Skidmore sweep! Thoroughbreds tally up weekend wins

Skidmore opened the semester with a series of weekend wins, including a pair of comeback victories by the men’s basketball team and strong showings by the women’s basketball team, the men's hockey team, the riding team, and the swimming and diving teams.

The victories on the first weekend of the semester boosted spirits heading into some important competitions for winter athletes and the start of training for spring athletes.  

A pair of comeback victories for men’s basketball 

On Friday, Skidmore men’s basketball team overcame a 15-point first-half deficit in a 75-68 Liberty League win over RIT Friday night at the Williamson Sports Center. 

Greg Skoric ’23, who was named Liberty League Men’s Basketball Performer of the Week, scored a game-high 21 points to go along with 19 rebounds, two assists, and three blocks. Tautvydas Kupstas ’23 hit for 17 points and Harrison Eichelberger ’23 chipped in 13. Ty Lamport ’22 scored nine points to go along with six assists and five steals. 

It was the first of two weekend come-from-behind victories. In Saturday’s game against Union, Skidmore beat Union 70-67 after once trailing by 18. 

"I thought Union completely outplayed us in the first half and had the energy you need to win on back-to-back nights,” said Coach Joe Burke. “We once again were able to flip the script late in the first half and for most of the second half."  

Skoric (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Lamport (13 points, 11 rebounds) both had double-doubles to lead the Thoroughbreds against Union. Riley Greene ’23 racked up eight assists, eight points, and six boards. Kupstas scored 11 and added three assists. Mark Engel ’25 finished with three steals off the bench. 

On Tuesday, the Thoroughbreds secured their fourth straight win by defeating Hobart College 92-84, giving the team a 10-6 overall record and 6-4 in the Liberty League. The team hosts RPI Friday ahead of its Big Green Scream game Saturday, Feb. 5, against Ithaca College. 

Weekend split for women’s basketball  

The women's basketball team defeated Union College 57-52 in a Liberty League game on Saturday. 

Kate McCarney ’23 led the way with 18 points and five assists for Skidmore. She iced the game with a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to make it a two-possession game. Minutes earlier, McCarney drained a jumper to break a 48-all stalemate. Julia Blanck ’24 scored a dozen and had 13 rebounds. She also made both free throws in the final minute. Skidmore was 16-of-19 (84.2 %) from the free-throw line on the afternoon. Andi Levitz ’25 scored 11 points for the Thoroughbreds, all in the first half, on three-of-five shooting from 3-point range. 

The win followed a loss to RIT on Friday. The Thoroughbreds, who defeated William Smith 72-67 Tuesday, are 11-5 overall and 6-5 in Liberty League play. The team plays RPI Friday before its Big Green Scream game Saturday, Feb. 5, against Ithaca College.

Men’s hockey scores seven against Southern Maine 

The men's hockey team put up a season-high seven goals in a 7-3 New England Hockey Conference win over the University of Southern Maine on Saturday. 

The win at the Saratoga Springs City Rink keeps Skidmore (13-7-1, 8-5-1 NEHC) in fourth place, only one regulation-time three-point win behind leader Hobart. The teams play Feb. 5 in Geneva. Kaeden Patrick ‘25 was named the NEHC Rookie of the Week after scoring four goals, two in each game.  

The Thoroughbreds scored five goals on rebounds, firing 48 shots on USM goalie Mason Palmer.  

Callahan Johnson ’22 and Kaeden Patrick ’25 had two goals each, with Johnson adding an assist. Jack Strauss ’25, Thomas Finck  ’24, and Devon Mussio ’23 accounted for the other goals. Mike Gelatt ’22, Will Dow-Kenny ’25, and Zach Lindewirth ’25 each had two assists. 

The men’s hockey team, which also lost to Babson 3-2 Friday, has four regular-season games remaining, starting with the program's first-ever game at Elmira College on Friday, Feb. 4. 

Second place for men’s and women’s swimming and diving 

The men's and women's swimming and diving teams each finished second in the Vassar College Sprint Invite Saturday afternoon. 

The Vassar men edged Skidmore 597-568 with Bard third with 95. The Brewer women won with 642, with the Thoroughbreds second with 428, and Bard third with 109. 

Ryan Delfico ’25 won the 100-meter individual medley (IM) and 100 breaststroke for the Thoroughbreds. He took second in the 50 breaststroke.   

Also, for the men, Nicolas Sodi ’25 was second in the 500-meter freestyle and 200 freestyle, while Miles Herman ’23 was third in the 500 freestyle. Cyrus Cheung ’23 won the 100 backstroke with Will Quinn ’25 second. Quinn won the 400 IM. Cheung was second in the 50 backstroke. Liam Keating ’25 finished third in the 100 breaststroke. 

On the women's side, Lila Campbell ’22 and Chloe Kim ’25 went 1-2 in the 500-meter freestyle. Kim took second in the 100 freestyle. Annie McDermott ’22 was second and Elissa Miller ’24 third in the 50 breaststroke. Caroline Rogers ’24 finished third in the 400 IM and 50 backstroke. 

April Cook ’24 was third in the 200-meter freestyle and Molly Jordan ’24 finished second in the 100 breaststroke. 

"Today's Sprint Invite was a great opportunity for many of our swimmers to compete in atypical events and just race," said Skidmore coach Jill Greenleaf. "We had a lot of strong individual performances despite coming off an intense block of training since Jan 2. We're excited to compete next month at our season-ending Liberty League championship meet." 

Skidmore will compete in the Liberty League Championships Feb. 16-19 at Ithaca College. 

Equestrian team takes second at Winter Tournament of Champions 

Five members of the equestrian team traveled to the Savannah College of Art and Design to compete in the Winter Tournament of Champions. Host team SCAD rode away with the championship with 45 points, with the Thoroughbreds close behind as the reserve champion team with 41 points. The tournament featured the top teams in the East. 

Skidmore started strong with a third-place finish from Emily Gilbert '23 in open equitation over fences. Keilty Archibald '24 brought home a win in intermediate equitation over fences, and Sydney Jasny '23 was third in limit equitation over fences. In the afternoon's flat classes, Gilbert was fifth in open equitation on the flat, Archibald also took first place in intermediate equitation on the flat, and Jasny was second in limit equitation on the flat. Casey Koochagian '23 earned another win for the Thoroughbreds in novice equitation, and Grace Howard '22 was second in introductory equitation in only her third competition. 

Spring teams get ready to hit the courts and fields 

During an exciting weekend of winter Thoroughbred competition, spring teams were already working behind the scenes to gear up for their seasons. Men’s and women’s lacrosse both start practice this week.  

The men’s and women’s tennis teams are preparing to return to competition in mid-February. Meanwhile, men’s golf, baseball, and softball will kick off practice in the coming days with spring break trips on the horizon. The men’s and women’s crew teams will ramp up training shortly for a late March return to competition.  

For the latest in varsity athletics news, and a complete schedule of events, visit SkidmoreAthletics.com.