ITHACA, N.Y. – Throughout the winter break, Ithaca College Athletics will unveil its top moments from the 2016 fall semester. The first moment will be posted on December 19, followed by one each day – Monday through Friday – up until December 30.

Coach Welch's Final Game at Butterfield Stadium: In August, Hall of Fame head football coach Mike Welch announced that 2016 would be his 23rd and final season on the sidelines of Butterfield Stadium. The Bombers sent Welch out on top in their final home game on South Hill with a 7-0 shutout of Buffalo State on November 5. Ithaca's lone touchdown of the game came on an 8-yard pass from senior Wolfgang Shafer to freshman Will Gladney with 5:34 left in the first quarter. The score was setup by a 51-yard punt return by junior Jordan Schemm that brought the ball all the way down to the Buffalo State 12-yard line. After the game clock read 0:00  in the fourth quarter, and the teams shook hands, the Bombers hoisted Coach Welch on their shoulders and carried him off the field one last time.

Ithaca Inducts 47th Hall of Fame Class: On October 7, Ithaca College hosted the 47th Hall of Fame ceremony in the Athletics and Events Center. For the second straight year, IC alumnus Kevin Connors '97 returned to South Hill to serve as master of ceremonies in front of nearly 400 people in attendance. Over the course of the evening, nine individuals and the 1990-1991 back-to-back national champion women's soccer teams were honored for distinguished careers at Ithaca.

Below are the newest members of the illustrious Ithaca College Athletics Hall of Fame. Click this link to read more about each inductee.

Kathleen Henze Bailey '93 - Women's Swimming & Diving
Margo McGowan Barrows '98 - Softball / Women's Basketball
Steve Bell '06 - Men's Soccer
Josh Felicetti '06 – Football
Daegan Gray '90 – Football
Stacy Johnson '93 – Softball
Kent Maslin '94 – Wrestling
Maureen Nolan-Decillis '87 - Women's Soccer / Track & Field
Jeff Ungvary '91 - Men's Swimming & Diving

Volleyball Repeats as Empire 8 Champions in 2016: The Ithaca College volleyball program did not miss a beat under new head coach Johan Dulfer during the 2016 season. The Bombers closed out their final season in the Empire 8 with their second consecutive conference title, IC's sixth E8 crown since the formation of the conference in 1999. For the second straight season, Ithaca captured the title in hostile territory, downing top-seeded Stevens in four sets to secure the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
The Bombers did not have to travel far for their regional assignment, as the team made the short trip to Brockport. Ithaca picked up its 27^th win of the season in opening round, defeating NESCAC Champion Middlebury in a five-set thriller. IC jumped out to a two-sets-to-none lead in the match, but Middlebury roared back to force a decisive fifth set. The Bombers staved off three match-points, closing the set on a 5-0 run to make the Round of 32 in back-to-back seasons.
 
Ithaca had six players earn Empire 8 All-Conference accolades at the conclusion of the season: LINK. Headlining the list was junior outside hitter Joelle Goldstein, who was named the conference's Player of the Year in addition to being a First Team selection. The third-year hitter went on to earning AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honors. Also earning honors were middle hitters, Amanda Cerruti and Katie Evans, as well as libero, Tara Stilwell, and setters, Caitlyn Floyd and Kayla Gromen.

Cross Country Teams Claim Empire 8 Titles Once Again; Women Place 11th at NCAAs: The Ithaca College men's and women's cross country teams prevailed once again at the Empire 8 Conference Championships in late October to extend their dominance over the conference. The men totaled 30 points as seven runners placed within the top 13, led by senior Sean Phillips, who was the individual champion. For the women, Ithaca compiled 25 points as six of the top 10 runners donned Bombers uniforms. The men extended its conference winning streak to seven, while the women have secured all 14 Empire 8 titles.

On November 19, the women competed at the NCAA Division III Championships as an at-large participant, and Phillips represented the men's squad in his first career trip to the national meet. The women would finish 11th overall at the championship out of 32 schools, and junior Taryn Cordani locked up her second consecutive All-America nod with an 11th place showing. Phillips came in 148th place in the men's portion of the championship.













Golf Captures Seventh Consecutive Empire 8 Crown: The Ithaca College golf team continued its prolific run of dominance during its fall campaign, capturing the program's seventh consecutive Empire 8 Conference Championship. Hosting this year's tournament at Ithaca Country Club, the Bombers blew away the field over the course of the 36-hole event, outpacing team runner-up Elmira by 94 strokes.
 
