Paul Smith’s College Athletics delivered one of its strongest seasons in recent memory, highlighted by standout performances, national recognition, and historic program milestones.
Cross country led the charge with a dominant postseason. Eliot Soderholm captured the USCAA National Championship, showcasing exceptional consistency and race control from start to finish. Adding to the program’s accolades, Brooklynn Shumway was honored as the USCAA National Student-Athlete of the Year, recognizing both competitive excellence and academic achievement.
On the soccer fields, both programs continued building on established success. Men’s Soccer earned its second consecutive trip to the USCAA National Tournament, reinforcing the program’s rising status on the national stage. Women’s Soccer secured the Barkeater Cup for the second straight year, demonstrating strong defensive play and timely scoring throughout the rivalry series.
The legendary Woodsmen Jack & Jill team delivered a perfect fall, finishing the season undefeated and once again cementing Paul Smith’s as a leader in collegiate timbersports. On the water, the College made history as the Marathon Canoe team claimed the title at the inaugural Canoe Nationals, establishing the benchmark for future championship fields.
Winter sports opened with momentum. Men’s Ice Hockey surged to a 17–3 record, holding the top position in the UNYCHL standings and earning a top-10 national ranking. Women’s Ice Hockey continued its rapid ascent, climbing to No.2 in the national polls, driven by disciplined team play and standout goaltending.
Rounding out the season’s highlights, Men’s Basketball traveled to face Division I University at Albany, gaining valuable experience against elite competition and showcasing the program’s commitment to growth.
Collectively, these achievements reflect a department on the rise—one defined by competitive excellence, strong leadership, and the unmistakable spirit of Smitty Nation.
Eliot Soderholm, USCAA National Champion (8k)
Paul Smith’s earned its first-ever USCAA Individual National Championship as Eliot Soderholm (Reston, VA) emerged victorious from the USCAA Men’s 8K National Championships, finishing the challenging course in 27:46. Soderholm and Coach Jim Tucker established a race plan that played to Soderholm’s advantage. As an extremely strong hill runner, he focused on powering up each of the steep hill climbs, which paid off as he was able to catch the younger runners who likely went out too fast at the start. Soderholm then reduced the field ahead of him to a single athlete at the end of the first 4k lap, with just one runner from Williamson College to beat. Soderholm continued to close the gap on the second lap, and at around the 4-mile mark, the athlete collapsed from exhaustion, leaving Soderholm alone to close out the victory for the Bobcats.
Brooklynn Shumway, USCAA Student-Athlete of the Year
For just the fourth time in school history, a Paul Smith’s athlete has won the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Student-Athlete of the Year. The coveted award is given out once per year per sport to the student athlete who best exemplifies not only athletic success, but also excellence, leadership, and community impact.
Brooklynn Shumway (Bloomingdale, NY) has been chosen as this year’s USCAA Women’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year.
Throughout Shumway’s junior season, she has maintained a 4.0 GPA while going the extra mile in the classroom and on the course. Even after breaking her arm in a hockey game earlier in the season, she didn’t let that affect her ability to be a good teammate. She also showcases her strong character and dedication to others through community service. Brooklynn has worked at Will Rogers over the past two summers, a retirement community in Saranac Lake, where she interacts daily with the residents there.
In addition to community service at Will Rogers, Brooklynn serves as the Bible Study Leader for her congregation in Bloomingdale and as the saxophonist for special occasions.
“Paul Smith’s College has provided me with the unique experience I was looking for: I get to study what I love under professors who are very knowledgeable,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to count animal tracks in the snow, perform sediment coring on Lower St. Regis Lake, and make a trebuchet. It is my hope that I will be able to one day work in a research lab, applying what I learned to make the world a better place.”
Men’s Hockey Finished with their Most-Ever Season Wins in Program History, Women’s Hockey Reaches AAU College Hockey Frozen Four
The men’s hockey team finished their season in Jacksonville, FL, having won the most games of any Bobcat men’s team in a single season. In addition to a 16-game winning streak where they were undefeated for over two months, the team also made back-to-back appearances at nationals while winning their first-ever game at a national tournament.
The women’s hockey team earned their way to the 2026 AAU College Hockey Women’s Frozen Four, winning the first two games at the national tournament in Jacksonville before falling to Syracuse University in overtime. The Bobcats muscled through High Point University 7-2 before knocking off No.2 seed Quinnipiac 3-1 to get to the semifinals. A bad missed call by the officiating crew late in the game resulted in the game-tying goal with just over three minutes left. The team finished their season at 17-6, the most single season wins in program history.
Nordic Team Wins Team National Championship, Matthews Earns Overall Individual Title
The Nordic team won its second-ever national championship in March as the men’s team dominated the field to finish atop the podium. In addition to the team national championship, Phil Matthews was crowned the Overall Individual National Champion as his torrid pace propelled him to victory. Teammate Sisu Lange also won an individual event (the Skate Sprint) while Griffin Smith and Gabe Lloyd earned First and Second Team All-American honors, respectively, for their efforts. The first-year trio of Rowan Tanguay, Greta Dickman, and Katya Koshkareva were the 2026 USCSA National Championship runners up, proving that the future is bright for women’s Nordic at Paul Smith’s College.
All-American Athletes
| Carley Simmons First Team, Women’s Soccer Nate Wiley Jacob Butler Finnley Jacobson Maddi Rhodes Yashiro Hurst Jr. Bryce Shannon Matt Matis |
Chloe Freund Second Team, Women’s XC Matti Swan Peyton Hoffman Kagan Hance Eliot Soderholm Nick Ogden Sam Barrett Leah Coulombe |
Phil Matthews First Team, Men’s Nordic & Overall Individual National Champion Sisu Lange Griffin Smith Gabe Lloyd Greta Dickman Rowan Tanguay Katya Koshkareva Olivia Caprio |
This article is from the Spring 2026 issue of the Paul Smith’s College Magazine.
