Emily Frank clears a steeple on her way to winning the SUNYAC championship Saturday (photo by Riley Olson).
Fredonia State secured a strong third-place finish at the SUNYAC Outdoor Championships. The Blue Devils produced a balanced scoring profile across sprints, mid‑distance, hurdles, relays, and field events.
The Blue Devils accumulated 98 team points, trailing just Cortland and Oneonta, and ahead of nine other teams, including Buffalo State, which earned Fredonia State two points in the annual Battle by the Lake.
It was the highest finish in the 15-year head coaching tenure of Tom Wilson. He had two previous fourth-place teams.
"It was a great meet on both sides, full of personal bests, champions and hard-fought competition," Wilson said. "The culture we have created is one of hard work and goals for the SUNYAC championship. I am very proud of this Blue Devil team!"
The team's first major highlight came in the 400 meters, where Emma Gassman won the SUNYAC title in 57.15 seconds (AARTFC), earning 10 points after qualifying second in prelims. It also set a new freshman record for a Blue Devil woman and placed her on the program's Top 10 performance list.
The 3,000-meter steeplechase delivered Fredonia's biggest track haul: Emily Frank won the event in 11:35.93 (AARTFC) for 10 points, and Calie Hudson followed in third in 11:39.76 (AARTFC) for 6 more. Frank's time was another Fredonia State freshman record. She and Hudson also added to the all-time Blue Devil Top 10 list.
In the 100 meters, Cara Pellechia advanced through prelims and placed sixth in the final in 12.68, adding 3 points. Siera Shenoy contributed in the 800 meters, placing fifth in 2:24.99 for 4 points after qualifying seventh.
In the hurdles, Lexi Sheen reached the 400‑meter hurdles final and scored 4 points with a fifth‑place finish in 1:10.44, while sophomore Hazel Bache qualified but was disqualified in the final.
Fredonia State's relays added steady points and one school record. The 4×100 team of Brayton Tripi, Gassman, Emily Cardinale, and Pellechia placed third in 48.81 seconds (AARTFC), a new school mark and worth 6 points. The 4×400 relay of Bache, Sheen, Pellechia, and Shenoy added 3 points with a sixth‑place 4:20.02.
The field events produced one of the team's strongest scoring blocks. In the high jump, Tripi tied for third at 1.52 meters, scoring 5 points. This came after Friday's pole vault, which delivered a 21‑point surge: Pellechia won the event at 3.50 meters (AARTFC) for 10 points, Cardinale placed third at 3.05 meters for 6 points, and sophomore Skylar French added 5 points with a fourth‑place 3.05 meters. It was Pellechia's eighth SUNYAC pole vaulting title in as many tries over four seasons.
Cardinale also scored in the long jump, placing third at 5.24 meters for 6 points. Yauvani Liddelow added another 6 points with a third‑place 10.83 meters in the triple jump.
Freshman Casey Fetzner scored in three throwing events: eighth in the shot put at 11.07 meters (1 point), second in the discus at 39.23 meters (AARTFC) for 8 points, and fourth in the javelin at 30.08 meters for 5 points. The discus and javelin throws resulted in inclusion on the Fredonia State Top 10 performance lists.
