SUNY Niagara golf won a third consecutive NJCAA Region III championship Monday in Chautauqua. This also marked the program’s fifth regional title since 2019 and the seventh overall since 1968.
The Thunderwolves amassed a total of 623 strokes (313-310), 10 fewer attempts than last year, and 20 clear of runner-up Hudson Valley Community College (643). Onondaga Community College (646), Jefferson Community College (680) and SUNY Adirondack (693) rounded out the top five in team scoring.
Sophomore Finn Graham placed first overall with a score of 2-over-par 148. This marked Graham’s fifth win of the season (seventh in career) and his eighth career top-five finish.
Classmate and Lockport resident Anthony Gagliardi finished third at 8-over 154. This marked his highest-ever postseason finish and one of three top-five finishes this season (six in career).
Ryan Conrad placed eighth overall at 159 and Bode Daumen finished tied for ninth at 162. Graham and Gagliardi received first-team all-Region III honors, while Ryan Conrad (eighth) and Bode Daumen (tied ninth) were selected to the second team.
Head coach Matt Oleski was named Region III Coach of the Year for a third consecutive season and the eighth time in his career. SUNY Niagara now competes in the NJCAA Div. III championships June 2-5 at the Chautauqua Golf Club in Chautauqua, where they placed fourth last season with a team-best score of 1,239 strokes.
Baseball
After tallying 46 regular-season wins, SUNY Niagara is now 4-0 in the postseason and competing for the NJCAA Region III championship at Noon Saturday in Auburn against a to-be-determined opponent in the double-elimination bracket. A loss at Noon would result in a second and deciding game at 3:30 p.m.
The Thunderwolves’ journey to the championship began with a two-game sweep over Jefferson Community College in the subregionals May 9 at Sal Maglie Stadium, advancing them as the No. 1 seed in the region’s Final Four.
SUNY Niagara then recorded a 14-6, seven-inning win against rival and No. 4 Erie Community College Thursday in Auburn. The Thunderwolves scored nine runs in the first inning and Alexander Graham led at the plate with a three-hit, two-RBI performance.
The blue-and-gold then defeated No. 2 Hudson Valley, 8-0, in seven innings Friday in Auburn, extending its regional tournament record to 39-9 since 2017. Sophomore Cam Gravelle recorded two home runs and drove in a career-high five runs, Dalton Harper posted his 15th home run of the season and 18th of his career, and Keegan Bazinet threw a seven-inning five-hitter for his 11th win of the season (12th in career).
Before the Final Four began Thursday, freshman Derrick Allen, Bazinet, Garvelle and Harper were first-team selections and freshman Cameron Gruarin (Niagara Wheatfield) was a second-team honoree for the NJCAA all-Region III teams. Harper was also named the region’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
The five all-region selections are the third most in a single season for SUNY Niagara since 2013, trailing only 2025 (7) and 2024 (6). This is also the fifth season — and the third consecutive — in which the Thunderwolves have had at least four first-team selections since 2013.
Softball
Sophomore Quinn Manth and freshman Gianna Simone received NJCAA All-Region III second-team honors May 9. This marked the Thunderwolves’ first all-regional selections overall and the first season they had multiple honorees since 2023.
Manth led the region with a team-high 40 stolen bases in 33 games this season, which was fourth in NJCAA Division III. The North Tonawanda resident and D’Youville commit also finished in the region’s top 10 with a .527 on-base percentage (seventh), a .774 slugging percentage (seventh), and a .443 batting average (tied for eighth).
Manth finished tied for 19th in the region in runs batted in with 29 and posted two home runs, 11 doubles and nine triples. Manth also had a .943 fielding percentage and recorded 57 assists in the infield.
Simone appeared in 31 games for the Thunderwolves and recorded a .388 batting average, one home run and 15 runs batted in. The Grand Island resident also recorded a .425 on-base percentage and a .522 slugging percentage.
Simone also recorded a hit in 17 games, including in nine of her last 11 contests, dating back to SUNY Niagara’s matchup against Monroe April 21. Simone posted eight multi-hit games, including a season-high three-hit, three-RBI performance versus SUNY Adirondack April 4.
Women’s wrestling
SUNY Niagara announced Latifah McBryde as its inaugural women’s wrestling head coach Thursday. The hiring comes after the college announced the sport as its ninth-NJCAA recognized program on April 8 with competition set to start in the 2026-27 school year.
A Buffalo resident, McBryde was a four-time NAIA All-American and three-time national finalist during her four-year career at Life University, which concluded this spring. McBryde was crowned national champion at 160 pounds in 2025, her third and final consecutive season reaching the national finals.
McBryde has also competed at the USAW Senior level, winning won true third in the 68-kilogram weight class at Final X in 2025 and qualifying for the United States’ national team.
McBryde later earned bronze at the U.S. Open this April and is currently competing in the Senior World Team Trials in Kentucky in the 72-kilogram weight class.
Wrestling will be the fifth women’s sport offered at SUNY Niagara alongside volleyball, basketball, golf and softball and the first new women’s sport on campus since lacrosse was disbanded following the 2015 season. The 2026-27 schedule for SUNY Niagara women’s wrestling will be announced at a future date.
Men’s basketball
In his final time representing SUNY Niagara, sophomore guard Chioke Marshall helped the North All-Stars complete a come-from-behind victory against the South All-Stars, 79-73, in the NJCAA MBBCA (Men’s Basketball Coaches Association) All-Star Game Saturday in Las Vegas. The North All-Stars trailed 34-25 at halftime and were down 73-68 with less than three minutes before they ended the contest on an 11-0 run.
A NJCAA Division II second-team All-American, Marshall was the second Thunderwolf in as many seasons to appear in the game, joining 2025 graduate Jamyier Patton. This season, Marshall scored a team-high 24.7 points per game on 45.4% shooting for SUNY Niagara, which was fourth in NJCAA Division II and led the division in free-throw percentage (92.9%).
Also named the NJCAA Region III Div. II Player of the Year in March, Marshall finished with 1,200 points in 57 career games. Marshall is now second all-time in program history behind
1975 graduate and Athletics Wall of Fame inductee George Pendleton (1,245 points).
WNYAC Honors
The following SUNY Niagara baseball and softball members received honors for the WNYAC (Western New York Athletic Conference) all-conference teams Tuesday:
Baseball Player of the Year: Dalton Harper, So., Catcher
Baseball Coach of the Year: Matt Clingersmith, SUNY Niagara
Baseball First Team: Keegan Bazinet, So., Pitcher; Cam Gravelle, So., Infield;
Dalton Harper, So., Catcher; Mike Schaefer, So., Infield
Baseball Second Team: Derrick Allen, Fr., Pitcher; Luke Gigliotti, So., Outfield;
Cooper Rossano, So., Infield
Softball First Team: Quinn Manth, So., Infield; Miranda Shingleton, Fr., Infield;
Molly Syposs, Fr., Utility
Softball Second Team: Caitlyn Hanley, So., Utility; Mia Herman, So., Outfield;
Lauren Kisloski, So., Utility