Every week, the Sports Information department will post a "Did You Know?" tidbit to the website.

This week's interesting tidbit: Did you know that after a summer of fun and relaxation, Purchase College Athletics is back in action!?

Beginning tomorrow (Sept. 3rd), fall programs return to the fields and courts for the start of the 2022-23 season, as the Panthers embark on a new campaign.

Therefore, we wanted to take a moment and highlight our seven teams participating in the fall before the games officially begin.

Men's and Women's Cross Country

• Staff 
  • Head coach Adam Taraska will be leading the squads this season after being selection for the opening in the spring. He will be joined by the former head coach, Betsy Eickelberg, as the pair are teaming up to lead the cross country teams to the next step.
• Runners
  • Both the men's and women's teams each have seven runners on their respective squads, with a pair of returning runners. Lucas Colon (SO/Bronx, NY) and Samuel Teich (JR/South Salem, NY) are back for the men, while Anna Duffy (SR/Syracuse, NY) and Abigail Frederick (SO) are back for the women.
• Schedule
  • The Panthers open the season at home once again this year, hosting the Purchase College Invitational on Sept. 10th at 9:30 a.m. Purchase will wrapup the year at the Skyline Conference Championships on Oct. 23rd in Milton, NY. 
  • Other notable events this season - SJU-LI Golden Eagle Invitational and the Mount Saint Mary College Invitational

Golf

• Staff
  • Former player and alum Manny Cervantes '16 is back for his second season at the helm in 2022, looking to build on the progress of last year.
• Players
  • Coach Manny enters the campaign with five golfers on the roster, including a pair of returners in Jack McHugh (SO/Hawthorne, NY) and Danya Boudreau Golfman (SR/Londonderry, VT).
• Schedule 
  • The Panthers are scheduled for four regular season events currently, playing the first three on the road at Mount St. Mary, FDU-Florham and Muhlenberg College. On Oct. 11th, Purchase is set to host its own home event at the Griffith E. Harris course in Greenwich, CT, before closing the season at the Skyline Conference Championship on Oct. 23rd and 24th. 

Men's Soccer

• Staff
  • FC Westchester President George Gjokaj is back as head coach for a second season. Last year, the Panthers finished 4-9-2 overall and missed the Skyline Conference Playoffs.
• Players
  • With at least 10 players returning from a season ago, Purchase is looking to rebound from the down year to make the players for the first time since 2017. Notable returning players include 2021's leader in points, Colman Cassidy (SR/Brooklyn, NY), Ethan Dillon (SR/Poughkeepsie, NY) in the midfield, with Bart Moroney (SO/Breezy Point, NY) and Devonte Dawson (SR/Yonkers, NY) manning the backline. 
• Schedule
  • The Panthers open the season at home on Sept. 9th against CCNY, while the Skyline opener is also at home against Yeshiva University on Sept. 22nd. The final home game of 2022 is against St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Oct. 19th. 

Women's Soccer

• Staff
  • The Panthers enter 2022 with a new head coach in Nick Malvai, who arrives at Purchase with years of coaching experience at the high school and club levels. A year ago, Purchase went 4-10 overall and missed the playoffs.
• Players
  • Malvai will have 17 players to work with this season, including 10 returners. Kristen Purcell (SR/Sauquoit, NY), the second-leading scorer in the Skyline a year ago is back for her senior campaign, and is joined by fellow seniors Michelle Gomez (Oceanside, NY), Lauren Pudelka (Danbury, CT) and Haley Cascio (Deer Park, NY).
• Schedule
  • Women's soccer will kick off the year on Sept. 8th when they host Yeshiva in the season/Skyline opener. During Oct. 5th-15th, the Panthers will play four-straight matches at home before closing out the year with two of their last three on the road. Their final home game will be against Old Westbury on Oct. 22nd at noon.

Women's Tennis

• Staff 
  • The 2021-22 Purchase College Coach of the Year Anna Yates is back at the helm for her third season with the Panthers. Last year, she guided the team to a 6-5 overall record and an appearance in the Skyline Conference Semifinals. 
• Players
  • Purchase enters the 2022 campaign with eight players on the roster, including four returners such as the team's #1 player from 2021, Nikita Kordzielewska (SR/Stepnica, Poland) and the duo of Olivia Menchell (SO/Los Angeles, CA) and Elaina Coppola (JR/White Plains, NY).
• Schedule
  • Women's tennis will begin the home festivities for Purchase College as the it welcomes Hunter College to campus on Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. Four days later, the Panthers travel to Yeshiva for the Skyline opener, before closing out the regular season at St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Oct. 22nd. The home finale is set for three days prior against St. Joseph's-Long Island.

Women's Volleyball

• Staff
  • Taking over the women's volleyball program this year is Louis Sepulveda, who arrives on campus after five years at Pratt Institute. He will be tasked with overhauling a team that went 3-14 and missed the playoffs in 2021.
• Players
  • Coach Louis will have a roster of 14 players to work with though, including six players from a year ago. Among the returners is Samantha Fasce (SR/Yorktown Heights, NY), the team's second-leading scorer last year and Karina Medina (SR/Brooklyn, NY), who led PC in assists.
• Schedule
  • Women's volleyball, despite being last on this list, are the first team to see action as they play in tri-match tomorrow (Sept. 3rd) at Albertus Magnus. 10 days later, the team plays its home/Skyline opener against Yeshiva at 7 p.m. Purchase will close out the campaign at home against St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Oct. 27th.