Press release:

In a rematch of the 2018 NJCAA Men’s Lacrosse National Championship game, #3 Onondaga Community College and #1 Nassau Community College Lions needed overtime to settle the 2019 edition.

In the end, Offensive Most Valuable Player Percy Booth scored the game-winning goal with 17 seconds remaining, to give Onondaga their third-consecutive National Championship, defeating Nassau 7-6 on Sunday afternoon at Genesee Community College.

In a game that went back and forth throughout its entirety, the two teams played in a defensive match with goaltenders. Frank Delia (Onondaga CC) and both Gunnar Luckoski and Anthony Kennin (Nassau CC) played outstandingly well throughout the National Championship game.

Percy Booth from Onondaga had a hat trick on the day, including scoring the game-winner in the overtime period. Kyle Worsley scored two goals and added an assist for the Lazers. Karl Flinter also scored for Onondaga. Frank Delia made 19 saves between the pipes for Onondaga.

Liam Muldoon led the way offensively for Nassau scoring a pair of goals. Justin Roderka also scored two goals. Dan Rooney scored one goal and tallied three assists and Matt Russo also scored for the Lions.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM members include:

• Jackson Kranzy – Howard CC
• Tim Russell – Howard CC
• Jack Watsic – Howard CC
• Eli Doyle – Harford CC
• Tyler Wagoner – Harford CC
• Moriah Yousefi – Harford CC
• Liam Muldoon – Nassau CC
• John Ehlers – Nassau CC
• Justin Rodereka – Nassau CC
• Gavin Kesserling – Onondaga CC
• Phil Barilla – Onondaga CC
• Eli Dandelaught – Onondaga CC  
• Offensive Most Valuable Player – Percy Booth (Onondaga CC)
• Defensive Most Valuable Player – Frank Delia (Onondaga CC)
• National Coach of the Tournament – Eric Miccio (Onondaga CC)

Press release:

For the first time in the program's history, the Genesee Community College Men's Lacrosse Team captured the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship after defeating Onondaga CC 13-12 in overtime on Sunday afternoon.

The fourth-seeded Cougars snapped a seven-year streak in which OCC won the title, becoming just the third different team to be crowned national champions since 2006.

Genesee trailed 1-0 early in the first but tied it at the 11:37 mark when Pat Van Bortle scored off of an assist from Alex Henry. Jacob Bomberry followed with his first of three goals in the game just 20 seconds later and gave GCC a 2-1 lead.

OCC, the No. 2 seed, ended the opening quarter with three straight goals and took a 6-2 lead five minutes into the second to build what would be its largest lead of the afternoon.

Genesee capitalized on a man-up opportunity and ended its scoreless stretch when Van Bortle recorded his second goal with 9:14 to play in the half. Davis Prince cut the deficit to two with an unassisted goal at 6:24 and just over a minute later the Cougars were within one after Jonah Mohawk found the back of the net to make it 6-5.

The Lazers went into the half scoring back-to-back goals, including one with just six seconds left, and led 8-5 at the break.

Another man-up goal for GCC started the scoring in the second half when Van Bortle set Up Sherman Williams for his first of the game halfway through the third to cut the OCC lead down to two. The Lazers responded less than a minute later to extend their lead back to three before Williams struck again on a man-up opportunity to make it a 9-7 game.

Both teams exchanged goals to end the third as Bomberry got his second of the game for GCC and he scored again early in the fourth to get the Cougars to within one at 10-9. Williams then scored back-to-back goals at 11:24 and 10:40 and GCC held its first lead since the first quarter at 11-10.

OCC got the equalizer even strength and then scored a man-up goal with just over six minutes to play to regain the lead at 12-11. But Van Bortle wasn't done and tied it at 12 with 3:43 left in regulation and after a scoreless duration of the fourth, the game went into overtime.

