With the conclusion of the Fall Marist athletics season, the Center Field editorial staff voted on All-Marist First Team, Second Team and Third Team selections. Below are the results, along with some analysis from each team’s beat writer.
First Team All-Marist Selections
Matt Stianche – Senior football wide receiver
For an offense that struggled with injuries in the final year of the Parady era, Matt Stianche was a treat to watch. In his third season with Marist, the wide receiver more than doubled his receptions (55), receiving yards (803, 2nd in PFL 634 yards in conference ) and also added a team-high in receiving touchdowns (7, 2nd in PFL with 5). His presence was impossible to overlook on the Tenney Stadium turf against Davidson; despite the team losing 49-21, Stianche accounted for two of the team’s touchdowns and had a whopping 161 yards on just four receptions.
Standing at a 6’3 192 pound frame, the slim and sturdy receiver dominated opposing defensive backs in single coverage the entire season, forcing safeties to double up when Stianche charged downfield on a go route. Even after junior quarterback Brock Bagozzi’s season-ending knee injury, Stianche racked up 211 yards and three touchdowns in the final two games. The deep threat appeared to be the catalyst of a Marist passing offense that ranked fifth in the PFL. With two years of eligibility yet, there are plenty of FCS teams that could add Stianche as a valuable asset after he announced his entry to the transfer portal on November 30.
-Dan Aulbach, Football Beat Writer
Sasha van der Merwe – Senior volleyball outside hitter
Sasha van der Merwe’s 2023 season can be described in one word: historic. Her senior campaign is in the discussion for the greatest season in program history. She took home a laundry list of awards in the MAAC: Preseason Player of the Year, three Player of the Week awards, Player of the Year and most notably, her second straight AVCA All-American Honorable Mention. The recognition was well deserved for van der Merwe, who led the MAAC in points by nearly 100.
The senior captain’s dominant campaign went beyond the MAAC; her 458 kills tied her for 25th place in all of Division I volleyball. Additionally, it was the 2nd most kills ever recorded by a Red Fox in one season. In a late-season game against Niagara, she became the 10th player in Marist history to reach four-digit kills. van der Merwe did not stop there, finishing out the season strong, tallying 20+ kills in each of Marist’s final four games. At the season’s end, van der Merwe has 1,128 kills to her name, the eighth most in program history.
-Ben Leeds, Women’s Volleyball Beat Writer
Sam Sturno – Graduate student women’s soccer defender
In 2023, Sam Sturno once again led Marist women’s soccer and put together a strong final collegiate season. Sturno has been an impact player since arriving in Poughkeepsie; her speed and lockdown defending are the main reasons she has played in every game for the Red Foxes over the past five seasons.
Offensively, Sturno’s numbers aren’t what make her deserving of this first-team selection – recording a career-high two assists this season – but her defensive play and ability to move the ball upfield make her a standout for the Red Foxes. Sturno was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team to start the year, something coach Nicole Pacapelli attributed to her being “one of the most athletic kids in the MAAC.”
Offense was hard to come by for Marist, but they looked most threatening when working up the wings, Struno’s strength as a right back. Her efforts kept Marist alive in many games where they struggled to create dangerous chances. Another testament to her strong season was that Marist didn’t give up many chances from the outside. Most chances and goals against came through the middle of the field. If you tuned into any Marist game this year, you’d see Sturno owning her area of the pitch on either end, deservedly earning her an All-MAAC Third Team selection.
-Sam Murphy, Women’s Soccer Beat Writer
Jared Juleau – Senior men’s soccer forward
Jared Juleau proved once again to be the beating heart of the men’s soccer attack. Since transferring from St. John’s over a year ago, Juleau has at times carried the Red Fox offense with his aggressive play, making him an invaluable acquisition for the program. For the second straight season, he finished atop the team’s leaderboards for goals scored (5), assists (3) and points (13). His aggressive style of play bears itself out in the numbers; he took a team-high 41 shots and 21 shots on goal this past season, both of which led the team by a wide margin.
