MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY –
Junior Peter Francia (Rochester, N.Y.) took advantage of a dry, flat course to run his fastest lifetime 8,000-meter time at the NCAA Division III championship race Nov. 19 at Winneconne, Wis. His 25:41 clocking was a 17-second improvement over his previous best. He also made the All-SUNYAC Team by finishing 12th at the conference championships Oct. 29, and led the Blue Devils to a 10th place finish Nov. 12 at the Atlantic Regional among 40 teams. It represented a big jump for the team, which was regionally unranked throughout the fall. All seven Blue Devils in the race – four freshmen and three juniors – have collegiate eligibility remaining.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY –
Amanda Solly (West Seneca, N.Y.) completed her collegiate cross country career with a lifetime-best 23:45 at the 6,000-meter NCAA Atlantic Regional. She was the lone Blue Devil senior in the race as Head Coach Tom Wilson also sent out two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (12-8 OVERALL/6-3 SUNYAC) –
The team tied the 1994 Blue Devils for most wins in a season and reached the SUNYAC semifinals after defeating Brockport in the first-round. In addition to several scoring records set by Reilly Condidorio (LeRoy, N.Y., see story above), three other Blue Devils received all-conference honors. Senior defender Lyz Dembrow (Lockport, N.Y.) and sophomore forward Katie Kleine (Cazenovia, N.Y.) were Second Team choices. Junior defender Maddie Brown (Wheatfield, N.Y.) made the Third Team.
MEN’S SOCCER (11-8 OVERALL/4-5 SUNYAC) –
Three players were chosen All-SUNYAC. Junior midfielder Ryan Smith (Fairport, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder/ forward Luke Tylutki (Pittsford, N.Y.) made the Second Team. Junior forward Tyler Williams (Orchard Park, N.Y.) was a Third Team choice. It was the third SUNYAC post-season award for Smith, who was the 2009 SUNYAC Rookie of the Year and made the 2010 SUNYAC All-Tournament Team. Head Coach P.J. Gondek set a program record for most wins as he surpassed Dr. Tom Prevet, who won 132 games over 15 seasons. Gondek’s career record is 137-80-20 over 12 seasons.
WOMEN’S TENNIS (4-8 OVERALL/1-3 SUNYAC) –
The Blue Devils closed out their season with a victory over Oswego in the SUNYAC championships, which went to a team tournament format for the first time. The individual and doubles play of freshmen Sara DiFulvio (Rochester, N.Y.) and Stephanie Thompson (Verona, N.Y.) provided early-season luster.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL (26-11 OVERALL/7-1 SUNYAC WEST) –
The Blue Devils avenged a previous loss to Buffalo State and earned SUNYAC West’s No. 1 seed for the fifth-straight season. They fell to New Paltz in the semifinals of the SUNYAC Tournament in a thrilling seesaw match at Cortland. Senior libero Sarah Zureck (Lancaster, N.Y.) set two career school records: 2,113 digs and 238 service aces over four seasons. She received her first-ever All-SUNYAC honor in 2011, despite having been
named all-region twice prior to the season by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). She added her third all-region award, while senior opposite Jennifer Newhouse (Amherst, N.Y.) received her first AVCA regional award. Newhouse’s 82 block assists are second-most in program history. Senior setter Brittany Lis (Lancaster, N.Y.) was SUNYAC West Player of the Year, and earned First Team All-SUNYAC designation for the third time. She ranks third in assists for a single season (1,235 in 2011) and a career (2,969) at Fredonia. Defensively, she had 1,200 digs over four seasons, the sixth-best total by a Blue Devil. Junior outside hitter Lindsey Olson (Portville, N.Y.) was First Team All-SUNYAC. Olson recorded 394 kills, the third-best single-season total at Fredonia State. She had 23 kills vs. Geneseo – a school record for a four- set match, and tied for fourth-most in any match. She also tied the school record (also held by Zureck) with 10 service aces in a single match.
