This month's 'Cat Couple technically should be labeled "Colonial Couple." Baseball player Andy Fiedler '98 and soccer player Corey Grabon '99 were proud Colonials, graduating just before the nickname change to Bearcats took place in Summer 1999.
Some 3+ years earlier, their paths crossed in the West Gym in Fall 1995. Grabon was a freshman forward on a BU women's soccer team that was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation. She was the team's leading scorer and an all-conference selection with blazing speed and 1-on-1 talents. Fiedler, meanwhile, was a power-hitting, sophomore first baseman on a baseball team that was coming off a school-record 20-win season in 1995. Both the women's soccer and baseball programs were highly competitive regionally and their success, along with other sports teams at the University, gave credence to the likelihood that the school could elevate to NCAA Division II (and then Division I) status and be successful. The pair was likely unaware that they were helping lay the foundation for the department's historic rise in stature.
Early beginnings at West Gym, CIW
With just one building housing all 19 sports (pre-Events Center), the student-athlete body intersected often and the pair had a lot of mutual friends. Both Andy and Corey figure they spotted each other at the West Gym or in College-in-the-Woods, where they both lived. Neither remembers the exact day they met but both recall their first official "date," which took place at the on-campus Pub. "It was April Fool's Day in 1996," Andy says.
In the summer things started to get more serious. Andy visited Corey in her hometown of East Aurora, a Buffalo suburb, and they saw each other a few other times. By fall they were an item, but Corey wasn't exactly sure where the relationship was headed. Until the flowers arrived …
"I had hurt my knee but was still playing … and Andy knew I was stressed," she says. "When I came back from a road trip, he had left some flowers in my dorm room. Super sweet!"
As for the qualities that drew them to one another?
"We have always had a lot of fun together," Corey says. "Andy continues to make me laugh every day. I also admire his thoughtfulness and loyalty to his friends and family. We share the same interests (sports, travel, etc.) and he is handsome, of course!"
"Corey was smart, fun and a goal scorer," Andy says. "She also had the unique ability to hang with me and friends. Most times, she was the only girl to be seen inside 40 LeRoy Street (baseball house)."
Both mentioned the mixers between the baseball and women's soccer teams and just hanging out at the baseball or soccer house (on Edwards Street and then Chestnut Street) with teammates and friends as fond memories.
Opposite seasons helped
"Since my season was in the fall and his was the spring, he and his friends would watch our games from the tree near the soccer field," Corey recalls. "I was able to see a lot of his baseball games, heading over to the field after soccer practice or making some road trips to the other SUNY schools."
The pair both grew close to fellow baseball player Jon Stern, Andy's teammate, roommate and fellow captain, who passed away tragically of cancer in 2013. "We were always together," Andy says of Stern. "He was the guy who never let me miss a single practice. We both miss him so much … #18 … the best ever."
Fiedler finished his stellar career in 1998, graduating with school records of 153 hits in 131 RBI in 137 career games. After graduating with a degree in geology, he relocated in Maryland to start his professional career.
Grabon, meanwhile, returned for her senior year – the school's first as a Division II program in the New England Collegiate Conference. Thanks in part to her team-high 10 goals and 26 points, the team went 14-3-1, finished runnerup in the conference and then won a pair of games to capture the ECAC Championship. She was then honored with the prestigious John Bilos Award for career achievements at Binghamton.
Pair got their post-Binghamton start in Maryland
After graduating with a degree in business administration, Grabon joined Fiedler in Bethesda, Md. and attended George Washington for graduate school. After multiple apartment moves in Manhattan and the Bronx, the pair married in 2004 and shortly thereafter moved to Topsfield, Mass. on the Northshore of Boston.
Their wedding on May 8, 2004, drew dozens of friends from Binghamton, including student-athletes from the baseball, women's soccer, men's soccer and swim teams.
Fast forward to 2018 and as the pair approaches their 15-year wedding anniversary, they have two sons, Jack (age 11) and Luke (9) who are both active in soccer, basketball and baseball.
"Soccer is their favorite sport … a win for mom!" Corey says. "Though Andy would argue that he is the better all-around athlete, I'll just say thank God our kids got their speed and endurance from their mom!" she adds.
As parents, they both are volunteer coaches for soccer and Little League and keep in shape with their own adult-league games.
Family vacations are a staple
Firmly entrenched in Topsfield, the Fiedler family enjoys life just 15 minutes from the ocean and two hours from skiing. They enjoy their friends and take a ski trip out West each winter. "Andy also plans great vacations each summer to a national park," Corey says. "This year we are headed to the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell."
Andy works as a senior project manager for EBI, an environmental consulting firm. Corey is Vice President of Product Management for Broadridge Financial Solutions.
While their young family keeps them busy, the Fiedlers haven't been back to campus in recent years, but both carry fond memories of their sports and friendships.
"I met so many incredible, lifelong friends while at Binghamton," Andy says. "Moving to college at age 18 as a student-athlete was challenging … but it taught me how to be independent, while being a good teammate and friend. I wouldn't change a thing."
"We tell our kids all the time … the benefits of playing college sports extend so far beyond the competition – leadership and time management skills, work ethic, teamwork but most importantly the relationships," Corey says. "I don't remember too many specifics about the games but I do still have the lifelong friendships. Andy and I started our life together at Binghamton and all of my memories are so fond."
