On Monday, Chamberlain and Tuggles were named Keuka’s Female and Male Athletes of the Week.

Chamberlain recorded her first career double-double during Saturday’s 70-39 win at Wilson College, setting career-bests in points (16) and rebounds (16) while making 7 of 10 shots (70 percent) in just 22 minutes. The second-year member of the Storm scored 10 first-half points and added six in the second half to easily surpass her previous career-high of 11 points, set during a Jan. 8 win over Penn State-Berks.

Facing Abington, Chamberlain scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Storm (13-5, 11-3 NEAC) won 65-51 Sunday afternoon in Abington, PA. Chamberlain shot 8-for-12 (75 percent) from the floor as the Storm picked up its fifth NEAC win in its last six games. Chamberlain’s 75-percent shooting performance was also a career-best.

Chamberlain, who scored 59 points over Keuka’s first 14 games, scored 37 points over the weekend as the Storm remained in second place in the NEAC North Division with three conference games remaining. The top three teams in each division advance into the NEAC postseason tournament, which runs Feb. 21-26.

For the season, Chamberlain is averaging 5.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Tuggles averaged 16.5 points, 7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 assists per game over two contests, but the Storm went 0-2 on the week, losing to first-place Morrisville State and Penn State-Abington.

Tuggles scored 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting (60 percent) and grabbed six rebounds with two steals during Sunday’s 95-78 setback at Penn State-Abington. Earlier in the week, hosting Morrisville, Tuggles scored nine points with a team-high eight rebounds during an 83-53 loss.  

For the season, Tuggles leads Keuka (5-14, 5-7 NEAC) in scoring average (14.1 ppg.) and assists (2.3 apg.) and is second in steals (1.1 spg.).

For the latest stories, schedules and results from Keuka athletics, visit www.KeukaStorm.com or go to the Keuka Athletics Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/KeukaStorm.

Sophomore Casey Chamberlain set a career-high with 21 points as Keuka College's women's basketball team defeated Penn State-Abington 65-51 Sunday afternoon.

BOXSCORE

What a road trip for sophomore Casey Chamberlain (Perry, NY/Perry) and the Keuka College women’s basketball team.

Chamberlain scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Storm (13-5, 11-3 North Eastern Athletic Conference) defeated Penn State-Abington 65-51 Sunday afternoon in Abington, PA.

A day after setting career-highs in points (16) and rebounds (16) in a 70-39 win over Wilson College, Chamberlain shot 8-for-12 (75 percent) from the floor as the Storm picked up its fifth NEAC win in its last six games.

Sophomore Danielle Gravel (Sidney, NY/Sidney) posted her 10th game with 15-plus points, pumping in 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting. Gravel added 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists while senior Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) chipped in with eight points and seven boards for Keuka.

Sophomore Taylor Szwec (Candor, NY/Candor) snared 11 rebounds, her third game with double-digit rebounds, as Keuka collected 47 rebounds. Classmate Jessica Bandrowski (Center Moriches, NY/Center Moriches) added 8 points, 5 assists and 4 steals as Keuka connected on 23 of 55 shots (41.8 percent).

Jaclyn Vandiver and Gabrielle Benedict each scored 13 points for Abington (0-18, 0-12 NEAC).

The Storm returns to action with an 8 p.m. clash Wednesday night against NEAC rival Cazenovia College. Keuka defeated the Wildcats 75-53 on Jan. 25.

