February 13, 2026 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster is pleased to announce the hiring of Bob Tempestilli as the College’s new Head Softball Coach.
Tempestilli brings eight years of experience as a travel softball head coach, where he developed a reputation for strong organizational leadership and the ability to make decisive choices in high-pressure environments. His experience guiding competitive teams and building cohesive programs positions him well to lead SUNY Ulster’s softball program into its next chapter.
Throughout his coaching career, Tempestilli has focused on developing programs that promote both the safety and growth of student-athletes. He is known for fostering a supportive, team-oriented environment where athletes can thrive on and off the field. His coaching philosophy emphasizes collaboration, discipline, and athlete development, while balancing performance goals with long-term growth.
Tempestilli’s systematic and highly organized approach to coaching enables him to effectively manage team dynamics and ensure that players are aligned, informed, and prepared. His leadership style reflects a deep commitment to team-building and creating a positive culture centered on accountability and excellence.
“I am eager to bring my passion for coaching to SUNY Ulster and contribute positively to the development of young athletes,” Tempestilli said. “I look forward to building a competitive and supportive environment for our student-athletes.”
SUNY Ulster Athletics is confident that Tempestilli’s experience, leadership, and commitment to student-athlete success will strengthen the softball program and continue to build pride within the College community.
March 10, 2025 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster and Athletics Director, Ryan Snair, announce Vinnie Manginelli as its new golf coach and Omar Morales as the new women’s basketball coach.
Vinnie Manginelli is a PGA of America Golf Professional and has coached the SUNY Ulster men’s and women’s golf team since 2016. He is a writer and editor for PGA Magazine, managing content for five of its digital publications. With more than two decades of golf coaching and instruction under his belt, Coach Manginelli looks forward to growing the SUNY Ulster golf program after several recent individual player and team successes. He holds a Master’s Degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and is a member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association.
Omar Morales is a passionate basketball coach at SUNY Ulster, where he brings years of experience as both a player and coach to inspire the next generation of student athletes. A lifelong basketball player, he previously coached the women’s team at SUNY Ulster and was named 2019-20 Region XV Coach of the Year. In addition to his role as Head Basketball Coach at Ulster he currently serves as the Varsity Boys Basketball Assistant Coach at New Paltz High School. A proud Hudson Valley native, Omar attended SUNY Ulster where he played basketball and baseball, later transferring to finish his academic studies at SUNY New Paltz. Coaching at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels has helped deepen his connection to the local community. He prides himself on developing relationships and connections with his players, helping to mentor and coach them as individuals, students, and as athletes. Outside of coaching, he enjoys playing a variety of sports and cherishes time with his four children.
The golf team will begin practicing indoors soon with the first match taking place in April 2025. The women’s basketball season runs from October through March.
January 22, 2025 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster is pleased to announce hiring Randy Delanoy as Head Baseball Coach. Delanoy brings nine years of coaching experience and many accomplishments as a coach and player to the position.
Starting his coaching career at SUNY Ulster in 2016, Delanoy helped secure the title of Region 15 Champions in 2019, 2021, and 2022. He moved on to organize and manage 12 travel baseball teams as Owner and Head Coach of Hudson Valley Select Baseball where he ran the baseball facility, provided hitting lessons and clinics, and helped his athletes develop relationships with prospective colleges.
Delanoy graduated from SUNY Ulster in 2013 with an associate’s degree in Individual Studies and transferred to St. Bonaventure University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management. At SUNY Ulster, Delanoy played second and third base and was Team Captain in 2012 and 2013. He was also the Team Captain at St. Bonaventure in 2015.
One of Delanoy’s first responsibilities will be to build a strong team for the Fall 2025 exhibition season and Spring 2026 season. Ryan Snair, Athletics Director at Ulster says, “It is unfortunate but Ulster has decided to cancel baseball for the upcoming spring 2025 season. We just didn’t have enough pitching to get through the rigors of a season without threatening injury to the pitchers we did have. We are confident that Coach Delanoy will lead our program back to prominence for the upcoming fall exhibition season and ultimately our spring of 2026 season.”
“We are excited to have SUNY Ulster alumnus and former student-athlete Randy Delanoy return to SUNY Ulster as Head Baseball Coach as we continue our momentum supporting our student-athletes,” stated President Alison Buckley, Ed.D.
May 28, 2024 – Stone Ridge, NY – After clinching the 2024 NJCAA Region 15 Golf Championship, five of six SUNY Ulster students on the golf team will be heading to Chautauqua, New York for the NJCAA National Championships from June 4 to June 7, 2024.
SUNY Ulster’s golf team includes Sarah Beacham (not attending Nationals), Emma Gumaer, Joey Manginelli, Vlad Olenski, Jessie Rodriguez, and Adam Williams. Emma Gumaer is the first ever female from Region 15 to qualify.
