SUNY Potsdam Athletics

Briana McClusky was a two-sport athlete for the Bears. She quickly rose to become one of the best women's lacrosse players in program history.
 
The Watertown native and her twin sister Erin were the youngest of four children. McClusky's older sister and brother grew up playing sports and eventually drew the twins into them as well.
 
"I remember going to a lot of their games," said McClusky. "So we ended up playing a lot of the same sports they did because that's what we were seeing. My parents put us in all the things we wanted to do – tee ball, basketball camp, soccer camps that they'd do at the YMCA."
 
As she got older, McClusky continued to improve as a three-sport athlete in soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She and Erin knew they wanted to play soccer in college and had a supportive coach in Kurt Robbins at Immaculate Heart Central.
 
"Kurt Robbins got us in contact with (former women's soccer coach Mark) Misiak," said McClusky. "I think he watched me play all three sports. He came to a soccer game, a basketball game and a lacrosse game."
 
With the encouragement of Misiak, women's lacrosse coach Lauren Bruce and then Bears soccer player and former IHC teammate Allie Cleaver, McClusky turned down Buffalo State and Hartwick to come to Potsdam.
 
"Misiak and Coach Bruce were both very welcoming and I got really good vibes from them," McClusky said. "So I knew I would enjoy playing for them. I was always more of a homebody, not really wanting to leave home. I always said I'm going to go to JCC first because I was a little hesitant about leaving. They made it feel very comfortable to be able to go there. It's not too far from Watertown."
 
After being joined by Erin last minute, who transferred from Onondaga Community College, McClusky began her first soccer preseason in August 2012. She overcame her nerves and quickly connected with her teammates.
 
"In that very first week of preseason practices, you're supposed to be getting to know everybody," said McClusky. "I remember me and one other girl, Jess Sterns, we had to go against each other, one-v-one. We were taking it seriously, but we were kind of laughing as we were doing it. We didn't really know each other then, but she's still one of my best friends to this day. I was in her wedding. That sticks out to me because that was the moment that we really clicked. I'm also really good friends with Brenna Vukelic. I was in her wedding as well."
 
A 4-0 victory over Hilbert College on September 1, marked the beginning of McClusky's collegiate career. Over the course of her first soccer season, the midfielder played in all 17 contests.
 
Since she was in-season with another team, McClusky wasn't able to participate in the lacrosse team's Fall Ball schedule. She was able to catch up during captains practices in the winter and meet her other turf teammates.
 
"I felt pretty comfortable with lacrosse too," McClusky said. "But I don't think I was as confident going into lacrosse season. Just because I think I felt these girls already did Fall Ball together and  already knew each other. They were all super welcoming. Coach Bruce was like, this is what I expect from you. So I was like, ok, I've got to step up."
 
The women's lacrosse team opened the 2013 season with a close loss to Clarkson at home. Despite the tough start, McClusky recorded her first goal during the contest. She proved to be a solid contributor during the season. She had five goals and assist through six games. It was the April 7 matchup with SUNY Canton where McClusky broke out. She scored three times and assisted on four goals for a seven-point day as the Bears handed the Kangaroos an 18-7 defeat. The performance was noticed by her teammates.
 
"Two of our senior attackers couldn't play that game because of injuries," said McClusky. "They came up to me after the game and said, 'we were a little nervous about next year, as far as who might step up. But after today's game, we know that you can do it. We know that you can step up for the attack next year.' That really gave me a lot of confidence."
 
McClusky finished the season with nine goals and six assists for 15 points with flashes of what was to come.
 
After seeing action in eight games during the 2013 soccer season, she focused on her sophomore campaign with the lacrosse team in the Spring of 2014.
 
"Going into that season I had a lot more confidence," McClusky said. "I felt we had more trust in each other as a team at that point, because the returners had a year together. Then talking with Bruce and her giving me her expectations too, I knew that I needed to step up a little bit more, not sit back as much. Get more involved. That year I was the only lefty out there for attack. So it worked out that I was in that spot and I was able to feed Bailey Weigel, Michaela Cole and players like that cutting to goal. They made it easy for me."
 
She recorded at least one goal in each of the teams' 15 games in 2014. She matched her then career-high in points with four goals and three assists at New Paltz on April 1. Eight days later she exploded for 10 points on six goals and four assists in a 19-15 victory at Morrisville. When the dust settled, McClusky had led the Bears with 36 goals and 23 assists for 59 points. The total is still the ninth best single-season mark in program history.
 
After deciding to take her junior year off from soccer, McClusky had another dominant season in lacrosse. In 2015, the attack transitioned from scorer to more of a playmaker. She nearly matched her numbers from the previous season, but she set the then program single-season record with 34 assists and "only" scored 23 goals. Her 56 points edged fellow hall of famer Bailey Weigel by one for the team lead.
 
"I just went out there and did what I could," McClusky said. "If they were giving me the option to drive, I would try to drive. If the feed was what was available, that's what I was looking for. I feel, especially as the season went on, like I was kind of looking for the feed more at times, because I knew I had such strong players around me. The plays that we had created were kind of set up in ways for me to be looking for the cutters. I never went into a game thinking like I'm going to have this many goals and or anything. I just went in and tried to do what I could. I remember after one game, watching film and Coach Bruce was like 'Bri, sometimes I don't think you realize how many defenders are around you.' I was like, I'm looking for certain teammates, I'm not really paying attention to what they're doing."
 
