Union has started to release the names of it's 2026 recruiting class. The first name that jumps out is Gino Gioioso a 6'3" 280# OL/DL from Xaverian Brothers in Westwood, Ma...If the name sounds familiar it's because Daniel Gioioso was a two time Liberty League 1st team defensive player 2019,21 for Union. Gino brings an even bigger Xaverian teammate to the Garnet Chargers 6'4" 330# OL Will Anderson. When Daniel Gioioso came to Union in the fall of 2017 he brought his own Xaverian teammate who became a Union great, LB Colin Lama. The next fall RB Ike Irabor came to Union from Xaverian.  Maybe greatness recycles? 

Many of you know that Union has a D1 ice hockey team with a new rink. So what happened to the old rink, the round Achilles/Messa center that's next to the football field? Here's the answer... https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HaWo49XSA/

Quote from: The Third Division on March 04, 2026, 08:31:31 PMImagine if the 1st playoff game the nescac plays is against union.

While I would love to see Union football back in the NCAA tournament this year I'd say it's a long shot. Last year the Garnet opened with consecutive road losses to nationally ranked Susquehanna and Cortland and then ran the table to win the Liberty League. That followed NCAA bids in 2019 and 2023 all while undergoing three head coaching changes so Union fans have become expectant of excellence. The prospects are guarded this season because Union looses a strong graduating class including their QB but I'm optimistic they'll surprise us again. They again open with Susquehanna and Cortland but like last year early season non conference losses, while basically ending your chance of an at large bid, do not mean you can't win your league and get the automatic qualifier. It made them stronger. A tournament match-up with any Region 2  Liberty League or Empire 8 team would likely not happen in the first round because of seeding. The NESCAC champ, especially if they're undefeated, would get a high seed and play the representative of another Region 1 conference team  like the MASCAC or CNE with a much lower seed. Win 1 or 2 games and then maybe. It will happen eventually.

As for hockey...Union has produced many more than "2 NHL players". A search shows at least 12 guys including Shane Gostisbehere, Daniel Carr, Josh Jooris and currently Nick DeSimone(Utah Mammoths) with many others playing in the AHL. 

Concerning the use of headset/tablet to helmet communications in D3 football. The Liberty League experimented with this technology starting with the 2024 season. To my knowledge it was successfully implemented and well received by coaches and players and now I see it's on the threshold of being approved for all D3... https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/07/16/gorout-liberty-league/

I occasionally log onto this thread to keep familiar with what the scuttlebutt is in the NESCAC. As a Union College former player and lifetime fan who played back when Union football had rivalry games with Williams, Middlebury, Trinity and Hamilton I'm also looking forward to next season's NCAA playoffs when the NESCAC will finally be represented. First I have to comment on poster The Third Division's remark that "The last membership change in football came in 1977, when Union was kicked out of the conference after recruiting violations involving its hockey program." While this is basically true it's also IMO the best thing that has ever happened to Union football. They have 14 NCAA D3 tournament bids since 1983. Non of which would have happened if they stayed in the NESCAC. Since Union recruits heavily in New England many of their recruits are also recruited by NESCAC schools. I suspect you've lost a few recruits to Union because kids want to play for championships. I'm anticipating the first Liberty League/NESCAC playoff matchup...Union's D1 hockey program has also grown exponentially since their early year recruiting faux pas. Union's risen to a place where they currently rank #20 in the USCHO polls and actually won the D1 National Championship in 2014. The Garnet Chargers are doing just fine thank you. 

Not sure if this is official as it's from an X post but Union has announced their 2026 football schedule. They will be fulfilling the home and home commitments started last year so non conference opponents have not changed. Susquehanna will be visiting on September 5th, Cortland on the 12th and the Garnet are at Morrisville on Sept. 19th...Liberty League play begins on Sept 26th hosting Buffalo St. Trips to St. Lawrence and Hobart are followed by an Oct.17th bye week. Ithaca visits Schenectady on Oct. 24th then a road trip to play Hilbert on Halloween. The last home game is Rochester on Nov 7th and the Shoes will be contested at RPI on November 14th.

