James Bethel honored by SUNY Oneonta Athletics Department

2015 May 8

The SUNY Oneonta athletics department held its 26th annual awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 5 and honored 15 student athletes as major award recipients.

James Bethel of Saugerties, NY was one of the major award winners for the 2014-15 year.

Bethel was selected by the SUNY Oneonta athletics department as Co Rookie of the Year for 2014-15. Bethel had a monster year that culminated in a fourth place finish at the NCAA Division III championships that earned him his first All-American honor. Bethel completed the season 39-6 with an aye-popping 23 pins, which was tied for second most amongst all NCAA divisions. Bethel’s outstanding season earned him the honor of Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Rookie of the Year.

The Dr. Fred Puritz Award is given annually to the male and female athletes who have excelled as first-year members of a team and who have had no prior collegiate playing experience.

A liberal arts institution with a strong focus on undergraduate research, SUNY Oneonta continually gains recognition for delivering excellence and value. The college has been included on Kiplinger's list of "100 Best Values in Public Colleges" and Kiplinger's list of "10 Best Public Colleges With Lowest Debt at Graduation." The College is also included on U.S. News and World Report list of the best public institutions in the region. The college enrolls 6,000 students in its 72 undergraduate majors and 15 graduate programs.

The College boasts 21 NCAA Division III varsity sports and competes in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) and the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC).