Athletic honor roll
Pitcher Putney makes diamond choice; wrestler Hoose honored by state
Photo courtesy of SUNY Niagara Fredonia native Ashton Putney was a member of the NJCAA Division III champion SUNY Niagara baseball team last spring.
Submitted photo Southwestern Central School graduate Tavio Hoose added to his many wrestling honors last week in East Syracuse.
Photo courtesy of SUNY Niagara Fredonia native Ashton Putney was a member of the NJCAA Division III champion SUNY Niagara baseball team last spring.
Submitted photo Southwestern Central School graduate Tavio Hoose added to his many wrestling honors last week in East Syracuse.
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Fredonia native Ashton Putney announced last week that he will continue his academic and baseball pursuits at George Mason University.
Currently a sophomore at SUNY Niagara in Sanborn, Putney posted a 3-0 record for the Thunderwolves last spring when they won their first NJCAA Division III World Series championship in program history with a 55-6 record.
In addition to his unbeaten personal record, Putney also recorded a save, struck out 22 and walked six in 21 1/3 innings. He posted a 4.64 ERA.
The 65th Thunderwolf to commit to an NCAA Division I program and the 208th player to continue at a higher level in the Matt Clingersmith era (since 2007), Putney is also the sixth SUNY Niagara/Niagara Community College player and pitcher to commit to George Mason under Clingersmith.
Before arriving in Sanborn, Putney was a three-year letterman at Fredonia High School from 2023 to 2025 during which the Hillbillies finished as Section VI Class B runners-up and were 17-5 in 2024, and advanced to the section's Class B final four the next season.
A two-time All-Western New York first-team selection and recipient of the Al Stuhlmiller Player of the Year in Division 1 of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association as a junior and a senior, Putney also earned the Roger K. Moore Pitcher of the Year as a junior, and was the recipient of the Ken Martin Legacy Award in August 2024. The award is named after the standout Chautauqua County baseball player and 1997 Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
Putney and SUNY Niagara will begin their 2027 campaign -- the 60th in program history -- March 5-16 at the RussMatt Invitational in Clearwater, Fla.
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One of the most dominant wrestlers in the upper-weight classes in Section VI history was honored last weekend in East Syracuse by the Upstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Tavio Hoose, a 2026 Southwestern Central School graduate, was the recipient of the Richard "Pete" Hausrath Senior Outstanding Wrestling Award.
Hoose's accomplishments on the mat certainly warranted that recognition.
A two-time New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division II champion, a state runnerup, and a top-ranked national recruit at 190 pounds, Hoose won his first state title as a freshman in 2023 at 172 pounds and receptured state gold as a senior in 2026 at 190 pounds, finishing his high school career with a 6-4 decision over Liam English.
In addition to receiving the Hausrath Award, which is presented to the state's outstanding boys Division II wrestler, Hoose was also named the 2026 Post-Journal/OBSERVER boys Wrestler of the Year.
Along the way, Hoose also captured multiple Section VI Division II crowns and reached as high as the No. 2 spot nationally in the FloWrestling individual rankings at 190 pounds. While he spent the majority of his career winning championships with the Trojans, he also briefly tested himself against elite national competition with Monsignor Martin Athletic Association’s powerhouse St. Francis High School during his junior season before returning to Southwestern to finish his career.
A member of a highly decorated wrestling family, including brothers Neves, Dontae and Giuseppe, Hoose is continuing his academic and athletic career at Division I Lehigh University.