For the third year in a row, Cara Pellechia (Rochester, NY/Hilton) was named the Fredonia State Female Athlete of the Year. She was joined on the podium with teammate Cameron Sample (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls), who was named the Male Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. Both were SUNYAC Champions for the Track and Field team.
Pellechia continued to build on a historic career, earning All-Conference and All-Region honors indoors while capturing her eighth consecutive SUNYAC pole vault title. She set new school records both indoors (3.72m) and outdoors (3.65m) in the pole vault, finishing the season ranked 36th nationally. Pellechia also contributed to the program's success on the track, ranking 4th all-time as part of the 4x100m relay. She carries a 3.98 GPA in Communication Disorders and Sciences and was also named female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Sample repeated as Male Athlete of the Year with another dominant season, earning All-American honors both outdoors in 2025 and indoors in 2026 while capturing a SUNYAC championship. He set a school record in the long jump at 7.66m — good for the sixth-best mark in NCAA Division III history — while also breaking the SUNYAC Championship meet record and the SERC facility record. In addition to his individual success, Sample played a key role in multiple record-setting relay teams, contributing to school records in the 4x100m relay (outdoor 2025) and the 4x200m and 4x400m relays (indoor 2026), He carries a 3.10 GPA in Sport Management and set to graduate this semester.
Other winners included Emma Gassman (Cattaraugus, NY/Cattaraugus-Little Valley) as the Female Rookie of the Year, and Stevie Williams (North Babylon, NY/St. John the Baptist) as the Male Rookie of the Year. Gassman delivered a standout freshman campaign, setting school records in both the 200m and 300m while quickly climbing the program's all-time lists. Indoors, she ranks 2nd in the 200m, 5th in the 300m, and 4th in the 400m, while her outdoor performances place her 4th in the 200m, 2nd in the 400m, and 7th as part of the 4x100m relay. Williams made an immediate impact in his freshman season, leading all SUNYAC rookies in both scoring and assists while ranking among the conference's top 10 in assists overall. He delivered standout performances throughout the year, highlighted by a 25-point effort against Potsdam and a 10-assist game versus Plattsburgh.
Kye Castelluccio (Babylon, NY/Babylon) was honored with the second-ever Blue Devil Belief Award. As a captain, he consistently put his team and coaching staff first, committing himself fully over four years to representing his school with pride as a student-athlete.
Other awards include:
Sandra Haight Service Award - senior Anna Sheehan (Angola, NY/Lake Shore) athletics department videographer; and sophomore Travis Bernhard (Angola, NY/Lake Shore), an athletics department photographer.
Mike "Koz" Kozlowski Award - Brenda Dean, Head Athletic Trainer
Scholar-Athletes of the Year (Highest GPA for a graduating senior) - Cara Pellechia (Rochester, NY/Hilton), Women's Track and Field; Ethan Pitzman (Homer, AK/Homer), Men's hockey
Team Awards went to:
- Academic - Women's Soccer
- Spirit - Women's Lacrosse
- Community Service - Women's Soccer
- Team of the Year - Men's Cross Country
- Blue Devil Cup (overall) - Women's Soccer
Each team also had a nominee from his or her head coach for the Blue Devil Belief Award, the award won by Kye Castelluccio. Nominees were:
- Noelle Mendez, Women's Lacrosse
- Kyle Camp, Men's Swimming
- Megan Nottis, Women's Volleyball
- Kye Castelluccio, Men's Soccer
- Kailee Bladin, Women's Basketball
- Ethan Sokolowski, Men's Basketball
- Karmela Leasure, Cheer
- Zachary Zentz, Baseball
- Gabriella Farr, Women's Tennis
- Izzy Kleinmann, Women's Swimming
- Brooke Grazen, Women's Soccer
- Ethan Pitzman, Men's Hockey
- Emma Gassman, Women's Track and Cross Country
- Madison Lowe, Softball
- Jacob Futch, Men's Track and Cross Country
The department would also like to extend its gratitude to photographers, Travis Bernhard and Riley Olson, for their work all year long. Together, they were responsible for nearly all the photos that appeared on our website, social media, and used for the banquet.
Videographers Anna Sheehan and Brad Babcock edited and took the footage used to make the videos presented at the Freddys. The videos will be posted online. Check out our Instagram account at @fredbluedevils.
Check back in a few days for the photo gallery to be posted. Pictures of the winners and photos from the Red Carpet will be posted.
