MIAMI – Track and field’s Michaelle Valentin and football’s Eric Rivers have been named FIU’s 2024-25 Student-Athletes of the Year, while women’s soccer earned the distinction of FIU Athletics Team of the Year, as announced Friday afternoon.

Valentin and Rivers received FIU’s highest individual athletic honor after earning both conference and national recognition for their performances, including All-America honors.

FIU Women’s Soccer earned Team of the Year after a historic campaign in 2024, capturing its first-ever Conference USA Regular Season and Tournament titles and making the program’s third appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Valentin was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year for the third straight season, capping off a decorated career in the Blue & Gold. The graduate student earned First Team All-America honors for the first time after qualifying for the finals in the discus at the 2025 NCAA Championships. The Apopka, Fla. native was also named the 2025 Conference USA Field Athlete of the Year.

She became the first-ever FIU track & field athlete in the Conference USA era to earn an Athlete of the Year award. Valentin racked up six CUSA Field Athlete of the Week honors during the year — three in the indoor season and three outdoors. The Haitian national concludes her Panther career as a three-time outdoor All-American in the discus, adding 2025 First Team honors to Second Team selections in 2023 and 2024. She also earned Second Team All-America honors in the hammer throw in 2024 and weight throw during the 2025 indoor season.

Rivers delivered a standout senior season, setting the FIU single-season record with 1,172 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns — both leading Conference USA. For his performance, he was named First Team All-CUSA and became the first FIU football player to earn Associated Press All-America honors.

He finished the year ranked fifth nationally in receiving yards and fourth in touchdown receptions. His 12 touchdown grabs were also a new single-season school record. Rivers recorded five 100-yard receiving games, including a remarkable 295-yard performance against New Mexico State — the second-highest single-game total in FBS for the 2024 season.

Women’s soccer wrapped up one of the most successful seasons in program history with 13 wins — tied for the second-most all-time — and both CUSA regular season and tournament championships. The Panthers clinched the tournament title with a win over Liberty in the championship match.

Noemi Paquin led the way as the CUSA Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, scoring 15 goals — the most by a Panther since 2001 and sixth-most in a single season in program history. She finished top-15 nationally in goals scored.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 24, 2025) – The U.S. Boys U19 National Team was unable to maintain the momentum of a strong first set, dropping its opener at the FIVB U19 World Championship, 3-1 (17-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-20) to Finland on Thursday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The U.S. finished with one more kill (49-48). Finland led in blocks (11-6) and aces (4-2), while committing three fewer errors.

Outside hitter Grant Lamoureux led the U.S. with 14 kills and eight successful receptions, while adding seven digs. Fellow outside Myles Jordan scored 13 points on 11 kills, one block and one ace. Middle blocker Roman Payne totaled 12 points on nine kills and three blocks.

Libero Layton Bluth led the team with 11 digs. Elan Taylor recorded nine kills and seven digs, and middle blocker Luc Soerensen added five points on four kills and a block. Setter Lucas Helle contributed a kill, block and an ace.

The first set was even at 10 when the U.S. went on a 7-1 run, highlighted when Lamoureux put a ball straight down on a back row attack to force a Finland timeout. A Taylor block extended the lead to eight, 20-12.

With a 21-15 lead, the U.S. showed its balance with Lamoureux, Payne and Taylor recording consecutive kills for set point. Taylor closed out the set with his third kill and fourth point. Lamoureux finished with four kills.

An ace put Finland up by four in the second set, 14-10. Payne put together back-to-back kills to cut the margin to two. A tough Helle serve led to a Sorensen kill on an overpass to cut the deficit to one point, 16-15, but Finland ended the set on a 10-2 run. Taylor scored four points on three kills and an ace, while Payne and Lamoureux each added three kills.

The U.S. used a 4-0 run to even the third set at 17. Kills by Lamoureux and Jordan, along with an ace by Helle, keyed the run. Finland scored the next two points and did not trail the rest of the set.

