Quartet chosen to SUNYAC WLAX All-Decade Team

Four women who played during the most successful stretch in Fredonia State women's lacrosse history have been selected to the SUNYAC Women's Lacrosse All-Decade Team.

Megan Mietelski and Amy Simon of the Class of 2012, and Marissa Cussins and Katie Kleine of the Class of 2015 were selected to the 37-player squad by the conference's sports information directors.

All four women were recruited to the program by Chris Case, who was head coach of both women's lacrosse and women's soccer for 12 seasons. He relinquished the women's lacrosse role to concentrate solely on soccer starting in the fall of 2014.

"These athletes," Case said, "changed the lacrosse program at Fredonia and put us on the national stage for a few years. They were very competitive and pushed each other and their teammates to succeed. ... There were some incredible players that played in the SUNYAC and to be included with them is certainly a great honor. I've very proud and honored to have coached them."

The Blue Devils were 45-25 in the four seasons in which Mietelski and Simon were together, the best four-year stretch in program history at the time. The 2012 team went 7-1 in the conference, its only loss coming to No. 2 ranked Cortland, 8-7. That season culminated with Fredonia State's first NCAA women's lacrosse tournament appearance, a 9-8 double-overtime loss to St. John Fisher.

Simon, who had been a graduate assistant for two seasons, assumed the women's lacrosse head-coaching reins before the record-setting 2015 season. Led by Cussins and Kleine, the 2015 Blue Devils posted a 17-4 record and earned a No. 11 national ranking – the highest in program history. They also made their third NCAA appearance in four seasons (2012, 2014, and 2015).

"Each of these players," Case said, "could make play after play consistently and make their impact be felt. I certainly enjoyed coaching them as well as watching them. It is very exciting to see them recognized by the SUNYAC on the All-Decade Team."

Here's a capsule look at each of the four Fredonia State honorees:

Megan Mietelski, defender, 2009-2012 – The first All-America in program history when she earned 2012 First Team honors from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association. She also was named to the 2012 IWLCA Empire Region First Team. Mietelski was a four-time All-SUNYAC: First Team in 2010, 2011, and 2012 and Second Team in 2009. She graduated in 2012 as Fredonia State's career leader in caused turnovers (102) while second in draw controls (172). She appeared among the SUNYAC leaders in caused turnovers all four seasons: No. 6 as a freshman, No. 9 as a sophomore, No. 8 as a junior, and No. 4 as a senior. She was also sixth in draw controls as a senior with 72, then a school record. A graduate of Fairport (N.Y.) High School, Mietelski was a dean's list Education major with a Math concentration and a minor in Athletic Coaching. She resides in Rochester with her husband, Sean, while teaching reading to seventh and eighth graders in the Fairport school district and coaching at Orangetheory Fitness. She also helps her husband with his business, MochaNola. The couple is expecting their first child in late December.

Amy Simon, attack, 2009-2012 – Simon earned 2012 IWLCA Empire Region First Team honors as well as four All-SUNYAC awards: First Team as a sophomore and a senior, and Second Team as a freshman and a junior. She remains as the Fredonia State career leader with 242 goals and graduated as the school career leader in points (286) and draw controls (185), while second in points per game and goals per game. Simon led SUNYAC in goals (66; 21st nationally) as a sophomore, one of 14 times she was in the Top 10 in conference statistical categories over her four seasons. She was also No. 9 in goals as a freshman, No. 8 as a junior, and No. 4 (73; 21st nationally) as a senior. She holds single-season school records for goals (73), shot attempts (147; 2012), and shots per game (7.74; 2012). An IWLCA Academic Honor roll following her senior year, Simon – an Amherst (N.Y.) High School alum – earned a bachelor's degree in Sport Management with minors in Business Administration and Athletic Coaching. Now living in the Buffalo area with her husband, Brian, Simon works for Aerotek -- a worldwide recruitment and staffing agency -- as account manager of the engineering division for Western New York.

Marissa Cussins, midfielder-attack, 2011 and 2013-2015 – Cussins earned 2015 IWLCA Second Team All-America honors after making the IWLCA Empire Region First Team All-America list three times (2013, 2014, 2015), In addition, she was a four-time All SUNYAC, twice to the First Team (2014, 2015), and was selected to the 2014 SUNYAC all-tournament team. Among Fredonia State all-time leaders, Cussins is second in goals (215), third in points (273), and fourth in assists (58). She was among the Top 10 in SUNYAC statistical categories 15 times, including first in goals in 2014 with 58. She was also second in caused turnovers as a freshman, third in goals per game as a sophomore and as a junior, and third in points per game as a senior. Her 90 points her senior year was third in the conference and 27th in NCAA Division III. The Blue Devils were 55-19 during her four seasons. Also a member of the Blue Devil women's basketball team, Cussins is an alumna of Corning-Painted Post West High School in Corning, N.Y. She earned a bachelor's degree in Social Work and serves as residential manager for Southern Tier Environment for Living working with mentally challenged patients, and as a residential rehabilitation aide for Aspire of Western New York working with people with disabilities.

Katie Kleine, midfielder, 2012-2015 – Kleine was a 2015 IWLCA Second Team All-America, a four-time IWLCA Empire Regional First Team, and a four-time SUNYAC First Team, only the fifth player in conference history to do so. She was also a 2013 ECAC Mid-Atlantic all-star and a 2013 All America as chosen by Synapse Sports. She remains Fredonia State's all-time leader in points (291), assists (138), assists per game (1.94), draw controls (197), and caused turnovers (132). She's also second in points per game, third in goals and ground balls, fourth in games played, and ninth in goals per game. Kleine holds four single-season school records and her name appeared among SUNYAC statistical leaders 25 times over four seasons, including first in assists per game (2.57; 17th nationally), caused turnovers (2.33; 32nd nationally), and ground balls (3.29; 85th nationally) during her senior year. The Blue Devils were 57-19 in the four seasons she was a member of the team. Holder of a bachelor's degree in English, she is an alumna of Cazenovia (N.Y.) High School. In addition to her prowess as a lacrosse player, she was also top player on the Blue Devil women's soccer team. Now living in Manhattan, Kleine is a sales-team manager for Bankers Healthcare Group, a finance company which sells loans to healthcare professionals.

NOTE: The Blue Devils had one other multiple all-region player during their heyday, 2013 graduate Casey Chiesa. A four-year starter in goal, Chiesa was IWLCA Empire Region Second Team selection in 2012 and 2013. She led SUNYAC in saves (170; 27th nationally) and save percentage (.500; 24th nationally) as a freshman. She holds the school record for wins (46) and graduated as the career leader in saves (591).