Official Basketball Box Score
Keuka College vs Penn State Abington
2/05/12 2 p.m. at Abington, Pa.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Keuka College 12-5, 10-3 NEAC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 Gravel, Danielle.... *  6-13   2-5    2-3    0  6  6   1  16  2  3  0  4  33
04 Szwec, Taylor....... *  1-6    1-3    1-2    5  6 11   1   4  3  3  0  1  33
11 Bandrowski, Jessica. *  3-12   0-5    2-4    0  1  1   2   8  5  3  0  4  32
31 Chamberlain, Casey.. *  8-12   1-3    4-4    2  5  7   2  21  0  6  0  0  37
42 Mouzon, Mariah...... *  0-2    0-0    3-4    2  3  5   4   3  0  2  0  0  16
10 Pendrak, Erica......    2-3    0-1    1-1    1  1  2   0   5  0  3  0  0  15
15 Engelbert, Morgan...    3-5    0-0    2-6    0  7  7   0   8  3  1  0  0  27
32 Kubitz, Amanda......    0-2    0-1    0-0    1  0  1   1   0  0  0  0  0   7
   TEAM................                         7     7
   Totals..............   23-55   4-18  15-24  18 29 47  11  65 13 21  0  9 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-30 43.3%   2nd Half: 10-25 40.0%   Game: 41.8%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-13 30.8%   2nd Half:  0-5   0.0%   Game: 22.2%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-6  50.0%   2nd Half: 12-18 66.7%   Game: 62.5%    2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Penn State Abington 0-19, 0-13 NEAC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
23 Jacyln Vandiver..... *  5-15   1-8    2-2    2  3  5   3  13  1  1  0  0  32
30 Kate Schalck........ *  0-4    0-2    0-3    1  3  4   3   0  2  4  1  0  31
32 Kiera Kurtz......... *  1-7    1-6    0-0    2  2  4   1   3  3  1  0  2  30
33 Jessica Schmidt..... *  5-10   0-0    0-0    1  6  7   5  10  1  1  0  1  33
44 Gabrielle Benedict.. *  5-12   1-2    2-2    2  3  5   2  13  2  3  1  1  31
11 Tori Kimberly.......    0-4    0-2    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  1  0  0   7
21 Trish Watson........    3-12   1-9    2-4    0  1  1   2   9  2  2  0  1  27
24 Elizabeth Rymal.....    1-3    1-2    0-0    0  0  0   1   3  1  1  0  1   9
43 Alyssa Kaye.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
   TEAM................                        15  1 16
   Totals..............   20-67   5-31   6-11  23 20 43  17  51 12 14  2  6 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  7-27 25.9%   2nd Half: 13-40 32.5%   Game: 29.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  0-8   0.0%   2nd Half:  5-23 21.7%   Game: 16.1%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-6  50.0%   2nd Half:  3-5  60.0%   Game: 54.5%    1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials:
Technical fouls: Keuka College-None. Penn State Abington-Jessica Schmidt.
Attendance:
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Keuka College.................   33   32  -   65
Penn State Abington...........   17   34  -   51

Freshman Joe Tortolon scored a career-high 15 points, but Keuka College's men's basketball team suffered a 95-78 loss to Penn State-Abington Sunday afternoon.

BOXSCORE

Junior Teddy Tuggles (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) scored 24 points and freshman Joe Tortolon (Dundee, NY/Dundee) added a career-high 15 points, but Keuka College’s men’s basketball team suffered a 95-78 setback at Penn State-Abington Sunday afternoon.

Keuka (5-14, 5-7 North Eastern Athletic Conference) placed three players in double-figures, as Tuggles and Tortolon were joined by freshman Coty Paige (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia), who scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds.

Tuggles shot 9-for-15 (60 percent) and grabbed six rebounds with two steals while junior Conor Boyer (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester) added eight points and nine rebounds. Freshman Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) added eight points and seven boards for the Storm, which outrebounded Abington (8-11, 5-5 NEAC) 42-37.

The Storm shot 29-for-71 (40.8 percent) compared to Abington, which connected on 35 of 63 shots (55.6 percent). Tuggles scored Keuka’s first four points and Boyer, Tortolon and senior Brian Cunliffe (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) each made layups to give Keuka a 10-8 lead five minutes in. Cunliffe then buried a ‘3’ with 13:20 to go before halftime to put the Storm up 13-12, but that was Keuka’s last lead.

Abington used a 25-10 run over the next eight minutes to take a 37-23 lead, and never led by less than 11 points over the remainder of the half. The Nittany Lions took a 49-35 halftime lead.

The Abington lead grew to 56-35, but the Storm hung around, and when Tortolon buried a ‘3’ Keuka pulled within 10, 81-71 with five minutes remaining. Abington sunk 8 of its final 9 free throws to snap a four-game conference losing streak. Five players scored in double-figures for Abington, led by Will Alton (22 points), Max Alton (17), Mike Marvin (13 points, 13 rebounds), Josh Howard (11) and Mike Colacci (10).