Vassar 68 - Union 61 in OT...The home court was kind to the Vassar Brewers this weekend. Friday they got a Shea Fitzgerald 3 with 9 seconds left to tie the score and withstood a Union shot hanging on the rim to take the game to overtime. The Brewers then made 14 Free Throws in OT to run away with it. Parker Neuenhaus was once again a thorn in the side of Union scoring 21 with his soft little jump hook. Fitzgerald added 22 with the Brewers going 23-27 total from the line. Mathew Garside led Union with 19 while Jack Plesser was again in foul trouble and scored only 10. Usual dead-eye Tanner Tedesco was 3/14, 0/5 and finished with only 6.

Vassar 67 - RIT 61 in OT... Saturday was a repeat for the Brewers as they battled a determined RIT. Vassar used a late short jumper from Neuenhaus to tie the score late and again held their breathe as a last second shot by RIT rolled off the rim. Once more in OT the Brewers took charge and pulled away to secure an improbable two for two in overtime games.     

Union 84 - Bard 56...The Garnet Chargers rolled to a win over Bard despite not having their and the Liberty League's leading scorer Jack Plesser. I'm not sure if it was illness, injury or something else but Plesser has not been himself the last few games. First year Cade Furse came off the bench to score a career high 21. A night after shooting a season low 31.4% versus Vassar the Garnet shot much better making 11/26 3's to overwhelm the Raptors.     

Quote from: stlawus on February 11, 2026, 05:18:02 PMWhy am I not surprised to see Frank Rossi be quite literally the only person defending Flo Sports on social media.

Not sure if you are aware of this but Frank in addition to his role with "In the D3fb Huddle" podcasts with James Baker, Frank also refs flag football and serves as Mayor of Ballston Spa, NY. I believe he can handle himself quite well since he's also an attorney. I respect and admire the guy.   

Every team has injuries... Union's starting PF from last year, 6'7" Jr. Brendan Reid has not played a minute all season due to a knee injury. He averaged 6.9 pts/gm and a third in the Liberty League 8.4 rebounds in the 2024-25 season. Think they couldn't use him? And how about another PF Aren Cummings who was the 2022-23 LL Rookie of the year but has battled injuries that have compromised most of his talents. Cummings, now a senior, is just now getting a few minutes of floor time again but is still struggling. Union is guard dependent largely because of the unavailability of Reid and Cummings.     

Union 75 - Hobart 68 ... Union coach Chris Murphy, seemingly concerned about getting little offense from his bench, found a way to get the subs involved early. He started them, leaving his three best players Jack Plesser, Tanner Tedesco and Matthew Garside sitting for the first 3 minutes. Did it work? No...Hobart took advantage and went out to an early 10 point lead...In reality it was senior night and Murph started his four seniors. The Garnet scrambled back, took a lead but trailed the Statesmen 34-31 at the break. In the second half Hobart grudgingly allowed the Garnet Chargers to take control and put it away late...A day after scoring his career high 37 points Plesser had only 6. Foul plagued and frustrated he played only 17 total minutes before fouling out. Hobart seems to have the answer for Plesser, holding him to only 12 and 6 points in the two league meetings, both won by Union none the less. Tedesco 21, Dufort 19 and Garside's 11 got it done. For Hobart Monty Nedd had an impressive 26.

Union 80- Skidmore 62... No offensive lulls tonight for the Garnet Chargers. After a couple of subpar performances in the last 2 weeks Jack Plesser had all his game rolling tonight scoring a career high 37 points including 3/4 from beyond the arc. Tanner Tedesco added 15 and Christian Dufort 12...Roy had 14, Padilla 12 and LaGarde 12 for balanced Skidmore as the Garnet held serve in the tight LL standings.

