ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon fall athletic teams enjoyed another strong week while the winter programs officially got underway. The first winter event takes place this week as the men's and women's swimming teams host Clarion on Friday.

The volleyball and women's soccer teams continue to carry the banner for the fall programs. Head coach Matt Darling's team has now run off nine straight wins to improve to 14-4 and 5-0 in the PSAC West. Colin Petersen led the women's soccer team to a pair of wins as well as the seventh-ranked Golden Knights improved to 10-0-1 and 7-0-1 in conference play.

Monday marked the end of the women's golf fall campaign but Scott Stano's men's team has one big tournament left – defending the title in the PSAC Championships this weekend.

Below is the schedule for the week ahead, along with a quick preview of each team.

THIS WEEK IN GANNON ATHLETICS

Football (1-5)
Saturday, Oct. 18 at Seton Hill – 2:00 p.m.  – Livestats | Video

• Gannon looks to rebound from a heart-breaking 48-46 loss to Clarion on Saturday. The Golden Knights trailed 21-0 and were still down 42-25 after three quarters before taking a 46-45 lead with 1:33 remaining. Clarion kicked the winning field goal with four seconds left.
• Earlier this year Ty Hurst (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) transferred from Clarion to Gannon. On Saturday he enjoyed one of the finest days ever by a Gannon quarterback. He accounted for all six touchdowns, tying the school record with 5 TDs passing and adding a sixth rushing. Hurst threw for 424 yards, the third-highest single-game total, and had 456 yards in total offense, which ranks fifth. Donell "Tank" Mason tied the school record for receiving touchdowns with three.    
• The Golden Knights will look to spoil Seton Hill's Homecoming while extending a four-game winning streak vs. the 3-4 Griffins.     

Volleyball (14-4)
Friday, Oct. 17 vs. California (Pa.) -- 7:00 p.m. -  Livestats | Video
Saturday, Oct. 18 vs. Seton Hill -- 2:00 p.m. - Livestats | Video

• Thanks to a miraculous rally Gannon remained undefeated in PSAC West action last Saturday with a 3-2 win at Slippery Rock. The Golden Knights lost the first two games before winning the final three, prevailing 15-13 in the fifth game.
• Saturday's victory left the Golden Knights at 14-4 and riding a nine-game winning streak. They'll look to extend that streak this weekend with home matches against California (Pa.) (Friday) and Seton Hill (Saturday). The two matches signal the end of first half play in the PSAC.
• Gannon's season has featured a different hero every night. On Saturday it was Ella Woltman's (Munster, Ind./Munster) turn to shine. The sophomore bounced off the bench to contribute a career-high 14 kills as Gannon rallied for the win at Slippery Rock.             

No. 7 Women's Soccer (10-0-1)
Wednesday, Oct. 15 vs. Adelphi – 12 noon -  Livestats | Video
Saturday, Oct. 18 at California (Pa.) – 1:00 p.m. -  Livestats | Video

• Gannon reached 10 wins for the fifth straight season under head coach Colin Petersen as Ella Fadale (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) reached 10 goals on the season. One of 12 seniors honored on Senior Day prior to Sunday's match, she then went out and scored twice as Gannon improved to 10-0-1 and 7-0-1 in the PSAC West with a 4-1 win over Seton Hill. Gannon entered the week ranked seventh in Division II.
• Earlier in the week Gannon found the back of the net a season-high seven times in a 7-2 win at Clarion. Fadale again led the way with a pair of goals.
• Gannon plays twice this week beginning with a mid-week high noon showdown with Adelphi on Wednesday. The Panthers are 7-2-0 and "receiving votes" in the Division II poll. On Saturday the second half of PSAC divisional play begins with Gannon playing at California (Pa.). They claimed a 1-0 win over the Vulcans in the first meeting.            

