Inside Athletics

ALBERTUS MEN'S GOLF

JR Fredette concluded his fifth season as the head men's golf coach after taking over the program in 2018. 

Albertus had a record-breaking year in 2022, posting four first-place and three top-five finishes, including a second-place mark in the GNAC Championship. Two highlights from this fall came from Charles Kristofak (West Hartford, Conn.) and Shamar Wilson (Montego Bay, Jamaica), who both won low medalist honors on two separate occasions for the blue-and-white. Wilson also received weekly recognition for the GNAC after being named Golfer of the Week three times over the fall campaign. 

The Falcons competed in six events in 2021, picking up a first-place finish in the Mitchell Invite I. Fredette guided the Falcons to five top-three finishes, picking up third-place finishes at the Warrior Invitational and the Emmanuel (Mass.) Invitational, a 2nd-place finish against Western Connecticut State, and a second-place finish in the GNAC Championship, where Saint Joseph’s College of Maine narrowly edged the Falcons. Ryan Sember and Charles Kristofak led the Falcons, with Sember picking up low medalist honors with a score of 73 at the Brett Williamson Invite.      

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the men's golf team was able to compete in a shortened season where we saw the Falcons have a record-setting year. Coach Fredette helped guide the men's golf team to its first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Golf Title and a berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons had four players - Rob Sember, Robert Eichelberger, Devin Hines, and David Aquavia, earn a spot on the GNAC All-Tournament Team. Behind a score of 69, Sember earned GNAC Player of the Year, while Eichelberger claimed GNAC Rookie of the Year honors after placing second being a score of 88. Albertus' season ended with a 37th-place finish in the NCAA Tournament, located in West Virginia. 

Albertus competed in six events in 2019, including two home dual matches and one home tri-match. The Falcons defeated both Dean and Eastern Nazarene in the tri-match and topped Purchase State on dual-match action. The men's golf team placed sixth in the GNAC Tournament. 

The Falcons competed in seven matches, including three dual matches at their home course and four tournaments, in 2018. At the GNAC Championship in October, Albertus finished ninth overall, scoring 801. 

ALBERTUS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

JR Fredette enters his 12th season as head women’s basketball coach in 2023-24. 

In the 2022-23 season, the Falcons posted a 22-4 overall record and advanced to their 21st postseason appearance as the first seed in the GNAC Tournament after a 16-2 mark in league play. At the conclusion of the season, Jakara Murray-Leach (Norwalk, Conn.) and Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.) were tabbed First Team GNAC All-Conference. Murray-Leach and Scott were also named to the D3Hoops.com Region I accolades, earning places on the Second and Third Teams respectively.

Fredette guided the Falcons to their 20th postseason appearance in 2021-22 after closing the regular season with a league mark of 15-2, earning the team the second seed in the GNAC Tournament. Albertus finished the season with an overall mark of 17-9 and ended the season on a 12-game winning streak. After their stellar performance during the winter campaign, the Falcons landed two players - Jakara Murray-Leach and Caitlyn Scott - on the GNAC All-Conference team. Murray-Leach was also named GNAC Player of the Week twice and Rookie of the Week three times. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the women's basketball team could not have a regular season or compete in the GNAC Tournament in 2020-21. The Falcons played seven exhibition games and posted a win against Fisher and two against USJ (CT). 

The women's basketball team posted an 18-8 overall record in 2019-20 to make their sixth consecutive appearance in the GNAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Falcons were led on the season by spectacular senior campaigns from Shyla Osmond and Rah-Rah Thompson.

After an outstanding year, Osmond was named to the D3Hoops.com All-Northeast Region Team, All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference First Team, and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USWBA) Division III National Player of the Week. She ranked top 10 nationally in triple-doubles (T2nd - 3), points per game (3rd - 23.8), assists per game (3rd - 7.0), and assists per game (8th - 167). Thompson was named All-GNAC Second Team after leading the country in defensive rebounds per game (10.0), being second in rebounds per game (15.2), third in total rebounds (364), fourth in double-doubles (20), and eighth in offensive rebounds per game (5.2). 

In 2018-19, Albertus posted a 23-4 record, finished third in the GNAC with a 10-2 mark, set a new program record in points against Western Connecticut State University, went undefeated at home (12-0), won the Rose City Classic at Drew University and had two 1,000 point scorers - Jill Johnson and Shyla Osmond. Fredette's Lady Falcons had two GNAC All-Conference selections - Shyla Osmond and Rah Rah Thompson - and a D3 National Player of the Week. To top it off, Coach Fredette earned his 100th career win on February 2nd against Norwich University. 