Both teams held a possession early in the extra session but could not cash in, until with just 1:14 left in overtime, Van Bortle found an opportunity in front of the OCC net and scored his fourth goal of the afternoon to send GCC to its first national title.

Van Bortle, named the tournament's offensive MVP, finished with six points in the game adding a pair of assists to his four goals. Williams also tallied four goals and Bomberry finished with six points, scoring three goals and assisting on three.

Darin Eakins was named the tournament' defensive MVP and made 14 saves in net. Reed Hnidy led the GCC defense with six ground balls and caused five turnovers and Kyle Dalrymple and Mike Caternolo each collected four ground balls. Caternolo was also 10 for 27 on face-offs.

Genesee's national championship season ends with a 15-4 overall record. It is the College's second national title in school history and first since 1971 (bowling).

The No. 4 nationally-ranked GCC men's lacrosse team is headed to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Final Four after an 11-9 win over visiting Suffolk County Community College in the opening round of the tournament on Saturday.

Suffolk took the early lead in the first ever national tournament game hosted by GCC. The Sharks scored at the 8:05 mark to take a 1-0 advantage.

Genesee got the equalizer from Brody Jorgenson with 3:50 left in the first quarter and Cyrus Spruce followed 40-seconds later to give GCC a 2-1 lead.

With the game tied at two early in the second, Drew Horton scored to make it 3-2 Genesee, but Suffolk answered quickly to tie it up at three.

Alex Henry went 50 yards on his own to score unassisted at the 5:42 mark of the second and John Jimmerson extended the Cougars' lead to 5-3 with a goal 41-seconds later. GCC took the two-goal lead into the half.

Suffolk cut the lead to one with a man-up goal early in the second half before GCC scored three straight to take an 8-4 lead. Jimmy Smith scored twice and Colton Reformat added one. The Sharks added another man-up goal late in the third to cut the lead to 8-5 at the end of three.

Suffolk scored back-to-back to start the fourth and GCC's lead was down to one at 8-7. Spruce ended the SCCC scoring stretch with his second goal of the game at the 11:55 mark and Jorgenson followed with his second goal of the game just nine seconds after to make it 10-7 Genesee.

After Suffolk again cut the GCC lead down to one with back-to-back goals, Nick Lavoy added an insurance goal with 49-seconds remaining, and the Cougars held on for the two-goal victory.

Mike Caternolo was eight for 10 on face-offs and also had six ground balls.

Jorgenson was four of six on face-offs and collected four ground balls and Henry led the Cougars with three takeaways.

Corey Luty made 10 saves in net to earn the victory, which was the first national tournament win for GCC in school history.

Genesee (12-4) will advance to its fourth NJCAA Final Four in school history and take on No. 1 Onondaga CC (15-0) on Sat., May 9 in Baltimore, MD at 1 p.m.

The No. 4 nationally-ranked Cougars could not stop No. 1 Onondaga Community College from winning its 11^th consecutive Region III Championship, falling to the Lazers 24-4 on Sunday afternoon at OCC.

Genesee kept pace early on and after OCC took a 1-0 lead 3:35 into the first quarter, the Cougars answered when Cyrus Spruce found the back of the net on the man-up at the 7:30 mark  for his 41^st goal of the season.

Onondaga went on to score four straight goals to end the first period and held a 9-1 lead before GCC scored again. John Jimerson made it 9-2 with a goal with just under five minutes to play in the half and after OCC scored on the man-up, Jimmy Smith returned the favor with a man-up goal for Genesee with 3:16 to play in the second quarter to make it 10-3. The Lazers went on a 3-0 run to end the half and led 13-3 at the break.

Kyle Fabian gave GCC the first goal of the second half, scoring unassisted less than a minute in. That would be the last time Genesee would find the back of the net, however, as OCC scored the final 11 goals of the game en-route to its 103^rd consecutive victory.

Jimerson led Genesee with four ground balls and also had one takeaway. Alex Henry recorded three ground balls and three takeaways and Oliver Stoudt had two ground balls and one caused turnover.