Men's Soccer (4-2-4)
Wednesday, Oct. 15 at D'Youville – 2:00 p.m. -  Livestats | Video
Saturday, Oct. 18 at California (Pa.) – 3:30 p.m. - Livestats | Video

• Gannon's rollercoaster season continued this past week with a pair of matches against the closest pursuers in the Western Division race. The Golden Knights were impressive in a 4-0 road win at Slippery Rock. Jensen Peake and Sverre Orten scored two goals apiece.
• The Golden Knights jumped out to an early 1-0 lead against Lock Haven on Saturday following the first career goal by Manuel Pereyra. The Bald Eagles took advantage of a breakdown in the back end to tie the match at 1-1 in the 53rd minute and that's how it ended.
• Head coach Billy Colton is hoping his young squad can do something it hasn't done all season this week. The Golden Knights have yet to win back-to-back games. They begin a three-game road trip on Wednesday at D'Youville in the final non-conference match of the season before ending the first half of PSAC divisional play on Saturday at California (Pa.).         

Men's Golf
Friday, Oct. 17 to Sunday, Oct. 19 at PSAC Championships at Lebanon, Pa. --  Livestats

• The men's golf team caps the fall campaign looking to defend its PSAC Championship. A year ago Scott Stano led Gannon to a first-ever PSAC championship as the Golden Knights defeated Pitt-Johnstown by 40 strokes while finishing with a team aggregate total of 9-under par. The three-day, 54-hole event is set for Friday, October 17 to Sunday, October 19 in Lebanon, Pa.     
• Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo) defends his PSAC individual crown after finishing at 8-under par. That was five strokes better than teammate Giovanni Delorenzi (Reggio Emilia, Italy/International School of Modena).
• Gannon prepped for the conference championship by hosting the Howard "Bud" Elwell Invitational at Whispering Woods Golf Course. The Golden Knights defeated a limited four-team field by 33 strokes.  Delorenzi was the medalist with rounds of 74-67 for a 3-under par total.

Women's Golf
Fall Season Completed

• While the men's team plays its PSAC Championship in the fall the women's teams don't decide the conference crown until the spring. The Golden Knights wrapped up their fall campaign with two tournaments last week.
• Gannon placed seventh out of 17 teams facing a strong field in the William Beall Fall Classic. The season concluded with a second championship this fall, winning the Michael Corbett Fall Classic for the fourth straight year.  
• Cloe Mateo (Sabadell, Spain/Montcau la Mola) won by a stroke with a 4-over total of 148 with Emily Donahue (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) and Alexandria LeCureux (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) finishing in a tie for third.   

Swimming
Friday, Oct. 17 vs. Clarion – 5:00 p.m. -  Video

• Head coach Milan Medo officially begins his second season at the helm of the Gannon swimming program on Friday when Clarion comes to town. The meet gets underway at 5:00 p.m. at the Carneval Athletic Pavilion Pool. It is one of two home meets in 2025-26. The Golden Knights host Oberlin and Malone exactly three months later on January 17.

Cross Country
Saturday, Oct. 25 at PSAC Championships at Edinboro, Pa.

• Next up the PSAC Championships! The Gannon cross country teams tuned up in the Houghton Invitational this past weekend although many of the top Golden Knight harriers did not compete.  The women finished 10th out of 17 teams as Alexis Abbett (Sharpsburg, Pa./Aquinas Academy) led the way with an eighth-place showing. The men's team came in sixth out of 16 teams with three runners placing in the top 40.    
• Now the Golden Knights return to the course on Saturday, October 25 to compete in the PSAC Championships. They'll be staying in Erie County with Edinboro hosting the conference championships. Gannon will look to improve on last year's fifth-place showing by the men's squad, the best in school history, and an 11th-place finish by the women.   

Men's Water Polo (9-7)
Saturday, Oct. 18 vs. Navy in Laker Invitational – 1:00 p.m.

• Alexandros Kotskar (Voula, Greece/Athinaiki Agogh) continued his assault on the record book over the weekend. The senior from Greece broke the career record for goals while leading Gannon to three wins in four matches at the WWPA Bearcat Clash. He previously broke the career record for points. Kotskar now has 293 career goals.
• Gannon opened WWPA action with a pair of wins, in the process defeating Salem 21-15. It was the first win over the Tigers since 2021 and was Salem's first conference loss in the WWPA. Gannon also held off host McKendree 15-14 to improve to 9-7.  
• Head coach Zarko Sadikovic's team plays once this week with an anticipated match vs. Navy on Saturday in the Laker Invitational hosted by Mercyhurst. The Middies come in at 12-7.