AMHERST, N.Y. – Women's triathlon and men's soccer standouts
Amber Custodi (Ransomville, N.Y./Lewiston-Porter) and
Kristian Aadnoy (Gjerdrum, Norway) have been named the Daemen College Student-Athletes of the Month presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC for September, 2017.
Custodi becomes the first-ever women's triathlon athlete to earn the award since the program's inception three years ago. A redshirt freshman, Custodi was the top Daemen finisher in each of the three events the Wildcats took part in last month.
She kicked off her collegiate career by finishing 15th overall—and second among participants from NCAA Division II programs—at the Women's Collegiate Triathlon Central Regional Qualifier in Naperville, Ill. on Sept. 4. Her performance earned her a spot on the All-Region team and a berth in the 2017 Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championship which will be held Nov. 5 in Tempe, Ariz.
Custodi's time of 1:10:24.7 was especially impressive considering she was running 35th in the field following the event's opening 570-meter swim. Custodi completed the event's 20-kilometer cycling portion in 35:24.1 which ranked 12th. She then completed a five-kilometer run in 22:17.3 which ranked 14th.
Just six days later she posted a third-place finish among 141 female entrants at the Finger Lakes Triathlon with a time of 1:20:18. She capped the month as the top finishing female at the Deer Creek Fall Challenge, a sprint-style triathlon held at Deer Creek State Park outside of Columbus, Ohio. The race featured a 750-meter swim, a five-kilometer run and a 12.4-mile cycling portion—and Custodi's overall time of 1:14:18.52 put her across the finish line some 45 seconds faster than the next closest female competitor.
The sport of triathlon was termed an Emerging Sport For Women by the NCAA in January of 2014, establishing a 10-year window for the formation of 40 intercollegiate programs. The Daemen women's triathlon team, now in its third season of existence, is one of 15 NCAA programs in the country at present.
Aadnoy, a freshman forward, has made an immediate impact on the much-improved men's soccer program.
Aadnoy started all 10 games during the month and totaled a team-high five goals and 12 points. He scored at least one goal in three of the first five games of the year and netted his first two career goals in a 3-2 win at Stonehill College on Sept. 4. He also scored Damen's first goal in a 2-1 win over Walsh University on Sept. 9, and notched the Wildcats' third goal in a wild 5-4 loss to Bloomsburg University a day later. The four goals in that three-game stretch earned Aadnoy East Coast Conference Rookie of the Week honors. He capped the month by registering a goal and an assist in a 4-0 win at Shepherd University.
Through the first month of the season Aadnoy ranks sixth among the ECC leaders in both goals scored (5) and total points (12).
Daemen's 3-7-0 record during the month was deceiving, as three of the losses were by just one goal. The Wildcats return to action tomorrow (Oct. 4) when they travel to rival Roberts Wesleyan College for an ECC match.
