The Jasper H. Colebank Award is widely recognized as the top honor for a Fairmont State University student athlete. This award is presented each year to the male and female senior student athlete who, in the course of his or her college career, has done the most to promote the best interest of athletics at Fairmont State University.

This year's female recipient is Peyton Barnes from the Fairmont State Acrobatics & Tumbling. A senior from Waldorf, Md., Barnes is a four-year starter on the Fairmont State acrobatics & tumbling team. During her time on the mat, Barnes has helped lead the team to two regular season Mountain East Conference Championships and two MEC Tournament Championships (2021 & 2022). Barnes was named MEC Specialist of the Year in 2023 and garnered All-MEC Second Team honors in 2022 and 2023. She won a trio of individual event championships at the 2022 MEC Championship and led the Falcons to two individual event championships at the 2023 conference tournament. She will be participating in her second National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) National Championship next week after her team earned the No. 8 seed in the 2023 championship with a 9-2 record.
 
In the classroom, Barnes has completed three degrees at Fairmont State and has accepted a job with the FBI this spring. Barnes' academic repertoire includes a bachelor's degree in National Security and Intelligence, Political Science and Criminal Justice. She is currently enrolled in a master's program that specializes in National Security & Intelligence. She is a three-time NCATA Academic Honor Roll recipient and has been named to the NCATA All-Academic team twice. Barnes has appeared on the All-MEC Academic Honor Roll for three seasons and has been on the Fairmont State University President's List all seven semesters of her academic career.
 
Barnes is involved with a number of extracurricular programs at Fairmont State. She is a member of the National Society for Leadership and Success. She has been the President of the Black Student Union since 2020 and has been the Treasurer, Vice President and Domestic Violence Prevention Liaison for the Iota Phi Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Barnes is an Honors Student Ambassador for the Fairmont State Honors College and was a Skills USA Crime Scene Investigations Champion. The senior was also a 2022 Fairmont State Homecoming Court representative.



The male Colebank Award winner this year is  Isaiah Sanders. A Sicklerville, N.J. native, Sanders has played four seasons at Fairmont State after transferring his sophomore year. Sanders has been named to the MEC All-Conference First Team three times in his career. He is a three-time all-region winner and is a three-year captain at Fairmont State. Sanders appeared on the Bevo Francis Award Finalist Watchlist two times in his career, which is awarded annually to the top player in small college basketball. Sanders became the ninth player in Fairmont State history to eclipse 2,000 points wearing a Fairmont State uniform. He finished with 2091 career points at Fairmont State, which is the 8th highest all-time. Sanders accolades are etched in Mountain East Conference history, as he is the second all-time in career points with 2,449 points.
 
In his final season with the Falcons, Sanders led his team to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year. He led the team in scoring (18.8 ppg), three-point buckets (94) and steals (66). Sanders was named a State Farm Dark Horse Dunker Finalist and was a participant in the 2023 NABC – Reese's Division II College All-Star Game. During the 2021-22 season, Sanders led the team in scoring with 21.2 points per game and landed NABC All-Atlantic Region First Team honors. In 2021, Sanders led the Falcons to its first conference tournament championship since 1984 and was crowned the Most Valuable Player of the MEC Tournament. He poured in an average of 20.8 points per game and sank a team-high 49 three-point baskets in the 2021 season.

2023 Eston K. Feaster Award Winners

Female: Amelia Moore, Volleyball
Female: Mackenzie Sorton, Cross Country/Tennis
Male: Kyle Carson, Swimming

The Eston K. Feaster Award which is presented to the male and female senior student-athletes who have maintained the highest grade point averages among all letterwinners.

The first female winner this year is Amelia Moore. A senior from Mansfield, Ohio, Moore graduated in the fall of 2022 with a degree in National Security & Intelligence. The four-year volleyball starter earned a perfect 4.00 grade point average and was named to the CSC Academic All-District Division II Volleyball Team in 2022 and was a four-time Mountain East Conference All-Academic honoree. Moore was named to the 2019 MEC All-Freshman Team and tallied over 750 kills and 250 blocks in her career.

