Here at The Record, we hope everyone had a wonderful spring break, and welcome you back to the Buffalo State Sports Round-up. The break brought us a feast of Buffalo State sports action, with the debut of the 2026 softball squad. Without further ado, let’s see what’s been up the last two weeks.
Softball:
Sticking to tradition, the softball team began its season in Clemont, Florida, competing in a dozen (yes, a dozen) games over five days. Spring break was strictly business.
In the opening two days, the Bengals split the pair each day, picking up wins over Keuka College and Farmingdale State College. On day three, the squad won both of their games in polar opposite ways, showing off the ability to win in any fashion. Halfway through the spring break schedule, the Bengals sat at 4-2, with everyone contributing either at the plate or on the bump.
Sunday marked an off-day, which took the squad out of their game, dropping both games on Monday afternoon. The Bengals bounced back effortlessly, defeating North Central University 18-2 in five innings and shutting out Carleton College 5-0 the following morning. Junior Izzy Pezdek pitched all seven innings in the shutout victory.
On the final day, the Bengals cruised to two more wins, scoring double-digits in each of them. The team finished the trip with a record of 8-4, finishing on a four-game win streak.
The offense is humming for the softball team coming home from Florida, and it’ll need to stay humming as they embark on a week-long road trip that begins Monday at Brockport. You can find the entire 2026 Buffalo State softball schedule at this link.
Women’s Acrobatics & Tumbling:
As one sport begins, another one comes close to the end, as the women’s acrobatics & tumbling team competed in the Buffalo State Tri-Match, their final tri-match of the season, over spring break. For the tri-match, the Bengals welcomed Canisius University and Mary Hardin-Baylor to their home base.
In the compulsory event, the first event of the tri-match, the Bengals put themselves behind the eight ball, falling behind by double-digits to both of their opponents with a disappointing 26.90. They kept pace in the acro event, but once again, finished last of the three teams. At halftime, the Bengals had 77.60 total points, looking to build off a strong outing in the half-ending pyramid event.
The squad brought their best to the table in the remaining events, closing the tri-match with a 39.8 score in the team event, though they couldn’t make up enough ground to climb out of a third-place finish with 211.730 total points – Mary Hardin-Baylor were crowned the winners with 258.300 total points.
The women’s acrobatics & tumbling team ends the regular season with a 1-5 record. They will close the chapter on the 2026 season on April 9-11 in the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) Division III Championships. Wish the Bengals good luck on their trip to Marshall, Texas.
Men’s and Women’s Track & Field:
Another season got started over the break, that being men’s and women’s track & field, competing in the Danny Curran Invite at Widener University.
The Bengals were in a record-breaking mood over the weekend, as Rickey Curiel’s time of 31:24.81 in the 10,000-meter run broke the school record that had held strong for 25 years. Bryan Honan did one better, breaking his own record set last season, with a 55.44-meter hammer throw. Their names now sit in the Buffalo State history books.
Nyla-Wilson Epps, along with the men’s 4×400-meter relay unit, put their talents on display, with Epps placing third in the women’s shot put while Terrell Price, Jalil Coppedge, Sidney Morris, and Pablo Ortiz earned a fourth-place finish with a time of 3:26.49.
Rounding out the bunch, Ethan Mirano placed eighth in the men’s shot put, Julius Arias placed seventh in the 110-meter hurdles, and Madison McNeill sprang her way to seventh in the women’s high jump.
The men’s and women’s track & field teams return to competition this upcoming weekend at SUNY Geneseo.
Men’s Volleyball:
Last time on the Buffalo State Sports Round-up, the men’s volleyball team had their chances at program history dashed by the University of Mount Union in a five-set thriller. The Bengals’ goal over spring break was simple: get the win streak up and running again.
At Hilbert College, that wasn’t a problem – the Bengals walked all over the Hawks to claim their 10th shutout win of the season. The following night, they rematched Penn State Behrend, a team that fell to the Bengals as part of the 10-game win streak. The squad had to earn this win.
After falling behind two sets to none, the Bengals battled back to tie the match at two sets apiece, bringing Buffalo State versus Penn State Behrend to a fifth and final set for a second consecutive meeting. Coincidentally, the Bengals would go on to win the fifth set 15-11, the same score they defeated Penn State Behrend by in the first meeting. Gutsy.
Aiming to make it three straight, the Bengals celebrated Senior Day against Houghton University. The squad didn’t allow the Highlanders to breathe in the opening set, racing out to an early lead they wouldn’t relinquish, winning 25-10. The second set followed a similar script, with the Bengals cruising to a 25-16 win. Their 11th shutout victory was on the horizon.
Houghton fought to stay afloat in the third set, finding a way to be within one halfway through. A couple of three-point swings went the Bengals’ way, allowing graduate student Jamie Courtright to close the show with a kill, earning a gritty 25-19 set win. The win streak grows to three.
Just the Bengal Invite remains on the men’s volleyball team’s regular season schedule, which will be played this Saturday at the Sports Arena, featuring Mount Aloysius College, Juniata College, Nazareth College, and, of course, the Buffalo State Bengals. The action begins at 11 a.m.
Women’s Lacrosse:
The women’s lacrosse team was coming off just their second loss of the season heading into the spring break slate, following a similar mission plan to the men’s volleyball team. Their four-game schedule started with Allegheny College at Coyer Field.
Keeping it short, the Bengals sliced and diced the Gators. By halftime, the squad had already made it a double-digit ball game, eventually taking home win number five by a score of 16-2. This was the third time in eight games that the Bengals had eclipsed the double-digit mark – and they must’ve thought that wasn’t enough.
Over the next three games, the Bengals scored 10 goals or more in each game, taking home wins in all of them – defeating Plattsburgh State 14-6, decimating Alfred State 14-1, and taking home a Senior Day over SUNY Canton 15-7. Leading the charge was senior attackman Vanessa Willick, who recorded video game-like numbers during the spring break stretch – scoring 21 goals and dishing out 10 assists. Absolutely absurd.
The continued dominance of the women’s lacrosse squad earns them the spring break Buffalo State Sports Round-up Team of the Week. This unit has been special so far this season.
Now on a four-game win streak, the women’s lacrosse team holds a 7-2 record, with an undefeated 2-0 record in conference play. This week, they travel to battle SUNY Morrisville on Tuesday and return home for a match-up with SUNY Potsdam, celebrating Staff Appreciation Day, on Friday at 4 p.m.
Here is your update on everything you might’ve missed over spring break regarding Buffalo State athletics. Thank you for giving the Buffalo State Sports Round-up your time; we’ll be back next week for another one, showing off all the Bengals sports scene has to offer.
