The Yeshiva University Maccabees (18-10) made history on Sunday, winning their first-ever Skyline Conference Championship and punching their ticket to the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament.
The No. 4 seeded Maccabees defeated No. 2 seed Purchase College at the Purchase College Gymnasium by the score of 87-81. Along their Cinderella run, YU had to overcome a 17-point deficit to knock off Mount Saint Mary College, as well as the defending conference champions No. 1 Farmingdale State.
“The Maccabees fought through this season with tremendous focus, tenacity and sportsmanship,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, YU President. “They, and all of our student-athletes, represent the very best of Yeshiva University’s values and are role models for the Jewish community and broader society.”
The win is the Maccabees’ 18th of the season, setting another program record in a season that has broken them again and again.
“I am so proud of these fine young men who represent out department, our university, and our people,” said Athletics Director Joe Bednarsh. “Coach Elliot Steinmetz has molded a bunch of individuals into a team who know how to lead and how to work together. Their success, while still being a product of their hard work, is also a product of all the coaches and administrators, past and present.”