The second female winner this year is Mackenzie Sorton. An Architecture major, Sorton has accumulated a grade point average of 4.00. The Morgantown, W.Va. native has participated in women's tennis and women's cross country teams during her time at Fairmont State. Sorton has been the team captain for the women's tennis team for three seasons and has played No. 6 singles and No. 2 & 3 doubles. She is a recipient of the Charles J. McClain Presidential Scholarship, which is a full scholarship awarded to three incoming freshman. Sorton is also involved with the Fairmont State Student Government Association and a member of the Fairmont State University Honors Program.

The male recipient is Kyle Carson. Carson, a member of the men's swimming team from Charles Town, W.Va., achieved a 3.94 grade point average as a Computer Science major. He competed in the 2023 GMAC/MEC finals and qualified in three individual events. Carson is a four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and won College Sports Communicators Academic All-District in the 2022-23 season.



Fairmont State Softball Graduation
The athletic department recognized the Fairmont State softball graduates, as the team will be competing at the Mountain East Conference Tournament during commencement held this weekend. Dr. Tim Oxley led the commencement exercises. The five softball seniors who are celebrating graduation are:

- Katy Darnell
- Brianna McKenzie
- Shelby Reed
- Carlie Schlosser
- Ashley Strauss


2022-23 Fairmont State Athletics Play of the Year
After a vote of Fairmont State student-athletes, the Zsofi Bevardi of Fairmont State women's swiming was crowned champion of the inagural Fairmont State Athletics Play of the Year. Bevardi broke the 400 Individual Medley school record with a time of 4:44.84, and stood since 1995.





Strength & Conditioning Awards
Fairmont State Strength & Conditioning Director Adam Kolberg presented the 2022-23 Strength & Conditioning Awards to Fairmont State student-athletes.


The Fairmont State Athletic Department welcomed all 17 of our teams to the stage to be recognized for their accomplishments this season. Here are highlights of our teams' achievements this past year:

Men's Cross Country
We kick off tonight's event highlighting our men's cross country team!
At the Roaring Lions Invitational at Penn State Fayette, Darrell DeMoss ran the 8,000-meter race with a time of 27:10.1. In the race, Fairmont State placed six runners in the top 10 of the race results and took first-place as a the team. Senior Miguel Figueroa finished 26th overall with a time of 16:32.4 and William Lemaster finished 39th overall with a time of 16:47.4. The men placed 16th out of 40 teams at the event. Darrell DeMoss led the way in 17^th place at the Paul Short Run Open. At the MEC Cross Country Championship, the team finished in sixth place after being predicted to finish in eighth place in the preseason poll. DeMoss finished seventh overall with a time of 26:49.68 and was the first freshman to cross the finish line at the event, earning MEC Freshman of the Year honors. The rest of the squad consisted of Miguel Figueroa completing the race with a time of 28:05.80, William Lemaster at 28:58.60, and Jacob Smith at 29:35.15. At the NCAA Atlantic Regional Meet, the men's cross country team finished 14^th, with DeMoss leading the charge at a 32^nd place finish.
 
The following men's cross country runners received accolades this season:
MEC Freshman of the Year: Darrell DeMoss
 
MEC Runner of the Week: Darrell DeMoss
 
USTFCCCA All-Academic Team: Darrell DeMoss, Miguel Figueroa, Will Lemaster
 
Women's Cross Country
Carlina Jacquez won the women's 6k race at the Roaring Lions Invitational with a time of 23:44.4. At the Paul Short Run Open, Jacquez finished in 5^th and Alex Humphrey set a personal record with a time of 27:25.8. At the Go Fast River Run Invite, Jacquez finished in 35th place with a time of 23:26.3. Alexa Hawkins finished with a time of 25:35.3. Maryann Wolfe finished with a personal-best 27:21.5. At the MEC Cross Country Championships, Jacquez earned a top-10 finish and garnered All-MEC First Team accolades. Maryann Wolfe ran the second-best time for Fairmont State at 30:01.28. At the NCAA Atlantic Regional Meet, Carlina Jacquez finished just outside the top-20.
 