The Storm returns to action with a 6 p.m. road clash against Cazenovia College on Wednesday night. Keuka fell to Cazenovia 69-64 at home on Jan. 25.

Official Basketball Box Score
Keuka College vs Penn State Abington
2/05/12 12 p.m. at Abington, Pa.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Keuka College 5-14, 5-7 NEAC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 Tuggles, Teddy...... *  9-15   3-7    3-5    1  5  6   2  24  1  2  0  2  37
11 Tortolon, Joe....... *  5-14   4-10   1-2    1  2  3   2  15  2  1  0  1  30
12 Paige, Coty......... *  3-11   0-1    4-5    2  3  5   4  10  1  2  0  3  24
23 Cunliffe, Brian..... *  2-7    1-4    1-2    1  2  3   2   6  4  1  0  1  33
50 Boyer, Conor........ *  4-9    0-0    0-0    4  5  9   1   8  0  4  0  0  24
02 Franklin, Brandon...    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   3   0  1  0  0  0   7
05 Napolitano, Justin..    1-2    1-2    0-0    0  2  2   1   3  1  0  0  0  10
20 Wagner, Jared.......    2-7    0-3    0-2    0  1  1   1   4  2  0  0  4  17
55 Hixson, Tyler.......    3-6    0-0    2-2    2  5  7   2   8  0  2  0  0  19
   TEAM................                         6     6             1
   Totals..............   29-71   9-27  11-18  17 25 42  18  78 12 13  0 11 201

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-29 41.4%   2nd Half: 17-42 40.5%   Game: 40.8%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-11 27.3%   2nd Half:  6-16 37.5%   Game: 33.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  8-10 80.0%   2nd Half:  3-8  37.5%   Game: 61.1%    1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Penn State Abington 8-11, 5-5 NEAC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
10 Will Alton.......... *  7-7    0-0    8-8    0  3  3   0  22  4  2  0  2  32
15 Abe Galam........... *  2-5    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   4  0  0  0  1  10
22 Corey Curtis........ *  4-8    0-0    1-2    1  3  4   3   9  2  2  0  1  23
24 Mike Colacci........ *  4-10   2-5    0-0    1  2  3   2  10  2  0  0  0  25
30 Mike Marvin......... *  6-9    0-0    1-3    0 13 13   2  13  1  3  3  0  34
33 Josh Howard......... *  4-7    1-4    2-2    3  3  6   3  11  0  4  1  3  17
03 Kyle Battell........    0-0    0-0    0-1    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  1  0   4
20 Fran Hennessey......    1-3    1-3    2-2    0  2  2   0   5  2  0  0  0  11
23 Max Alton...........    6-10   4-7    1-1    0  2  2   1  17  3  3  0  0  28
44 Art Comas...........    0-3    0-1    2-2    1  1  2   1   2  1  0  0  1   8
50 Darren White-Green..    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   1   2  0  1  0  1   7
   TEAM................
   Totals..............   35-63   8-20  17-21   6 31 37  13  95 15 15  5  9 199

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 19-34 55.9%   2nd Half: 16-29 55.2%   Game: 55.6%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  5-11 45.5%   2nd Half:  3-9  33.3%   Game: 40.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  6-7  85.7%   2nd Half: 11-14 78.6%   Game: 81.0%    1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials:
Technical fouls: Keuka College-None. Penn State Abington-None.
Attendance: 100
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Keuka College.................   35   43  -   78
Penn State Abington...........   49   46  -   95

Sophomore Casey Chamberlain set career-highs with 16 points and 16 rebounds as Keuka College's women's basketball team defeated Wilson College 70-39 Saturday afternoon.

BOXSCORE

Sophomore Casey Chamberlain’s (Perry, NY/Perry) career game lifted the Keuka College women’s basketball team to its fourth conference win in the last five games, a convincing 70-39 victory over Wilson College Saturday afternoon in Chambersburg, PA.

Chamberlain, a forward, scored 16 points and collected 16 rebounds, both career highs, as the Storm (12-5, 10-3 North Eastern Athletic Conference) clamped down and held Wilson (2-15, 2-10 NEAC) to just 26 percent shooting from the field.

Chamberlain accomplished her first career double-double in just 22 minutes while making 7 of 10 shots. The second-year member of the Storm scored 10 first-half points and added six in the second half to easily surpass her previous career-high of 11 points, set during a Jan. 8 win over Penn State-Berks.

