General | 5/29/2025 12:16:00 PM
ROCHESTER, NY – Seven student-athletes, the 2001 and 2002 women's volleyball teams, and the first-ever coach of the men's/women's cross country and track and field programs, Scott Love, will be inducted to the Nazareth Sports Hall of Fame in 2025. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 20, 2025 in Beston Hall at Nazareth University.
The athletes from the class include 2016 men's lacrosse graduates Luke Wooters and Troy Haefele, Alyssa Johnston '13 (women's lacrosse), Tim Zyburt '16 (men's volleyball), Taylor Pierson '16 (women's track and field), Brian Seeley '05 (men's golf), Ben Klempka '05 (men's tennis). The class is rounded out by the 2001 and 2002 women's volleyball teams that advanced to the Elite 8 in consecutive seasons, and Scott Love who began the men's and women's cross country/track and field programs in 2003. The 2001 and 2002 women's volleyball team will be inducted as "one" team.
Wooters is the all-time leader in men's lacrosse program history with 363 points on 190 goals and 173 assists in 71 career games. Up until 2025 he was the all-time leader in goals scored before Quinn McKercher overtook the mark. The dynamic attackman was three times named a USILA All-American, including twice on the second team. The 2013 Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year was named to the Empire 8 First Team three times and second team once. During his freshman campaign, he racked up 64 goals, which continues to be the best single season mark at Nazareth.
Haefele proved to be another standout on the lacrosse field for the Golden Flyers with 178 goals and 109 assists for 287 points. His 178 goals is the third best mark in school history, while both his assists (109) and points (287) rank fifth. Haefele was a four-time All-Empire 8 First Team selection and named USILA Honorable Mention two times. Haefele, along with Wooters, teamed up to win the Empire 8 Championship in 2013, while also making an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015.
Johnston joins the 2025 hall of fame class after excelling in the midfield for four seasons, collecting four Empire 8 All-conference selections, including three on the first team. Her 149 career draw controls (2
nd), 81 caused turnovers (3
rd), along with points at 214 (6
th) and goals 155 (6
th) all rank among the program best. She was three times named all-region, including a first team selection in 2013. For three seasons, she was Nazareth's leading score (2011-2013), including scoring at least one goal in 58 of 64 games. During her four-year run, Nazareth made the Empire 8 playoffs each season and she was an all-tournament selection in 2013.
2016 graduate Tim Zyburt was a monster outside hitter for the Golden Flyers. Upon graduation, Zyburt held the kills record at Nazareth with 1,411. That record held until 2025, when Owen Wickens surpassed with 1,508. He is second all-time in attack attempts (2,996), 8
th in digs (55), 10
th in total blocks with 257, sixth in sets played (428), and fifth in matches played (131). He was impressively a three-time all-american, including a first team selection as a junior and senior. The Wheaton, IL native was also a three-time First Team All-UVC honoree. The team leader in kills four years in a row, Zyburt helped the squad to a four-year mark of 105-28, with NCAA Tournament berths in 2013 and 2015.
Pierson made her mark in just three seasons for the Golden Flyers as a dynamic sprinter and long jumper, appearing in five NCAA Championships. She twice earned all-american honors after finishing 8th in the long jump at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships at 5.73 meters (18 ' 9.75") and fifth in the 2014 Indoor Championships in the long jump 5.55 meters (18 feet, 2 1/2 inches). For indoor, she won the long jump at Empire 8s and was part of the 4 x 400 winning team in 2013. For outdoor she was a two-time champion at Empire 8s in the long jump (2013, 2015). She is all over the Nazareth record book for top marks for indoor and outdoor in the long jump and 200. For indoor, she is among the best in the 60-meter, the 300, and the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 relays. For outdoor she ranks among the best in the 100 and 4 x 400 relay.
2005 graduate Brian Seeley was a two-time Empire 8 Men's Golf All-Star, including being named the Player of the Year in 2004 as a junior. He won the Empire 8 individual title in fall of 2004 with rounds of 77 and 75 to finish with an 8-over-par total of 152 at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, NY. Seeley's season scoring averages were 81.24, 80.00, 79.52 and 81.42 for a four-year average of 80.39 for 71 rounds. For his career, he delivered six other top 10 career finishes, including a seventh-place at the Empire 8 Tournament in fall of 2002. In his senior season, he was named a recipient of Robert A. Kidera Scholar-Athlete award in 2005.
Rounding out the individual student athletes is men's tennis star Ben Klempka who ranks as the program's all-time wins leader with 147 total (71 singles and 76 doubles). He was a three-time First-Team singles player for the Empire 8, three-time First-Team in doubles and one-time second team. In his freshman season he won 41 matches (18 singles and 23 doubles) in 2001-02 and 39 matches (18 singles, 21 doubles) as a senior in 2004-05.
The 2001 and 2002 women's volleyball teams were among the best-ever at Nazareth, with each team advancing to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championships. Coached by Linda Downey, Nazareth went 36-3 (7-0 in Empire 8) in 2001, falling to Wellesley in five sets in the NCAA Quarterfinals. In 2002, Nazareth was 36-6 overall (7-0 in the Empire 8), and falling to Trinity in the NCAA Quarterfinals at Nazareth.
Scott Love, who started both the men's and women's cross country, as well as track and field programs in 2003, completes the hall of fame class. Love coached back-to-back Empire 8 Men's cross country runners of the year in Brendan Epstein (2007) and Nick Stenuf (2008). In 2007, Stenuf, Epstein and Jessica Brown all became Nazareth's first qualifiers for the NCAA Championships in cross country. Stenuf returned to the cross country NCAAs in 2008, placing 19th to become the first-ever cross country all-American. Love coached the first-ever track and field all-American in 2006 with Nick Stenuf in the 800-meters.
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.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
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