Here we are – the final edition of the Buffalo State Sports Round-up for the spring semester, and the academic year. No matter the season, the action never let up, with SUNYAC Tournament appearances, NCAA Tournament appearances, an MVCC Tournament Championship, and records, records, and more records etched into Buffalo State sports history, scattered throughout the fall, winter, and spring. We reach the finish line with the track & field squads and the softball team – let’s dive in before summer gets here.
Men’s and Women’s Track & Field:
The men’s and women’s track & field teams arrived at the SUNY Cortland campus on Friday for the opening day of the 2026 SUNYAC Championships.
No better person to kick things off with than team standout Natalia Sawyer, who earned the No. 1 seed in Saturday’s 400-meter hurdles final with a signature performance in the preliminary round, timing out at 1:01.51. Terrell Price soared to the 400-meter finals with a 49.74-second time in the prelims, while Jalil Coppedge and Julius Arias each earned a spot in the 110-meter hurdles finals – Coppedge also earned a spot in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles alongside Nolan Lyon.
Keeping the train rolling, Sidney Morris, Luke Triplet, and Andy Flores-Cadiz all booked their tickets to Saturday’s 800-meter final, placing in the top eight in the prelims. Bryan Honan finished second in the hammer throw, breaking his own school record for the second time this season with a 58.74-meter toss.
Before the day was over, the Bengals notched their first SUNYAC Championship of the weekend, as freshman Ricky Curiel, at a time of 32:05.69, took home the 10,000-meter title. Between the indoor and outdoor seasons, Curiel has built quite a resume in his first year in the orange and black. Congratulations, Ricky!
The Bengals returned the following day to claim two more SUNYAC titles, starting with Natalia Sawyer in the 400-meter hurdles. Sawyer could’ve been mistaken for Dash from Pixar’s The Incredibles, the way she zoomed past her competitors, finishing the race a full four seconds before the rest. Is anyone surprised? Absolutely not! Congratulations, Natalia!
Nyla Wilson-Epps was the other Bengal to add “champion” next to her name on Saturday, rewriting her own record in the process. Epps threw the discus 42.50 meters, besting her previous record by over a meter and her competitors by over three. Dominance personified! Congratulations, Nyla!
A few high-ranking finishes from the rest of Bengal streak put the squads in position for a podium appearance. When the day’s events concluded, the men’s team indeed reached the podium, finishing third; the women’s team just missed, finishing fifth.
From here, all Bengals who have qualified switch focus over to the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) Regionals in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, on May 13 and 14. We wish them the best of luck as they race toward more Buffalo State history!
Softball:
For the Buffalo State softball team, it was a weekend of celebration for a multitude of reasons. First, this marked the final batch of games before the SUNYAC Tournament. Second, Friday marked Greg Willats Day, celebrating a longtime volunteer of the program as the squad battled SUNY Potsdam. And lastly, Saturday’s doubleheader was Senior Day, as seven Bengals took the Buffalo State Softball Field one last time.
In Friday’s first of two contests, Izzy Pezdek allowed just five base runners on 73 pitches, adding a first-inning three-run home run to her stat line – she was feeling the energy of Greg Willats Day, no doubt. Timely hitting, with a pair of errors by the Bears sprinkled in, helped the Bengals put this one away in five innings, pitching a shutout, 8-0.
To cap off the afternoon, Madison Lucas followed Pezdek’s blueprint, allowing five base runners and no earned runs in a complete game outing. At the dish, the Bengals ensured Lucas wouldn’t have to sweat, scoring runs in every inning but the fifth, including another Izzy Pezdek homer, to complete the Greg Willats Day sweep over SUNY Potsdam, 9-1 in six innings.
The best way to celebrate Senior Day is to win, and that’s exactly what the Bengals had in mind when they squared off with Plattsburgh State for one last doubleheader of the season.
In the opening game, after retiring the Cardinals’ side of the first inning, Izzy Pezdek delivered at the plate, driving home Mya Hurley to take an early lead. The offense hit another gear from there, as the Bengals scored 10 runs in the next three innings to build a commanding 11-1 lead. Off the back of a three-run shot, the Cardinals crawled back into the fight with a five-run top of the fifth inning, making it a four-run game. The Bengals quickly snuffed out the comeback attempt, scoring two runs in the bottom half of the fifth to seal a 13-7 win, which saw both Mya Hurley and Lexi Quagliana notch their 100th career hits!
Plattsburgh State threw the first punch in game two…and Buffalo State threw the next five punches to build another commanding lead. It was hard not to wonder if the Bengals had done something to their bats – to take one from legendary broadcaster Mark Jones, they were hotter than fish grease.
The Cardinals matched the Bengals run-for-run down the stretch, but it was too much to overcome; the Bengals just had too much firepower. By a final score of 10-5, the Bengals completed the Senior Day sweep, ending the regular season on a seven-game win streak. In the process, Ella Stewart became the fourth Bengal this season, and the third Bengal of the day, to reach 100 career hits!
The Bengals have earned the No. 3-seed in the SUNY Tournament, and Oswego State is tasked with trying to handle this seemingly unstoppable force this Thursday at New Paltz. Ain’t no party like a Bengal party, so cheer on the Bengals as they look to capture the SUNYAC Championship this weekend!
And with that, the Buffalo State Sports Round-up has closed for the summer. Thank you to every single person who has read along this year; it has been a pleasure informing you all about the world of Buffalo State sports. When the end of August comes around, you’ll know where to find us. Have a great summer!
