Elmira, NY -- The spring schedule heated up this past week, with seven EC Athletic programs were in action. EC baseball took two-out-of-three from Houghton College to secure the program's first ever series win over a conference foe. The men's tennis team took down Alfred University in a tight contest on Saturday, while Elmira softball split a home doubleheader against Nazareth College on Sunday. Both EC lacrosse teams also took the field against some stiff competition, while both golf programs hit the links for the first time this spring. Catch up on everything you missed in this edition of Soaring Eagles Weekly.
 
Headlines for the Week Ahead
 
Erik Griffin '16 Named AVCA First Team All-American on Monday
Although the EC men's volleyball season has come to an end, the program received historic news on Monday afternoon, as the team learned that standout outside hitter Erik Griffin '16 was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) First Team All-American. He is the program's first athlete to be a two-time AVCA All-American, as he was named a Second Team selection at the conclusion of last season. Read more about the honor at the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Softball Set for Trio of Home Doubleheaders on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
The Elmira College softball team continues its rigorous homestand with three consecutive doubleheaders over the first three days of this week. EC stays in Empire 8 play on Monday, April 18^th, when the Ithaca College Bombers come calling at Eldridge Park Stadium. The Soaring Eagles jump back into non-conference play the next two days when it faces Lycoming College on Tuesday, April 19^th, and Alfred State on Wednesday, April 20^th. All three twin-bills are slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.
 
Baseball Continues Homestand Against Alfred State, Ithaca on Tuesday and Wednesday
The Elmira College baseball team continues its season-long homestand on Tuesday, April 19^th, when it welcomes non-conference foe Alfred State for a single nine-inning contest at Dunn Field. The Soaring Eagles jump back into Empire 8 Conference play the following evening when Ithaca College comes calling for a single nine-inning tilt. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on both days.
 
Women's Lacrosse Hosts Nazareth on Friday
The Elmira College women's lacrosse team finally returns to Campus Field this coming Friday, April 22^nd, when the squad welcomes Nazareth College for an Empire 8 tilt. Opening draw is slated for 5:00 p.m.
 
Men's Tennis Welcomes Hartwick to the MAC on Sunday
The Elmira College men's tennis team returns to the Murray Athletic Center Tennis Dome on Sunday, April 24^th, when it welcomes Hartwick College for a big Empire 8 Conference matchup. The match is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m.
 
A Look Back at the Week That Was…
 
Baseball Takes First Conference Series in Program History
The Elmira College baseball team scored the first series win against an Empire 8 Conference foe in program history when it took two-of-three against Houghton over this past weekend. The Soaring Eagles used the big inning in both victories over the Highlanders, scoring 9-2 and 8-5 wins in the first two games of the series. Nick Sampogna '18 and Conor Bawiec '18 turned in strong efforts on the mound, both notching their second victories of the season, respectively.
 
Unfortunately, the momentum was stalled in the final game of the series, as Houghton scratched some early runs in an 8-4 win.
 
EC nearly scored one of the biggest victories in program history on Sunday, when the Soaring Eagles welcomed Stevens for a make-up of the final game in their season series. The Purple and Gold took an 8-7 lead into the top of the ninth inning, but the Ducks made the clutch hits down the stretch. Stevens tied it up to force extras, before breaking the game open with seven runs in the 10^th inning in a 15-10 final.
 
Sampogna was named an EC Athlete of the Week on Monday morning.
 
For more information on EC Baseball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Softball Goes 1-3, Splits With Nazareth on Sunday
The Elmira College softball team continued its busy Empire 8 Conference slate when it welcomed St. John Fisher College and Nazareth College for a pair of twin-bills on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The nationally-ranked Cardinals swept both ends of the first doubleheader, while the Soaring Eagles were able to take the opening game of the double-dip with the Golden Flyers on Sunday afternoon.
 
Maddy Johnson '19 continued her stellar rookie campaign in Elmira's lone win on the weekend. She went 2-for-4, driving in the game-tying run in the seventh inning of the opener against Nazareth on Sunday. EC went on to win the game in walk-off fashion by a 6-5 final score.
 
For more information on EC Softball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Tennis Outlasts Alfred in 1-1 Weekend
The Elmira College men's tennis team split a pair of Empire 8 road matches this past weekend, falling to Houghton College on Friday, before rebounding for a thrilling 5-4 win over Alfred University on Saturday.
 