Kills by Soerensen (19-18) and Lamoureux (20-19) cut the lead back to one, but Finland took a 2-1 lead in the match by finishing the set on 5-2 run. Lamoureux led the way with four points.

Finland scored the first four points of the fourth set and jumped out to a 7-1 lead. Down 10-3, the U.S. called a timeout and went on a 7-2 run to cut the lead back to two on a kill by Jordan. After a timeout, Finland responded with an 8-3 run to take control of the set. Jordan led the U.S. with five kills.

2025 Boys U19 National Team World Championship Roster

Name (Pos., Ht., Hometown, School, USAV Region)
1 Layton Bluth (L, 5-8, Gilbert, Ariz., Casteel HS, Northern California)
4 Lucas Helle (S, 6-4, Pauline, S.C., Dorman HS, Palmetto)
5 Elan Taylor (OH, 6-4, San Jose, Calif., Valley Christian HS, Northern California)
8 Myles Jordan (OH, 6-5, Houston, Texas, Ridge Point HS, Lonestar)
10 Noah Douphner (OH, 6-6, Stevenson Ranch, Calif., West Ranch HS, Southern California)
12 Rafael Urbina (S, 6-6, Broomfield, Colo., Legacy HS, Rocky Mountain)
14 Aleksey Mikhailenko (OH, 6-8, Mequon, Wis., Homestead HS, Badger)
16 Luc Soerensen (MB, 6-8, Meadville, Pa., Meadville Area Senior HS, Keystone)
19 Roman Payne (MB, 7-0, Carlsbad, Calif., Carlsbad HS, Southern California)
20 Grant Lamoureux (OH, 6-10, Clemmons, N.C., Pepperdine University, Carolina)
21 William Dryden (OPP, 6-7, Los Gatos, Calif., Archbishop Mitty HS, Northern California)
23 Corbin Batista (OPP, 6-7, St. George, Utah, Alta HS, Intermountain)
28 Thomas Henige (MB, 6-9, Glendale, Ariz., Perry HS, Arizona)

Coaches

Head Coach: Charlie Sullivan (Springfield College)
Assistant Coach: Jonah Carson (MVVC)
Assistant Coach: Patrick Shawaryn (Penn State)
Performance Analyst: AJ Ruttenberg (UCLA)
Team Doctor: Dr. Chris Cornell (Coduhi Clinic)
Team Lead: Donovan Martinez (NTDP)

2025 Boys U19 World Championship Schedule
All times Pacific

July 24: Finland def. USA, 3-1 (17-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-20)
July 25: USA vs. Cuba, 8 a.m.
July 26: USA vs. Colombia, 8 a.m.
July 28: USA vs. Brazil, 8 a.m.
July 29: USA vs. Korea, 8 a.m.
July 30: Playoffs/Round of 16, TBA
Aug. 1: Playoffs/Quarterfinals, TBA
Aug. 2: Playoffs/Semifinals, TBA
Aug. 3: Finals, TBA

MOSCOW, Idaho – The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its annual All-Academic teams for the 2025 Track and Field Season. 

The organization selects teams as well as individuals from those teams who have established themselves as the highest performing students in their classrooms. Eight All-Academic lists are released each year. One on the men’s side and one on the women’s for DI, DII, DIII, and NAIA Track and Field.

The criteria for a DI team to earn All-Academic honors is as follows.

The cumulative GPA for all student-athletes on the institution’s NCAA Squad List for

Indoor and/or Outdoor Track and Field must be 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, including

the most recent grading period, certifiable by either NCAA Faculty Rep or NCAA

Compliance Coordinator or Registrar’s Office.

