FREDONIA — Junior Kylie O’Brien (Jamestown/Jamestown) was named First-Team All-SUNYAC and freshman Donnilynn Sheldon (Randolph/Randolph) was named to the Second Team as announced by the conference office earlier this week.

For O’Brien, this is her second selection after being named Second Team a year ago.

O’Brien got stronger as the season went on, which coincided with the Devils second-half surge and eventual playoff berth. The Devils won seven out of 10 matches down the stretch, which earned them a home playoff game. O’Brien was consistently at the top of the list for kills and led the team with 239 and had a .129 kill percentage. She added 117 digs, 23 blocks and nine aces.

“Her offense has always been a strength but Kylie really developed her passing and defensive game this year,” said head coach Geoff Braun. “On top of that she took on the role of captain this year and led this group with a quiet confidence and resiliency that made a positive impact on her teammates.”

Sheldon had 138 kills and 30 aces, while leading the Devils with a .265 kill percentage and 48 blocks.

“To earn this recognition as a freshman is special and it is a direct result of her athleticism, her coachability, and her maturity,” Braun said. “Donni is very consistent with her demeanor. She doesn’t ride the highs and lows.”

Braun was also named 2025 SUNYAC Coach of the Year following a season which saw him record his 500th career win.

Braun, in his 26th season as Blue Devil bench boss, was honored by his coaching peers based on his team’s third-place finish, which exceeded many expectations. The Blue Devils were 6-3 in the conference, 12-16 overall, and earned their first playoff berth in four years after being picked to finish sixth in the SUNYAC coaches preseason poll.

It was the fifth time Braun has received the conference coaching award. His first came in 2003, followed by consecutive awards in 2007 and 2008, and his fourth in 2017.

“This is truly a group effort,” Braun said about the latest honor. “I give credit to Brinn (Shaughnessy), our assistant coach, and to the athletes for buying into our team culture and setting their own expectations high. We had a lot of fun this year.”

The fun was on full display Nov. 1 in a 3-1 win over Oneonta, a victory which secured third place for the Blue Devils and gave their coach career win No. 500.

He completed the season with an overall career mark of 501-352 after entering the season 34th in wins among all active NCAA Division III coaches.

“Having been a colleague of Coach Braun for more than two decades,” said P.J. Gondek, co-interim director of athletics, who also serves as head coach of men’s soccer. “I have seen first-hand how to run a top-notch college volleyball program. Five hundred wins means that you have been consistently competitive in one of the top D-III athletic conferences in the country. Even more impressive over this time period has been his consistent leadership and mentorship of his athletes.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

FREDONIA — A late comeback would send the game into overtime, but the Fredonia State men’s basketball team could not claim the win in a 101-97 loss to Elmira on Tuesday evening. Victor Robinson poured in 25 points and had 12 rebounds, while Martin Garza added 24 points and Brian Kopp had 16.

With the Devils down three, 83-80, and time winding down, Kopp was fouled on a 3-point attempt with four seconds left to play. He stepped to the line and sank all three free throws to send the game to overtime.

To get to the overtime, the Devils would outscore Elmira 15-1 in the final 3:21 of regulation. Robinson and Garza both had five points over that stretch, with Kopp finishing things off with the free throws.

The overtime would go to the visitors, outscoring Fredonia State 18-14.Robinson would lead all scorers in the extra frame with nine points.

Fredonia State took an early 11-3 lead, with Kopp accounting for eight of those points. After a timeout, the Soaring Eagles would step it up and go on a 16-5 run to take their first lead since the game’s opening basket. A Chris Woodard three-point play gave Elmira an 18-16 lead.

By the half, Elmira would cling to a 33-32 lead.

The Devils would pull within a point, 49-48, at the 14:26 mark following a tip in by Antonio Andrews. Elmira would later gain its largest lead of 15 points, 80-65, with 4:51 left to play. Soon thereafter, the Devils would stage their late run.

Elmira (2-3) was led by Kelton Brown with 30 points, while Woodard had a double-double with 15 and 11 boards. Emmanuel Karkari-Mensah added 19 points.

The Devils fell to 0-3. Next up is the Hobart Tournament this weekend. The Devils take on Hamilton on Friday and will play in either the championship game or consolation game depending on the result.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING

FREDONIA — The Fredonia State swimming and diving team played host to Oswego on Saturday. The Lakers would take the team victory by a score of 159-62.

Leah Marsh (Fredonia/Fredonia) competed on the diving board for the Devils. She finished first off both — she recorded a 201.75 off the 3-meter board, and 214.28 off the 1-meter board.

The Devils had six swimmers earn second-place finishes: Kaitlyn Burns in the 200-yard freestyle (2:29.94), Rachel Phillips in the 100-yard backstroke (1:23.34) and 50-yard freestyle (29.09), Izzy Kleinmann in the 200-yard butterfly (2:49.91) and 100-yard butterfly (1:12.31), and Lily Phillips in the 500-yard freestyle (6:36.22).

The Devils will play host to the three-day Blue Devil Invitational on Friday through Sunday. Participating teams in addition to the hosts include Brockport, St. Vincent, Hartwick, Pitt-Bradford, Penn State Behrend and Allegheny.

ICE HOCKEY

CORTLAND — Relying on the steady goaltending of Charles-Anthony Barbeau, the Blue Devils found themselves up 1-0 partway through the third period. Unfortunately for Fredonia State, Cortland finally found its scoring touch and broke through 8:21 in the third period, then again at the 16:53 mark to claim a 2-1 victory.

Barbeau would finish the day with 44 saves.

After a scoreless first period, Garrison Gagnon got the Devils on the board 5:23 into the second frame. He was assisted by Ethan Pitzman and Owen Cross.

Cortland’s goals were scored by Justin Legault and Sam Christiano. Legault also added an assist. The Red Dragons got 25 saves from Shane Selest.

Neither team had much luck with a man-advantage, as the Devils went 0 for 4 on the power play, and Cortalnd went 0 for 3. The Devils pulled Barbeau with just over a minute left and were able to get three shots on goal, but could not get on the board again.

Cortland improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the SUNYAC.

Mathieu Fournier scored late in the first period, and Barbeau made 38 saves as the Fredonia State men’s hockey team skated to a 1-1 tie at Morrisville on Friday. It was the freshman Fournier’s team-leading third goal of the season.

Morrisville got a goal from Connor Santay midway through the second period to tie the game. Its netminder, Chad Lowe, was credited with 51 saves.

Fredonia State was 0 for 1 on the power play, and the Mustangs were 0 for 2. Assists on the Fournier goal went to Antoine St. Onge and Sam Chrenka.

The Devils are still in search of their first win, and now stand at 0-6-1 and 0-1-1 in the conference. They play host to Buffalo State on Friday in Steele Hall. The game will count in the Battle by the Lake standings for the two local rivals.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

KEUKA PARK — The Fredonia State women’s basketball team improved to 3-0 with a 74-52 win at Keuka last Friday evening. Grace Alexander and Payton Gilbert both had 17 points, and Jayssa Snelick and Jakiera Stackhouse both recorded a double-double. Snelick had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Statckhouse had 10 points and 10 boards.

The Devils outscored Keuka in all four quarters. A layup by Stackhouse early on gave the Devils a 4-3 lead they would keep the rest of the way. They would lead 37-28 at the half.

As a team, the Devils collected 52 rebounds.

Mary Cotter had 13 points and Courtney Moreau had 12 to pace Keuka (1-2).

The Devils are back in action this week at the Brockport Tournament. They will take on Ithaca on Friday and William Smith on Saturday.