A total of eight new members will be inducted into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame. The annual induction ceremony will be held Oct. 14, in the college’s Emerson Suites. The eight inductees represent 10 sports. Joining the Hall of Fame will be Ron Amato ’01, Dave Dasch ’86, Brian DeLola ’90, Ann DelSignore ’93, Erin DeMarco ’01, Rhonda Faunce ’85, Laura Remia ’01 and Tom Schoen ’71.
Ron Amato ’01 is the only Bomber to earn all-America honors in both football and baseball. A 2000 consensus all-American as a free safety, he set Ithaca records for interceptions in a season (seven) and career (19). He also ranked third in the nation in punt returns as a senior. A three-time all-region outfielder, Amato earned third-team all-America honors in 2000, finishing his career with a .384 average, 133 runs batted in, 182 hits, 126 runs scored, 41 stolen bases and 57 extra-base hits (including a school-record 19 triples). He won Ithaca’s Ben Light Award as the top male athlete in his senior class.
Dave Dasch ’86 was a two-time all-American infielder with Ithaca’s baseball team, helping the Bombers to four NCAA playoff trips including a third-place finish at the 1985 World Series and a runner-up placing the next year. He batted .407 (fifth all-time at Ithaca) in 133 games, finishing his career with school-record totals of 157 runs scored and 186 hits. He still ranks in Ithaca’s top five in both categories. Dasch earned third-team all-America honors in 1984 and second-team recognition in 1985. He was a finalist for the 1983 Pan-American Games and played two seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization.
Brian DeLola ’90 earned all-region honors three times as a pitcher, finishing his career with a school record 26 victories. His 264.1 innings set another Ithaca record and his 170 strikeouts ranked fourth. DeLola was a first-team all-conference pick three times and went 8-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 1988, helping the Bombers win their second NCAA championship. He’s one of three Bombers to win eight games in a season more than once.
The track & field program’s first national champion, Ann DelSignore ’93 won the 5,000-meter run at the 1992 NCAA Indoor Championships. She still holds the school record in that event as well as the indoor 3,000-meter run (they’re the program’s second and third-oldest records). DelSignore earned all-America honors in cross country with a 13th-place finish at the 1991 NCAA Championships after winning the state, regional and ECAC titles. She was a two-time all-American in outdoor track & field (placing fifth in the 5,000-meter run and sixth in the 10,000-meter run).
Erin DeMarco ’01 is one of just two Ithaca players to earn all-America recognition three times in women’s soccer. Despite playing defense most of her career, she scored 31 career points (including a team-best 17 as a senior). DeMarco helped Ithaca to four NCAA playoff appearance, including the 1998 “final four”; she was named to the all-tournament team at that event. As a senior she was named Empire 8 Player of the Year and a second-team academic all-American. She is in her sixth year as head coach at Bryn Mawr College.
Rhonda Faunce ’85 was the school’s first volleyball player to earn all-America honors, receiving honorable mention as a junior and senior. She finished her career with Bomber-record totals of 1,536 kills and 252 aces and set single-season records in both categories during a career that featured Ithaca’s first three NCAA playoff appearances. Faunce has coached the volleyball team at Elmira College (where she’s also the softball coach) for 25 years. She’s led the Soaring Eagles to three NCAA playoff appearances.
The most decorated softball player ever at Ithaca, Laura Remia ’01 is the program’s only three-time all-American and was named national player of the year as a senior. She broke the NCAA Division III record for career home runs, finishing with 49. A four-time all-region selection, she batted .420 with 221 hits, 187 runs batted in, 168 runs scored and 33 stolen bases while leading the Bombers to four NCAA playoff appearances including three trips to the world series. As a senior Remia earned second-team academic all-America honors and won Ithaca’s Iris Carnell Award as the class of 2001’s top female athlete.
Tom Schoen ’71 played football, ice hockey and lacrosse as an athlete, serving as team captain for the latter two sports. He won Ithaca’s Ben Light Award after earning four letters in each sport. Schoen has been a successful coach at the high school and collegiate level for 40 years, including 36 years as football coach at Whitesboro High School (where he’s won 201 games and six Section III titles). Schoen coached football and lacrosse at Dean Junior College, led Whitesboro’s lacrosse team for 10 years and spent 22 years as a coach at Hamilton College, working with the men’s lacrosse, men’s ice hockey and women’s ice hockey teams.
The inaugural Ithaca College Sports Hall of Fame ceremony took place in 1969 when 15 individuals were named as charter members. A total of 302 athletes, coaches and administrators have been inducted in the past 42 years.
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