One of the bright spots of Juleau’s season took place in an Oct. 14 road win against Fairfield. Playing just a short distance away from his hometown of Stamford, CT, Juleau catalyzed the Red Fox offense with his aggressiveness. During the first half, he stole the ball from Stags junior defender Lennie Mierow in the penalty area and subsequently fired off the game-tying goal. In the second half, Juleau sent in a pristine free-kick to graduate student defender Bernardo Gracindo near the back post, who finished off the possession with a goal to ice the game away. This game was just one example of a contest where Juleau created opportunities for himself and his teammates, and his efforts were a primary reason the Red Foxes returned to the postseason.
-Luke Sassa, Men’s Soccer Beat Writer
Second Team All-Marist Selections
Amin Woods – Redshirt junior football running back
After a prolific high school career in New York, Amin Woods strung together the heaviest workload of his college career. Totaling 711 rushing yards on 4.6 yards a carry, the workhorse back complemented Marist’s passing attack by powering through defenders with his stocky frame. Needing a score for their first victory in overtime against Valparaiso, head coach Jim Parady called for Woods to carry the ball and he trucked through the middle of the lane to secure the victory. In the next game against Stetson on the very first offensive play, Woods rushed for a 67-yard rushing touchdown, complementing his jaw-dropping 238-yard day on 38 carries.
While Marist fell short of their PFL aspirations, Woods’s impressive season certainly shouldn’t be overlooked.
-Dan Aulbach, Football Beat Writer
Jordan Newblatt – Senior volleyball outside hitter
Though overshadowed by Sasha van der Merwe’s historic year, Jordan Newblatt’s senior year at Marist provided yet another impressive season, earning her First Team All-MAAC honors for the second time in her career. Newblatt missed nearly the entirety of Marist’s non-conference slate of games thanks to a concussion, but she returned just in time for MAAC Conference play and appeared in every match. While van der Merwe received the majority of the sets and scored the most kills, Newblatt proved to be the Red Foxes’ most efficient outside hitter, converting kills at a .249 rate. She placed fourth in the MAAC in both kills (296) and kills per set (3.57).
In Marist’s last match of the regular season at Siena, Newblatt joined van der Merwe in the 1,000-kill club, the 11th Red Fox to do so in program history. Her 13 kills in the match left her at 1,001, and less than a week later she added 21 to her career total in Marist’s first-round MAAC tournament loss to Iona. Newblatt, who transferred to Bowling Green State University, ends her Marist career 10th on the school’s all-time kills list.
-Ben Leeds, Women’s Volleyball Beat Writer
Maddy Catalanotti – Sophomore women’s soccer goalkeeper
Maddy Catalanotti’s performance was a huge positive to come out of this season for the Red Foxes. Goalkeeping was a question mark for the first time in over five years after the departure of 2021 MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year Natalie Kelchner. The sophomore, alongside senior Kelly Lambertson, split time in the net during preseason. When conference play began, Catalanotti got the call to start in Marist’s MAAC opener, making two saves en route to her first collegiate win, shutout and complete game.
Catalanotti’s shot-stopping ability this season was on full display, leading to four shutouts, highlighted by a 10-save masterclass in a 0-0 draw with Niagara. With two – potentially three – years ahead of her as Marist’s starting goalkeeper, Catalanotti’s college career is off to a strong start because of her talent and experience after a decorated high school career. There’s room for improvement in her game to become a more complete player, particularly when it comes to ball distribution, but having Catalanotti as their last line of defense will give future Marist teams a chance every game.
-Sam Murphy, Women’s Soccer Beat Writer
Skyler Cuhna – Sophomore men’s soccer midfielder
Skyler Cunha stepped up in a big way this past season. After making a marginal impact as a freshman, the playmaking midfielder broke out with two goals and three assists in 2023 while starting in all 16 games he played. With many roles in flux entering the season due to the presence of nine freshmen on the roster, Cunha was awarded captainship despite only being a sophomore. It was evident that head coach Matt Viggiano trusted Cunha to be a leader on the field, as Viggiano frequently deployed the pairing of Cunha and Juleau to initiate free kicks.