The cumulative GPA of all student-athletes on the institution’s NCAA Squad List for

Indoor and/or Outdoor Track and Field must be computed by the following method:

a. Total the cumulative number of semester hours or quarter hours earned for all

student-athletes on the NCAA Squad List including the most recent grading

Period;

b. Total the cumulative number of quality points earned by all student-athletes

including the most recent grading period;

c. Divide the cumulative number of quality points earned by the cumulative number

of semester or quarter hours earned.

According to the USTFCCCA, Both Idaho’s men’s and women’s team have made the list each year since 2010, a tradition that continued for this week as both Vandal squads were selected as All-Academic Teams. The women averaged a 3.67 GPA across the board while the men earned a 3.6. 

This establishes Idaho Track and Field among the top-performing teams academically in all of Division I, as the men’s average was the sixth-best of the 250+ schools listed and the women ranked #17 in the same. 

On top of the team-wide honors, four Vandals earned individual All-Academic honors for their work in the classroom. Jesuye Doherty represented the Idaho men with his first career nomination, and Mia Sylvester, Katja Pattis, and Constanze Paoli collected nods for the women. The nomination criteria for individual athletes is listed below. 

Cumulative GPA: 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, certifiable by either NCAA Faculty Rep or NCAA Compliance Coordinator or Registrar’s Office.

Institutions utilizing a different GPA scale must convert the GPA to a 4.0 scale using the standard conversion method [GPA/Scale x 4.0].

Athletic criteria for the award can be met in either the indoor season, the outdoor season, or both:

For the indoor season: must have finished the season ranked in the top 96 in any championship individual event, or in the top 48 in any championship relay event, for the most recent indoor season, certifiable by their place on final season performance lists on TFRRS for Indoor Track and Field (including performances achieved outside the qualifying window during the indoor season).

For the outdoor season: must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships (the Preliminary Championship Competition and/or the Final Championship Competition) or must have finished the season ranked in the top 48 in the East or top 48 in the West for the most recent outdoor season, certifiable by place on the NCAA Division I descending order list on TFRRS for Outdoor Track and Field.

Must have completed at least two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters at the certifying institution.

This marks the end of a sensational year for these four Vandals, as they each collected either an All-Conference nod or a Big Sky title at the league outdoor meet. Additionally, Sylvester, Pattis, and Paoli each earned berths to the NCAA West Regionals, and Pattis was named Honorable Mention All-American at the national championships. 

The full list of the USTFCCCA’s All-Academic awards can be found HERE.

FOLLOW THE VANDALS

To stay up to date on Idaho Track and Field, follow the team on Instagram (idahotrack) and visit govandals.com 

The announcement comes about one year after Concordia became the first university in Texas to begin forming a women’s flag football program, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

“Adding beach volleyball creates another path for female student athletes to compete and lead,” Concordia interim Director of Athletics Matt Wallis said in the release.

Meet the players

The team will be led by Amy Farber Teal, who will bring over three decades of coaching experience to the court, per the release. Concordia officials announced Teal as the head coach of the university’s volleyball program earlier this year, according to Concordia’s website.

“This team will be about building a community of strong, empowered and driven female athletes who are united by purpose and commitment to growing together in mind, body and spirit,” Teal said in the release.

The details

The beach volleyball team will train and compete at the Austin Sports Center in Cedar Park through a partnership with Austin Junior Volleyball and League One Volleyball.

Facility planning is underway, and recruiting for the team’s first roster will begin in the fall. The new program will:

• Begin recruitment this summer
• Release an official schedule this fall
• Begin competition in spring 2026

Online Banquet Registration  |  Rock Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University Athletics Hall of Fame Committee has announced the seven-member class of 2025 that will be enshrined at the annual Rock Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet Sept 12, along with a Special Recognition Award honoree.
 