McClusky credits her coach for giving her room to be relaxed and creative on the field.
 
"It was great playing for Coach Bruce," said McClusky. "She had so much confidence in me that it never made me feel worried about what I was doing on the field. So I felt like I had a lot of freedom to do and try different things. I think that contributed to my success because I was never worried thinking can I do this or will she get mad if I try this. So I was able to go out there and just play. Practices were fun. It was just a great environment to be in. Everyone was welcome. She always did everything she could to make sure we all had the best experiences."
 
Missing her soccer teammates and that experience, Misiak welcomed McClusky back to the soccer team in the fall.
 
"Misiak was always super positive," McClusky said. "So I think, not being there that junior year, he makes it such a fun environment, that it made me just miss the day to day of soccer life. So my senior year, I wanted to get back into it."
 
Despite limited action, McClusky helped the 2015 soccer team to a 9-8-1 record, the first winning season since 2008 and the second ever.
 
The Bears women's lacrosse program has had many outstanding athletes since its beginning in 1995, but the 2016 squad may have had the greatest concentration of talent ever. McClusky got off to a roaring start with 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in the Bears' 3-1 begining to the season. The attack was leading the nation in assists-per-game and remained in the top-four for nearly the rest of the season. McClusky was rolling and so was her team. The Bears picked up 16-13 and 19-4 wins over Emmanuel and Wheelock in Florida. They defeated Buffalo State 15-13 for the first win over the Bengals in 11 years. After hammering Morrisville 19-9 and New Paltz 18-5, Potsdam put together an epic come-from-behind, overtime victory against Oneonta. It marked the first ever win over the Red Dragons.
 
"Murphy (Newman) scored on a free position to win it," said McClusky. "I remember her scoring and that feeling of that moment. You could always count on Murphy in those situations. When you have teammates like that, that step up around you, it makes it easier on everybody else. It makes winning that much easier."
 
McClusky and the Bears put themselves on the brink of a postseason berth. Despite a tough overtime loss to Fredonia in the season finale, Potsdam qualified for the SUNYAC Playoffs for the first time ever.
 
The Bears bowed to Oswego in the quarterfinals to cap a record breaking year. The season was McClusky finest. She tied Newman for the team lead in scoring with a then program record 71 points on 20 goals and another program-best 51 assists. She led the SUNYAC with 3.19 assists-per-game. McClusky also became the second Bear to reach 200 points. She finished with 87 goals and a program record 114 assists for 201 points, just 17 points shy of fellow hall of famer Carly Richards. McClusky received well deserved second team All-SUNYAC honors and was the athletic department's Maxcy/Molnar Award winner as Potsdam's top senior female athlete.
 
McClusky entered Potsdam with the goal of being either a lawyer or a teacher. She graduated in May 2016 with a bachelor's in criminal justice. She then headed to Charleston Law School to begin her Juris Doctor degree. McClusky soon realized that a career in law wasn't for her.
 
"I had a couple classes where the content was interesting," McClusky said. "Then we would do certain things that lawyers would have to do on a day-to-day basis. I thought, I don't know if this would be really enjoyable if this is what I'm doing every single day."
 
Returning to Watertown, she began Potsdam's Master's in Teaching program at the College's Jefferson Community College distance learning center in 2017.
 
"They were night classes so then I would substitute teach during the day," McClusky said. "So doing that I was like, yeah, is where I want to be. This is what I want to be doing."
 
She completed her student teaching placements within the Watertown City School District and then spent the 2018-19 academic year as a substitute teacher. In 2020, McClusky was hired as a 6th grade teacher within the same district. She's been there ever since.
 
"Every day you come in and it's kind of different," said McClusky. "It's the same students, but you never really know what to expect from them. It keeps it interesting. At that age they still have recess. So every once in a while they go out there and I'll jump in a kick ball game. They're a little surprised at how well I can do. I try to keep it fun with them. I like that it's a job where you can be goofy and have fun with the kids. There are times when you have to be serious, but that's what I enjoy about it."
 
McClusky also stays involved with sports through coaching. She became JCC's women's lacrosse coach in 2019, tasked with restarting the program. After guiding the shorthanded team through a club season, McClusky and the Cannoneers were poised for their return to varsity status when the campaign was canceled due to the pandemic.
 
McClusky also served as an assistant coach for the IHC modified girls soccer team in 2019. The next year she assisted Robbins on the varsity staff. In the spring of 2022, McClusky was the assistant coach for Watertown varsity girls lacrosse before taking the helm as the Cyclones' head coach this past spring.
 
McClusky made the most of her Potsdam experience.
 
"I loved my time at Potsdam," McClusky said. "I'm still really good friends with people I met here. I lived with Jess (Sterns) and Brenna (Vukelic) and my sister sophomore, junior and senior year. Maybe I clicked with them earlier and quicker because soccer was the first season. But also, Maggie McCabe for lacrosse, I was really good friends with her. I still talk to her all the time. I remember thinking that I'd be someone that was very homesick, but I never felt that way going to Potsdam. Everyone there was just so welcoming."
 
McClusky was inducted into the Bears Hall of Fame on September 30, 2023.