For the last two years of Hilbert softball, the team has not had very good seasons. This year the coaches along with the players are hoping to start over beginning with the fall season.

Softball is not normally a fall sport but just like every sport they get to have a preseason. John Hall has been the head coach of Hilbert Softball for eight years. Every year Coach John Hall recruits different girls from all over the country. 

            After talking with Coach Hall about this season, Hall said that he is, “very excited” about this season. “I think we got a great team and we’re going to do some good things,” he said.

            Hall thinks that the Hilbert Hawk Softball team has a chance to win this year being as the girls have better attitudes and they have enough pitchers, whereas the last couple of years the team did not have very many pitchers.

 “I can see us making the playoffs this year.” Hall said. “Our pitching was what hurt us last year now we’re ready to go so,… we have a shot at the playoffs.”

            The girls on the team have better communication and are able to broadcast that ability into the games. Along with the fact that everyone knows their position and knows how to do what they need to do when they are on the field.

“The attitudes, the quality of the people we have, and everybody here can do a job so, I think it’s going to be great.”

            With the new additions to the team and the chemistry between teammates the team is looking forward to this new season. With just a week till the preseason, the team is working hard to improve what they can before their actual season in the spring, starting with a week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

            Leandra Cruz, a four-year senior on the softball team, said that the difference in this year and previous seasons is huge because there has been many positive changes to the team. She said she is “more confident and ready for the upcoming season than in the previous years.”

Cruz says this mostly because she has worked to improve her skills and so has the team as a whole, along with the additions to the team including coaches. 

One thing that caused most of our problems in prior seasons according to Cruz was the “lack of chemistry between the players… I don’t see this issue this year and I believe the chemistry and environment overall seems better.”

With the team being able to get along better this year the team and coaches are hoping for a better overall season.

Hamburg, N.Y- Sport Industry Management (SIM) students are creating a flag football tournament as part of a service-learning project to help raise money for their Super Bowl trip this upcoming February. Come down to Hilbert Colleges practice football field behind Hafner Recreation Center on November 4 from 10am to 3pm to have a day filled with football, fun and prizes.

The S.I.M Flag Football Tournament will be a 5v.5 game, costing each player $25 to join. While the event will be held on November 4, the registration closes Saturday, October 21. T-shirts with the tournament’s logo will be given to all who participate, and lunch will also be provided. The winning team will get a prize basket containing items such as gift cards, novelties and other prizes. This event will also include a raffle for a chance to win a Buffalo Bills jersey.

Gather your friends, run some practice routes, and support your fellow students. This tournament is not only aimed to help raise money for a great opportunity, but to have fun and create a positive environment for everyone involved.

 For registration, click the link provided below or scan the QR code on the posters spread all throughout the Hilbert College Campus. We hope to see you there!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnBO18QJO7bLbHsWK2nLJtudStLuIIGCvXzEdMGSDkGx_C7Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

ALFRED, N.Y. – Hilbert Women’s Soccer suffered their first conference defeat of the season, as they fell 4-0 today in Alfred. The hosting Alfred State Pioneers used a trio of goals in a seven-minute span to claim the win in this one.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first half ended with each team left scoreless, but this wasn’t for a lack of effort. Goalkeepers, Keira McFarland (Hilbert) and Kate Sproul (Alfred State), were each called upon to make a pair of saves in the first 45. Chloe Champagne and Gabrielle Avallone were responsible for the Hilbert attempts on goal.

The action really picked up in the second half, with the hosts getting on the board just five minutes in. They would double their lead three minutes later, taking a 2-0 lead. In the moments following the second goal, each team would lose a player for the remainder of the game as Champagne and Allison Lundmark each received red cards. With the extra space on the field, Alfred added two more goals before the 90 was up to earn a 4-0 win.

GAME NOTES

• McFarland made three stops.
• Champagne and Avallone recorded the only shots for the Hawks.

UP NEXT

The Hawks are back in action Saturday on the road in another AMCC contest. The team heads to Spring Run Stadium for a matchup with Penn State Altoona at 1 PM.

Editor’s Note: This article was shared with The Scribe by the Hilbert Athletics Department.

HAMBURG, N.Y. – Hilbert Men’s Soccer fell 4-0 to the visiting Alfred State Pioneers in today’s conference matchup. The pioneers used sound defending to shut down the attack of Hilbert on their way to the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

This was a physical contest from the jump, with fouls both ways early and often. After threatening free kicks each way, it would be a corner kick that would jump start the scoring in this one. Alfred State’s Nuri Sarbudak found the ball in the box after a corner kick scramble and placed it in the back of the net for the 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. This goal would be just what the Pioneers needed to open up the flood gates, as they scored two more before the 32nd minute of the match. They would take this 3-0 advantage to the break.

The second half saw Hilbert’s comeback attempt halted by the defense of Alfred State. The Hawks were able to fire off four shots on net, with two coming from the foot of Carter Burke. However, Brayden Fox of Alfred State was perfect in this contest earning the clean sheet. Another Pioneer goal in the 82nd minute wrapped up the game and gave the visitors a 4-0 victory.