The following women's cross country runners received awards this season:
All-MEC First Team: Carlina Jacquez
 
MEC Runner of the Week: Carlina Jacquez
 
USTFCCCA All-Academic Team: Carlina Jacquez

 
Football
The football team finished the 2022 season going 3-8 overall and 3-7 in Mountain East Conference play. The Fighting Falcons gained their first win of the season against UNC Pembroke in a close victory, 25-23. Notable plays were by Miree Myles with a 56-yard run to the endzone, and a Michael Floria throw to Kobe Harris for a 35-yard touchdown to make the score 25-21. The following week, Fairmont State faced Concord University where they picked up another win with a 10-9 score. The victory was highlighted by a goal line stop on the two-point conversion with under a minute left, to hold the Mountain Lions to a six-point touchdown. The football team picked up another win against Alderson Broaddus, where they won 51-7. Headlining plays were a 70-yard pass from Floria to Jeremiah Taylor and an interception by Brocton Blair.
 
The following members of the football team received awards this season:
All-MEC First Team: Myles Miree, Brocton Blair
All-MEC Second Team: Randy Robinson, Jovon Jackson
All-MEC Honorable Mention: Carter Giacomo, Sergei Buchheit
 
2022 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Team Honorable Mention: Brocton Blair
 
2022 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® NCAA Division II Football Team: Brocton Blair, Connor Neal
 
Congratulations, gentleman!
 
Men's Golf
To start off the fall season, the men's golf team placed 9^th of out of 16 at the Golden Eagle Invitational. Matthew Barrish scored a career-low 70 and Alex Turowski finished in the top 20. Another notable performance was from Cole Tegano with a score of a 71. At the Bud Elwell Invitational, the team finished in third place as a team shooting +15. Turowski finished tied for fourth shooting even par and earned MEC Golfer of the Week for his performance. Tegano finished tied for tenth shooting +1. Men's golf finished 4th overall at the MEC Championships, with Jack Hayes leading the way in 9th Place with a score of +12. The next highest finisher was John Logan Taylor, who finished in 14th place with a score of +14. At the Wally Edgell Invitational, Clark Craig tied for 5th place with a score of -4. Also finishing in the top 30 were John Logan Taylor and Matthew Barrish. In the spring at the D&E Battle at Brunswick, Taylor was Fairmont State's top finisher on the men's side, who shot even par overall on par threes. At the Spadafora IUP Invitational, Clark Craig earned a top-10 finish, as the Fairmont State men's golf team finished in sixth place out of 16 teams. At the NCAA DII Atlantic and East Regional Preview at Iron Valley Golf Club, the Falcons finished in 18^th out of 25 teams. Turowski led Fairmont State with a 14^th place finish with a score of 74.
 
Earning accolades for the men's golf team were:
All-MEC Second Team: John Logan Taylor
All-MEC Honorable Mention: Alex Turowski
MEC Men's Golfer of the Week: Alex Turowski
 
Women's Golf
At the Golden Eagle Invitational in the fall season, the women's golf team finished 7th out of 10 teams shooting +133. The highest finisher was Samantha McLaughlin finishing 26th overall and shooting +21. In the Mountain East Conference Championships, Fairmont State finished in fifth (+23) and was just seven shots behind the leader after Round 1. At the Wally Edgell Invitational, the golf team finished 3rd overall. Abby Lint and McLaughin finished in the top 10 tied for 9th.  The women's golf team finished 5^th at the D&E Battle at Brusnwick. Golfers who reached the top 20 were McLaughlin in 18^th place with 184, and Mia Chambers in 19^th place with a score of 186. At the 2023 Mountain East Conference Spring Event, the squad finished in 5^th. Skyler Jefairijan was the highest finisher for the Falcons at 20^th place. McLaughlin was tied at 24^th, while Mia Chambers placed inside the top-30 with a 185 to cap off the season.
 
Earning spots on the MEC Academic Awards list for Women's Golf include Mia Chambers, who was named Academic All-MEC, and Karlie Minigh, who received Commissioner's Honor Roll status.

Let's congratulate our women's golf team on a great season!
 