Colton Reformat went 7-14 on face-offs, Mike Caternolo was 4-13 and Ray Tague was 1-4.

Corey Luty and Brian Thielman combined to make 13 saves in net.  

Smith and Spruce were both named to the all-tournament team for GCC.                           

Genesee (11-4), which qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament with a win on Saturday against Dean College in the regional semifinals, will await its seed and pairing for the tournament, which will begin on May 2.

The No. 4 nationally-ranked GCC men's lacrosse team is headed to the Region III Semifinals after a 22-2 win over Monroe Community College on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

The Cougars, the No. 2 seed in the regional tournament, saw 14 different players record a point in the game.

Genesee led start to finish in a game that was never in doubt. The Cougars held a 10-1 lead at halftime and scored six goals in the first five minutes of the second half to keep the game out of reach.

Jacob Bomberry led the offense with five goals and two assists for seven points in the game. Cyrus Spruce scored four goals and added an assist, Mitchell Kinney had three goals and an assist, Jimmy Smith added a goal and three assists, Joshua Wester finished with two goals and an assist and Evan Jacob and Brody Jorgenson both scored two goals apiece.

Alex Henry led the defense with four takeaways and he also assisted on a goal. Reed Hnidy collected a team-high seven ground balls and had two takeaways and an assist.

Ray Tague went 8 for 9 on face-offs, Colton Reformat finished 7 for 9 and Mike Caternolo was 6 for 7.

Corey Luty made eight saves in net for Genesee, which advances to the semifinals and will face Dean College on Saturday at Onondaga CC. Face-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and the winner will receive an automatic bid into the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament. 

The No. 4 Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team extended its shutout streak to two games in a row, blanking visiting Mohawk Valley Community College on Thursday afternoon, 32-0.

Brian Thielman earned a shutout win at Niagara County CC on Tuesday and made five saves in net on Thursday to extend the streak to eight consecutive quarters.

Jacob Bomberry scored seven goals and had three assists, Lukas Baildon added five goals and two assists and Colin Brillian had three goals.

Joshua Wester finished with six ground balls and three takeaways and also added a goal to lead the midfield.

Mike Caternolo was a perfect 11 for 11 on face-offs and Ray Tague went 9 for 13.

The 32 goals set a new school record for most goals in a single game.

Genesee (5-3) will return to action on Apr. 12 on the road at Jefferson Community College. The game will be played at General Brown Turf Field and face-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.

(GCC's Reed Hnidy (#12 white) challenges an OCC attack on Saturday afternoon)

The No. 4 Cougars lost a 16-8 decision to visiting No. 1 Onondaga Community College on Saturday afternoon, falling to 3-3 on the season.

OCC scored the first five goals of the game before Genesee responded. Brody Jorgenson and Reed Hnidy scored back-to-back goals to end the first quarter and cut the Lazers' lead down to three.

Jimmy Smith scored five minutes into the second quarter to get GCC to within two at 5-3, but OCC ended the half with two straight tallies and led 7-3 at the break.

The Lazers extended their lead to 10-3 early on in the second half before Cyrus Spruce scored his first of two goals in the game at the 12:12 mark of the third and John Jimerson followed with a goal at the 8:27 mark to cut the OCC lead down to five.

Onondaga held a 12-6 lead going into the fourth and outscored Genesee 4-2 in the final period to earn the win. Jacob Bomberry and Spruce tallied the two goals for GCC in the final quarter.

Bomberry led the offense with two goals and two assists and Mitchell Kinneyadded two assists.

Hnidy finished with a goal, seven ground balls and four takeaways. 

Brian Thielman made 15 saves in net.