Keuka owned the boards against the Phoenix, outrebounding Wilson 64-31, including 23-6 on the offensive glass. Chamberlain’s 16 rebounds included seven offensive boards. Classmate Danielle Gravel (Sidney, NY/Sidney) added 16 points and a career-high nine rebounds as Keuka shot 29-for-71 (40.8 percent) from the floor.

Gravel hit 4-of-8 three-pointers and sophomore Jessica Bandrowski (Center Moriches, NY/Center Moriches) added 8 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals for the Storm.

Gravel and Chamberlain combined to score Keuka’s first 13 points as the Storm jumped out to a 13-3 lead just 6:10 into the contest. Gravel buried a pair of ‘3s’ and Chamberlain hit jumpers on consecutive possessions to stake the Storm to a 10-0 lead.

The Storm went on a 16-2 run to turn a 20-15 lead into a 36-17 edge with 4:20 remaining in the half. Keuka took a 41-25 lead into halftime after shooting 16-for-37 (43.2 percent).

Keuka picked up where it left off starting the second half. Sophomore Taylor Szwec (Candor, NY/Candor) hit jumpers on consecutive possessions, Bandrowski drained a ‘3’ and Chamberlain made consecutive jumpers, part of an 18-4 run as the Storm claimed a 66-33 lead  halfway through the second half.

The Storm led by as many as 34 points in the second half, as Wilson scored only 15 points in the half. Tara Fields scored a game-high 23 points with six steals while Vanessa Whitfield added 11 points and six rebounds for the Phoenix.

Keuka returns to action with a 2 p.m. NEAC contest Sunday afternoon against Penn State-Abington.

Official Basketball Box Score
KEUKA vs Wilson
2/4/12 1:00 PM at Chambersburg, PA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: KEUKA 12-5, 10-3 NEAC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 Gravel, Danielle.... *  6-17   4-8    0-0    4  5  9   2  16  3  1  0  2  34
04 Szwec, Taylor....... *  3-7    0-0    0-1    1  5  6   0   6  2  2  0  2  23
11 Bandrowski, Jessica. *  3-7    2-4    0-0    0  4  4   2   8  6  3  0  3  21
31 Chamberlain, Casey.. *  7-10   0-0    2-2    7  9 16   3  16  1  2  0  1  22
42 Mouzon, Mariah...... *  3-8    0-0    1-6    3  2  5   0   7  2  1  3  1  19
05 Keem, Missy.........    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   0
10 Pendrak, Erica......    3-4    0-0    0-0    2  5  7   4   6  3  7  0  1  24
15 Engelbert, Morgan...    2-5    0-0    2-3    2  0  2   0   6  2  1  0  1  17
24 Strassner, Stephanie    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   0   0  0  0  1  0  14
30 Sinnott, Brittany...    0-6    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   0  0  1  0  0   8
32 Kubitz, Amanda......    2-5    0-1    1-2    1  4  5   1   5  1  2  0  1  18
   TEAM................                         2  5  7             1
   Totals..............   29-71   6-14   6-14  23 41 64  12  70 20 21  4 12 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 16-37 43.2%   2nd Half: 13-34 38.2%   Game: 40.8%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-8  50.0%   2nd Half:  2-6  33.3%   Game: 42.9%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-9  55.6%   2nd Half:  1-5  20.0%   Game: 42.9%    2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Wilson 2-15
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
10 Samantha Walker..... *  0-3    0-0    0-0    1  2  3   0   0  1  0  0  0  30
11 Ashlee Yealy........ *  1-11   0-0    1-2    1  3  4   4   3  0  4  1  0  27
15 Maggie Sipps........ *  1-7    0-0    0-2    1  4  5   2   2  2  4  2  1  36
22 Vanessa Whitfield... *  3-9    1-2    4-8    0  6  6   4  11  0  2  0  3  22
25 Tara Fields......... *  9-22   2-7    3-6    0  3  3   1  23  2  6  1  6  34
04 Hillary Swartz......    0-0    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   2   0  1  1  0  0  18
12 Brandy Holtzapple...    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   7
13 Laura Beck..........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   5
24 Monica Lyons........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0  21
   TEAM................                         2  6  8
   Totals..............   14-54   3-9    8-18   6 25 31  14  39  6 18  4 10 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  8-27 29.6%   2nd Half:  6-27 22.2%   Game: 25.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-6  50.0%   2nd Half:  0-3   0.0%   Game: 33.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-8  62.5%   2nd Half:  3-10 30.0%   Game: 44.4%    3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Barbara Eippley, Jeanetter Feaster Bill O'Donnell
Technical fouls: KEUKA-None. Wilson-None.
Attendance: 70
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
KEUKE.........................   41   29  -   70
Wilson........................   24   15  -   39

