After a two-year run in Sanborn, Isabella Karabetsos is taking her talents to Main Street.
The sophomore and Brampton, Ontario resident announced her commitment to Daemen University Tuesday. In 57 career games, Karabetsos recorded 622 points and 345 assists, and her team-leading six assists per game ranked tied for fourth in NJCAA Division II, along with 11.7 points per game.
Karabetsos is the 15th Thunderwolf to commit to an NCAA Division II program in the last 12 years. She is also the fourth player to join Daemen after completing a two-year career at SUNY Niagara (2015 graduate Jesse DeWaters of Lockport, 2020 graduate Paige Emborsky of Newfane and 2022 graduate Gabrielle McDuffie of Buffalo).
Karabetsos led the Thunderwolves to the NJCAA Region III Division II championship game twice, and won in the 2024-25 season under Nate Beutel, who led Daemen to its fifth straight East Coast Conference championship title and seventh consecutive NCAA tournament appearance this season. Karabetsos later won the East A District championship over Sullivan County Community College and led SUNY Niagara to the national tournament for the fifth time in program history.
A two-time first-team All-Region III Division II selection, Karabetsos finished 14th all-time in Thunderwolves program history with 622 points. She also joins 2023 graduate Aichata Ballo (809 points, 389 assists in 81 games) as the only players with at least 500 points and 300 assists in a career over the last 10 seasons (since 2016-17).
Karabetsos is also the second SUNY Niagara women’s basketball player from its 2026 graduating class to commit, joining Atarah Walker. Walker, a Niagara Falls resident, committed to Northern Illinois University Tuesday.
Softball
SUNY Niagara improved to .500 on the season (12-12) after its recent stretch of contests. The Thunderwolves lost to Jefferson Community College, 5-2, on Saturday and later won a pair of two-game series against Onondaga Community College Sunday and Monroe Community College Tuesday.
The victories against Onondaga and Monroe marked SUNY Niagara’s third and fourth regional series sweeps this season. Ranked fourth in the NJCAA Region III Softball Coaches Poll for a second straight week on April 17, the Thunderwolves are also 11-4 in region play, their best since a 12-3 start in 2023 (25-4 overall).
North Tonawanda resident and D’Youville commit Quinn Manth has a .474 batting average, driven in 25 runs and has continued her climb towards the program’s stolen bases record in the modern era (since 2013). Manth has 78 stolen bases in 53 games and is tied for the program record with 2018 graduate Ana Bryer (78 in 81 games).
Fellow North Tonawanda resident, freshman Miranda Shingleton, leads the division with a .571 batting average and is tied for 15th with her team-best 37 runs batted in. Shingleton also recorded her team-leading fourth home run in an 18-15 win versus Onondaga Sunday.
Caitlyn Hanley recorded her sixth win of the season in a 16-11 win in Game One of the Monroe series Tuesday and has logged a team-high 74 innings. Freshman and North Tonawanda resident Marissa Shingleton recorded her fifth win and has recorded a team-high 43 strikeouts in 57.2 innings pitched.
Weather permitting, SUNY Niagara hosts an NJCAA Region III doubleheader versus Erie Community College at 3 p.m. Friday in Sanborn. The Thunderwolves travel to Hudson Valley Community College for a two-game series at Noon Sunday and then host Genesee Community College at 3 p.m. Tuesday in Sanborn.
Baseball
Heading into the final weekend of April, SUNY Niagara remains unbeaten in the NJCAA Region IIII West standings (17-0) following a four-game sweep against Erie Community College. The Thunderwolves took two over the Kats at Sal Maglie Stadium on April 17 (10-3 in seven innings and 12-2 in six innings) and won both in Williamsville on Tuesday (14-2 in five innings and 15-7 in seven innings).
SUNY Niagara is 37-3 and is three wins away from posting its eighth 40-win season — and a fifth consecutive — since the Matt Clingersmith era began in 2007. After six weeks ranked third, the Thunderwolves moved up to second in the latest NJCAA Division III national rankings, which were released Tuesday.
Sophomore and Penn State commit Dalton Harper recorded his team-leading 11th home run of the season during SUNY Niagara’s 14-2 five-inning Game One win at the Kats Tuesday and now has 14 in his career. Harper has the third most home runs in the program’s modern era since 2007, trailing Gavyn Boyle (19) and Vincent Chiarenza (16) and his 125 total hits are the second most in this span, behind only 2017 graduate Zarley Cina (130).
Harper is one of three current Thunderwolves looking to record 100 career runs batted in. Mike Schaefer has 97 in 88 games (49 this season), Cooper Rossano has 91 in 76 games and Harper has 88 in 87 games.
Niagara Wheatfield graduate Cameron Graurin recorded his second and third home runs of the season during Game One against Erie Tuesday. The Niagara Falls resident is one of four Thunderwolves with at least three home runs this season.
On the mound, sophomore and George Mason commit Keegan Bazinet and freshman Derrick Allen each posted their seventh win of the season and are in a four-way tie for the most in NJCAA Division III. Allen is also third in the division with 61 strikeouts in a team-high 45 innings pitched and Bazinet is tied for 14th with 54 strikeouts in 44 innings.
Weather permitting, SUNY Niagara begins a two-game road trip at Genesee Community College at 1 p.m. Saturday in Batavia, and at Onondaga Community College at 1 p.m. Sunday in Syracuse. The Thunderwolves then return home and host Onondaga at 2 p.m. April 30 at Sal Maglie Stadium.
Golf
SUNY Niagara moved to 3-1 on the win through the second weekend of the season. The Thunderwolves won the Hudson Valley Invitational Friday in Delmar and the SUNY Adirondack Invitational Saturday in Queensbury.
In Delmar Friday, SUNY Niagara won with a team score of 300, four scores ahead of host Hudson Valley (304). Onondaga Community College (315), SUNY Adirondack (326) and Jefferson Community College (329) rounded out the top five.
Sophomore Finn Graham finished first overall with a score of two-under-par 68, five strokes ahead of the field, and earned NJCAA Region III Athlete of the Week in golf for a second consecutive week. This also marked the lowest score ever in Thunderwolves history and tied for the best single-round finish and the third time in Graham’s career where he finished first.
In Queensbury Saturday, SUNY Niagara won again with a team score of 320, six scores ahead of Hudson Valley (326). Host SUNY Adirondack (329), Onondaga (330) and Jefferson (348) rounded out the top five, and Ryan Conrad tied with Adirondack’s Mason McDougal for first overall at 6-over 78.
The Thunderwolves return to action in the Jamestown Community College Invitational Friday in Chautauqua. Then, they aim for their 10th consecutive win at the annual SUNY Niagara Invite Saturday at Willowbrook Golf Course in Lockport.