Women's Soccer
The women's soccer team worked to a 12-4-5 record on the year, and 10-3-3 in MEC play. The 2022 fall season included the program's first ever Mountain East Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. After finishing up the regular season, the Fighting Falcons beat Notre Dame College in the MEC Tournament Quarterfinals with a go-ahead-goal by Kiera Kuzinski in the 83^rd minute. Similarly, in the MEC Semifinals, the soccer team would beat West Virginia State in dramatic fashion with a game-winning goal by Alejandra Puerto with 13 seconds left of regulation time. In the Championship, Fairmont State faced North Division foe, Frostburg State, in a 110-minute overtime battle that led to penalty kicks. Taylor Kennedy had an outstanding day in the Tournament Championship which included a career-high 13 saves in the game, and crucial stops in the shootout. Fairmont State would go on to win the Championship 4-3 in penalty kicks. With the conference tournament win, the Falcons received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional game. They fell to Gannon in their first NCAA tournament game to cap off a historic season.
Receiving postseason accolades for women's soccer were:
All-MEC First Team: Ari Christiansen, Taylor Kennedy, and Kiera Kuzinski
 
All-MEC Second Team: Mackenzie Gillispie and Alejandra Puerto
 
All-MEC Honorable Mention: Emily Wallen
 
All-MEC Freshman Team: Alejandra Puerto
 
MEC Defensive Player of the Week Honors: Taylor Kennedy
MEC Offensive Player of the Week Honors: Kiera Kuzinski and Alejandra Puerto
 
All-Tournament Team: Taylor Kennedy, Alejandra Puerto, Jessica Schneider
 
College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® honors: Ava Behr, Ari Christiansen, Mackenzie Gillispie, Jessica Schneider, Elora Shinn, Gracie Smith
 
2022 Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) All-Atlantic Region First Team:
Kiera Kuzinski
2022 Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) All-Atlantic Region Second Team:
Ari Christiansen
 
United Soccer Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region Second Team:
Taylor Kennedy, Kiera Kuzinski, and Alejandra Puerto
 
Let's hear it one last time for the 2022 MEC Women's Soccer Tournament Champions, the Fairmont State women's soccer team!
 
Volleyball
The women's volleyball team finished the 2022 season with a 29-6 record, that included a 10-0 start. They finished 13-4 in MEC play. The squad picked up crucial regular season win against West Virginia State in four sets, with Keara Lewis earning matching a career-high 23 kills and Bryce Knapp defending her side of the court with 20 total digs. Another key victory was a five-set battle versus West Liberty, which featured Joey Borelle swinging for 16 kills and Lauren Albrecht dishing out 35 assists. During the Mountain East Conference Tournament, the Fighting Falcons defeated Davis & Elkins in four sets to advance to the semifinals. The Falcons fell to Charleston in the semifinals but earned a bid to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament for the first time since 2016. Following a loss to Charleston in the NCAA Tournament, the Fighting Falcons' season came to a close after the team recorded the highest winning percentage in program history.
Awards the volleyball team earned this season include:
All-MEC First Team: Nyla Birch and Bryce Knapp
All-MEC Second Team: Keara Lewis
All-MEC Honorable Mention and MEC All-Freshman Team: Joey Borelle
 
MEC Defensive Player of the Week Honors: Bryce Knapp (3x) Emma Ludwig
 
2022 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Team: Madison Chapman, Bryce Knapp, Emma Ludwig, and Amelia Moore
 
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II All-Region First Team: Bryce Knapp
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II All-Region Honorable Mention: Nyla Birch
 
Winter Sports
 
Men's Basketball
The men's basketball team reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season after a 24-8 season and a 17-5 record in Mountain East Conference play. The Falcons are one of eight schools who have made an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in each of the past five seasons. In January, the team went on an eight-game winning streak that included 101-76 home win over rival West Liberty, which was the largest defeat of the Hilltoppers since the 2018 season. Isaiah Sanders led all scorers with a season-high 30 points. The Falcons also defeated West Virginia State in a thrilling overtime win and George Mangas chipped in a career-high 33 points to lead the Falcons to victory. After earning the number two seed in the MEC Tournament, the Falcons edged Glenville State in the conference quarterfinal game, 77-72, with Zyon Dobbs scoring a career-high 29 points in the win. Fairmont State advanced to the MEC Championship game after a 76-65 win over Davis & Elkins before falling to West Liberty in the conference championship game. The Falcons fell in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament to Virginia Union by two points. This year's men's basketball team earned the most victories since the 2016-17 National Runner-up team.
 
