ALFRED, NY – Some 160 members of the 2016 Alfred University team – players, coaches and staff – received championship rings Friday commemorating the Saxons' record-setting 2016 season.

The University hosted the ring ceremony in Holmes Auditorium, Harder Hall. The rings were given to honor the 2016 Saxons for capturing the Empire 8 Conference title and advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III championship tournament, concluding the most successful season in school history with a 12-1 record. 

Alfred University President Mark Zupan, head football coach Bob Rankl and Athletic Director Paul Vecchio spoke as part of the festivities, as did Alfred University alumnus Russ Cesari, '67.

Cesari and fellow 1967 AU alumnus Mark Mertel each gave $15,000 toward the ring purchases. Their gifts covered nearly 80 percent of the costs so that each football student-athlete – all of whom contributed to Saxon Nation at the student level – would not incur any other costs.

Saxon Nation, an organization of alumni and friends that raises funds for AU intercollegiate athletics, provides $50 in support of championship memorabilia (plaques or rings) for members of all Saxon teams that win Empire 8 titles or advance to the NCAA Championships, as well as those who advance to NCAA Tournaments in individual sports like swimming and diving, cross country and track and field.

Cesari was a member of the 1964 AU football team that played in the "Miracle at Merrill" game in 1964, when the Saxons, as heavy underdogs, beat nationally-ranked Susquehanna University on Merrill Field. He congratulated the team for its success last fall, and told players their rings will serve as a reminder throughout their lives of the special 2016 season.

"You'll enjoy the rings even more 25 years from now, and you'll enjoy them even more than that 50 years from now," he said. "You're winners and these rings will remind you of that."

The 2016 Saxons went 10-0 in the regular season, claiming the Empire 8 Conference crown and becoming the first team in Empire 8 history to go through a season unbeaten. The Saxons were the top seed in their region of the NCAA tournament, and hosted three games. AU defeated Bridgewater (MA) State and Western New England in the first two rounds before falling to Mount Union in an Elite 8 shootout at Yunevich Stadium.

The Saxons won a school-record 12 games and were named winners of the Lambert Cup as the top Division III team in the East. It marked the first time since 1971 that an Alfred University team earned the Lambert Cup.

 "We'll forever be grateful for the magic you created this fall season," Zupan told the team.

Vecchio ticked off a list of the team's accomplishment on the field before turning his attention to the Saxons' other valuable contributions, from the players' success in the classroom to their betterment of the local communities through various service initiatives. "For me, what makes this team special is its performance off the field as well as on," he said.

Several Saxons enjoyed outstanding seasons, including junior linebacker A.J. LiCata, who was named Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, ECAC North Defensive Player of the Year, and earned AFCA, D3football.com, and Associated Press All-American designation; and senior quarterback Tyler Johnson, who was Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year and D3football.com East Region Offensive Player of the year and a D3football.com All-American.

Three other Saxons, senior offensive linemen Kevin LaMarque, Sean Murphy and David Sylvester, were also named All-Americans, and a total of 15 Saxon players were named Empire 8 Conference All-Stars.

LiCata was also named Jay Berwanger Division III Player of the Year by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association, and was a semi-finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy. The Gagliardi Trophy is an annual award that recognizes excellence in Division III football, taking into account athletics, academics and community service.

Rankl led a group of Saxon coaches who were honored as Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. Rankl was also named ECAC North Coach of the Year, D3football.com East Region Coach of the Year, and AFCA Division III Region 1 Coach of the Year.

The Saxons also achieved excellence in the classroom, as three members of the team – LiCata, senior defensive lineman Zach Brinkley and senior defensive back Shyheim Wingate – were named CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees.

At the end of Friday's ceremony, Rankl presented rings to Zupan, Vecchio and former Saxon football player Julio Fuentes. Fuentes is a former standout tailback on the AU football team who suffered a severe spinal injury during a 2006 game at Alfred University's Merrill Field that left him unable to walk. In the decade since his injury, Fuentes underwent intense physical therapy, the last few years at Rehabilitation Today in his hometown of Olean, NY, with the hopes of someday walking again.
 
Fuentes' younger brother, Maleke, is a wide receiver for the Saxons who earned First Team Empire 8 All-Conference honors this year. Julio has been on hand for several of Maleke's games at Alfred, and last fall he was at the team's 2016 home opener against Husson, participating in the pregame coin toss as an honorary captain. As he left the field following the coin toss, he stopped his wheelchair. With assistance from staff from Rehab Today, he rose to a standing position and, with a capacity crowd and members of both teams cheering him on, walked the final 15 yards off the field.
 
Last October, Zupan presented Fuentes with a Fiat Lux! Award, which honors outstanding accomplishments of AU students and on Friday, he recognized him for the perseverance he has shown over the last decade and the example he has set for others.

"You don't always get to pick your challenges," Zupan said to Fuentes, who was in attendance Friday with his fiancée, Heather. "But we can choose how we confront them. There can be no more inspiring example than you, Julio. Thank you."

Vecchio credited Fuentes with providing inspiration to the Saxons, which remained with them all season. "If there was ever karma that could envelop a team, it happened that day," Vecchio said of Fuentes' display of courage and determination before the season's opening game.

Rankl said "no player has inspired me more" than Julio Fuentes before presenting him with a championship ring.

Fuentes has accepted an offer from the AU Board of Trustees to return to Alfred University to complete his studies. A criminal justice major prior to his injury, he hopes to earn a degree in counseling.