Lori Beesmer

Bio

Lori Beesmer was a star women’s soccer player for the Colts who went on to enjoy a record-setting three-year career at SUNY Cortland. At SUNY Orange, she was instrumental in helping organize the women’s soccer team. In 1982, she and some classmates lobbied athletic director Jim Migli to create a women’s soccer team. During the team’s first year, Lori set a national junior college scoring record with 36 goals in 14 games while the Colts reached the semifinals of the national tournament. She also played women’s basketball and softball at SUNY Orange and won the Mary B. Diana Award as the College’s top female athlete.

She was named to the Region XV all-star teams in both basketball and softball, in addition to a host of soccer accolades at the local, regional and national level. At Cortland, she was a two-time All-American, a two-time Northeast Regional “Player of the Year”, and the 1985 SUNY Athletic Conference “East Division Player of the Year.” She compiled 116 points, including 39 goals and 38 assists, and concluded her career ranked second on the career scoring list, a position she retains today. Additionally her 38 assists are still the school’s career record and her 17 assists in 1984 remain Cortland’s single-season record. In her three seasons, the Dragons posted 45 wins against just 10 losses and eight ties. The program advanced to the NCAA Division I soccer tournament three times, including reaching the quarterfinals twice.

She later served in a coaching capacities at the high school and college levels. She was head coach at Cazenovia Central High School as well as an assistant at SUNY Oswego and the United States Military Academy.