The Class of 2025 includes:
• Bret Geishauser – Football (class of 1998)
• Casey (Quinn) Jacoby – Women’s Lacrosse (class of 2012)

• Kevin Jewel – Men’s Track & Field (class of 2014)

• Allison (Smith) Keck – Women’s Track & Field (class of 2010)
• Will Kengor – Baseball (class of 2016)
• Lynn (Portzer) Kime – Women’s Gymnastics (class of 1978)
• Rick Magulick – Football (class of 1999)
 
Special Recognition Award:
• The 1995 women’s water polo team will be recognized for the 30th anniversary of its 1995 national championship.
 
The 41st annual induction ceremony is set for Friday evening, Sept. 12 at the Robert Smith Student Center Ballroom. A reception will take place from 5-6 p.m. followed by dinner and the induction ceremonies beginning at 6 p.m. Inductees will also be recognized at halftime of The Rock football game against Shepherd Saturday, Sept. 13 with kickoff set for 6 p.m.
 
Tickets for the 2025 SRU Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are $70 each for adults and include beverages and appetizers during the reception, dinner Friday evening and a ticket to Saturday’s football game. A full table (eight tickets) can be purchased for $560. Children 12 and under will be admitted for $20. All tickets include access to the social hour and a catered dinner. Tickets can be ordered online at the link above. Any questions should be directed to the Athletics Office at 724.738.4117.
 
The addition of the seven-person Class of 2025 increases the number of former SRU student-athletes, coaches and contributors inducted into the Hall of Fame to 285 since the inaugural class was inducted in 1984.
 
The following are brief profiles of members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2025, listed in alphabetical order.

 
BRET GEISHAUSER
– Sport: Football
– Graduation Years: 1998
– Highlights: All-American defensive back that owns the SRU career record for passes defended, two-time All-PSAC, All-American in 1997, played the 1998 Snow Bowl, also served as an assistant coach at SRU from 1998-00 and was part of historic four-year run for the program.
 
Bret Geishauser was an integral part of a historic late 1990s run for The Rock football team that included four straight PSAC titles, three trips to the national playoffs and a No. 2 national ranking, the highest in program history.
 
A two-time All-PSAC defensive back, Geishauser was a first team All-PSAC selection and went on to earn All-America honors in 1997 following his senior season. He was named the defensive MVP on the team in 1997 after leading The Rock to the PSAC title and a trip to the national playoffs, which marked the first NCAA Division II playoff appearance for SRU.
 
Geishauser was invited to and played in the 1998 Snow Bowl, which at the time was one of the premier collegiate showcase games for football players. He closed his SRU career as the program’s all-time leader in passes defended (57) after tallying a single-season record 22 pass breakups in 1997. In addition to his excellence on the defensive side of the field, Geishauser was also an elite kick returner who racked up more than 1,000 return yards and averaged just shy of 30 yards per kickoff return.
 
Following his playing career, he served as a graduate assistant coach at The Rock from 1998-00, helping the program to three PSAC titles to cap a stretch of four straight conference titles. He also helped SRU to NCAA appearances in 1998 and 1999, the program’s first trip to the national semifinals and a No. 2 national ranking, which remains the highest in program history.
 
Geishauser went into a coaching career after earning his master’s degree in sport management from SRU. He served as a strength and conditioning assistant coach with the Buffalo Bills in 2000 before spending three seasons as the head strength and conditioning coach at Duquesne, where he also assisted the football program as a wide receivers coach on the 2003 Division IAA national championship team.
 

After moving on from collegiate coaching, Geishauser started his own business and currently serves as the owner of Academy Performance & Exercise (APEx), a fitness equipment supplier. His company supplied most of the equipment for the Jerry Bejbl Weight Room at SRU when the University upgraded the space in recent years. He has also stayed connected to coaching, working as an assistant coach at Bishop Guilfoyle High School since 2011. His squads have won five state championships, including the 2024 state title.
 
Geishauser currently resides in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He is the proud father of two daughters, Ava and Jenna, and is engaged to Andrea Taylor.

