New Paltz, N.Y. — The State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team rounded out a historic year earlier this Spring. Not only did the Hawks secure the No. 1 seed and host the SUNYAC tournament, but they also became the first group in program history to go undefeated during conference play. 
 
The 2022-23 campaign started off with back-to-back wins for SUNY New Paltz. The Hawks took down Mt. St. Mary College, 70-53 in their season opener. Junior Jenny Walton scored 25 points in 28 minutes of play and went an impressive 5-for-9 behind the 3-point line. In their home opener the team made quick work of Hartwick College in a convincing 67-33 win. The day after facing Hartwick, SUNY New Paltz met a strong Misericordia University squad. The Hawks unfortunately fell short in a tight-knit game. 
 
The team was determined to bounce back as they headed to Grantham, P.A. to participate in the Messiah Tournament. In the first round, SUNY New Paltz defeated Clarks Summit University 70-45. Junior Abby Korzekwinski was key in the team's third win of the year as she recorded 13 points, shooting 86 percent from the field. In the championship round, the Hawks faced off against hosting Messiah who bested them, 65-58 and handing SUNY New Paltz its second loss of the year.
Next, the team made their way to cross-river rivals, Vassar College. Despite getting a shot attempt off in the last few seconds, SUNY New Paltz was not able to convert. The Brewers came away with the win as the Hawks fell to 3-3 on the year. 
 
SUNY New Paltz headed into SUNYAC play on a two-game losing skid, but was determined to reset as it went on the road to face Catskill Cup rival SUNY Oneonta. Thanks to a go ahead bucket by senior captain Lexi Van Vorst in the last few seconds of the game, the Hawks came away with a 53-50 win. 
 
As the weekend rolled around, SUNY New Paltz hosted SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State. The Hawks beat the Bears in a 77-47 blowout. Junior Madison Mullman was lights-out from beyond the 3-point line. Mullman went 4-for-6 from behind the arc, scoring 16 points on the day. The following afternoon, the team took down the Cardinals, 74-60, extending their winning streak to three games.
 
A week later, the Hawks were on the road to face Fredonia and Buffalo State. SUNY New Paltz made quick work of the Blue Devils, winning 64-53. The next day, the team put together a complete and dominant performance over the hosting Bengals. The Hawks held Buffalo State to a season-low 26 points while scoring a whopping 92 points themselves, marking the first time the team recorded 90 points or more in more than four years. SUNY New Paltz improved to 8-3 and 5-0 in the SUNYAC before earning some time off for the holidays. 
 
The season resumed Dec. 30 with the Hawks traveling north to face non-conference opponents, Union College. SUNY New Paltz stuck to its winning ways, defeating the Dutchmen 50-37. 
 
Kicking off the month of January, the Hawks hosted the Oneonta Red Dragons for their second meeting of the season. Once again, SUNY New Paltz came out victorious, extending its seven-game winning streak and recording yet another win in the SUNYAC. 
 
With a perfect 6-0 record in the conference, SUNY New Paltz headed west to face SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo. Van Vorst and co-captain, junior Brianna Fitzgerald were on fire against the Golden Eagles. The pair scored a combined 33 points and were responsible for almost half of the Hawks' points in the game. Fifteen of Van Vorst's 17 points came from deep while Fitzgerald totaled 16 points, shooting 63 percent from the field. Against the Knights, Fitzgerald showed out, scoring a season-high 24 points. The Hawks took down Geneseo for their ninth straight win, and their eighth in conference play. 
 
As SUNY New Paltz welcomed SUNY Cortland to the Hawks Center, the team had the chance to end the Red Dragons' perfect SUNYAC record and move to the top spot in the conference standings. The Hawks came out on top with a 71-67 win.   
"It felt really good to come out and beat the other team on the leaderboard in the SUNYAC today, especially at home," said Van Vorst who led the team with 20 points in one of her best outings of her career. Along with being lethal offensively, her defense was the difference-maker in the game as she locked down the opposition. 
 
To finish out the month of January, the Hawks rounded up three more wins. The first coming against Oswego State in a convincing 74-47 win. Next, SUNY New Paltz secured the series against both Buffalo State and Fredonia. And to start February, the team took the series against Oswego in another dominant performance.
 
