Ithaca College

The Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame will admit 10 new members in its annual induction ceremony on September 12.

The event will be held in the Emerson Suites on campus as part of Ithaca's Homecoming Weekend. The 10 inductees represent seven sports.

Shawn Benoliel '82 helped the women's lacrosse team to a four-year record of 40-12 with a pair of state championships. During her career she collected 206 points in 54 games, a scoring record that lasted 21 years. Benoliel still holds IC records with 170 career goals, 3.3 goals per game in her career, and 4.2 goals per game in 1981.

Ron Cole '53 earned first-team all-East honors as a baseball first baseman in 1951. A year later he wrapped up his career with the program's highest career batting average -- .430. Cole (who also played basketball and soccer here) helped Ithaca to a combined record of 26-3 during his sophomore and junior seasons, leaving to sign a professional contract in 1953. He played two years in the Philadelphia Phillies' minor-league system and then spent 30 years as a baseball coach and physical education teacher at Kingston High School.

Steve Dunham '94 is one of just three men's basketball players at Ithaca to earn all-America honors twice. A two-time Empire Athletic Association all-star and the league's Player of the Year as a senior, he scored 1,120 career points (11th on the program's all-time list). Dunham shared the 1994 Ben Light Award, given to the top male athlete in Ithaca's senior class. He also earned academic all-America honors and helped lead Ithaca to three postseason appearances, including the 1993 NCAA playoffs.

A standout baseball and basketball player, Dave Hollowell '73 earned academic all-America honors three times in both sports. He is one of just five Division III athletes to be named to six academic all-America teams. Hollowell ranks among the basketball program's career leaders in scoring (third with 17.8 ppg and seventh with 1,190 points) and rebounds (10th with 553) and was an honorable mention all-America selection by the Associated Press as a junior and senior. As a first baseman with the baseball team, he batted .303 with six home runs and 39 RBI's in 64 games. Hollowell participated in the NCAA playoffs in both sports.

Ray Kirkgasser '51 '52 holds the distinction of being the only Ithaca College athlete to be drafted by the National Basketball Association. A 1951 draft choice of the Syracuse Nationals, he also received an offer to play professional baseball, turning down a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Kirkgasser played both sports at Ithaca and was captain and MVP of the basketball team as a senior. He spent 23 years coaching baseball at Perry Central School and also served as director of athletics during his 30 years there.

Ron Segal '63 earned all-America honors as an offensive end with the IC football team. He caught 10 passes, including three for touchdowns, in 1961. Segal was a first-team selection to the all-small college team that year and was invited to play in the small college "Gun Bowl". He was also the football team's punter and also played baseball at Ithaca. Segal was a long-time member of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association after graduation and was a baseball and swimming official.

Jim Shaw '74, who is being inducted posthumously, was one of the top scorers for the men's lacrosse team. He scored 193 points -- fourth on the program's all-time list. He ranks among Ithaca's career leaders in goals (fifth with 122) and assists (eighth with 71). Only one Ithacan averaged more than Shaw's 3.05 goals per game over his career. Ithaca won 31 of 40 games during his career; as a senior he helped IC win the program's first ECAC title. He also played football at Ithaca.

Matt Sorochinsky '94 is one of just five Ithaca wrestlers to earn all-state honors four times. The two-time all-American placed third at the NCAA championships as a junior and was the national runner-up at 158 pounds in 1994. With a career record of 107-32-3, he is tied for sixth on the school's career victories list. Sorochinsky, who helped Ithaca win the 1994 NCAA title, was a three-time conference champion.

Tim Torrey '86 was a two-time all-American linebacker for the football team. He earned second-team honors in 1984 and was a consensus first-team selection as a senior, helping the Ithaca to the Stagg Bowl. He finished his career sixth on Ithaca's career list with 228 tackles. Torrey recorded 37 sacks during his last two years, including 22 (in 13 games) as a senior.

Arnold Wilhelm was a long-time coach, professor and administrator at Ithaca College. He spent five years as an assistant coach with the football, men's basketball, and baseball teams before being named director of the School of Physical Education. He later served as that school's acting dean and associate dean. Wilhelm was the president of the New York State Council of Administrators for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (NYSCAHPER) in 1964 and that organization's chairman in 1968. He received the NYSCAHPER's Life Membership Award in 1971.

The inaugural Ithaca College Sports Hall of Fame ceremony took place in 1969 when 15 individuals were named as charter members. A total of 220 athletes, coaches and administrators have been inducted in the past 34 years.

Contributed by Michael Warwick