Ithaca College Director of Athletics Susan Bassett is pleased to announce the 47th Hall of Fame class. This group of eight individuals and two teams will be enshrined on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Athletic and Events Center.
1965 FOOTBALL TEAM
Ithaca’s first and only undefeated team in the program’s 84-year history, the 1965 football squad went 8-0 under the tutelage of Hall of Fame head coach Dick Lyon. The Bombers outscored their opposition, 204-76, and gave up less than seven points in five different games, including a shutout of Clarion in the season-opener on Sept. 18. En route to the perfect season, Ithaca also defeated Southern Connecticut (28-25), Montclair State (19-14), Cortland (13-12), Susquehanna (34-6), C.W. Post (39-6), Bridgeport (15-7) and American International (50-6).
Along with coach Lyon, five other Ithaca College Hall of Famers were a part of this unblemished season – Frank Fazio ’67, James Harris ’66, Leonard Tyler ’66 as players, Jerry Walczak ’66 as a manager and David Wohlhueter ’60 as the school’s sports information director.
1982 FIELD HOCKEY TEAM
The 1982 field hockey team established Ithaca’s tradition of excellence with the school’s first-ever women’s national championship. Hall of Fame coach Doris Kostrinsky guided the Bombers to an 18-3 record, which is the second-most victories in a season. The National Championship was hosted in Elizabethtown, Pa., and Ithaca defeated Trenton State, 2-1, on penalty strokes. Ithaca beat eight colleges that are now NCAA Division I institutions and three DII schools during the campaign. The ’82 team still holds the school record for goals in a season with 103, and Hall of Famer Cathy Foto ’83 remains the program’s all-time leading scorer with 75 goals and 70 assists for 220 points.
Three other members of the ’82 National Championship team are also enshrined in Ithaca’s Hall of Fame – Barbara Wachowiak ’85, Karen Howarth ’86 and Andrea Golden.
KERRI BROWN ’03
Women’s Basketball
Kerri Brown is one of the most prolific scorers in Ithaca College women’s basketball history. Brown ranks third all-time with 1,348 career points and third with 361 career assists. She is also fourth in career field goals made, fourth in free throws made and seventh in points per game. Brown started and played in 111 games over her four-year career, and was a four-time Empire 8 all-conference performer and four-time ECAC All-Star. At the conclusion of her senior season, she was named Empire 8 Player of the Year after averaging 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. Ithaca won three Empire 8 titles and earned three bids into the NCAA Championship when Brown was a member of the team.
STEPHANIE CLEARY ’05
Women’s Basketball
Stephanie Cleary was the first women’s basketball All-American in program history and is Ithaca’s all-time leading scorer with 1,866 points. During the 2003-04 season, Cleary led all players – men’s or women’s – in Division I, II or III in steals per game with 5.7 to become the first women’s basketball player to ever lead a national statistical ranking. In 2004-05, Cleary was the Iris Carnell Senior Female Athlete of the Year, Empire 8 and ECAC Player of the Year, a second team d3hoops.com All-American and WBCA honorable mention All-American. The Bombers participated in the NCAA Division III Championship each of the four years that Cleary was in uniform and won three Empire 8 crowns.
MEGAN HUGHES ’04
Women’s Swimming & Diving
One of the most decorated swimmer’s in Ithaca College history, Megan Hughes was a 16-time All-American, including 10 first team accolades. Hughes competed in each of the four national championships while at IC and helped Bombers’ swimming and diving to a 42-1 dual record from 2000-04. Ithaca also won the Empire 8 and NYSWCAA championships all four seasons. She was a 24-time Empire 8 champion and 18-time NYSWCAA champion throughout individual and relay events. At the Empire 8 and NYSWCAA championships, Hughes set 15 meet records, and was the swimmer of the meet twice. On the top 10 record board at Ithaca, Hughes appears in eight different events.
DAVE PITZER ’77
Men’s Basketball, Football, Men’s Track & Field
Dave Pitzer was a three-sport athlete in basketball, football and track & field at Ithaca College from 1974-77, and was named the college’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1977. On the gridiron, Ithaca went to two Stagg Bowls and compiled a 26-4-1 record with Pitzer in the offensive backfield. In his final two seasons as a running back, Pitzer accumulated nearly 1,600 yards rushing with 17 touchdowns, and was the featured back on the ’75 team that ran for 3,100 yards and 36 touchdowns. On the hardwood, he scored 343 points with 186 rebounds in 57 games.
MICHELLE SCHLEGEL ’04
Women’s Lacrosse
Michelle Schlegel earned seven different All-America honors throughout her four years at Ithaca College. Schelgel was the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in 2001, Player of the Year in 2004, an all-conference performer all four seasons in which she competed as well as a three-time ECAC All-Star. She scored 160 career goals with 88 assists for 248 points and picked up 254 groundballs, which ranks within the top four all-time in each category. Ithaca won three Empire 8 titles with Schlegel on the team, and the Bombers earned their first NCAA victory in a 9-8 win over St. Mary’s in 2001.
RICK SUDDABY
Gymnastics Coach
As head coach of the gymnastics program since 1986, Rick Suddaby has amassed 253 career victories. Under Suddaby’s tutelage in 1998, the Bombers won the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championship. He has been named NCGA Coach of the Year three times and ECAC Coach of the Year once. He has instructed nine student-athletes to individual national championships and mentored 76 All-Americans, to go along with 56 NCGA all-academic selections. From 1986 to 2006, Ithaca won 12 ECAC Championships, and was runner-up six times.
MIKE WELCH ’73
Football Coach
Ithaca College football has won 159 games under the guidance of Mike Welch over the past 21 seasons. Welch has garnered seven Coach of the Year accolades during his tenure and has served as President of the American Football Coaches Association. He has coached Bombers football to eight Empire 8 titles and eight appearances in the NCAA Division III Championship, to go along with four ECAC Bowl games. Ithaca has reached the NCAA semifinals once and the quarterfinals three times. There have been 32 All-Americans to play for Welch since 1994 and two players have been named Empire 8 Player of the Year.
ANDREA GOLDEN
Women’s Lacrosse Coach, Athletic Administration
Andrea Golden spent 15 years at Ithaca as the women’s lacrosse head coach from 1981-95. Golden accumulated the most wins in program history with 118 during that span, including 10 winning seasons and six years with at least 10 victories. She guided the women’s lacrosse program to two NCAA appearances in 1989 and 1993, and mentored nine student-athletes to All-America status. Golden also served as an assistant coach for the field hockey program and was on the sidelines for the 1982 National Championship. Four current Hall of Famers played for Golden during her tenure – Leslie Green Block ’98, Amanda Mabee Hope ’97, Shawn Benoliel Lawrence ’82 and Margaret Pilling Rux ’81.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20150601122536863