SUNY Oneonta Kicks Off 2026-27 Athletics Season with Fan Fest Celebration
By LUCAS BERG
SUNY Institute for Local News
ONEONTA
SUNY Oneonta will welcome students, families, alumni, and community members to campus over Labor Day weekend, September 4-6, for the second annual Athletics Fan Fest, a weekend-long celebration of collegiate athletics that combines competition, family activities, and community service.
The weekend features a packed schedule of NCAA Division III competition, giving fans an early look at several Red Dragon teams as the 2026-27 season gets underway. Events begin Friday, September 4, with field hockey hosting Utica University at 1 p.m. on All College Field. Women’s volleyball follows with back-to-back matches against Utica and Wheaton College in Dewar Arena, while the cross-country teams host the Oneonta Airfield Invitational at Fortin Park later that afternoon.
Saturday brings the heart of Fan Fest festivities. Activities around the Alumni Field House will include raffles, food and refreshments, opportunities to meet student-athletes, and family-oriented crafts such as poster and bracelet making. On the field and court, women’s volleyball continues tournament play with matches against Montclair State and the University of Rochester. The schedule also features field hockey against St. John Fisher and the opening day of the Mayor’s Cup soccer tournament, with the women’s team facing Clarkson University and the men’s team taking on Hood College.
Competition continues Sunday as both the men’s and women’s soccer teams conclude Mayor’s Cup play against SUNY New Paltz.
For Associate Athletic Director Brandi Lusk, Fan Fest represents much more than a collection of games and activities. The event was launched last year with the goal of highlighting the breadth of SUNY Oneonta athletics while creating a stronger sense of school pride and community engagement.
“It’s a complete celebration of Red Dragon athletics, SUNY Oneonta as a whole, and all of our student athletes,” said Lusk. “Everybody can come together and just watch a lot of really great sporting events and have some fun while supporting local causes like the SPCA.”
Centered around the Alumni Field House and surrounding athletic facilities, the event is designed to showcase SUNY Oneonta’s athletics program while creating stronger connections between the college and the greater Oneonta community. Organized in partnership with the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the festival will also serve as a collection drive benefiting animals in need throughout the region. Attendees are encouraged to bring pet food, supplies and other donations for the local shelter.
The partnership with the Susquehanna SPCA adds a charitable dimension to the event and reflects the university’s effort to connect its athletics program with causes that matter to the local community.
“We have always considered SUNY Oneonta a partner,” said Stacie Haynes, executive director of the Susquehanna SPCA. “In this case, working with athletics specifically came through a personal connection that I have with Brandi Lusk. Brandi and I coach youth recreational soccer together in Cooperstown. Brandi invited us to attend Fan Fest, and we were thrilled with the opportunity.”
Lusk said the anticipated crowds have the potential to make a meaningful difference for the organization.
“I figured with the amount of people that we have coming hopefully to this event, just sheer fan numbers that maybe we could make an impact and a change for their organization,” she said.
According to Lusk, last year’s inaugural Fan Fest drew roughly 2,000 attendees despite less-than-ideal weather conditions, providing proof of concept for an event that organizers hope will continue to grow.
“I feel like when I go to professional sporting events or even higher level Division I or Division II sporting events—even Cortland, right? They put so much emphasis on the Cortica jug and like all these big events. And I’m like, well, why not us? I just want us to have more pride and have something that the campus and the community can get involved in and have fun with.”
Fan Fest also serves as an introduction to what promises to be another busy year for SUNY Oneonta Athletics. The Red Dragons field more than 20 varsity programs competing in the State University of New York Athletic Conference and other NCAA Division III leagues. The athletics program has long been one of the university’s most visible ambassadors, attracting student-athletes from across New York and beyond while maintaining a tradition of academic and athletic achievement.
This fall’s opening weekend offers a snapshot of that diversity, with field hockey, volleyball, cross country, and soccer all in action. The Mayor’s Cup soccer tournament, one of the campus’ longest-standing athletic traditions, remains a particular highlight and annually draws interest from students, alumni, and local supporters.
For families, Fan Fest provides an opportunity to experience the campus in an informal and welcoming setting. For students, it serves as an early-semester gathering point and a chance to support classmates competing in Red Dragon uniforms. And for local residents, it offers a reminder that SUNY Oneonta’s athletic venues are community assets as well as collegiate facilities.
Whether visitors come for a volleyball match, a soccer rivalry, a family activity or simply to support the Susquehanna SPCA, Fan Fest aims to deliver a weekend that celebrates competition, community and Oneonta pride. Admission is free for all events.
This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Lab, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.
