Prevet and alumni are Hall of Famers this year

From left to right are inductees Todd Grady, Kristi Buntich Wiley, Dr. Thomas Prevet, and Joe Caso.

Former Fredonia State coach and administrator Dr. Thomas Prevet, women’s soccer player Kristi (Buntich) Wiley, baseball player Joe Caso, and cross country and track and field athlete Todd Grady will be inducted into the SUNY Fredonia Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 21, during Homecoming Weekend.

Tickets are available by calling the athletic department Dods Hall office at 716-673-3101. Food and beverage will be served beginning at 6 p.m. at the new University Commons.

Dr. Prevet was selected for the Hall in his first year of eligibility. In his long and illustrious tenure at Fredonia State, he coached men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men's and women's tennis, and baseball and served as athletic director. He was also a professor in the Department of Health, Wellness and Recreation.

Over his 15 seasons as men’s soccer coach, Prevet’s Blue Devils posted a 132-70-19 record. The 132 wins represent a men’s school record while his 1984 team’s 15 wins ranks among the top 10 seasons in school history. In addition, he recruited and coached 25 All Northeast Region players and 40 All SUNYAC selections as well as two All Americans.

In addition to his long service at Fredonia State, Dr. Prevet was SUNYAC president in 1996-97 and was honored with SUNYAC’s Dr. Patrick R. Damore Distinguished Service Award in 2005.

Dr. Prevet resides in Cassadaga, N.Y.

Kristi Buntich Wiley

Wiley is one of the players Dr. Prevet coached in his two seasons as women’s soccer coach. A resident of Henrietta, N.Y., she was a three-time First Team All SUNYAC player and would have been a likely four-year choice had it not been for a knee injury that curtailed her senior season.

A player counted on for her scoring early in her college career (she ranks among Blue Devil all-time leaders in career goals, assists, and points), Wiley was moved to center midfield to take advantage of her skills as a defender. As a result, the team recorded its first winning season – 9-7-0 in 1991. “Much of our success,” Dr. Prevet said, “had to do with Kristi’s leadership and play.”

A graduate of the Class of 1993, Buntich is the second women’s soccer player inducted into Hall of the Fame; 2002 inductee Elizabeth (Mangino) Winters was the first.

Joe Caso

Caso, Class of 1997, will become the 14th person connected with the Blue Devil baseball program to merit Hall of Fame induction. The Smithtown, N.Y. resident was a two-time First Team All SUNYAC selection as a first baseman, as well as First Team ECAC as a designated hitter.

Caso is one of the finest hitters in the history of the program. Using spring statistics only dating back to 1980, he’s first all-time in career batting average (.389) and in runs batted in (103), and second all-time in runs scored (74) and hits in a season (48).

Todd Grady

A 1993 graduate, Grady joins a long list of former Blue Devils to emerge as Hall of Fame inductees from the highly successful track and field/cross country programs. A four-year participant in both programs, Grady earned All American status by finishing 10th in the 1992 NCAA Division III Cross Country championship meet. He is also a member of the SUNYAC Cross Country Hall of Fame, inducted in 1990, and was a three-time All SUNYAC cross country runner.

A resident of the greater Rochester area, Grady also won SUNYAC track and field distance titles in the 10,000 meters (1991) and the 1,500 meters (1993). He was a member of eight SUNYAC championship teams – four indoor and four outdoor.