Earning awards from the men's basketball team include:
MEC Player of the Week: Isaiah Sanders (1/16 & 2/27)
 
All-MEC First Team: Isaiah Sanders
All-MEC Second Team: George Mangas
All-MEC Honorable Mention: Zyon Dobbs
 
MEC All-Tournament Team: Isaiah Sanders & Zyon Dobbs
 
D2CCA All-Atlantic Region Second Team: Isaiah Sanders
 
Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List: Isaiah Sanders
 
NABC Division II First Team All-District: Isaiah Sanders
 
2023 NABC – Reese's Division II College All-Star Game Participant: Isaiah Sanders
 
Let's hear it for our men's basketball team for all their accomplishments this season!
 
Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team earned a 23-9 season with a 16-6 record in Mountain East Conference action. In November, the Fighting Falcons gained a key victory against No. 19 nationally ranked, Charleston, in an overtime battle that scored 78-71. Alyssa DeAngelo led all scorers with 26 points on the day. On January 16^th, DeAngelo notched the 1,000 career-point milestone versus Salem. Towards the end of January, the women's basketball team also defeated West Virginia State, who was ranked #18 in the nation at the time, with a convincing score of 89-75. The squad knocked down 13 threes, with Jertaya Hall going 5-for-8 and teammate Madeline Huffman going 4-for-4 from behind the arc. Going into the MEC Tournament, the team was on a eight game win streak. The Falcons earned a four seed in the tournament, where they would face five seed, West Liberty. They clinched a 86-71 win against the Hilltoppers, with DeAngelo leading all scorers with 22 points, and Katy Darnell chipping in 15 of her own. Fairmont State would go on to play defending National Champions, Glenville State. The Falcons battled to an early lead throughout the entire first half, but were unable to outlast the Pioneers, where they fell 74-70 in their last game on their successful 2022-23 season.
 
Receiving postseason accolades for women's basketball were:
All-MEC First Team: Alyssa DeAngelo
All-MEC Second Team: Katy Darnell
 
MEC All-Tournament Team: Alyssa DeAngelo
 
MEC Tournament Heart & Hustle Award: Katy Darnell
 
MEC Player of the Week honors: Alyssa DeAngelo (11/21) Katy Darnell (11/28 and 12/20)
 
DII Conference Commissioner's Association All-Atlantic Region Second Team: Alyssa DeAngelo
 
Men's Swimming
The Fighting Falcons closed out the regular season with victories over Wheeling and WVU Tech before the conference championship meet. The Falcons took fourth overall in the GMAC/MEC Championships and were the second-highest MEC finisher at the event. Freshman Oskar Cebula won four individual All-MEC First Team accolades at the event and was named MEC Freshman Swimmer of the Year. Patrick Fubio won three First-Team honors and the team won 11 total individual conference honors. The 200-yard medley relay team that consisted of Patrick Fubio, Oskar Cebula, Grant Ridenour and Nathan Fubio was the top finisher in the conference and won All-MEC First Team.
 
Earning individual accolades from last season were:
All-MEC First Team: Oskar Cebula (200-Yard IM, 400-Yard IM, 100-Yard Breaststroke, 200-Yard Breaststroke), Patrick Fubio (200-yard backstroke, 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly)

All-MEC Second Team: Gabriel Peragallo (200-yard freestyle)
 
All-MEC Honorable Mention: Nathan Fubio (50-yard freestyle), Gabriel Peragallo (500-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle)
 
CSC Academic All-District Swimmers: Kyle Carson, Nathan Fubio, Patrick Fubio, Nathan Harvey
 
CSC Third Team Academic All-American: Nathan Fubio
 
MEC Freshman of the Year: Oskar Cebula

Let's give a round of applause for the Fairmont State men's swimming team!
 
Women's Swimming
The women's swimming team capped off the regular season with a 130-110 senior day victory at home over WVU Tech. Senior Zsofi Bevardi finished her Fairmont State swimming career in impressive fashion, winning four all-conference accolades, including All-MEC First Team honors in the 1000-yard freestyle. Kayla Fogle brought home All-MEC Honorable Mention honors in the 200-yard butterfly at the final event of the season.
 