 
CASEY (QUINN) JACOBY
– Sport: Women’s Lacrosse
– Graduation Year: 2012
– Highlights: Voted as team MVP all four years of her career, two-time All-PSAC honoree, All-Region selection, still ranks second in program history in goals, third in points, third in caused turnovers and fourth in ground balls. 
 
Casey Jacoby was an integral part of the rebuilding of The Rock lacrosse program and was voted as the most valuable player on the team for all four years of her career between 2009-12. A two-time All-PSAC midfielder and an All-Region selection in 2011, Jacoby tallied 150 goals and 180 points over four seasons. She also caused 92 turnovers and picked up 160 ground balls. After more than a decade, she still ranks in the top four in program history in all four categories, including second in goals, third in scoring, third in caused turnovers and fourth in ground balls.
 
Slippery Rock added women’s lacrosse at the Division II level in 2007 and struggled to get the program off the ground, winning zero games combined in 2007 and 2008, going 0-32 in the first two seasons.
 
Jacoby and a stellar class of freshmen, which included 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Amy Halls, joined the program in 2009 and provided a launch pad that has seen The Rock become one of the best lacrosse programs in the country more than a decade later. The team won five games in 2009, seven games in 2010, 11 games in 2011 and 12 games in 2012, becoming the first team in SRU history to win at least 12 games in a season. After going 0-32 for two seasons before the class of 2012 arrived, The Rock won 35 games over the next four seasons.
 
Since 2011, Slippery Rock has put together eight seasons of at least 10 wins and is coming off an Atlantic Region title and trip to the national semifinals in 2025.
 
After finishing her playing career, Jacoby began her professional career as a collegiate coach and served two seasons as an assistant coach at The Rock in 2013 and 2014. She then spent two years as an assistant coach at Stevens Institute of Technology before moving to the high school level, where she has spent the last eight years as a health and physical education teacher in the Vernon Township School District at Glen Meadow Middle School. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Jacoby also serves as an assistant lacrosse coach and as head soccer coach at Vernon Township High School, as well as a club lacrosse coach with CLC Impact.
 
She earned her bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Slippery Rock in 2012 and picked up a master’s degree in sports science from Lock Haven University in 2016.
 
Jacoby and husband Michael currently resides in Parsippany, New Jersey with their three children, sons Callan and Mason and daughter Teagan.

KEVIN JEWEL
– Sport: Men’s Cross Country / Track & Field
– Graduation Year: 2014
– Highlights: Five-time PSAC champion and 2013 national runner-up in the 800-meter run, broke the all-time PSAC record in the 800-meter run, still holds the SRU and PSAC records in the 800-meter run.
 
Kevin Jewel is still the Slippery Rock record holder in the 800-meter run more than a decade since his final season of competition after he ran a blazing time of 1:49.09 in the finals at the 2013 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships. Because of the altitude in Pueblo, Colorado, Jewel’s adjusted official time of 1:48.51 still stands as the fastest time in PSAC history.
 

Jewel’s effort at nationals in 2013 resulted in a second place finish and a first team All-America honor, making him the highest finishing male distance runner in any outdoor national meet in program history. To date, he is still the only Slippery Rock male track & field athlete to ever earn All-America honors in the 800-meter run.
 
In addition to his individual SRU record in the 800-meter run, Jewel is also still a member of both the indoor and outdoor 4×800-meter relay records at The Rock. He teamed with Tyler Melius, Dalton Zebrak and Morgan Elliott to post a time of 7:41.19 to set the outdoor record in 2013 and teamed with Elliott, Jason Jamieson and Dan Henry to clock a time of 7:46.23 to set the indoor record in 2011.
 
Jewel won five PSAC individual event titles during his career, claiming the outdoor 800-meter run crown three separate times with wins in 2010, 2011 and 2013. He also led The Rock to 4×800-meter relay wins in 2010 indoor and 2013 outdoor. He finished his career as an eight-time All-PSAC honoree and a two-time national qualifier in the 800-meter run, having also placed 15th at nationals in 2011.
 