Veteran athletic trainer Jeff Bray, left, works on Ava Wilburn during a Keuka College women's soccer home game in the fall of 2011.

By John Boccacino/Sports Information Director

Jeff Bray is an avid motorsports fan, and when he arrived in scenic Keuka Park to accept a job as Keuka College’s head athletic trainer/assistant athletic director in the summer of 1992, he figured he was just making a pit stop.

Nearly 20 later, the man who came to campus on a two-year plan can’t imagine working anywhere else.

As he reflects on two decades of dedicated service to the Storm’s student-athletes, Bray can’t help but wonder how he ended up as the second-longest tenured member of the College’s athletics department.

To quote the Grateful Dead anthem, “Truckin’,” what a long, strange trip it has been for Bray.

Born in Sterling, Kansas, a small town that Bray said possesses a similar down-home feel to Keuka, Bray essentially grew up on his parent’s gas station before enrolling in Kansas State to study athletic training.

Bray has taped hundreds of professional athletes during a career that, among other stops, has seen him work the sidelines of NFL games, alongside pit crews for assorted auto racing events across the world, and behind the bucking chutes at top-flight bull riding competitions.

During a four-year stint in the NFL working as an athletic trainer with the Philadelphia Eagles — three as a summer intern and one as a paid professional — Bray taped Hall-of-Famer Reggie White, was part of a team that helped dynamic quarterback Randall Cunningham recover from various knee injuries, and worked alongside talented coaches such as Buddy Ryan, Jeff Fisher and Wade Phillips, to name a few.

Tom Coughlin, the Waterloo native who will lead the NFC champion New York Giants into battle against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI Feb. 5, was also a part of those Eagles’ coaching staffs during Bray’s time with the team.

Jeff Bray has worked as an athletic trainer for numerous auto races, including an open wheel race when he met Helio Castroneves, an IndyCar driver and three-time Indy 500 champion.

Bray worked alongside legendary actor/race car driver Paul Newman and the drivers of his Newman/Haas Racing Team when working in the Champ Car Racing Series. Division I schools, including Bray’s alma mater Boise State, have sought his expertise in the field of athletic training, making enticing job pitches in an attempt to land Bray’s services.

But through an athletic training career that has spanned more than three decades — the last two of them spent at Keuka — there is no place Bray would rather call home than picturesque Keuka College.

“One of the reasons it’s been easy to stay here is because Keuka’s just been a good place to be, with good people who provide a great college experience, be it coaches, parents, administrators, or the student-athletes. Coach Dave Sweet has been an outstanding mentor and has taught me all about the world that is Division III athletics,” said Bray, who became interested in physical training after watching his mother, Nettie, battle back from a debilitating stroke when Bray was 15.

“I really appreciate getting to know the families of the student-athletes here. At a Division I school you never really have any dealings with parents. Keuka is special from that standpoint, and as my kids get older that [relationship with the parents] means more to me, because not too far down the road it’ll be me handing my kids off to a college and I’ll want to feel as comfortable sending my kids off to college as the parents of our student-athletes feel when they send their children to Keuka.”

However, that opinion of Keuka took some time to formulate for Bray, who currently resides in nearby Penn Yan with wife, Kristen, and son Tyler, 15, and daughter Kelly, 13.

When Bray was offered the Keuka position, he had his reservations. Sweet, Keuka’s athletic director and head coach of the women’s basketball team, had been on campus for nine years and was working diligently to transform the Storm from a predominantly women’s sports-based program into a well-rounded, co-ed athletics department that produced championship-caliber teams on the playing fields, and accomplished students in the classroom.