Earning individual recognition on the women's swimming team were:

All-MEC First Team: Zsófi Bévárdi (1000-yard freestlye,
 
All-MEC Second Team: Zsófi Bévárdi (400-yard IM, 500-yard freestyle, 1650-yard freestyle)
 
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Kayla Fogle (200-yard butterfly)

CSC Academic All-District: Zsofi Bevardi, Kayla Fogle, Cheri Signorelli, Kaitlyn Stumpf
 
CSC Third Team Academic All-American: Kaitlyn Stumpf
 
We also want to congratulate the Fairmont State Swimming Team on being named a finalist for the 2023 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence. The team was honored for their outreach to the Corridor Chapter of the Autism Society of West Virginia. The swimming team has been providing lessons for members of the local non-profit organization since 2016. Thank you to the swimming team for their community outreach and congratulations on a great season!
 
Wrestling
The Fairmont State wrestling team collected 13 dual meet victories, which was the most wins in program history. The team had nine placers at the MEC Conference Tournament, which included four all-conference wrestlers. The team finished third at the conference tournament after predicting to finish fifth in the MEC Preseason Coaches' poll. The team's third-place finish was also the highest team finish in program history. The Falcons competed in the NCAA DII Super Regional I Championship and had three regional placers: Nate Pelesky, Colton Stoneking and Austin Gibson. Gibson took third place at the regional tournament and earned a bid to wrestle in the DII National Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Falcons excelled in the classroom and on the mat and ranked 12^th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-America awards and had four academic all-Americans.
 
Achieving awards for the Fairmont State wrestling team this season include:
MEC Wrestler of the Week: Navid Ighani (11/7), Caleb Everhart (12/12), Evan Thompson (1/23)
 
Honorable Mention All-MEC: Nate Peleskey (133 lbs), Caleb Everhart (141 lbs), Colton Stoneking (149 lbs) and Kolton Parsons (157 lbs)
 
Regional Placers: Nate Pelesky, Colton Stoneking and Austin Gibson
 
National Qualifier: Austin Gibson
 
NWCA Academic All-Americans: Colton Stoneking, Kolton Parsons, Evan Thompson, Thomas Graden
 
MEC Coach of the Year (First in program History): Gennaro Bonaventura
 
NWCA Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Finalist: Gennaro Bonaventura
 
Spring Sports
Acrobatics & Tumbling
The Falcons went 8-1 in the regular season and earned the No. 2 seed in the Mountain East Conference tournament. Fairmont State competed in their fourth consecutive MEC Championship Meet and have appeared in each MEC Championship Meet since the tournament began in 2019. Fairmont State won four individual event titles at the MEC Championship including the 450 Salto Toss, the Synchronized Pyramid, Duo Tumbling and Trio Tumbling. The Falcons earned the No. 8 seed in the NCATA National Championships and have appeared in four of the last five NCATA National Championships, stretching back to 2018. Fairmont State fell to the national champions, Baylor, in the quarterfinal round of the NCATA Tournament.
 
Earning awards for the Fairmont State Acrobatics & Tumbling team were:
 
MEC Athlete of the Week: Katey Koehl (2/14, 3/28)
 
MEC Specialist of the Year: Peyton Barnes
 
First Team All-MEC: Emily Brock, Brionni Dowson, Katey Koehl
Second Team All-MEC: Peyton Barnes, Izaria McWhorter-Martin, Taylor Openlander
 
NCATA All-American: Katey Koehl (Sixth All-American in program history)
 
NCATA All-Academic: Peyton Barnes (19 Falcons named on NCATA Academic Honor Roll)
 
Colleen Kausrud Leadership Award: Peyton Barnes
 
Let's congratulate our acrobatics & tumbling team for a spectacular season!
 
