CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Fredonia State student-athletes claimed two individual titles Friday on the first day of the 2026 SUNYAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet being held this weekend at SUNY Cortland. A 40-year school record was set in the process.
On the women's side, Cara Pellechia continued her four-year reign as the top pole vaulter in the conference with a championship meet clearance of 3.50 meters (11 feet, 5 3/4 inches). It was her eighth SUNYAC pole vault gold medal in eight tries over the past four seasons. Fredonia State scored 21 team points in the event — a massive haul — with Emily Cardinale and Skylar French placing third and fourth, respectively.
In addition, Cardinale finished third in women's long jump, hitting 5.24 meters (17 feet, 2 1/4 inches) on her second attempt to score six SUNYAC points.
The men's long jump champ was also a familiar name to the podium. Winner of three previous SUNYAC titles,
Cam Sample added a fourth Friday by stretching the tape to 7.41 meters (24 feet, 7 3/4 inches), which earned his team 10 points and established a new Fredonia State record, besting Pat Corbett's 24 feet, 2 1/4 inches set in 1986. Sample's winning mark came in Round 3 and moved him into a tie for third nationally on the NCAA Division III performance list.
A quartet of pole vaulters scored scored 13.5 SUNYAC points, led by
Jacob Futch with a runner‑up finish of 4.55 meters (14 feet, 11 inches).
Noah Snyder added a fifth‑place 4.25-meter clearance,
Blake Hageman tied for seventh at 3.80 meters, and
Alastair Sweeney cleared 3.65 meters for 10th place.
The meet resumes today with a bulk of events still to come. Head Coach
Tom Wilson, in his 15th season at the helm, believes his women's team could finish as high as third place, which would be the program's best result during his tenure. Casey Fetzner is seeded second in the discus, and Emily Frank and Calie Hudson second and third, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. On the men's side, the Blue Devils have solid chances in the 4-by-100 meter relay and in the 400 meters and 5,000 meters where
Talon Rowland and
Stephen Hallberg are seeded first and second, respectively, in those events.