All six of Ithaca's entrants in the conference tournament finished in the top-seven on the final leaderboard, headlined by senior Kimberley Wong and junior Indiana Jones who finished first and second, respectively. Wong was named the Empire 8 Women's Golf Player of the Year. Joining those two players on the All-Conference First Team were junior Lauren Saylor and freshman Peyton Greco, who took home Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors. Making the All-Conference Second Team were junior Kyra Denish and senior Mary Rooker.
 
As a team, the Bombers finished no lower than fourth in the five tournaments they competed in this past fall. Ithaca added a team title at the William Smith Invitational, a second place showing at the Martin-Wallace Invite hosted by SUNY Cortland, and a third-place effort at the St. Lawrence Invitational.














Women's Tennis Wins 12^th Straight Empire 8 Title: The Ithaca College women's tennis continued to hold its perch atop the Empire 8 in 2016, capturing the program's unprecedented 12^th consecutive conference title. The Bombers once again swept through the dual-match schedule to a 10-0 record this past fall, doing so in a most dominant fashion. IC conceded just four total flight-points in team play during the year, posting seven 9-0 sweeps and a 5-0 win over Nazareth in the Empire 8 Semifinals.
 
The season came full circle in the conference championship match, as Ithaca faced a rematch against Stevens. IC defeated the Ducks 7-2 at home in the season opener and completed the perfect run with a 5-2 win in the final to pick up the program's 14^th title during head coach Bill Austin's tenure. Austin also picked up his 200^th career victory with the women's program during the year, en route to being named the Empire 8 Coach of the Year.
 
IC was well represented in the year-end awards chosen by the league's coaches. Senior netter Haley Kusak took home Empire 8 Player of the Year honors for the second straight year after posting a combined 15-0 record between singles and doubles in conference action. Talented freshman Brianna Ruback was named Co-Empire 8 Rookie of the Year with a phenomenal debut. Joining Kusak and Ruback on the All-Conference First Team for singles was sophomore Caroline Dunn, while senior Jodi Grosberg and sophomore Kathryn Shaffer earned All-Conference Second Team honors in singles. Senior Maddie Overholt was an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection for singles as well. In doubles, Kusak and Dunn were named to the First Team, while the tandems of Ruback and sophomore Taylor Ginestro as well as Shaffer and Overholt earned Second Team placement.

Men's Soccer Hands Stevens Rare Conference Loss; Qualifies for Empire 8 Championship: The Ithaca College men's soccer team earned five conference wins during the 2016 campaign but perhaps its most impressive came on September 18 as the Bombers posted their third consecutive shutout win after blanking the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks, 1-0, at Carp Wood Field.  The win was significant as the Ducks had not suffered a conference loss since 2009.  The contest was scoreless until the 77th minute when senior Scott Halpern blasted a shot into the far corner to lift the Bombers to the one-goal win.
Ithaca would go on to claim the second seed in the Empire 8 Championship before bowing out in the semifinals to Houghton College, 2-1.  Sophomore Alexander Brosnihan scored the team's lone tally with sophomore Zachary Lichtman and Halpern each earning an assist.
 
In all, six players were named All-Conference by the Empire 8 with Brosnihan, Sam Boylan, Zach Jacobsen and Andrew Coburn landing on the Second Team.  Halpern and freshman Justinian Michaels each received an Honorable Mention.  
 
Women's Soccer Earns Overtime Victory in Empire 8 Semifinal: The Ithaca College women's soccer team earned the third overall seed into the 2016 Empire 8 Championship this season and made waves in the semis.  The Bombers, who finished the campaign with an 11-5-2 overall mark including a 5-2-1 record against Empire 8 opponents, battled second-seeded Nazareth College to a 1-0 decision after senior Taylor Baranowsky broke free and headed in the game-winning goal to send Ithaca into the conference title game for the fifth straight season.
 
Senior Jocelyn Ravesi had a breakout season in 2016.  The Fulton native scored a team-high 33 points including 13 goals and seven assists.  Her most impressive game came on October 18 when she tied a program record for most goals scored in a game after finding the back of the net four times in an 8-1 win.
 