Baseball
The Fairmont State baseball team made its first appearance in the MEC Tournament since 2019 last season and shared the MEC North Division Championship after going 22-10 in conference play. This season, the Falcons captured series victories over West Virginia Wesleyan and Alderson Broaddus. Six hitters hold a batting average above .290, including Noah Armstrong, Vince Sabatino, Ryan Goff, Alex Perez, Alex Tennant and Connor Bailey, while Tennant ranks ninth in the MEC with 13 doubles. On the mound, Connor Cramer has tossed three complete games, including a one-run complete game versus West Virginia State to lead the Falcons to a 5-1 win.
 
We would like to recognize the Fairmont State baseball seniors for their tremendous careers. The senior class will be recognized on Friday afternoon during their last home doubleheader versus Frostburg State. Celebrating senior day on Friday is Connor Cramer, Steven Ricketts, Jacob Young, Gordon Swiger, Alex Perez, Alex Tennant, Dwayne Thomas, Brandon Corley and Peyton Brown. Congratulations to our nine baseball seniors on your baseball careers!

Let's hear it one more time for the Fairmont State baseball team!
 
Softball
 
Fairmont State won the 2022 MEC Tournament Championship after entering tournament play as the third seed out of the north division. It was the softball team's first MEC Tournament Championship in school history. Fairmont State ripped off four-straight wins to capture the conference championship. The Falcons had three players on the MEC All-Tournament team including pitcher Caitlyn Kassay, infielder Peyton Wetherholt and Tournament MVP Emily Riggs.

Following their 2022 championship season, the team has had an impressive season this year and won 31 games in the regular season, which is the most since 2014. The Falcons went on a nine-game winning streak that began with an Abbie Keilholz walk-off sacrifice fly to capture the season series versus Frostburg State. Courtney Moyer's walk-off base hit versus Glenville State continued the winning streak, and the Falcons' final nine home games all resulted in wins. Fairmont State will battle Glenville State in the opening round of the MEC Tournament on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
 
With all-conference awards and all-region awards to be announced, here are the players who won MEC Player and Pitcher of the Week Awards for Fairmont State softball:
 
Abbie Keilholz (Player, 2/13)
Emma Gates (Pitcher, 2/13, 3/27)
Emily Riggs (Player, 3/6)
Shelby Reed (Pitcher, 3/20)
Caitlyn Kassay (Pitcher, 4/24)
 
Congratulations and good luck at the conference tournament this weekend, ladies!
 
Men's Tennis
 
The 2023 spring season has been a historic one for Fairmont State men's tennis. The men's tennis team returns to Fairmont after winning the NCAA Atlantic Regional #2 Championship 4-2 over Edinboro this past weekend in Erie and is the first men's tennis team in program history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The team earned the first MEC Tournament Championship in school history after a dramatic 4-3 win over top-seeded Charleston. Kan Watanabe cameback in the deciding match after trailing 4-2 and won the tiebreaker 7-4 to secure the championship for the Fighting Falcons. The team has won 18 dual matches and earned national rankings in the ITA Top 50 for the first time in program history. The team set to compete in the 2023 NCAA Division II Men's Tournament National Championship, which begins on May 11 in Orlando, Florida!
 
The Falcons also received several accolades during the season including:
 
MEC Player of the Week: Seena Saadevandi (3/13), Elia Barozzi (3/20), Alexandre Pages (4/11), and Kan Watanabe (4/17)
 
All-MEC First Team: Elia Barozzi
All-MEC Second Team: Mohamed El Helaly, Alexandre Pages, Seena Saadevandi, Kan Watanabe
MEC Coach of the Year: Terry Deremer
 
Let's give a Fairmont State congratulations to our men's tennis team for advancing to the NCAA National Tournament and winning the MEC Tournament Championship!
 
Women's Tennis
 
The Falcons are currently competing in the first round of the Atlantic Regional Tournament versus Slippery Rock. The team qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history after going 13-5 in the regular season and 3-3 in MEC matches. The Falcons won four consecutive non-conference matches in March versus PSAC opponents. The 13 dual victories is the most by any Fairmont State women's tennis team since the 2011-12 season.
 
Earning accolades for the Falcons included:
 
MEC Player of the Week: Elodie Buclin (3/20) + Maria Fonseca (4/17)
 
First Team All-MEC: Maria Fonseca
Second Team All-MEC: Elodie Buclin, Ainara Pastor Garcia