Trailing the match 2-1 through doubles play, Elmira took four of the six singles flights to score a sensational 5-4 comeback victory over the Saxons. It marked Elmira's eighth win of the season, the most the program has collected in over 16 seasons.
 
Austin Mansell '16 posted a combined 3-1 record over the course of the weekend, in the process moving into a tie with Patrick Tracey '18 for the most single-season singles victories in program history. Mansell has an 11-4 record in singles play this season. He was named an EC Athlete of the Week on Monday morning.
 
For more information on EC Men's Tennis, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Lacrosse Falls to Alfred on Saturday
The Elmira College men's lacrosse team got off to a fast start on Saturday against the Saxons, but was unable to parlay that into a victory over its Southern Tier rival. EC fell to Alfred University 20-8, dropping its Empire 8 record to 1-3 on the season.
 
Skyler Pradelski '16 and TJ Leach '16 netted back-to-back goals to stake EC to an early 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, Alfred responded with five unanswered goals during the middle portion of the first quarter to take the control of the contest. Overall, the Saxons netted 12 of the next 13 goals after Elmira's two-goal start to grab firm control of the game.
 
For more information on EC Men's Lacrosse, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Lacrosse Falls to St. John Fisher, SUNY Canton
The Elmira College women's lacrosse team had a difficult run of play this weekend as it hit the road to face nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College and North Country foe SUNY Canton. The offense struggled to get off the ground in both games, falling 19-2 against the Cardinals and 15-7 against the Kangaroos.
 
Moorea Spoljaric '16 netted one goal against St. John Fisher and added five tallies against SUNY Canton. Hayley Baker '19 also scored one goal in each contest.
 
For more information on EC Women's Lacrosse, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Golf Concludes Second Leg of E8 Championships, Finishes in Seventh
The Elmira College men's golf team got its first taste of action this spring when it traveled to Hershey, PA, for the second leg of the Empire 8 Conference Championships.
 
The Soaring Eagles entered the weekend sitting in seventh place through the first leg of the competition played this past fall. EC remained right in the same place, finishing in seventh in both rounds this weekend.
 
Brandon Payne '17 was Elmira's top golfer on the weekend, firing two rounds of 84 (+13) at the Hershey Country Club. Jake Lawson '16 and Jessy Lawson '16 were Elmira's other two golfers to break 90.
 
For more information on EC Men's Golf, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Golf Finishes Eighth at Le Moyne College Spring Invite
The Elmira College women's golf team also hit the course for the first time this spring when it headed to Timber Banks Golf Club for the Le Moyne College Spring Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.
 
The Soaring Eagles shook off the rust from a long layoff between the fall and spring seasons. Elmira came in eighth out of the nine teams at the competition.
 
Audrey Clarke '18 led the way for Elmira, carding rounds of 90 (+19) and 91 (+20) to finish in 20^th place.
 
For more information on EC Women's Golf, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
The Week Ahead…
 
Monday, April 18, 2016
*Softball vs. Ithaca College (DH), 3:00 p.m.
 
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Softball vs. Lycoming College (DH), 3:00 p.m.
*Men's Lacrosse vs. St. John Fisher College, 4:00 p.m.
Baseball vs. Alfred State, 6:00 p.m.
 
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Softball vs. Alfred State (DH), 3:00 p.m.
*Baseball vs. Ithaca College, 6:00 p.m.
 
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Baseball at Keuka College, 3:00 p.m.
Softball at Morrisville State (DH), 3:00 p.m.
 
Friday, April 22, 2016
Softball at York College (DH), 2:00 p.m.
*Women's Lacrosse vs. Nazareth College, 5:00 p.m.
 
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Baseball at SUNY New Paltz (DH), 12:00 p.m.
*Softball at Utica College (DH), 1:00 p.m.
*Men's Lacrosse at Stevens Institute of Technology, 3:00 p.m.
Women's Golf at Ithaca College Invitational (First Round)
 
Sunday, April 24, 2016
*Men's Tennis vs. Hartwick College, 1:00 p.m.
*Women's Lacrosse at Alfred University, 1:00 p.m.
Women's Golf at Ithaca College Invitational (Second Round)
 
Bold Indicates Home Contest
*Indicates Empire 8 Contest
(DH) Indicates Doubleheader