In addition to his excellence in competition, Jewel was also a standout student in the classroom at SRU. He was named to first team Academic All-America honors in 2013 after also being named to PSAC Spring Top 10 honors. A two-time Academic All-District selection, Jewel also earned All-Academic honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
 

He earned his degree in health and physical education from Slippery Rock in 2014 before embarking on a teaching career. Jewel currently serves as a middle and high school health and physical education teacher in the Sharpsville School District, where he is also the head cross country coach. He formerly served as an assistant track & field coach at Moniteau High School.
 

Jewel married 2016 SRU graduate and former women’s track & field standout Casaundra Swartzbaugh. The couple currently reside in North Versailles, Pennsylvania with their adopted children, Khilyn and Roseallynah.

ALLISON (SMITH) KECK
– Sport: Women’s Track & Field
– Graduation Year: 2010
– Highlights: Two-time SRU graduate with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, standout 400-meter hurdle runner, two-time All-American, nine-time PSAC champion, 18-time All-PSAC honoree and five-time national qualifier.
 
Allison Keck is one of the most decorated intermediate hurdlers in Slippery Rock program history after qualifying for the NCAA Division II National Championships for four straight years in the 400-meter hurdles. She closed her career as a two-time All-American, including a first team All-America honor in the 400-meter hurdles and first team All-America honor in the 4×400-meter relay.
 
Keck broke onto the scene as a freshman in 2008 when she qualified for nationals and took 13th in the 400-meter hurdles at the national meet. She followed that up with a 17th place showing in 2009 during a busy national meet where she ran three different 400-meter races after also running the prelims and finals of the 4×400-meter relay. The team of Keck, Amanda Seigworth, Lacey Cochran and Tiffany Tedesco would go on to finish seventh in the 4×400-meter relay at nationals after setting the SRU record with a time of 3:44.83. Their All-America finish became the first female relay team at SRU since 1982 to earn All-America honors at an outdoor national meet. The same foursome also broke the SRU indoor record in the 4×400-meter relay in 2009 with a time of 3:51.53, a mark that also still stands today.
 
Keck earned a trip to nationals again in 2010, where she improved to 11th in the 400-meter hurdles. She saved her best for last, however, as she qualified again as a senior in 2011 and recorded the best finish of her career with a remarkable fourth place showing in the finals, picking up her first career individual All-America honor. Under the 2025-26 rules, Keck would have been a three-time All-America honoree in the 400-meter hurdles.
 
In addition to her performances at nationals, Keck also picked up nine PSAC titles combined in the 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relays and earned 18 All-PSAC honors combined in the relays, 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles.
 

An exceptional student as well, Keck was an eight-time member of the Dean’s List, a two-time All-Academic selection by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and an Academic All-District honoree. She earned a pair of degrees from The Rock, first earning an undergraduate degree in exercise science in 2010 before completing a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2013.
 
She currently serves as a biology instructor with Portage Learning while also working casually as a physical therapist with Encompass Health of Sewickley.
 
Keck and her husband, Ryan, reside in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania and are the proud parents of three daughters, Mackenzie, Lillian and Isabella.

WILL KENGOR
– Sport: Baseball
– Graduation Year: 2016
– Highlights: Two-time consensus All-American shortstop, two-time consensus first team All-Region, two-time first team All-PSAC honoree, 2014 PSAC West Player of the Year, Academic All-American, 2014 MLB Draft pick by the Detroit Tigers, 10-year professional baseball career.
 
One of the most decorated middle infielders in Slippery Rock program history, Will Kengor still ranks third all-time at The Rock in batting average, fourth in triples, ninth in on-base percentage and ninth in total hits.
 
A four-year standout from 2011-14, Kengor appeared in 167 games and hit .394 with 209 hits, 35 doubles, 13 triples, two home runs and 90 RBI. He also walked 71 times and struck out just 55 times in 531 at-bats. He was the everyday shortstop in every game for the final three seasons of his career from 2012-14, making 146 straight starts.
 