RPI 56 - Union 50...After scoring 57 points in the second half against Ithaca Friday the Garnet Chargers managed only 50 points total a day later, never "getting it rolling'.. Why?...It was a combination of all things bad basketball, especially after halftime.  Tied at 28 the Engineers got out to a 39-34 lead at the 15:14 mark and then nobody could score. For Union 6 turnovers over the next 6:18, a couple of missed layups and 2 open missed 3 attempts were pure frustration. RPI wasn't much better with their own futility missing 3 layups and having 3 turnovers of their own but a steal and layup gave RPI a 41-34 lead. Their only points during that same span. Union fought back and retook the lead with 4:17 left at 44-43 but RPI closed the deal with 7/7 from the free throw line...Altogether Union had 17 turnovers, 10 in the second half, and shot only 28.57% after the break. An issue for the Garnet was their bench. Normal starter Nate Detarao and big man Scott Schmitt were not dressed and Union got only 2 points from the subs despite 46 minutes of playing time.  RPI gave the LL's leading scorer Jack Plesser fits holding him to only 11 total points.     

Things looked bleak for Union trailing 51-29 at halftime but the Garnet Chargers would have none of it roaring back with a 57 point second half to dump shell shocked Ithaca 86-79. This Union team is so fun to watch when they get rolling. Jack Plesser had 26, Tanner Tedesco 19 and Mathew Garside 17 for Union. For  the Bombers Evan Cabral had a game high 27. Mathew Zenker and David Luberoff had 14 and Thomas Mckiernan 10 for the hard working Ithaca squad.

Union 90 - Hobart 72...The game started as a battle between Hobart's big man Dorian Paki and Union's Jack Plesser who had his hands full trying to stop Paki down low. Paki outmuscled Plesser getting him not only in foul trouble but also off his game offensively. Fortunately for the Garnet the other three of their big four came to the forefront and the teams went back and forth to a halftime 38-38 tie...Once again it seemed like Union head coach Chris Murphy had the halftime answer. The Garnet Chargers hit the second half floor and played nearly perfect basketball to run away from the Statesmen out scoring them 52-34 from there. Tanner Tedesco had 24, Matthew Garside 21, Christian Dufort 14 and Plesser who had only 2 late free throws in the first half contributed 10 more to finish with 12.  6'11" Scott Schmitt had 13 good minutes neutralizing Hobart down low...For Hobart Paki finished with an impressive 26 highlighted by at least four thunderous dunks. 

Vassar 76 - Union 74...Just another Liberty League battle last night in Schenectady. Vassar jumped out to a quick double digit lead over the Garnet who looked like they were not ready to play. They held that lead  throughout the first half behind the play of big Parker Neuenhaus and Shea Fitzgerald. Leading 38-27 at the half the Brewers upped that to 49-32 before the Garnet Chargers dug in. Jack Plesser and Tanner Tedesco went to work and eventually Union took it's first lead with 5:47 left 64-63 on a Tedesco 3...Two clutch free throws by Union's Christian Dufort tied the game at 74-74 with 15 seconds left. Fitzgerald hit a pull-up jumper to put Vassar back ahead. It looked like everything was in place for another Union miracle...BUT...With 3.2 seconds left Union's attempted inbounds pass to an open Matt Garside sailed high off his extended arm to Vassar's Sebastion Medina. Medina was immediately fouled but here's were it got weird. With 1.2 seconds on the clock Medina missed both shots and on the rebound a whistle seemed to indicate that Union's Jack Plesser had been fouled?...After a long table discussion (and me watching repeated replays) the refs called both coaches together and eventually waived the game over. What???   Union coach Chris Murphy seemed to be OK with the decision (me not so much) and Union had it's first LL loss...you can watch it here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ul0GBr-h8     

16 players got at least 2 minutes of floor time and 14 scored as Union defeated Bard 89-60 Friday night. Jack Plesser led the Garnet with 18 points in only 24 minutes. Things promise to be a lot tougher Saturday as Union hosts 9-3, 5-0 LL Vassar.