2022-23: A Year For the Ages

Colgate entered the 2022-23 year with enthusiasm, hope, and high expectations for the success of its athletic programs. The outcome was something that hadn’t been done in recent memory: Four league titles in one season and a track star who shined on the national stage.

Volleyball, men’s basketball, men’s hockey, and women’s hockey each brought home a conference trophy. Colgate became the only D-I school in the country to have both of its hockey programs win their conferences.

It was a year unlike any other. Now, with talented student-athletes, exemplary coaching, and highly-touted incoming freshmen, the Raiders are looking to continue that success.

Here’s a look at each special moment. 

VOLLEYBALL

Patriot League Championship

Colgate vs. Navy (Nov. 20, 2022)

Final Score: 3-2

It took five sets and resiliency for the Raiders to sink the Midshipmen at Cotterell Court and raise the Patriot League championship trophy for a second time in two seasons. 

While No. 1-seeded Colgate dominated the regular season, going 24-5 with a 14-2 conference record, the Raiders were pushed to the limit in a thrilling back-and-forth battle for the title. 

But the team persevered, with its best players rising to the occasion. 

The win gave Colgate its seventh all-time league championship, while Ryan Baker became the first head coach in program history to win three conference tournament titles. 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Patriot League Championship

Colgate vs. Lafayette (March 8, 2023)

Final score: 79-61

By taking down the Leopards in front of a thunderous crowd at Cotterell Court, the top-seeded Raiders did more than win the Patriot League championship. They became a dynasty. 

The victory meant Colgate had captured its third consecutive league trophy and fourth in the last five years. League supremacy had been achieved, and the Raiders moved on to the NCAA Tournament yet again.

Keegan Records led Colgate with 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting while Tucker Richardson recorded the first triple-double in a conference championship game for Colgate since 1997.

MEN’S HOCKEY

ECAC Hockey Championship

Colgate vs. Harvard (March 19, 2023)

Final score: 3-2

The Raiders entered the ECAC Hockey Tournament as the fifth seed. They downed their first two opponents in Dartmouth and St. Lawrence, earning a trip to Lake Placid, N.Y., and a rematch against the top team in the conference, Quinnipiac. The Bobcats had bounced Colgate from the tournament the previous year.

This time the result was different. The Raiders stunned the Bobcats 2-1 in a thrilling bout that needed two overtimes to decide a winner.

Then it was on to the championship game to face Harvard, ranked No. 6 in the nation. Few predicted a Colgate victory. But the Raiders were not done defying the odds.

Thanks to stout defense, clutch goals, and stellar goaltending from Carter Gylander, Colgate brought home its first Whitelaw Cup since 1990. 

It was a magical ending for Head Coach Don Vaughan, who won his first conference title in his final season before retiring after 30 years behind the bench. 

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

ECAC Hockey Championship

Colgate vs. Clarkson (March 4, 2023) 

Final score: 8-2

The No. 2 Raiders continued their dominance of the ECAC by defeating the Golden Knights at Yale — which hosted the tournament — to win their third consecutive conference championship.

It was a remarkable achievement for a team that had to battle through an incredibly competitive league like the ECAC.

Colgate went 32-6-2 in the regular season, with an 18-3-1 conference record. The team often overwhelmed its opponents thanks to a deep lineup with outstanding goaltending. 

With much of the roster returning for 2023-24, and several promising new players joining the program, the team’s ECAC supremacy might not be over.

MEN’S TRACK

NCAA East Preliminaries (May 26, 2023)

16th place in Long Jump

After a record-breaking season, Cole Blair represented Colgate in the NCAA’s regional stage in Jacksonville, Fla.

Blair competed against the East region’s top 48 qualifiers in the long jump. He covered 7.45 meters (24’5.5”) on his best attempt, which was good for 16th on the leaderboard. He finished just shy of the top-12 threshold needed to advance to the national championships. 

It was an end to an incredible season for Blair, who collected three championship trophies in 2023 — the indoor Patriot League Long Jump, the Indoor IC4A Long Jump, and the Outdoor Patriot League Long Jump.

As he enters his junior year, Blair will be itching to build on last season’s success.