Kengor, who was named the PSAC West Player of the Year in 2014, earned first team All-PSAC honors in both 2013 and 2014 after he hit over .400 in each season. He batted .449 with 79 hits in 2013 and followed that up by batting .415 with 73 hits his senior year in 2014. In addition to the PSAC recognition, Kengor was also named to first team honors on all three All-Region teams in both years and became a consensus All-America selection in both years with a trio of All-America awards in 2013 and 2014. Those All-America honors included a first team selection to the 2014 Daktronics All-America squad.
 
His .449 batting average in 2013 still stands as the fourth best single-season average in program history, while his 79 hits that season are the eighth most in Rock history.
 
Kengor was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 28th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft and would go on to a 10-year professional career that spanned the Minor Leagues and independent professional leagues. He reached as high as the AAA level with an appearance with the Toledo Mudhens before going on to become a three-time All-Star in the Frontier League and the MVP and an All-Star in the Atlantic League in 2019 with the Somerset Patriots. Over a 10-year professional career, Kengor batted .306 with 1,079 hits, 513 RBI and 121 stolen bases in 989 games played.
 
After leaving SRU early to pursue a professional baseball career, he completed his undergraduate degree in communication at The Rock in 2016. Kengor is currently finishing his master’s degree in sports industry management at Georgetown University with an expected completion this December.
 
Kengor married Slippery Rock alumna and former Rock women’s soccer player Toni DiRenzo. The couple currently reside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

LYNN (PORTZER) KIME
– Sport: Gymnastics
– Graduation Year: 1978
– Highlights: All-American in the uneven bars, SRU record setter in the all-around competition, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise, PA Intercollegiate champion on the balance beam, member of PA Intercollegiate championship team and sixth place team at National Championships.
 
Lynn Kime is being posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame on the merits of an exceptional gymnastics career in which she excelled in multiple disciplines while leading The Rock as a team captain.
 
She burst onto the scene at SRU by earning MVP honors as a freshman on the 1974 gymnastics team. She also became the first female athlete to win the N. Kerr Thompson Award for Achievement.
 
Kime would serve as a captain of the team in both her junior and senior seasons. She competed in all the disciplines and at one point in her career would set SRU records for the highest score in the all-around competition, as well as on the balance beam, floor exercise and uneven bars.
 
She helped lead the squad to the PA Intercollegiate Class A state title and was the top point scorer on a team that qualified for the National Championships for the first time in school history. That squad would go on to place sixth at the first-ever small college national meet in 1978.
 
Kime’s best individual performance came in the uneven bars, where she earned All-America honors with a 10th place finish at the 1978 national meet, helping The Rock to a sixth place finish in the final team standings.
 
She is fondly remembered by her teammates for her willingness to work hard and be supportive of the total team efforts. Her teammates fittingly called her the “rock” under pressure.
 
Kime earned her physical education teaching degree from Slippery Rock in 1978 and went on to a teaching career that spanned more than 31 years as a physical education teacher in Boardman Local Schools in Ohio. She worked at both Glenwood Middle School and West Boulevard Elementary School during her tenure.
 
She is survived by her husband, Scott, and the couple’s three children, Mark, Robert and Carissa, along with grandchildren Noah and Connor.

RICK MAGULICK
– Sport: Football
– Graduation Year: 1999
– Highlights: Two-time first team All-PSAC running back, team captain of one of the best teams in program history on the 1998 national semifinalist team, still the SRU record holder for career carries and ranked No. 3 in program history in career rushing yards.
 
Rick Magulick, who was affectionately known as “the mudder” for his ability to rack up huge chunks of yards on wet, muddy grass fields, takes his place in the Hall of Fame after serving as the starting running back during one of the most impactful four-year stretches in Rock football history.
 