Additionally, Bray had only worked with professional and Division I athletes at his previous jobs, and Keuka was a tiny Division III school smack-dab in the middle of rural Upstate New York.

The Storm didn’t even have a football team, a fact Bray felt was a prerequisite for any potential job. He previously had worked passionately with football teams at every stop along the way: from his student athletic trainer days at Kansas State, to his graduate work at Boise State, through his four-year stint with the Eagles, and his time spent as Illinois State’s head football trainer.

In the end, while the decision was Bray’s to make, his future wife Kristen held the ultimate card. She had grown up in the Buffalo area and was a successful basketball player at Canisius College. Even though the couple wasn’t yet married, Bray realized it was important for Kristen to be closer to her family.

So the couple came to an agreement. Kristen and Jeff would relocate and Bray would try out the Keuka position for two years, and if Bray was unsatisfied at the end of the two-year trial period, Kristen would relocate anywhere in the country as her husband searched for his dream job.

Twenty years later and, the rest is history. Bray said he “fell in love” with the job and the students, and while other colleges and universities have called for Bray’s services, the answer has always been the same: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“I had a unique opportunity at a very young age to reach the pinnacle of our profession,” said Bray, who still carves out time in his busy schedule to work between 5-10 auto races a year as an athletic trainer.

“There are thousands of young athletic trainers, student athletic trainers that aspire to work in pro sports, and only a few get there. I had the opportunity and while I enjoyed my time in the pros, long-term I didn’t know if it was for me. After a lot of thinking, when this job became available I took it and while I couldn’t believe I was at this small college with no football, I owed it to Keuka to give it my best. After all these years this is where I’m supposed to be.”

To achieve peace of mind with his decision about his future, Bray turned to an important part of his past, Otho Davis, his mentor in the athletic training field. Davis was the long-time trainer in the NFL who had worked with the then-Baltimore Colts and was Bray’s boss with the Eagles when Bray secured a summer internship to study under the legendary Davis, who at the time was considered among the best trainers in all of professional sports.

Davis, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2000, was instrumental in swaying Bray to take the job with the Storm. While he was the influence who got Bray into professional sports, Davis also warned Bray of the dangers of working in an industry where off days are few and far between and the average work week could range from 80 to 100 hours.

Davis, who had four sons, rarely got to see his family due to the rigors and demands of the job, a factor Bray considered heavily when debating the pros and cons of the Keuka position.

As Keuka's head athletic trainer, Jeff Bray is responsible for attending to all injured players, whether they play for the Storm or the opposition.

In the end, the chance to help deserving Division III athletes won out. Now, fast-forward 20 years and Bray’s presence has become part of the fiber of a student-athlete’s life. Bray and his staff of athletic trainers work all Keuka College sporting events, ready on the sidelines should an injury befall a member of the Storm or the opposition.

“When I’m asked why I’m still at Keuka, ‘I say why not?’ If our point guard, [Jessica Bandrowski], sprains her ankle and is going to potentially miss some big games coming up, she’s as valuable to her team as [Boise State star quarterback] Kellen Moore is to his team,” said Bray, who used his NFL connections to secure the New York Jets old athletic training equipment when the NFL franchise decided to purchase new equipment in 1998.

“Sure, it’s not going to be in the USA Today or make ESPN that Bandrowski sprained her ankle and might miss a game, but she deserves to be treated like a professional athlete, too. But also, if I go to coach Sweet and say Bandrowski can’t play tomorrow, I’m not going to get the screws put to me [to get her ready to play] to the point that my ethics are pushed and her best interests are questioned in order to get a win.”

Bray’s influence on Keuka’s student-body is not limited to the various playing fields for the Storm’s 16 varsity sports teams. Bray also serves as an adjunct instructor and teaches two sports management classes.

Each fall, as part of their senior class projects, Bray’s sports management students organize the annual Storm Madness pep rally, a raucous affair that provides a first look at the men’s and women’s basketball teams to the campus and neighboring communities.

“Jeff has been my right-hand man for all these years, and he is immensely talented and certainly has a lot to offer to any college,” said Sweet, who credits Bray’s communication skills, problem-solving ability, and self-starter mentality as some of his best personality traits.

“He’s tuned-in well with the needs of our student-athletes and understands what we’re trying to accomplish as a small Division III college athletics program. We’re not all about wins and losses; we try to educate the student-athletes on the overall collegiate experience and Jeff has been extremely helpful, not only to the college but to me in particular.”

