UR had plenty to celebrate over Yellowjacket Weekend, as carnival rides and food trucks were supported by strong performances by the sports teams. The weekend is an annual celebration of returning to campus, marked by giveaways, guest speakers, and games held on and off campus.
Field hockey started the weekend festivities early, defeating Nazareth College in dominant fashion on Thursday, Sept. 1 by a score of 8-0 at Fauver Stadium. Elsewhere on Thursday, both men’s and women’s soccer won at SUNY Cortland and SUNY Geneseo respectively, cruising to 3-1 and 2-0 wins. Keeping school spirit high, women’s cross country was victorious at the Highlander Short Course at Houghton College, taking the individual and team victories. Senior Rachel Dennis conquered the four kilometer course in just 14:45, 14 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
Friday and Saturday were marked by the UR Invitational Volleyball Tournament, which saw the Yellowjackets defend home court en route to an undefeated weekend and an impressive tournament win. UR defeated Medaille and Oneonta on Friday, Sept. 2, followed by wins over Buffalo State and Penn State Behrend on Saturday to cruise to a perfect 4-0 record. Middle blockers Sonia McGaffigan (SR) and Ruby Moore (FY) earned All-Tournament honors for their efforts.
Football started their season on Saturday in a historic offensive performance against Utica. Junior running back Daniel Papantonis set a UR record with 309 net rushing yards and four touchdowns, including scoring runs of 92, 88, and 44 yards in the first quarter. The team put together 466 rushing yards on the night, although the ground game was not enough to put Utica away. Outscored 15-0 in the second quarter and 21-7 in the second half, UR was defeated 28-43.
Men’s soccer capped off the weekend with a chippy win over Mount Union, winning 2-0 after the teams combined for 24 fouls, including 10 penalty cards. Junior midfielder Santi Ponce Ocampo’s penalty kick gave UR the early lead in the 14th minute, but were almost immediately on the back foot after a red card to first-year defender Kol Bassuk. The team held strong, however, holding their narrow lead until a 68th minute brace from forward Colin Canning. Men’s soccer weekend performances moved them to 2-0 on the season.
UR Athletics will continue their respective seasons in the coming days and weeks, and a full list of events can be found on the composite calendar.
