By: Manuel Polanco
The Brooklyn College (BC) Men’s Cross Country team made history by winning the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC)! They won the CUNYAC Cross Country championship, their first since 2008.
October has come and gone; let’s recap some multiple playoffs and exciting games!
Women’s Volleyball
In a 3-1 win against SUNY Westbury, the team improved their season record to 6-11 and kicked off their week with a win. The four sets went: 25-15, 23-25, 26-24, 25-15. As a team, BC had 37 kills, 17 aces, 33 assists, and 51 digs.
Sophomore Saule Okeke-Ziburkus tallied 14 kills, four blocks, and four aces. Next up was teammate Olive Carroll, finishing with 11 kills and one block. Senior Olivia Fan had a great defensive game with blocks and six kills.
Junior Sophie Galchus ended her night with three kills and six aces.
Against the Lehman College Thunder, BC notched their second straight win with a 3-1 road victory. The four sets went: 26-24, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18.
Okeke-Ziburkus had a standout game with 12 kills, two aces, and one block. Carroll and Fan continued to have a good week with 13 kills, one ace and eight kills and one block, respectively. Graduate student Chloe Sienna had a calm night with five kills.
In a clean 3-0 sweep against the City College of New York (CCNY), BC kept the good times rolling with their third straight win, improving their record to 8-11 and 5-1 in the CUNYAC. The three sets went: 25-15, 25-16, 25-19.
Okeke-Ziburkus, with another consistent game, put up six kills, five aces, and two blocks. Carroll had nine kills. Fan had a great defensive game with four blocks and three kills. Galchus ended her day with a steady four kills.
Their next game will be on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, in a Trimatch against the Lehman College Thunder and Ramapo College.
Men’s Soccer
Going against the Lehman College Thunder, BC shut the opposing team out 2-0 in a crucial CUNYAC win. BC scored in the first quarter with a goal from junior midfielder Alejandro Barretos. Barreto finished with three Shots, one Shot On Goal (SOG), and one goal. The goal came with an assist from teammate senior Humayd Ali Guard.
In the second quarter, BC scored again, this time on a freshman defender, Sergej Kulla, in the 51 minute. Junior Goalie Juan Carlos Solis Cazares played all 90 minutes and had six saves in this bout.
In their final game of the season, BC tied John Jay College 1-1. They finished their regular season 7-3-5 and 4-2-1 in the CUNYAC. Both teams scored in the second quarter.
Barreto would break the scoreless tie in the 63rd minute thanks to a penalty kick. Ending his game with seven shots, five SOG, and one goal, Sophomore Jorge Gonzalez Lasala would add to the game with an aggressive five shots and two SOG.
BC clinched the number three seed in the playoffs and faced off against Medgar Evers College. In their quarterfinal match, BC’s season would end in a 1-0 loss.
Solis Cazares had a great game as a goalkeeper, notching seven saves in the game, but his one miss was the catalyst for the loss. Medgar Evars took more shots than BC and outshot them 15-8 and 8-3 on SOG.
With their season now over, BC will look to continue their streak of winning seasons alive and come back better and more dominant.
Women’s Soccer
Coming off back-to-back wins against Lehman College and Yeshiva University, BC was riding a two-game winning streak and looked to add to it against Cedar Crest College. In a 4 -1 victory, BC improved to 6-7-2 and clinched the number three seed for the playoffs.
Scarlett Davis was the notable player of the game, with two goals, three shots, three SOG, and two assists. Davis scored in the 32nd minute with assists from teammates Krista Strader and Gianna DiPronio. By halftime the score was 1-1.
Sophomore Kaylenn Arias broke the tie with a goal in the 49th minute. Davis would score again in the 69th minute, and senior Alyssa Hardison would get in on the fun and score a goal as well.
Junior defender April Hartje had 10 saves and played all 90 minutes. Their next game will be their playoff showdown against John Jay College on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31.
Men’s Cross Country
Making history for the first time since 2008, the 2026 men’s team hoisted the CUNYAC championship for Cross Country with their first-place finish. Senior Yasin Gordon had this to say when reflecting on the season and his coaches,
“Both coaches want what’s best for us, and they always talk about how we have to make history not just to win but to understand what it feels like to be a part of something really big. If I could be honest, winning is fun, but the people I met along the way are a lot more rewarding than a gold trophy.”
He added that they didn’t have a new method to win, but their shared attitude of being consistent and driven to win helped them along the way.
Through it all the Bulldogs showed that their bite matched their bark.