The firsts just keep coming for the Keuka College Men’s Basketball team.
The Wolves made history Saturday by defeating SUNY Brockport to capture the first Empire 8 Conference championship in any sport at Keuka College.
Leading scorer Lamar Lovelace also made history, becoming the first Keuka player named Empire 8 Conference Tournament MVP. And now, the team has earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
The Wolves learned Monday that they’ll travel to Connecticut this Friday to face defending champions Trinity College. The announcement came during a viewing party at the College’s Hawkins Lounge, attended by seniors and student-athletes Mary Cotter and Elianna Wilder, both of whom had cheered on the team at the championship game in Brockport.
“It was really cool to see actual history in front of us – the first Empire 8 Championship,” said Elianna, a senior Educational Studies major and four-year Women’s Soccer player. “I never thought I’d see that as a student.”
The victory was especially meaningful for Mary, a member of the Women’s Basketball team who often travels with the Men’s team. “I was honestly emotional because these are some of my brothers,” she said, her voice still hoarse from a weekend of cheering. “It was great to see them succeed. It means so much to our school, especially seniors, to see success come out of something we put so much work into.”
The Wolves enter the NCAA Tournament hoping to build on what has been a magical season. After a 2-7 start, they turned things around, winning six of their final eight games to secure a spot in the Empire 8 Tournament.
“Overcoming the adversity we faced early in the season helped fortify us,” said first-year Men’s Basketball Coach Tom Wilk. “Coming together as a team, you only get about two weeks of practice before the season starts. Sometimes it takes longer for a team to come together. It was a slow, slow burn but eventually we got there.”
Seeded seventh in the Empire 8 Tournament—the lowest seed ever to win the title—the Wolves defeated three higher-ranked teams on the road, all by single digits, with strong support from the home campus.
“I’ve been at four or five colleges now, and this is the most support I’ve known,” Coach Wilk said. “Especially being on the road for three games – it was unbelievable.”
In addition to Lamar Lovelace’s MVP honors, fellow guard Ty LaBarge received the Empire 8 Torchbearer Award, recognizing the student-athlete with the highest GPA playing in the championship game.
The Wolves now look to carry their historic momentum into the NCAA Tournament, aiming to extend a season full of firsts.