Fredette helped guide the Falcons to an overall record of 18-8 and their sixth straight postseason appearance after clinching the No. 5 seed thanks to an 11-5 league mark. Albertus Magnus started off the winter campaign hot with a 6-1 mark, including a six-game winning streak, and closed out the season with a 6-2 record. For the first time since 20113, Albertus Magnus defeated Johnson & Wales twice and tied the all-time series record at 12-all. 

In his sixth year, Fredette was led by the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.). She earned numerous honors, including being named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was named to the GNAC All-Conference First Team. Along with Bolden, Jill Johnson (North Haven, Conn.) also received postseason honors as she was named to the Third Team.

This past year, 2016-17, Fredette led the Falcons to their fifth straight postseason appearance after clinching the No. 4 seed in the South Division with a 9-7 record. For the second-straight season, the Falcons finished with a 14-12 overall record and set a new program record 117 points in a 117-99 non-conference victory over Pine Manor back on December 6, 2016.

At the end of the season, junior forward Olivia Bolden and senior Liz Falcigno both earned All-GNAC honors. Bolden was named to the first team, while Falcigno landed on the second team. Bolden also became the 12th player in program history to record her 1,000th career point.

In 2015-16, the team finished with a 14-12 overall record and earned the No. 6 seed in the GNAC Tournament thanks to a 6-5 mark in league play. In his fourth year at the program's helm, Fredette led the Falcons to post-season play for the fourth season in a row. During the winter, AMC went 9-5 at home and scored road conference wins versus Lasell and Simmons. The team ran off a season-best seven-game winning streak from January into early February.

Following the season, sophomore forward Olivia Bolden and junior guard Liz Falcigno both earned All-GNAC honors. Bolden was named to the first team, while Falcigno landed on the third team. At the school's annual end-of-the-year athletics banquet, Falcigno was tabbed as the Female Newcomer of the Year, and Kelsey Pendagast brought home the Betsy Fahy Award. 

In 2014-15, Fredette led the Falcons into the GNAC Tournament as the eighth seed. The young program finished the year 11-15 as its 11 victories marked the second season under Fredette when the program registered 10 or more wins.

In 2013-14, the Falcons were led by Lianna Carrero (Hamden, Conn.) and earned numerous national honors throughout the season.  Carrero, who became the College's first-ever Academic All-American in 2013, won the honor again in 2014.  She was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year and the GNAC All-Conference First Team.  She was also a finalist for the Josten's Trophy, a national honor given to male and female student-athlete basketball players each year. 

Carrero was also named to the All-Northeast Region Third Team and ECAC New England Second Team under the leadership of Fredette.

In Coach Fredette's first season at the helm of the Albertus women's basketball program, he led the Falcons to their second-ever 20-win season as they finished the year with a 20-8 overall mark. The Falcons opened the year with seven straight victories and 10 in their first 11 contests for their best start in program history.

The Falcons made both the GNAC and ECAC Tournaments and won a road GNAC Tournament game at Rivier to compete in the conference semifinals against eventual champion Emmanuel College.

Carrero became the program's first-ever All-American when she was tagged as a Capital One Academic All-America Second Team member after earning GNAC All-Conference First Team honors.  Carrero scored her 1000th career point in a five-point victory over St. Joseph's College of Brooklyn at the Barclay Center, home of the NBA's Nets, in Brooklyn, N.Y. on January 5, 2013.

Fredette, who served as an assistant coach at Christian Heritage School in Trumbull, Conn., joined the Albertus Magnus Athletic Department with over eight years of coaching experience.

While at Christian Heritage, he helped guide his team to the 2010-11 Division II Christian National Championship title. Before his time at CHS, Fredette served as an assistant at Florida Atlantic University from 2008 to 2010 after serving as the top assistant at Post University in Waterbury, Conn., since 2004.

Fredette was essential in building Post into one of the top NCAA Division II programs in its region, recruiting and developing four 1,000-point scorers and four All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) players during his four-year tenure with the Eagles.

Fredette helped guide Post to the ECAC regular-season title in 2007, while the team earned the school's first-ever NCAA Division II regional ranking. In 2008, Post captured the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) North Division championship and advanced into the ECAC Division II tournament final.

His basketball coaching experience includes working as a coach and site director for The Hoop Group and the Eastern Invitational Basketball Clinic, where he managed and instructed high school players while teaching the physical and mental aspects of the game.

With a background in education, Fredette began his professional career in 2003 as a teacher in Bridgeport, Conn., and spent three years as the head golf coach at Bridgeport's Warren G. Harding High School. Additionally, Fredette took on the role of head men's and women's tennis coach at Post in 2007-08.

He also coached the Albertus men's and women's cross-country teams in 2013.

Fredette played three years of varsity basketball at fellow GNAC member Mount Ida College in Newton, Mass., where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts.

Coach Fredette's All-Time Coaching Record at Albertus Magnus College

 * - did not compete due to COVID-19 pandemic