FREDONIA, N.Y. -- The Fredonia State Athletics community is mourning the loss of Kara Hall, a 2017 graduate and former member of the women's cross country and track & field teams. Ms. Hall, 25, died Monday when she was struck by a car while running near her home in Bergen, N.Y. She is survived by her parents, Karen Sapienza-Hall and Joel Hall, by her brother, Ethan, and by numerous friends and teammates. Funeral arrangements will be announced. 

"We lost a very important figure of our Blue Devil family," Fredonia State Head Coach Tom Wilson said. "Kara was what Fredonia Athletics are all about, from her loud cheering to her goofy speeches. She was a pillar of strength to our family. If you were having a bad day, she was there, if you were running poorly, she would always have a better means of letting you know before I did!  Kara was someone I could trust; earning and keeping my trust is not an easy thing to do, she always wanted to help the team and always had a solution to any problem."

One of those solutions came her freshman year when, after missing the team bus bound for Oberlin, Ohio, she drove herself to the cross country meet, paid her own entry fee, and competed as an unattached runner. "It was a meet I usually use to choose my team for SUNYAC," Coach Wilson said. "She got there herself and ran like hell to qualify. We still put it up to a team vote because she had missed the bus, but they all felt she deserved to compete at SUNYACs because of all she had done to get there. That's how the legacy of Kara Hall began."

Assistant Coach Kelly Vincent, who was a teammate of Ms. Hall's and a fellow 2017 graduate, will remember her teammate for her many special gifts. 

"Kara was someone that cared for others in a way that I could not ever imagine," Coach Vincent said. "Everyone that I know referred to her as the 'Mama Bear.' She was someone that everyone looked up to ... She was the leader that everyone wanted to be and aspired to become. Let's face it, everyone wanted to have a little piece of Kara inside of them every day. She was someone that challenged us all to be the best versions of ourselves day in and day out.

"More importantly though, Kara was someone that simply cared a lot about the people around her. If you were not on top of your game, Kara would be the first one to jump right on you and that is a quality I think we can all appreciate about her. Kara was someone that we could all lean on when we needed to. Every time I look back to my last ever race in a Fredonia uniform, the only person I remember being able to hear from across the track was Kara. She was definitely one of the loudest individuals I have ever met but that is just one of the many things that made Kara who she was.

"She was just an incredibly caring individual all around. She was the definition of gritty, especially on the track. I think back to the look on Kara's face when she upset so many people at indoor SUNYACs during our senior year and scored. She was so happy and she deserved to have that moment. To see every Blue Devil rally around her in that moment is what makes this team so special and that is what makes the Blue Devils such a special family.

"Kara Hall was the pinnacle of this team and community. She had everything you could ever want, or ask for, in a friend, teammate, or member of the Blue Devil family. I know that this is an extremely difficult time for all of us, and if I am being perfectly honest, when I found out this news, it felt like a piece of me went with Kara. I was and am still heartbroken. However, I challenge all of you today, to find your inner Kara Grace Hall. She would want us to push forward in her honor, and carry on her legacy as a Fredonia State Blue Devil, which is what I am challenging you all to do over time. This is more than just a team, this is a family, and once a Blue Devil, always a Blue Devil -- just as Kara would have wanted." 

"Kara is someone who any coach can appreciate having in their program," Coach Wilson continued. "She is an athlete that helps to build a program, a leader and goal-setter. She was someone I could be honest with, give constructive criticism to, and always understand that failure was inevitable for future growth. She was never afraid to give it her all, she was someone who just dove right in and learned along the way.

"(We) had countless meetings about the team, herself and life in general, some good, some bad, but we always finished the meeting with a positive path moving forward. As a coach, you never know who you are going to impact, who's life you can help, who actually learned something from you, but the one thing I learned this week was I never knew how much an athlete has an impact on me. I have had the opportunity to be involved with some amazing young men and women, but Kara was one of the strongest student-athletes I ever had. Her determination to prove others wrong will never be forgotten.

"I ask all my athletes at the start of their Blue Devil career, "What do you want your legacy to be?" Most look at me with a very confused look, most have no idea, and the rest never give it enough thought to actually fulfill it. Kara did not even flinch (when) she told me that 'I just want to be remembered.'

"Kara, you will always be remembered as the 'heart' of our Blue Devil family."