The National Championship is played on the historic Lake Course of the Chautauqua Golf Club with both team and individual qualifiers coming from community colleges from across the country to compete in the 72-hole tournament.
NJCAA Region 15 notable season highlights include:
Adam Williams: Medalist at Region 15 Golf Championships
Joey Manginelli: Lowest scoring average for the regular season
Sarah Beacham: Awarded SUNY Ulster’s 2024 Women’s Team GPA Award
Emma Gumaer: Awarded SUNY Ulster’s Female Scholar-Athlete Award
Coach Vinnie Manginelli, PGA: Awarded NJCAA Region 15 Coach of the Year
“This team has worked very hard to get where they are today. They play a lot of golf and are passionate about the game,” says Vinnie Manginelli, PGA, Head Golf Coach. “They’re excited about Nationals and are hoping for a great week. Either way, I’m proud of them, regardless of the score at the end of the day.”
Joey Manginelli and Vlad Olenski are transferring to SUNY Delhi to continue their studies in the fall; Emma Gumaer will continue her studies at SUNY Purchase.
Coach Manginelli came to lead the Golf program at SUNY Ulster in 2016. He has been a PGA of America Golf Professional since 2006 and has served on several local boards in the Hudson Valley area. He holds a Master’s Degree from Southern New Hampshire University in English and Creative Writing, as well as a Bachelors in Information Technology Management from American Public University.
February 26, 2024 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster is pleased to announce the hiring of Coach Ryan Snair as Baseball Coach. Ryan brings 20 years of coaching experience to Ulster, having spent the last 14 years at SUNY Sullivan as Coordinator of Field House Operations & Equipment and then Head Men’s Baseball Coach.
Ryan graduated from SUNY Ulster in 1996. A pitcher for Ulster’s baseball team while studying here, he was awarded 1st Team All-Region and 1st Team All-American Honors. He then attended Hofstra University on a full athletic scholarship and St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He then returned to SUNY Ulster, where he started his coaching career as Assistant Men’s Baseball Coach. While at SUNY Ulster, Snair coached the team to the College World Series in 2004.
“Ryan’s coaching experience and ability are significant, and we are excited about the future of our baseball team with him at the helm,” said SUNY Ulster President, Alison Buckley, Ed. D. “His record, both at SUNY Ulster and SUNY Sullivan is exceptional, and we look forward to his leadership.”
“I am happy and honored to return to SUNY Ulster as Baseball Coach and am excited about the opportunity to foster the growth of the student-athletes here both on the field and in their academic pursuits,” stated Ryan Snair.
September 8, 2022 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster invites prospective students, current students, and community members to join the campus community in a collaborative interactive day with Admissions and Athletics on September 15 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Register to participate in an Ulster Student Leadership Showcase with information about athletics, student engagement opportunities, and activities that can build your resume of co-curricular activities. Then stay for a SUNY Ulster Women’s Volleyball game vs. SUNY Dutchess in the Senate Gym at 7:00 p.m.
Wear SUNY Ulster gear or your favorite sports team with the (MAC) Military Affiliated Club!
December 8, 2020 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster today announced that after careful thought, consideration, and dialogue, SUNY Community Colleges (27 of 30) that are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), have collectively decided to cancel intercollegiate competition for the 2020-2021 indoor sports that are considered “high risk” for COVID-19 exposure and spread of infection. These NJCAA sports include: basketball, cheerleading, dance, volleyball and wrestling. Campuses will have the option to hold on-campus workouts and training with student-athletes, should the institution allow it in a structured and monitored environment.
The low to moderate indoor sports including bowling and swimming; diving may compete in a virtual setting and must adhere to COVID-19 protocols.
At SUNY Ulster, “high-risk” indoor sports include: basketball, volleyball and wrestling. SUNY Ulster is continuing the evaluation of when on-campus workouts and training with student-athletes are able to resume in a structured and monitored environment.
NJCAA SUNY Community Colleges will continue planning for what we hope will be the safe resumption of intercollegiate athletics in spring 2021. Traditional spring sports and several traditional fall sports have been moved to spring, per the NJCAA 2021 Sports Guidelines. An official announcement on spring sports’ status will be made in January. Detailed sport specific guidelines and protocols are currently in development and Return to Play and Return to Competition Plans will be informed by nationally recognized sport specific agencies along with NYS, CDC, DOH and governing athletic associations.
NJCAA SUNY Community College decisions will continue to be guided by best practice and cautious adherence to health and safety protocols that will safeguard the well-being of our student-athletes, staff, campuses, and communities. We commit to ongoing collaborative efforts to develop cohesive safety plans to implement on our campuses in support of our student-athletes.
One of the most exciting opportunities at college is the chance to play sports. Students can play sports from volleyball to football and most things in between. Generally teams are broken up by sex and the season runs for about a semester, or around 15 weeks.
