakers made them pay again, extending their lead to two with another power-play goal.
Buffalo State saw openings for a comeback attempt, but was unable to capitalize – their hopes dwindling with each missed shot on goal. As the Bengals watched opportunities slip through their fingers, the Lakers showed no mercy, adding two more goals before the game was final.
The Oswego State Lakers advanced to the second round of the SUNYAC Championships with a 5-1 win, ending the Buffalo State Bengals’ 2025-26 season.
This is where the road ends for the men’s hockey team this season, which was able to withstand a late-season losing spell and clinch a SUNYAC Championships berth for the second-consecutive year. A deep postseason run is on the horizon for this squad. Give them a virtual round of applause for a great season on the ice.
Women’s Acrobatics & Tumbling:
Last Sunday, the women’s acrobatics & tumbling team competed in its season opener at Canisius University, falling 231.100-195.195 to the Griffins.
Saturday marked the squad’s first tri-match of the season, travelling to Erie, Pennsylvania, for the Gannon Tri-Match. They battled the hosting No. 9 nationally-ranked Gannon Golden Knights and the Trine University Thunder.
While Gannon rolled through each event, the Bengals and the Thunder kept pace in what was now a fight for second place. At the break, the Bengals trailed Trine University by only two points.
It remained neck and neck as the final team event came up – the event that would end Buffalo State’s second-place chances. To close the match, the Thunder earned a score of 64.64 – five points more than the Bengals’ 59.51 score. Gannon remained in a league of their own, scoring 87.28.
The Bengals’ 186.585-258.305 and 186.585-193.765 losses keep them winless at 0-3 to start the season. This Saturday, the squad aims to score its first victory of 2026 in its home opener inside the Sports Arena against Calvin University.
Men’s and Women’s Track & Field:
The men’s and women’s track & field teams had no downtime this past weekend, competing in the SUNYAC Championships on Friday and Saturday at Brockport.
Buffalo State performed well on Friday afternoon, earning points in the 5,000-meter and distance medley relays, though senior Natalia Sawyer and sophomore Terrell Price were the story. Sawyer stole the show, placing first in the 60-meter hurdles and second in both the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash to book her ticket to the finals in all three events. Meanwhile, Price’s time of 6.98 seconds in the 60-meter sprint earned him a spot in the finals the following day.
On Saturday morning, Natalia Sawyer continued her dominance, taking home the 60-meter hurdles title, completing a three-peat in the event, while finishing runner-up in the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash. Later in the day, she’d place third in the 4×400-meter relay alongside teammates Madison MacNeill, Nisaa Emery, and Shamiah Brown – all of these outstanding performances earning her Most Valuable Performer of the Meet. Finishing with 42 points, the women’s team placed sixth overall.
In the 60-meter sprint finals, against stiff competition, Terrell Price earned a seventh-place finish, as teammate Noah Holden placed the same in the one-mile run. Ricky Curiel and Sidney Morris racked up more points for the Bengals, placing fourth in the 3,000-meter run and second in the 800-meter run, respectively. 36 points earned the men’s team seventh overall.
Five Bengals earned All-SUNYAC honors for their outstanding outings at the SUNYAC Championships: Natalia Sawyer, Sidney Morris, Madison MacNeill, Nisaa Emery, and Shamiah Brown. Congratulations!
Next up, those who qualified for the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) Regionals will continue their season, competing in the Big Apple next weekend.
Men’s Volleyball:
After a five-game week, the men’s volleyball team had a significantly lighter load this past week, competing in just two games – one at home and one on the road. On Wednesday night, Hilbert College challenged the Bengals inside the Sports Arena.
Hilbert held their ground early in the opening set, keeping the Bengals within two. Suddenly, a two-point game turned into an eight-point game, and an eight-point game ballooned into a 14-point game – the Bengals carrying over their scorching hot play from the week prior. They’d take a 1-0 set lead by a score of 25-10.
The Hawks regrouped, trading rallies with the Bengals throughout the second set. As the set raced toward its climax, two points stood between Hilbert and the lead. That’s when the Bengals broke away, connecting on a six-point rally to bring up set point. Two whistles later, and the squad was eyeing a sweep on home soil.
In the third set, the Hawks battled some more, hoping it would pay off, but that was never going to happen on the Bengals’ watch. Little by little, the Bengals created separation, putting the finishing touches on their sixth sweep of the season.
With an eighth-consecutive win on the horizon, the squad made the four-hour trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to play the winless Carlow Celtics – these teams first met in the Buffalo State Tri-Match earlier in the season.
Despite the long bus ride, the Bengals remained laser-focused, cruising to a 25-14 opening set win off the back of two four-point rallies. Carlow attempted to respond in the second set, but it was business as usual for the Bengals, tapping into their road warrior mentality to rout the Celtics, 25-12.
The third and final set was like watching the first two sets on repeat, as the Bengals took a 5-4 lead and never looked back. They would finish the set on a 20-11 run to extend their win streak to eight, picking up back-to-back sweeps for the first time since the Hobart Tournament that opened the season.
It’s safe to say the men’s volleyball team is at the peak of its powers right now, riding the second-longest win streak in program history. They’ll have the chance to hit double-digits in this weekend’s Pennsylvania road trip to play Penn State Altoona and Mount Aloysius College.
Women’s Lacrosse:
It’s only right that we close this week’s Buffalo State Sports Round-up with the women’s lacrosse team, which opened its 2026 season this past week, although not in the way they expected.
The Bengals were scheduled to start the season at home against Alfred University on Tuesday afternoon; however, a winter flurry caused the game to be cancelled. So, the Bengals shifted focus to Saturday’s game against Geneva College, which now served as the team’s season opener.
Head coach Bean Minerd had the team ready to play, as they unleashed a scoring avalanche on the Tornadoes from the opening whistle. Just five minutes in, the Bengals sat on a 3-0 lead, adding five more goals – two from senior attackman Emilee Josker – in the next ten minutes to end the first quarter with an eight-goal advantage.
The second quarter saw more of the Bengals’ offensive firepower, putting the Tornadoes in the penalty box time and time again to score four man-up goals. At halftime, Buffalo State had 12 goals while Geneva College had yet to put a shot on goal – a complete dismantling by the Bengals. And they were far from done.
Minute by minute, this game got more out of hand, as the Bengals netted six more goals in the third quarter, scoring four of them in a five-minute span. Emilee Josker would pick up a groundball and run out the clock on the third quarter, taking an unthinkable 18-0 lead into the final 15 minutes.
Just when it looked like the Bengals were loosening their grip – going scoreless in the five minutes of the fourth quarter – they put their foot right back on the gas, trampling the Tornadoes for four more goals, reaching the 20-goal mark. The final score read 22-0 Bengals, and while almost every Bengal was fed in the win, no Bengal was more fed than, you guessed it, Emilee Josker. She scored a game-high eight goals to get her senior season off and running.
The Bengals’ insanely dominant beatdown of Geneva College earned them their first win of the season, though it’s not the only thing they earned this week. I’m proud to give the women’s lacrosse team the title of this edition’s Buffalo State Sports Round-up Team of the Week. Based on this week’s performance, don’t expect this to be a one-time occurrence.
The squad begins a five-game homestand next week, welcoming Nazareth University to Coyer Field for their home opener on Wednesday before standing opposite Utica University on Saturday afternoon.
Another week of the Buffalo State Sports Round-up is in the books, and we’re proud to cover all the success that comes the Bengals’ way. Thank you for your time, and keep your eyes peeled for next week’s edition, right here at The Record.
