Alumni inducted into Brockport Hall of Fame

More than 100 students, athletes, boosters and alumni packed the Union Ballroom Saturday, Sept. 15 to honor the induction of the 28th class of Brockport Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.

The formal dinner began with remarks from Executive Director of Advancement Mike Andriatch, Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Erick Hart, Director of Alumni Relations Kerry Gotham and College President Dr. John R. Halstead.

The induction ceremony took place after dinner, dessert and coffee. This year’s class consisted of seven inductees, ranging from the graduating class of ’07 all the way back to the class of ’51. Masters of ceremonies were Andriatch and Brockport professor and freelance sportswriter Warren Kozireski.

Inductee Sarah “Bulka” Catanzaro is a  member of the class of ’07. A four-year member of the gymnastics team, she served as a captain for two years. Catanzaro was a 12-time All-American, a four time Academic All-American, two-time Female Athlete of the Year and the only gymnast to win back-to-back all-around national championships (’05 and ’06). Today, Catanzaro leads the Greater Washington Community Center program and has been doing so for the last four years.

Cathy Anderson Claris is a member of the class of ’96. Claris was a four-year member and two-time captain of the women’s softball team. She finished her career at 43-17 with 56 complete games, a 2.08 career ERA and 117 strikeouts. She led the Eagles to two NCAA appearances in ’93 and ’94, two SUNYAC titles in the same years, four SUNYAC West titles, and two New York State Championships in ’95 and ’96. Today, Clar is a stay at home mom but has held Director of Recreation positions for the towns of Riga, Ontario and Gates.

Bob Darnley is member of the class of ’05. He is considered the most successful quarterback the Brockport football team has ever seen. The team was 30-8 under Darnley, including the teams only 10-win season. Darnley played two seasons of professional indoor football after Brockport and now works in sales since re-locating to North Carolina.

James J. DeBell, Sr. was inducted posthumously. He was a member of the class of ’51 and ’56 and received his master’s degree. DeBell was the varsity baseball coach from ’89 to ’96 where he led the Eagles to 87 victories, a number that sits second best on the all-time baseball wins list. DeBell was honored as the SUNYAC Coach of the Year in ’92 and lead his team to the school’s second ever 20-win season in ’95.

DeBell passed away March 25, 2008. His son, Jimmy, was present to accept the award in his father’s honor.

Jerome Goodfellow is a member of the class of ’77. Goodfellow was a two-year member of both the wrestling and lacrosse team. He helped lead the wrestling team to its first ever national title in ’77 by placing fourth overall in the NCAA Championships. As a lacrosse player, he led the team in scoring en route to a ’77 SUNYAC title.

Since graduation, Goodfellow has enjoyed a successful career as both a lacrosse and wrestling coach, winning dozens of awards over a career that spanned nearly three decades.

Joely Nelkin Kuss is a graduate of the class of ’97. Kuss was a four-year standout for the women’s soccer team. She served two years as team captain and helped lead Brockport to its most successful season in school history (16-4-2) as a senior in ’95. That year, Kuss took the penalty kick that locked up a New York State Tournament championship. Kuss was a Dean’s List scholar and was the first Eagle to make an Empire State Games team.

Today, Kuss is spearheading the creation of a new health elective curriculum in Mexico, N.Y.

Jordan Christiano Mihalik is an ’06 graduate of the College. Mihalik was a four-year gymnastics standout and served as four-year captain. She was the ’03 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) floor exercise national champion and a six-time All-American. Her floor exercise score of 9.85 still stands as one of the 10 best scores in school history.

Today, Mihalik is a special education teacher in the Buffalo City school district.

“I’m so proud of our student athletes,” President Halstead said, in the ceremony. “They were true athletic champions here, but they excelled in so many ways and they continue to in their lives as educators and coaches. They’re an inspiration to us all. We’re all Golden Eagles tonight, but some soar even higher so they’re very deserving of being inductees to the Hall of Fame.”