He appeared in 49 games over four seasons from 1995-98 and racked up 3,611 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns on 756 carries, finishing his career averaging an impressive 4.8 yards per carry. He also grabbed 29 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns to finish his career with 3,817 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns.
 
His 756 carries still rank as the most in a career in program history, while his 3,611 rushing yards are the third most in SRU history. He also ranks fourth all-time in rushing TD (38), fifth in total TD (40) and tied for seventh in total points scored (242).
 
Magulick was named to first team All-PSAC honors in both 1997 and 1998 after leading The Rock to appearances in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. He ran for 1,131 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1997 and followed that up with 1,171 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1998. He served as team captain in 1998 and led The Rock to an historic upset over No. 2 ranked Indiana (Pa.) during the regular season, launching a deep postseason run that saw SRU reach the national semifinals for the first time in program history.
 
Off the field, Magulick was a stellar student and picked up PSAC Fall Top 10 honors while also being recognized as a finalist for the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. He earned his degree in elementary and special education from The Rock in 1999 and went on to add a master’s degree in special education from Saint Francis University in 2004.
 

Magulick currently serves as a special education teacher at Central Cambria High School, where he also coaches a variety of sports. He has coached sports from the elementary school level to the collegiate level, including a four-year stint as an assistant football coach at Saint Franics University. He has also coached track & field, baseball and basketball, leading multiple teams to conference titles and undefeated seasons.
 
In addition to his coaching, Magulick is also a certified NCAA official, which has allowed him to officiate numerous district playoff games and District 6 Championship games.
 
Magulick and his wife, Amanda, reside in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania with their four children, Kayden, Kendall, Kylee and Kruz.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

– Team: 1994-95 Women’s Water Polo Team
– Highlights: U.S. Collegiate National Champions, Eastern Collegiate Champions, won five other tournaments that year, including the Eastern Tournament, University of Toronto Invite, SRU Tournament and the Southern Championships.
 
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the 1995 women’s water polo team that went on a dominant run to claim the 1995 U.S. National Championship, becoming the first team from outside the state of California to win a women’s national title.
 
The 1995 squad, coached by USA Water Polo Hall of Fame inductee Richard “Doc” Hunkler, posted a 25-3 overall record on the way to winning the national title. The Rock took down Harvard, UCLA, UC Davis and San Diego State on the way to winning the title in dramatic fashion. SRU lost to San Diego State 10-6 earlier in the tournament before bouncing back to defeat the Aztecs 8-7 in the championship game, becoming the first team in women’s water polo history to reach the championship match after losing once in the prelims.
 
Slippery Rock also claimed the Eastern Collegiate Championships title that year after going 5-0 in the tournament with wins over Harvard, Bucknell, Maryland and Wesleyan.
 
The Rock took down numerous Division I programs that year, including Penn State, Michigan, Villanova and Princeton, in addition to the teams they defeated in the Eastern Collegiate Championships and the U.S. National Championships.
 
The squad was led by first team All-Americans Robbie Larson, Tracy Proietti and Jennifer Barr with Larson being named the National Player of the Year and the MVP of the U.S. National Championships. Hunkler was also named the National Coach of the Year. Both Hunkler and Larson would go on to be inducted into the Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame.
 
The 1995 Slippery Rock team remains the only women’s collegiate water polo team from outside the state of California to win the U.S. National Championship. Every other team champion since the first championships in 1984 has come from the state of California.
 
1994-95 Water Polo Roster
Kira Baccari
Jennifer Barr
Alicia Best
Tammy Breunig
Brittany Casanave
Jonda Draucker
Jessica Eyre
Maria Guerra
Alexis Hayes
Jennifer Kasper
Robbie Larson
Tracy Proietti
Joan Saieva
Eleanor Schano
Kristen Spremullo
Pascale Stevens
Marnie Urso
Vanessa Wasik
Head Coach: Doc Hunkler
 

 

 

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