The postseason accolades rolled in for the team as well with seven being named All-Conference.  Ravesi was named to the Empire 8's First-Team while Megan Nash, Aimee Chimera and Lindsey Parkins were each named Second-Team All-Conference.  Baranowsky and Holly Niemiec were Honorable Mentions and Cate Douglass was named Sportswoman of the Year.  Additionally, Chimera was named Second-Team All-Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.  Ravesi and Baranowsky were also recognized as the pair was named Third-Team All-Region.  The postseason praise continued for Chimera as she was also honored for her work in the classroom.  The senior back was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team.

Lass Breaks Into Top-Five in All-Time Saves; Field Hockey Posts Second Straight Winning Season: The Ithaca College field hockey program posted its second consecutive winning season and third over the past four years in 2016. The Bombers finished the year on a three-game winning streak to push their record to 8-7, coming up just short of qualifying for the Empire 8 Tournament on a tiebreaker.
 
Highlighting Ithaca's sprint to the finish was a 3-1 victory over a Washington & Jefferson squad that entered the game with a 13-2 record on the year. Celebrating Senior Day on a rain and windswept Higgins Stadium on October 22nd, the Bombers used a three-goal second half barrage to power past the Presidents to claw back into contention for an E8 Tournament berth. Senior goaltender, Katie Lass, playing in her final game at Higgins Stadium, made six saves to pass Jen Stoneburg '99 into fourth place on the team's all-time saves list. Lass finished her career with 476 career stops.
 
The Bombers placed five members on Empire 8 All-Conference honors, headlined by senior Colleen Keegan-Twombly who scored a career-high 34 points on 13 goals and a career-best eight assists. Keegan-Twombly was an Empire 8 All-Conference First Team honoree. Senior midfielder, Cassie Schuttrumpf, junior forward, Michaela Donohue, and Katie Lass each earned Empire 8 All-Conference Second Team accolades. Senior striker Lauren Delia earned Empire 8 Honorable Mention selection. Additionally, Keegan-Twombly and Lass participated in the NFHCA Senior Game, hosted by William Smith College at the conclusion of the season.

Ithaca Welcomes New Members to its Staff: During the fall semester, the Ithaca College Department of Athletics added three new coaches to the football, men's lacrosse and volleyball staffs.

Dan Swanstrom was named the 10th head football coach in the program's illustrious 84-year history on December 12. Swanstrom replaces hall of fame coach Mike Welch, who announced his retirement prior to the 2016 campaign, and completed his 23rd season on the sidelines. Swanstrom comes to South Hill after previously serving as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Pennsylvania, where he mentored Alek Torgersen to a pair of All-Ivy League First-Team selections, and helped the Quakers claim back-to-back conference titles. Prior to Penn, he was the offensive coordinator and associate head coach at Johns Hopkins University for five seasons and served as an assistant at the University of Redlands for two years. Swanstrom also coached Andrew Luck, the first overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, at Stratford High School in Texas.

Head coach Jeff Long of the men's lacrosse team, named Nick Hourigan as his assistant in late September. Hourigan joins the program after a one-year stint as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Skidmore College.He did extensive work in creating and implementing both practice and game plans, while he also coordinated film sessions and the Thoroughbreds' strength and conditioning programs. His in-game responsibilities were mostly focused on defense, as he served as defensive coordinator, goalie coach and conducted the program's faceoff strategy. A graduate of Le Moyne College in May of 2015, Hourigan enjoyed a decorated collegiate career as a four-year member of the Dolphins' men's lacrosse team. He played an integral on one of the stingiest defenses in NCAA Division II, as the Dolphins had the lowest goals-against average in the country in three of his four seasons, which included the lowest season average (4.39) in Division II history in 2012.

Kaley Viola joined the volleyball staff in August after Johan Dulfer was selected as the program's head coach in February. Viola came to Ithaca after a two-year stint at Division I Davidson College as an assistant and recruiting coordinator. Prior to Davidson, Viola served as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Winthrop University, in 2013, and helped guide the Eagles to a 17-13 overall record. From 2011 to 2013, she was a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University. As a student-athlete, Viola was a four-year member of the Winthrop volleyball team from 2007-2010. She finished her career with 3,323 total attacks, which ranks her seventh all-time, 1,056 kills, 996 digs and 163 total blocks. She earned Big South second team all-conference honors in 2009 and 2010. Viola graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, and in 2013 she earned her Master of Science degree in sport & fitness administration.