Dryden’s Weik to join nationally ranked Cortland

Former Dryden boys soccer captain Nolan Weik (Why-ck) had an outstanding final high school season. He was named first-team All-State after scoring 29 goals with 23 assists in 16 games. The offensive output got him noticed, and he will be playing for SUNY Cortland in the fall.

Cortland consistently has one of the best Division III soccer teams in the nation. Last year, the Red Dragons finished 18-3-1 and closed out the year as the country’s ninth-ranked team. Weik was looking at many schools to play for at the next level, but eventually, Cortland rose to the top.

“I was emailing a bunch of different coaches saying, ‘Hey, would you show up to this event?’” Weik said. “I eventually started narrowing it down and looking at Cortland more closely. What sold me was just seeing the campus. Also, the coach, Steve Axtell, was my club coach this past year. Being coached by him solidified my choice in Cortland.”

Axtell was named the Regional Coach of the Year last season and has been coaching the Red Dragons for over a decade. With experience playing under him, Weik described what makes Axtell such an effective coach.

“He’s a no-nonsense guy,” Weik said. “He tells you what needs to be done. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He’ll tell you where you’re at and exactly what you need to do to get better. I really liked just having these clear guidelines set out. Obviously, he knows the game super well. Having these guidelines set out and having these expectations just on the table so I know what I need to do, I just really liked that.”

Heading into his senior year, Weik had 26 goals at the varsity level, and he was able to surpass that total in just 16 games.. Elevating his game that dramatically showed Weik he’s ready to play in college.

“That season was a big confidence boost,” Weik said. “I was just really showing myself what I’m capable of and going out there and just playing my game. I feel if I can just keep doing that over at Cortland, I’ll have a good career there. I’m really looking forward to it, especially since it is such a good team. There’s going to be a lot of competition. I think that’ll push me even farther.”

Cortland’s roster is full of very talented players. Considering Weik’s experience playing alongside former All-American and current Division I Binghamton University player Casey Phillips, he is familiar with where his game has to be.

“You can learn so much just by playing alongside good players like Casey,” Weik said. “But after he was gone, it’s almost like I kind of had the show to myself. It was my turn to show out, and I feel like that’s what I did. That’s what I had to do. When it’s my turn to do something, I want to pull through, and I’m glad I was able to do that for the most part.”

The overall success of the Cortland program is one of the most exciting aspects of this next step for Weik. The Red Dragons have reached the NCAA Tournament in five of the last seven seasons, and Weik can’t wait to experience playoff soccer at the college level.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a much higher level,” Weik said. “I’m looking forward to that aspect of it. But also, it’s the postseason. I’m just looking forward to the postseason and getting a taste of what the NCAA Tournament is like. I have a really competitive nature, so once we get late in the season, I’m really excited to see where it takes us. Hopefully, I can contribute to how far we make it this year.”

What allowed Weik to have so much success at the high school level was his impressive speed to get around defenders. He described that aspect of his game.

“I’ve always been naturally quick and naturally fast on my feet,” Weik said. “But the hardest part is just maintaining endurance and keeping my stamina in check. I would say easily the hardest part is staying in shape and making sure my legs are able to keep working with me through a whole 90-minute game. If I’m getting gassed out there after 40 minutes or after a half, there’s really no use for my speed if I can’t use it.”

While Weik might not be playing 40 minutes at a time right away for Cortland, just stepping on the field will be overwhelmingly special for him.

“I’m looking forward to it, just getting my first minutes,” he said. “I don’t care if we’re winning 7-0 and it’s the last few minutes of the game; I just can’t wait to get my first few minutes and finally step on that field. I want to make it official.”

Weik is working toward completing his preseason fitness test and will be joining the team on campus later this month. The first game of the season will be at home against the University of Rochester on Sept. 1.

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