Amid his sophomore-year rise, Cunha did face some adversity, coming up short in a couple of big mid-season moments. In the 87th minute of a Sept. 23 match against a winless Niagara squad, Cunha lined up to take what would’ve been the game-winning penalty kick, but a clutch save from Niagara goalkeeper Jamie Barrie prevented him from becoming the hero. In the team’s next match against Manhattan, Cunha had another painstaking miss in a one-goal loss; he took a close-range free kick from just beyond the box, but his shot clanged off the crossbar. Despite these missed opportunities, Cunha rebounded down the stretch, as his corner kick assist against Fairfield made the difference in a one-goal match, as did his corner kick assist in a victory over Canisius.
-Luke Sassa, Men’s Soccer Beat Writer
Third Team All-Marist Selections
Cameron Ball – Redshirt junior football safety
While there were plenty of defensive players who stepped up for injured defensive captain Mike Arrington, Cameron Ball is an example of a spark plug. Ball received an All-PFL honorable mention for his excellent play in the backfield for Marist, leading the team with 64 total tackles. A physical safety, Ball stood out as Marist’s best tackling threat against players in open space and was key in preventing big yardage against skill players. Ball leaves Marist with one year of eligibility remaining, but his accomplishments with Marist anchored the defense and gave defensive coordinator Scott Rumsey stability in his final year with the Red Foxes.
-Dan Aulbach, Football Beat Writer
Claire Lewis – Junior volleyball setter
While Newblatt and van der Merwe both ended the year on the All-MAAC First Team, they could not have done it without Claire Lewis. In volleyball, the position of the setter is prone to be overlooked due to how flashy the hitters are when killing the ball, but it is important to note who puts them in this position to succeed. Lewis did just that, assisting on 928 Marist kills this year, recording 50 or more assists in a match on six separate occasions.
She finished the year as one of the MAAC’s best setters, placing second on the assists leaderboard in conference play with 667 in 62 sets played. This translated to 10.76 assists per set against MAAC opponents, the highest rate in the conference by nearly half an assist. Lewis’ value showed in her absence, as she missed a total of six matches due to injury. Freshmen setters Kaitlyn Owens and Jordan Curran did their job in keeping the team afloat, but with Lewis at full health, the offense performed as one of the best in the MAAC. In her first year as the primary setter, Lewis did not disappoint, putting together a very strong season.
-Ben Leeds, Women’s Volleyball Beat Writer
Amanda Caldarelli – Senior women’s soccer forward
Coming off two straight seasons with four goals, Amanda Caldarelli knew she would be an important factor in the team’s offensive game plan. She was not immune from the offensive drought that plagued the team this year, but her one goal and two assists meant she led or co-led the team in points in each of her four seasons as a Red Fox.
Caldarelli consistently created chances for her teammates from her attacking midfield role, displaying strong ball control, vision and passing abilities as Marist looked to get upfield and utilize the wings. A perfect example of Caldarelli’s abilities came in their MAAC opener against Rider, where she played a beautiful outside-of-the-foot pass from her own half to assist Anna Maggi, leading to Marist’s first win.
If it weren’t for solid opposition defending and a lack of high-danger shots being taken by Marist, Caldarelli easily would’ve passed her collegiate record of three assists in a season. Caldarelli also impressed with her defensive abilities, tracking back and winning tackles in the midfield. Even though she didn’t match her previous season totals for goals and points, Caldarelli’s strong play this season makes her well deserving of a spot on the All-Marist team.
-Sam Murphy, Women’s Soccer Beat Writer
Luca Bulfon – Graduate student men’s soccer goalkeeper
Coming into this season, perhaps the most glaring question mark for Marist men’s soccer was how the program would manage to make up for the loss of 2021 MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year Samuel Ilin. With Viggiano desiring a veteran presence in goal while fielding a largely inexperienced roster, his program acquired graduate student goalkeeper Luca Bulfon through the transfer portal from USC Upstate.
Bulfon provided needed stability, starting in all 17 games and playing a team-high 1,530 minutes. His performance was right in the middle of the pack of MAAC goalies, as he was fifth in the conference in goals allowed per game (1.412) and sixth in saves (56). Season highlights included his 10-save performance in the season-opener against Hofstra, as well as shutout performances against Florida Atlantic University and Quinnipiac.
-Luke Sassa, Men’s Soccer Beat Writer
Edited by Luke Sassa
Graphics by Jaylen Rizzo; Photo Credit: Jaylen Rizzo and Marist Athletics
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