The Hawks headed to Cortland for their second meeting and one of the biggest games of the regular season. Fitzgerald was untouchable on the day. In the win over the Red Dragons, Fitzgerald had a career-high 31 points along with seven rebounds and four assists. She became just the sixth Hawk in program history to join the 30-point club. Her performance extended the winning streak to 15 as SUNY New Paltz remained unbeaten in the SUNYAC. 
 
The history-making continued with a 67-37 blowout over the Knights of SUNY Geneseo. Fitzgerald was, once again, a force to be reckoned with as she recorded 23 points in the win. However, all the focus was on head coach Jamie Seward who entered the 300-win club with the Hawks victory over the Knights. 
"It's a really special feeling. Being a part of something as big as coach's 300th win — him being the second winningest coach in the SUNYAC — it's really a great feeling and really, a great feeling to be a part of a team like this," Fitzgerald said, honoring Seward. The day after he secured his 300th win, the Hawks beat SUNY Brockport clinched the top seed for the SUNYAC tournament for the third time in four years. 
 
With two games left in the regular season, SUNY New Paltz went on the road to face Plattsburgh State and SUNY Potsdam. Fitzgerald provided another stellar performance in the Hawks' 90-57 dismantling of the Cardinals. Against the Bears, SUNY New Paltz women's basketball wrote another page into the history books, securing the program's first undefeated run in the SUNYAC. Walton, Van Vorst, and Fitzgerald combined for 53 of the team's 67 points. Walton led the way, recording her second 20-point performance of the year. 
 
The trio then guided the Hawks in the first round of the SUNYAC tournament. SUNY New Paltz took down SUNY Geneseo for the third time on the year in the semifinal round. The game ended 76-59 with Walton, Van Vorst, and Fitzgerald combining for 58 points. Walton led the way with 21 points while Van Vorst and Fitzgerald recorded 18 and 19 points, respectively.   
The Hawks advanced to the SUNYAC Championship game where they met rivals SUNY Cortland. SUNY New Paltz had the opportunity to take down the Red Dragons for the third year in a row and secure the program's fourth SUNYAC title. Unfortunately, the Hawks came up short in a close affair. Despite the loss, there was more basketball to be played for the SUNY New Paltz squad that earned themselves an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 
 
In the program's fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the first round of the Big Dance saw the Hawks matched up against the Gettysburg College Bullets. SUNY New Paltz came out on top with a comfortable 63-47. Walton and Fitzgerald continued their respective fine runs of form. Fitzgerald led the way for the Hawks with a team-high 23 points. Walton contributed 17 of her own. The win meant the team would advance to play against the host and No. 13 Babson College. 
 
In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, SUNY New Paltz saw its season come to an end. The Beavers narrowly edged the Hawks despite the efforts of Van Vorst and Fitzgerald who scored 18 and 17 points, respectively. 
 
Despite the tough loss in the second round, the SUNY New Paltz women's basketball team put together another historic season. The group earned the program its fourth-straight NCAA appearance, secured the top seed and hosted the SUNYAC tournament, and had a perfect record in the SUNYAC regular season.
 
The end of the season saw three members of the squad receive All-Conference recognition. Van Vorst was named to the All-SUNYAC Second Team while Walton received All-SUNYAC Third Team honors — a bit of personal history for the pair who each earned their first All-Conference recognition in 2023. Fitzgerald was awarded the SUNYAC Player of the Year award for her dominance throughout the season, becoming the second Hawk in program history to receive the award. Coaches Jamie Seward and Darren Jackson were named the SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year. 
 
 
More awards were to follow as the postseason carried on. Fitzgerald earned her spot on the D3Hoops All-Region First Team just a year after securing the Region III Rookie of the Year award. The junior guard received one last honor as she was named to the WBCA/D3Hoops All-American Team. Fitzgerald cemented herself as one of the best players in the country. She led the Hawks in minutes played (818), minutes per game (28.2), field goals made (163), points (460), points per game (15.9), rebounds (209), rebounds per game (7.2), assists (83), steals (66) and blocks (18). She was one of 25 players, nation-wide, to be named to the D3Hoops All-American Team and the only representative from the SUNYAC. Her standout season solidified her legacy, etched her name in the history books, and still has two more years of eligibility remaining in an already historic career.

The Hawks graduated seven seniors in a coveted and decorated class. However, the program returns starters Fitzgerald, Walton, and Korzekwinski who will lead the team in the pursuit of the SUNYAC Championship and NCAA Tournament titles in 2024.

Highlights from the 2022-23 season (edited by Joseph DiPreta)


**********************
To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.