LYNNFIELD — Former Lynnfield High soccer standout Dante Gesamondo, a junior at Hartwick College, has been named the Empire 8 Conference (E8) Goalkeeper of the Year. Gesamondo was also named to the E8 First-Team All-Conference team – all of this coming just a few months after his college playing career was in serious doubt. Prior to enrolling at Hartwick, Gesamondo spent two seasons playing on the men’s team at Medaille University. As a freshman in 2021, he had a breakout season, earning Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference First Team honors. The following year he was named to the E8 All-Conference Third Team, helping to lead the Mavericks to the 2022 E8 Conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division 3 tournament.

But late this summer a few days before preseason training, a deal to sell Medaille to another college fell through, resulting in the closure of the school and leaving its 1,800 students – including Gesamondo – scrambling to find new schools.

“It was easier for me because I was an athlete and many other coaches knew about me and what I could do,” Gesamondo said. “The transition was easy because of how great my new teammates and coaches were. On the soccer side, it’s a huge honor to be named goalie of the year. My teammates, especially my defense, this year were great and we all clicked very quickly. I can’t thank them enough for playing so well alongside me and supporting me from the first day I arrived on campus.”

Gesamondo said while it was hard to have to find a new school he was lucky that 42 schools reached out to him. The overall experience pushed him to be a “much better player this season and work harder to get back to where I know I can be, which is to be back as a first team all-star.”

“On top of all that, also proving to my new teammates and everybody that I deserved all the offers I got over the summer and that I could still be a great player even with the tough situation that was thrown at me,” Gesamondo said.

This year, Gesamondo finished the season with more than 1,350 minutes in goal for the Hawks, which ranked first among all keepers in the E8 Conference. In 16 games, Gesamondo made 48 saves. He hit a season-high six saves twice, once against No. 13 SUNY Oneonta and again against conference opponent St. John Fisher. He posted a 0.73 goals against average and a .814 save percentage, second-best in the conference. He also had six shutouts, which was third-best in the E8. He especially excelled when it came to conference play, recording a .839 save percentage and 0.68 goals against average. The Sept. 18 E8 Defensive Player of the Week, Gesamondo was the first Hartwick student-athlete to earn this honor this season. Gesamondo said he was fortunate to be able to turn a “bad situation into a great one.” “Because of the unfortunate closing of Medaille and the poor situation we were put in, it means a lot to me to get this recognition and prove I can still perform at a high level,” he said. “It’s a blessing and I’m very thankful for all those coaches for deciding to pick me as their No. 1 goalkeeper this season.”