New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz announced the winners of the department's Female and Male Athlete of the Year awards Friday.

The Carol Eckman award recognized the most outstanding female athlete of the year at SUNY New Paltz. The winners of this award not only show talent and ability during competition, but exhibit high leadership qualities while elevating their respective teams and programs.

The 2026 Carol Eckman Female Athlete of the Year: Brianna Fitzgerald (graduate, women's basketball)

Before earning her third Carol Eckman Female Athlete of the Year award, Fitzgerald concluded her illustrious career as a Hawk with her best year to date. The Dix Hills, NY native led an underclassmen-heavy squad to a SUNYAC championship and an NCAA tournament berth, where the team made it to the second round of action. 

Fitzgerald swept postseason awards, earning All-SUNYAC First team honors, while taking home the conference's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year nods. The graduate student also earned the All-Region III Most Outstanding Player of the Year and was named to the D3Hoops.com All-Region III First Team. 

Most notably, Fitzgerald earned her third D3Hoops.com All-American honor, making the Third Team and becoming the program's first three-time D3Hoops All-American. She was also the program's first WBCA All-American First Team selection. 

Fitzgerald started and played in all 29 games, winning 26 to mark her last season as the program's winningest. She led the team in nearly every statistical category, ending first in minutes (930), points (525), rebounds (258), assists (110), and blocks (37). Her productivity on the court placed her as the program's all-time points leader with 1,905 and all-time steals leader with 305. Fitzgerald also ends second in all-time rebounds (853) and fourth in all-time steals (305) and assists (354). 

Making more history, Fitzgerald was the first Hawk to record a quadruple-double, with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and 11 steals against the Potsdam Bears in the Hawk Center on January 23. She joins an exclusive list of fewer than 20 athletes across all three NCAA divisions who have completed the feat. 

Fitzgerald is the seventh women's basketball player to earn Female Athlete of the Year honors, joining an exclusive group of former Hawks, including Maddie Van Pelt, Lindsay Bettke, Rachel Simon, Morgan Roessler, Robin Shields, Denise Ortiz and Karen Hain. 


The Floyd Patterson Male Athlete of the Year award recognizes to the most outstanding male athlete of the year. The winners of this award have positively impacted their teams and programs while being a go to teammate in big moments and big competitions. 

The 2026 Floyd Patterson Male Athlete of the Year: Matt Sarni (senior, baseball)

Sarni ends his career with a stellar final year, solidifying himself as one of the best athletes to suit up for the SUNY New Paltz baseball program.

Capping off his senior campaign with his third-straight All-SUNYAC First Team selection, the Levittown, NY native joins just three other players in the program to earn three consecutive First Team selections. The three conference nods stand alongside an ABCA All-Region III Third Team honor, earned in 2024 after Sarni helped lead the team to their first ever SUNYAC Championship.

Starting in all 37 games this season, Sarni led the team in multiple statistical categories, including hits (53), doubles (11), batting average (.368), at bats (144), runs scored (47), total bases (67), slugging percentage (.465) and stolen bases (26-30). 

Defensively, the senior was the jack of all trades for the Hawks. Mainly playing shortstop, Sarni registered 155 chances with 60 putouts, 86 assists, 19 double plays and a .942 fielding percentage. However, he also assumed pitching duties in seven games, pitching 14.1 innings. Sarni struck out 14 batters and notched two saves on the year, and had a season high five strikeouts against Oswego. 

The senior reached multiple career-highs across the season, including hits with four against Oneonta, assists with six against Oswego, and bases stolen with three against Westfield State. Sarni was also named to his first SUNYAC Baseball Athlete of the Week honor early in the season after a standout performance in the Hawks' three-game series against Virginia Wesleyan.  

Sarni joins six other Floyd Patterson winners from the Hawks baseball program, including Chris Chismar, Tyler Terlecky, John DeKams, Shawn M. Francis and former teammate Tommy Kreider, who is the only former baseball player to be a two time recipient of the award.