SANBORN — SUNY Niagara sophomore and Fredonia resident Ashton Putney announced his commitment to George Mason University Thursday. Putney is the first Thunderwolves’ Class of 2027 student-athlete to commit.
In eight appearances last season, Putney posted a 3-0 record, one save, a 4.64 ERA, plus 22 strikeouts and six walks in 21 1/3 innings pitched. Putney also helped the Thunderwolves win their first NJCAA Division III World Series championship in program history (55-6 overall record).
Putney is 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). 2011 graduates Kaiden Bowers and Jacob Bannerman were the program’s first two players to continue under Clingersmith, as they both continued at NCAA Division III Houghton College in the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Putney is also the sixth SUNY Niagara/Niagara Community College player and pitcher to commit to George Mason in the Clingersmith era. Putney joins 2021 graduate Ryan Peterson (NJCAA Division III Pitcher of the Year), 2022 graduates Dylan Crowley, Chad Gartland, and Kyle Menaker, and 2026 graduate Keegan Bazinet (NJCAA Division III Pitcher of the Year).
Putney made his SUNY Niagara debut in its season-opening 11-1 win versus Cayuga
Community College on Feb. 28 and allowed no hits over two innings of relief. Putney then recorded his first win after posting a season-high six strikeouts and allowing one run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings in SUNY Niagara’s 8-2 win versus St. Cloud Technical & Community College on March 11 at the RussMatt Invitational in Florida.
Putney later recorded wins against County College of Morris (25-3) on March 17 and Tompkins Cortland Community College (13-3) on March 24. Putney later recorded two innings of relief and gave up one run in SUNY Niagara’s 9-1 win versus Jamestown Community College on April 12.
Before arriving at Sanborn, Putney was a three-year letterman at Fredonia High School from 2023 to 2025. Putney and the Hillbillies finished as Section VI Class B runners-up and were 17-5 overall in 2024 and advanced to the section’s Class B Final Four the next season.
Putney was a two-time All-Western New York first team selection and received the Al Stuhlmiller Player of the Year in Chautauqua County Athletic Association (CCAA) Division I as a junior and senior. Putney also earned the Roger K. Moore Pitcher of the Year in CCAA Division I as a junior in 2024 after recording six wins and six complete games, plus three shutouts, two saves, and 97 strikeouts, with a 1.62 ERA.
As a senior in 2025, Putney retired 98 batters over 60 1/3 innings and threw a no-hitter. During his time at Fredonia, Putney received the Ken Martin Legacy Award in August 2024, named after the standout Chautauqua County baseball player and Chautauqua County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 1997 inductee.
Putney will join a George Mason program that has reached the NCAA Tournament eight times and won four conference championships. Their most recent additions in both categories were in 2023, the first season under current head coach Shawn Camp.
Putney and SUNY Niagara will begin their 2027 campaign — the 60th in program history – March 5-16 at the RussMatt Invitational in Clearwater, Florida. The Thunderwolves will then begin their slate of nine home doubleheaders versus Corning Community College at 1 p.m. March 27 at Sal Maglie Stadium in Niagara Falls.
Women’s volleyball
SUNY Niagara women’s volleyball split an NJCAA Region III pod after a four-set win over Jamestown Community College, followed by a three-set loss to SUNY Erie at Genesee Community College on Saturday in Batavia. This was the fourth of seven regional pods for the Thunderwolves this season.
SUNY Niagara is now 7-4 and 1-1 in WNYAC play. The Thunderwolves’ seven wins are now their most in a single season since 2016 (7-15).
With the win against Jamestown, SUNY Niagara head coach Lindsay Matikosh recorded her 50th career win on the sidelines. The North Tonawanda native is in her 12th season as head coach (since 2015) after a four-year run as assistant coach from 2011 to 2014.
Mya Wills (Niagara Wheatfield) recorded a career-high 21 digs against Jamestown and broke her previous single-match high of 14 against Mohawk Valley in a NJCAA Region III pod Sept. 12 at Herkimer College. It is also the first time a Thunderwolf has recorded at least 20 digs in a single match since 2026 graduate Cait Cliffe recorded 23 in a 3-1 win versus Herkimer College on Oct. 19, 2024 in a NJCAA Region III at SUNY Erie.
Wills extended her streak with at least five digs to 11 consecutive matches, tying the longest streak by a freshman set by Lydia Tetrault in SUNY Niagara’s final 11 matches of the 2024 season (Sept. 28 — Oct. 29). Through 11 matches, Wills, a Niagara Wheatfield graduate, leads SUNY Niagara with 105 digs (9.5 per match, 2.9 per set) and is third with 18 aces (1.6 per match, 0.5 per set).
By posting 42 against Jamestown and 18 against SUNY Erie, Kailey Ciesielski (Depew) has posted double-digit assists in 11 consecutive matches. This is the program’s longest streak since 2026 graduate Ava Gaudy hit the mark in her last 12 matches of the 2025 season.
Ciesielski’s previous high in assists was 33 against Mohawk Valley on Sept. 12. With the 42 against Jamestown, Ciesielski is the first Thunderwolf to record at least 40 assists in a match since Gaudy had 44 in a 3-1 win versus Mohawk Valley on Oct. 19, 2025 in a NJCAA Region III Pod at SUNY Erie and has recorded a team-high 261 assists in 11 matches (23.7 per match, 7.25 per set).
Kylie McOmber (Royalton-Hartland) recorded a career-high 10 kills against Jamestown, breaking her previous single-match high of nine versus SUNY Broome on Sept. 5. McOmber has now posted double-digit kills in eight of her first 11 career matches.
McOmber also recorded a new career-high three blocks in the Jamestown win. McOmber leads SUNY Niagara with 11 blocks, is third with 70 kills (6.4 per match, 1.9 per set) and fifth with 11 aces.
Belle Christopher (North Tonawanda) recorded her third double-double of the season with her 14 kills and 10 digs against Jamestown. Christopher previously recorded a double-double against SUNY Broome on Sept. 5 (13 kills, 10 digs) and Mohawk Valley on Sept. 12 (14 kills, 10 digs).
Christopher also tied her career-high of 14 kills in the win against Jamestown and has recorded at least five kills in nine matches and has a team-high 91 kills (8.2 per match, 2.5 per set) . Christopher has also recorded at least five digs in eight matches and is third with 66 digs (6.0 per match, 1.83 per set).
After hosting Finger Lakes Community College and Monroe Community College in a NJCAA Region III pod at 11 a.m .Saturday in Sanborn, SUNY Niagara faces Roberts Wesleyan JV at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Rochester.