Applauding Keuka’s unique Field Period as one of the most beneficial aspects of a Keuka education, Bray backs the college’s required annual 140-hour long internship program that offers real-world work experience to students each year they’re on campus.

“Professionally, if you’re trying to get somewhere, don’t always think you’re going to get somewhere on your own,” said Bray, who originally learned of the Eagles’ summer trainer position through Jim Rudd and Hank Fijalkowski, his bosses while Bray was a student athletic trainer at Kansas State.

“There are people that can and will help you if they know where you want to go. I am a firm believer in our Field Period because I lived the internship route, that’s how I got into the NFL. Jim and Hank, my mentors, told me I needed to do an internship in the NFL, and at the time I was probably too stupid to ask questions. But if Otho, Jim or Hank told me to do something, I knew that was what I needed to do. Our students need to get out and have those workplace experiences, but students can’t have a broken want-to. You can’t be the one pushing them; they need the drive and motivation to succeed.”

Throughout the years, Bray’s dedication toward Keuka College and the Storm’s student-athletes has never wavered, and he is just as passionate about his job and this campus as he was July 1, 1992, the day he first reported for duty at Keuka.

“I think you’re missing the boat of life if you’re not passionate about something,” Bray said. “To this day, I’m still doing something I’m passionate about and that’s pretty cool.”

Senior Morgan Engelbert scored a season-high nine points as Keuka College got 25 points from its post players during a 61-57 home win over Morrisville State Wednesday night.

BOXSCORE

Sophomore Danielle Gravel (Sidney, NY/Sidney) scored a game-high 17 points and junior Mariah Mouzon (Elmira, NY/Elmira Free Academy) added 16 points and seven rebounds as the Keuka College women’s basketball team defeated Morrisville State 67-51 Wednesday night inside the Weed Physical Arts Center.

Sophomore Jessica Bandrowski (Center Moriches, NY/Center Moriches) added 10 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals for Keuka (11-5, 9-3 North Eastern Athletic Conference), which has won two straight NEAC games since a 55-42 setback to SUNY Cobleskill on Jan. 29.

“We talked a lot about having that intensity that we had Saturday (during Keuka’s 68-60 win over first-place SUNYIT), coming into every game, not just the big games. Right now, every game is big for us,” said Katie Marcella, Keuka’s interim head women’s basketball coach.

“As a team, collectively coming into the gym being prepared and having good intensity is really what we focused on the last few days.”

Gravel buried a ‘3’ and hit a layup as the Storm sprinted out to a 5-0 lead. A three-point play from Mouzon extended the Storm lead to 8-2, and when Bandrowski buried a ‘3’ seven minutes in, Keuka had a 19-6 advantage.

Gravel made another layup to cap a 13-0 run as the Storm took a 27-6 lead midway through the first half. The two squads played even for the remainder of the half, and Keuka took a 40-20 lead into the locker room behind 10 points apiece from Bandrowski and Gravel.

The Storm shot 15-for-27 (55.6 percent) in the half while holding the Mustangs (6-12, 5-6) to 9-for-28 (32.1 percent).

Keuka maintained at least a 15-point lead for the rest of the game and finished the contest shooting 24-for-49 (49 percent), including going 7-for-18 on three-pointers (38.9 percent).

Senior Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) scored a season-high nine points on 4 of 6 shooting as eight of Keuka’s 12 players scored a point in the game.

“We definitely shot lights-out. The defensive end is what we’ve been focusing a lot on recently. If you’re not successful on the defensive end, you’re not going to get those points on offense,” Marcella said.

“Getting those defensive stops helped us to push the ball up the floor and get those fast-break points, especially in the first half. It helped that we got 25 points from our post players, not just scoring from Mariah, but we got some big scoring from Morgan, too.”

Sophomore Taylor Szwec (Candor, NY/Candor) pulled down seven rebounds as Keuka enjoyed a 40-28 edge on the glass.

Morrisville State also placed three players in double-figures, led by Dyshea Smiley (12 points), Nijee Scott (11) and Nijah Townsend (10).

The Storm returns to action with a 1 p.m. road game Saturday afternoon against Wilson College.