Valhalla, NY – With the 2022-2023 athletic season wrapped up and heading right into the first days of summer, the Vikings saw many accomplishments throughout their competitive seasons.
 
As always, the Athletic Department would like to congratulate and thank all our Student-Athletes on another fantastic year for SUNY Westchester! The grueling road of college athletics is not an easy adjustment for those transitioning from high school however the dedication to our programs went above and beyond all expectations. We'd also like to take the time to wish all the student-athletes moving on to four-year institutions continuing their educational and playing careers! For those going straight into the workforce, we wish you nothing but success moving on!
 
Our annual top-10 moments spotlight this year's greatest achievements for the Vikings from All-Americans to hosting a playoff game for the first time in program history. This week will spotlight moments 10 through six leaving the mystery of the top five until next week.
 
Coming in at Number 10 is Men's Basketball entering the Division 2 Region 15 Playoffs as the third seed.
Under first-year head coach Andre Pennicooke, the Vikings took a rollercoaster of a season and turned it into a great cornerstone to build off for years to come. Westchester would take on the number two seeded Generals of SUNY Sullivan and contend with the eventual Region 15 Champions. The Vikings would go toe-to-toe in the heavyweight battle to open the semi-final match up before Sullivan would go up 10 at halftime. Unfortunately heading into the second half, SUNY Westchester would start off cold and would not be able to overcome the deficit. The future looks very bright for the upcoming 2023-24 season for the Vikings so stay tuned!
 
At Number 9 is the Women's Basketball program finishing as NJCAA East A District runners up.
Head Coach Karim McFarlane battled adversity heading into the East District game knowing they would be without the programs leading scorer Adriana McFadden. However, the Lady Vikings gave it all and left it out on the court. Coming up short on the national stage, Coach McFarlane is already building for next season looking to make some noise in the Region and beyond!
 
At Number 8 is Baseball becoming Mid-Hudson Conference regular season champions behind a 41-win season.
Baseball's second-best record in program history. A 9-0 record down in Florida against national caliber competition. The Vikings had all the makings of a magical run, hitting, pitching and fielding. Unfortunately, the game has a funny way of turning dreams into nightmares. SUNY WCC would be the number one seed heading into the Region 15 Tournament. After getting an exciting comeback victory over Dutchess Community College to open the tournament, the Vikings would sit in the winner's bracket awaiting the slugfest between Rockland Community College and SUNY Sullivan. Day two of the tournament saw Westchester go up against rival Sullivan in what would be a heartbreaker for the Vikings. The Generals would go on to a comeback win over SUNY WCC pushing them into the Championship round whereas the Vikings would have to face a solid Rockland team in the elimination game. With the energy spent in the first game of the day, Westchester fell to the Hawks ending their marvelous season. The Vikings look to improve for next year and make their dream become reality.
 
At Number 7 is Women's Volleyball hosting Queensborough in a home playoff match for the first time in program history!
In the most successful seasons in program history, the Lady Vikings made noise within the region. Behind defensive player of the year Sara Ortiz, Middle Gabriella Cresti Caetano, and Outside Hitter Mikaelyn Hannon, Westchester rolled through their competition only getting shut out once the entire season. Infront of an energy filled Viking Gymnasium, the Vikings put it all out on the court against the fifth seeded Tigers of Queensborough Community College. QCC would take the first two sets 25-18 and 25-22. The Vikings would take charge of their home court bouncing back with a 25-23 set win to push the match to a fourth set. A back and forth battle would ensue with SUNY WCC coming out on top 26-24 having the match go to a deciding fifth set. Again, a back-and-forth battle would occur, ultimately with the Tigers edging out a 15-10 victory to take the match 3-2. With a tough loss comes new beginnings for the program as they look to piggyback off of their success from the past year!
 
Rounding out the top 10 and coming in at Number 6 is Men's Soccer Double-Overtime/Penalty Kicks Quarterfinal win over BMCC.
One of the most exciting soccer matches to date, if you did not witness this game in person, you missed out! The Vikings would get on the board first with a goal in the third minute of play. Things would get interesting after that. The 25^th minute Johan Escalante would be called for a dangerous slide-tackle and be served with a red card. Now, SUNY Westchester would play a man down for the rest of the game. Borough of Manhattan would salivate at the opportunity two minutes later tying up the score at one heading into halftime. In the 63^rd minute of the game, Exon Umanzor was able to convert a goal thanks to a great cross from Romaine Swaby to push the Vikings ahead by one. However, the lead was not safe. With 17 minutes left in regulation time, the Panthers would score off of a rebound save by goalie Nicolas Nunez. Clearly 90 minutes of soccer wasn't enough for both teams, another 20 minutes were played, and a stalemate ensued. Onto penalty kicks we go! The 5-shot set began with Manhattan taking the first shot, which they would convert. Westchester would also convert their first PK holding the match now at one penalty kick goal each. Back and forth both teams would score on their attempts pushing it to four goals each heading into the potential final round. Nunez would deflect the BMCC shot putting SUNY WCC in a position to take the game home however, the Vikings failed to do so. Both teams would convert a goal in the sixth round taking it to the seventh and eventual, final round. Once again Nicolas Nunez was put to the task of guarding the Vikings hopes and dream of moving on to the next round. He would save a hard, point-blank shot in the middle of the goal putting pressure on the Panthers goalie. Alejandro Vega would seal the Vikings Victory netting his penalty kick. Westchester would eventually fall in the semifinals to Nassau Community College however, they continue to build off their recent success against region opponents and look to make strides towards the Region 15 title!
 
As that concludes our Top 10 through 6 moments for Viking Athletics, be sure to tune in next week as we will unveil the top five moments of the 2022-2023 season!