Gray & Amesbury Commit for fall

On May 3rd, Ava Gray and Janessa Amesbury committed to the Genesee Women's Soccer team for the 2025 season. Ava is a 5'2" center back who started 6 years for the Byron-Bergen Varsity girls' soccer team. Gray has recorded 10 career goals and 17 career assists for her high school team. She has been awarded Defensive Player of the Year, 4-time Genesee Region All Star, and 4-time Sectional Champion, as well as a captain of her team during her sophomore and junior season. Ava was unable to play during her senior season due to her second ACL tear and decided to step down as captain. Although Ava no longer held that title, she was still looked to as a leader on their team. During Gray's senior season, their team won sectionals, regionals, and states. She also has played for the RFC, Rush, and Flash club teams. Ava played for her high school's basketball team one year and has been on the softball team for 6 years playing second base, where she is also a captain. Gray is her Class Secretary and on High Honor Roll. She plans to major in Hospitality Management and Event Planning at GCC.

Janessa is also committing to the Genesee Women's Basketball team for the 2025-2026 season as well. She is a 5'7" left-footed forward in soccer and shooting guard in basketball. She has played for the Byron-Bergen Varsity girls' soccer team and Varsity girls' basketball team for the last 2 years. She has recorded 19 career goals and 8 career assists for her soccer team and 906 career points for her basketball team. Amesbury has been awarded Genesee Region Honorable Mention and 2-time Sectional Champion, as well as Regional and State Champion in soccer but is also a very decorated basketball player where she has earned All-Greater Rochester, 2-time Genesee Region All Star, 4-time Player of the Week, Athlete of the Week, Section V Class C All Star, and All-State. Janessa has played club soccer for the Sting and played softball for her high school for the last 4 years as a center fielder and a short stop. She plans to major in Sports Management while at GCC.

Ava and Janessa will become one of many Genesee Cougars who have been from Byron-Bergen schools. When the team went to Nationals in 2014, Shawna Adams and Kate Springsteen, who are both Byron-Bergen alum, played for the Cougars and won Regionals that year as well. Two other BB Alum, Kelsey Fuller and Julianna Amesbury, who is also Janessa's older sister, played for the Cougars when they won regionals and went to the National Tournament in 2021. This past season Emma Starowitz, who was a key player for the Cougars as a freshman, is also a BB Alum and was on their team when they went to state semi-finals in 2022. "We are incredibly excited about these two committing to our team. They have played for a strong program and competed at the highest level in high school. They have the work ethic and drive we expect out of our players, and we know they will fit in perfectly", stated Head Coach Jeff Reyngoudt.

Jeff and Macy have been meeting with a lot of recruits and have some more commitments coming up. The Cougars ended their 2024 season with an 8-3-2 record. If you are interested in trying out for next year's 2025 Genesee Cougars, please email Jeff Reyngoudt at jcreyngoudt@genesee.edu.