General | 8/13/2021 8:14:00 AM
Nazareth's national champion men's volleyball team from 2011 and six former standout student-athletes will be inducted into the Golden Flyers' Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 18 in the Nazareth College Forum.
Former track and cross country standout Jessica Brown, '08 will be inducted along with two former men's lacrosse All-Americans in Chris Cimini, '05 and Jaord Koopman, '02. Other inductees will be former women's soccer standout Meagan Clark, '06; former swimming All-American Carissa Risucci, '13; and former men's basketball standout Tyshun Stephens, '13.
The induction ceremony, Nazareth's 26th annual, will take place Saturday, Sept. 18 in the Nazareth College Forum. The event will begin cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 5:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony at 6 p.m.
Nazareth's 2011 men's volleyball team, in just its seventh season of intercollegiate play, enjoyed a magical season in finishing 31-3 overall. In front of a packed house at Nazareth's Kidera Gymnasium, the Golden Flyers won the Molten Division III National Championship with close home-court victories over Carthage and Springfield.
Brown, of Oxford, N.Y., enjoyed an exceptional four-year running career for the Golden Flyers, culminating in a trip to the NCAA Championship meet in Minnesota in 2007. She was a four-time team MVP and a two-time Empire 8 Conference all-star and an Atlantic Region all-star in 2006.
Cimini, of Lenox, Mass., was a two-time All-American as a lacrosse defenseman for the Golden Flyers. He helped Nazareth to a four-year mark of 51-15 with two Empire 8 Conference titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a berth in the championship game in 2004.
Clark, of Schenectady, N.Y., was a four-year starter as a women's soccer defender. She earned all-conference and all-East Region honors three times each and helped Nazareth to a 52-20-9 overall record with four Empire 8 Conference titles and one NCAA Tournament appearance.
Koopman, of Waterloo, N.Y., twice earned All-American honors as a lacrosse midfielder for the Golden Flyers. He amassed 97 career points and helped the Golden Flyers to a four-year mark of 49-10 with three NCAA Tournament berths.
Risucci, of Deerfield, N.Y., was a nine-time All-American and 11-time Empire 8 Conference all-star as a swimmer for the Golden Flyers. Her career was highlighted by a runner-up finish in the 200-yard breaststroke at the NCAA meet in 2013.
Stephens, of Newark, N.Y., was a four-year men's basketball standout who ranks among Nazareth's all-time scoring leaders with 1,423 points. He also ranks among the program's all-time leaders in games played (105), three-point baskets (154), free throws made (341) and assists (366).
Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased through the Nazareth Athletics Office at (585) 389-2186.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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