GAME NOTES

• Logan Peck made eight saves in net.
• Beckham Blair, John Schroth, and Burke each recorded shots.

UP NEXT

The Hawks are back in action Saturday on the road in another AMCC matchup. The team heads to Alder Athletic Complex for a showdown with Penn State Altoona at 3:15 PM.

Editor’s Note: This article was shared with The Scribe by the Hilbert Athletics Department.

Tim Seil was hired as Hilbert’s Athletic Director in December of 2021. He has described his time at Hilbert as “outstanding”. 

Before coming to Hilbert Tim worked as the Assistant Director of Athletic facilities at Canisius College. He also teaches at the college in the Kinesiology and Sports management programs 

“I’ve learned a lot. As you mentioned, this is my first AD job,” he said. “Kara Reabum and Rob deGrandpre have done a really good job of helping me navigate certain problems and questions.” 

 Hilbert’s campus size had a role to play in making the job easier, Seil said, noting how everything is in reasonable distance and what an advantage it is being able to know everyone. 

“I’m able to walk across campus in two minutes to go have a conversation with somebody,” Seil said. “It’s a lot better to have this conversation face to face rather than over e-mail, right? So those types of things have been great you don’t get lost in the shuffle here you feel like I pretty much know everybody on campus including the professors.” 

“I think it’s something that still kind of keeps me connected to actually engaging with the students on a different level than I would normally do on a daily basis.” 

When the decision came to leave his previous job at Canisus to come to Hilbert one of the driving factors was having his family in the right position along with being in a position to succeed, Seil said. 

“I knew that I wanted to be in athletics long term,” he said.”But I also wanted to be in the right position for my family and I knew that I wanted a position close to home. I saw (college president) Dr. (Michael) Brophy’s vision and I was like ok I think I can succeed here.” 

A big part of Brophy’s vision for the athletic department was the start of three new sports programs to Hilbert: football, track and field and women’s ice hockey.

Seil said how proud he is of the sports being implemented successfully under his tenure. 

“I’m proud of the fact that we started those three new sports and added over 120 new student athletes,” he said. “Being able to give more opportunities to students and helping grow enrollment here at Hilbert’s been important. The next thing I want to accomplish is getting a field and track.” 

Football, being one of the more eye-catching additions of the three new sports, came under a lot of attention and scrutiny from within the college community. Hilbert Football went winless in the regular in its inaugural season, with the majority of the losses coming by large margins, but did have two wins in exhibition matches against junior varsity teams. And head coach Jim Kubiak left at the end of the season.

Seil said struggles are to be expected when implementing brand new programs. 

“We struggled in year one,” Seil said. “Anytime you add any sports program it takes time to develop, you need established people, athletes, and culture. I know that it can be done but it’s going to take time.”

“Last year we were a younger team, the two JV teams we did play St. John Fisher and Brockport we beat them, so I know that it can be done, it is just going to take time.” 

Seil also applauded the job that new Head Football Coach Ted Egger has done so far this season in leading the program 

“I think Coach Egger and his staff have done a really good job getting these athletes prepared, having structure so they can succeed,” Seil said. 

The annual Kangaro Encounter event was held at Hilbert College on September 21st, 2023.

During the event, inside a temporarily fenced area the student body and faculty of Hilbert College had the chance to engage several kangaroos varying in age, color, and size. Between 11:00am and 3:00pm, the entire campus was able to engage with this animal along with several others as well in a very proactive way, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

ALFRED, N.Y. – Hilbert football dropped this afternoon’s game 48-7 to the Alfred State Pioneers. Despite an impressive day on the ground by Darion Reed, the Hawks fall to 0-3 on the season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

A pair of Justin Horvath long touchdown passes to Jazir Francois (62 and 73 yards), got the Pioneers out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Two Jake Palmer rushing touchdowns and a Silas Egenlauf fumble recovery and return for a touchdown made it a 34-0 game at the half. 

Another Palmer rushing touchdown in the third quarter brought the Pioneer lead to 41. Alfred continued to lean on the ground game with another rushing score, this time by Nicholas Cuomo. It took until 21 seconds left in the game, but Hilbert found the endzone in this one. Brody Hopkins found Quantrail Moss for 23-yard Hawks touchdown. 

The Hawks were led by the offensive line, and the running of Reed and Raymone Gillie. Reed carried the ball 26 times totaling 118 yards, his career best in both. Gillie had 15 carries for 65 yards, for an average of 3.9 yards per attempt.  

GAME NOTES 

• Moss had five catches for 54 yards and a score. 
• Taivaughn Roach and Thomas Pondexter led the Hawks will seven tackles each. 
• Kemychal Clark recorded his second career interception. 

UP NEXT 

The Hawks will look for their first win on the season as they host Endicott next Saturday. The game will be at Frontier High School and is part of True Blue Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 PM. 

Editor’s note: This story was shared with The Scribe by the Hilbert Athletics department.