Genesee will return to action on the road on Tuesday at Niagara County Community College. Face-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Seven members of the Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team were recently named to the 2014 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region III All-Region team. Sophomore midfielder Pete DiLaura (Chili, NY) and sophomore defenseman Johnny Astrologo (Mahopac, NY) were both selected to the first team and freshman attacks Dana Ray (Allegany Territory) and Joshua Wester (Livonia, NY), sophomore midfielder Tyler Skowronski (Clarence, NY), freshman defender Jesse Jimerson (Six Nations, ON) and sophomore goalkeeper Craig Seneca (Cattarugus Territory) were selected to the second team.

DiLaura had the sixth highest ground ball total in the country this year with 90, which led the team. He scored five goals, added five assists and led the team in takeaways with 60.

Astrologo started in all 15 games this spring. He was second on the team in ground balls with 59 and second in takeaways with 53. He also earned NJCAA All-American honors as a second team selection this year.

Ray scored a team-high 32 goals and 24 assits, totaling a team-best 56 points. He made 13 starts during his freshman season.

Wester was third on the team in total points with 47, scoring 22 goals and adding 25 assists. He totaled 30 ground balls and caused nine turnovers, playing in 13 games this spring.

Skowronski tallied 37 points. He scored 20 goals and had 17 assists. He also had 10 takeaways and collected 31 ground balls, appearing in every game this year for GCC.

Jimerson equaled the third highest ground ball total on the team with 49. He caused 38 turnovers and had two points offensively, scoring a goal and adding an assist.

Seneca had the third highest save percentage in the NJCAA this season at 64.3 percent. He made 184 total saves and held the sixth lowest goals against average in the country at 8.81.

Genesee finished the 2014 season ranked No. 4 in the NJCAA National Poll. The Cougars reached the Region III semifinals for the fourth consecutive year and had its three year run of national tournament appearances snapped after just missing out on an at-large bid.

Genesee Community College's Ashley Makowski (Kendall, NY) and Kaleigh Murray (Syracuse, NY) were recently selected to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) women's lacrosse Region III All-Region team. Makowski was named to the All-Region first team and Murray was named to the All-Region second team.

In her freshman season, Makowski led the Cougars in assists with 12 and was second on the team in goals (20) and total points (32). She played in and started all ten games this spring for GCC, collected 27 ground balls and caused 14 turnovers. She was also selected to the Western New York Athletic Conference (WNYAC) All-Conference first team this spring.

Murray, a freshman, scored a team-leading 33 goals this season, the second highest single-season mark in school history. She added three assists to total a team-high 36 points and controlled 26 draws. She was also named to the WNYAC All-Conference first team this year.

Genesee advanced to the Region III playoffs for the first time in school history this spring. The Cougars set the school record for most wins in a season, finishing the year 6-4.

(Astrologo)

Genesee Community College men's lacrosse defenseman Johnny Astrologo (Mahopac, NY) was recently named a 2014 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American. He was named to the All-American second team.

A sophomore, Astrologo was a team captain and played in and started all 15 games for the Cougars this spring. He was second on the team in both ground balls (59) and caused turnovers (53), totals that were 17^th and 2^nd best in all of the NJCAA this season, respectively.

He was named to the NJCAA Region III All-Region first team and the Western New York Athletic Conference (WNYAC) All-Conference second team this season as well and was an All-Conference first team selection last year as a freshman.

"Johnny is someone that the coaches and his teammates look up to as a leader because you know exactly what you are going to get from him each day," said GCC assistant coach Derek Hoover. "He's a hardworking player that will do whatever is asked of him on and off the field.  I am very pleased that he will be receiving this award because as a defenseman, you don't always get all the praise after each game. Johnny always played against the opposing team's top players and was very successful in his two years with us," Hoover said.

During his two-year career at Genesee, Astrologo started all 33 of the team's games, tallied 112 ground balls and had 112 takeaways. He will transfer and continue his athletic and academic career at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Dowling College in Oakdale, NY. The Golden Lions compete in the East Coast Conference and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II National Championships this spring.