There is a full list of SUNY Ulster sports teams on our website, at the bottom of this article, and on your portal. The school’s athletic website can be found here, with all the details to everything SUNY Ulster athletics. In case you didn’t know, our mascot is the beloved Senator Sam, seen above, and all sports teams are known as the SUNY Ulster Senators.
There are plenty of reasons why sports help you stay sharp in mind as well as in body. The mental benefits of sports are numerous; including memory boosting, gaining leadership qualities, and improving self-confidence. There are a few more reasons why athleticism is beneficial to being a student that we’ll go over in more detail; like getting better sleep, reducing stressors, and helping with concentration.
Stress Reducer and Depression Aid
Sports are an all-natural stress reducer that is easily accessible to you and all students. Getting your tension out on a field or a court can be much better than letting it bottle up, or worse, come out in unintentional ways. The brain produces extra serotonin when the body is involved in physical activity. This chemical is known as the happy chemical because it’s most often associated with the good feelings it brings forth. This chemical is complicated and having more of it can positively affect learning, memory, and sleep quality. Exercise and other physical activity will also produce endorphins which can improve the ability to sleep which, in turn, reduces stress.
Athleticism can also reduce depression and is a popular way of managing anxiety disorders, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. A sports player that regularly does conditioning and practice is less likely to suffer mood imbalance. Using working out as a healthy coping mechanism may reduce other unhealthy habits that can lead to more depression. Instead, physically producing those feel good chemicals for yourself can be a positive way of dealing with negative emotion. Compared to other ways of dealing with stress, using exercise to ease symptoms of depression can be the best route to take for a busy student.
Though it takes a while to feel the difference, it’s proven that better sleep and regular physical activity are correlated. It makes sense that doing exercise normally can improve your sleep. It does so by increasing the amount of deep sleep you receive. After long periods of regular exercise were added to test subject’s lives, they had more long-wave sleep at night, which is the most restorative form of rest.
Effective rest does the brain good and it’s well known that more sleep is always better for students. A good hard practice session of any sport can be tiring and helpful to get some great sleep! Being well rested can help you remember more and can also prevent bodily stress the next day from being tired.
Concentration & Focus Booster
Getting involved in sports can actually help you focus in the classroom. After children in this study had a daily dose of exercise they showed improved attention spans. Just another one of the ways that physical exercise helps your brain work better. “They became more adept at ignoring distractions, multitasking, and holding and manipulating information in their minds” says neuroscientist Ben Martynoga.
Reach out to a coach on campus, find a gym near you, join a self-defense class, or just jump into the next sports season when it starts! There are far fewer ways that sports could do you wrong than how they could improve your life. The benefit of being an athlete is NOT limited to academia, it could improve multiple facets of your life. It can’t hurt to try, that’s for sure!
I realize that sports aren’t for everyone, and that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other outlets you can try. Getting involved in making some kind of art is always a good idea too, see why.
Here at SUNY Ulster, athletic life is both work and play. Just an added bonus being a student in Stone Ridge, all students are encouraged to apply themselves to one of our sports teams. Student athletes have more than doubled in the past three years and there are now eight teams one can join. These activities help students build collaborative and athletic skills that they can carry with them through the rest of their educational journey, and life.
Drum Roll Please…
We just recently released our new athletics page, pretty exciting stuff! Potential students are welcome to check out the new site and use it as a way to apply for the school. Current students are also able to easily find coaches; as a matter of fact, the site has a handy directory of all the athletic staff. So students can find any one of our sports centered staff who are always available to answer any questions you might have.
The new site has all the good stuff: rosters, schedules, game reports and even videos of our hard-working student athletes in action. Game reports and rosters feature biographies of athletes individually so fans can find all the information available about a player right from the stands if they wanted to!
Don’t Forget To Follow Us Everywhere Else Too
If the all that up to date game info doesn’t quite scratch your sports itch; included in the site are links to our various sports social media profiles such as Facebook, Instagram, and more. Where even more player coverage can be found.
The SUNY Ulster Men’s Basketball team has had a number of success stories this year! The team has a record of 10-11 wins, the most wins they have had in over a decade. They rank nationally at #9 in three-pointers made per game, and two leading scorers on the team, freshmen Shawn Jansen and Tyreik Johnson, are averaging 16 points per game. The team beat 4-time NJCAA champions Sullivan recently, 88-83. Attend their final upcoming home games; they play on February 8th vs. United States Military Academy Prep School at 7pm, the 11th vs. Paul Smith’s College at 1pm, and the 14th vs. Johnson at 7pm.
Here’s a few pictures of our all-star players in action. Go Senators!
Here at SUNY Ulster, athletic life is both work and play. Just an added bonus being a student in Stone Ridge, all students are encouraged to apply themselves to one of our sports teams. 
