General | 8/19/2026 7:24:00 PM
ALFRED, NY – Alfred University Athletics announced the incoming Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026 that features four student-athlete inductees, one coach, a Silver Saxon and one Team of Distinction with their induction ceremony set for Saturday, November 7.
Chelsea (Hall) Muller '14 of both the women's volleyball and track & field teams,
Sean Locker '15, PhD '21 of the men's track & field team,
David Luke '15 of the men's swimming & diving team,
Nicole (Maher) Cuomo '16 of the softball team and former Head Football Coach,
Dave Murray will be inducted as individuals into the Class of 2026.
Joe Kovacs '70 of the Saxon football program will be inducted as the fifth Silver Saxon inductee. The
1985-86 men's basketball team will be the Class of 2026's Team of Distinction.
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Chelsea Hall '14 – Women's Volleyball/Women's Track & Field
Hall was a four-year member of the volleyball team and both track & field teams. Upon graduating, between the three sports, she had nine school records with seven of those coming from volleyball. She held one record in each of the track & field seasons. Hall held the volleyball records for career kills (687), season kills (259 in 2011), career kills per set (2.31 from 297 sets), season kills per set (2.82 from 92 sets in 2011), career digs per set (3.08 from 297 sets), season points (345 in 2011) and career points per set (2.97 from 297 sets).
Hall was joined by
Patricia Banahene '15, AU Hall of Fame member
Mi'Asia Hillman '15 and
Jordyn Larkins '13 to claim the school record in the indoor 4x200-meter relay, clocking a time of 1:52.39 during the 2012 New York State Collegiate Track Conference (NYSCTC) Championships held at Hamilton College. In outdoor, Hall first broke the school record in the heptathlon in 2012 with 3,672 points during the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships hosted by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She later broke her own record with a score of 3,815 points in 2014 during the NYSCTC Championships at Rochester Institute of Technology, as she finished third in the state-wide meet.
Hall added 11 events/statistical categories where she graduated as the No. 2 all-time between all three of her sports. Five of those were in volleyball, such as career and single season aces, career digs and points and single season points per set. In indoor track & field, she was No. 2 all-time in the 60-meter hurdles, behind Hall of Fame member and National Champion Val Thompson '84. She was also No. 2 all-time in the 100-meter hurdles for outdoor behind Thompson while adding the 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay to the listing.
Hall was an All-Empire 8 Second Team member in 2013 and Honorable Mention in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, she was named an Alfred University Athlete of the Week. Hall graduated from Alfred University with a dual major in Communications and Marketing.
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Sean Locker '15, PhD '21 – Men's Track & Field/Men's Cross Country
Locker was a four-year member of both the outdoor and indoor track & field teams and participated for three years in cross country. He reached the NCAA National Outdoor Track & Field Championships twice, first in 2014 and again in his senior season of 2015 and to this day, still owns the javelin throw record. He first broke the record in 2013, his first season throwing the implement, throwing a 51.53m (169'-0.75") at Oneonta State May Meet. In 2014, Locker threw 59.77m (196'-1.25") during the Empire 8 Championships held at St. John Fisher College, winning the event title. After winning his second Empire 8 javelin title in his senior season, Locker broke his own record again at the ECAC Championships, reaching a mark of 60.77m (199'-4") to claim second place.
In total, Locker won the javelin event 11 times with two NYSCTC Championships to add to his two Empire 8 Championships. He also contributed in the track events, winning the Empire 8 Indoor 4x400-meter relay in 2015 alongside
Ethan Foster '16,
Gregory Matos '16 and
Edward Potter '15, the RIT Orange/Brown Invitational indoor 4x200-meter relay in 2014 and the and the 2012 Empire 8 Outdoor Championship title in the 4x400-meter relay alongside
Jeremy Weaver '13,
Randy Brito '13 and Hall of Fame member
Richard Scott '12.
He was a four-time All-Empire 8 First Team honoree and added a Second Team Honor in the indoor 4x400-meter relay in 2012 and a Third Team Honor in 2013 in the javelin. In 2014, Locker was named the Empire 8 Outdoor Co-Field Athlete of the Year.
Upon graduating in 2015 with his degree in Materials Science & Engineering, Locker returned to AU to complete his PhD. While doing his post-graduate studies, he remained engaged with the track & field program as a throws coach.
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David Luke '15 – Men's Swimming & Diving
Luke was a four-year member of the Alfred University men's swimming & diving program as a sprint freestyler. Upon graduation, he held five school records with two of them being current AU individual records. Luke currently has the 50-yard freestyle record (20.45) and is one of only three athletes to be sub-21 seconds, including Hall of Fame member,
Mark Baker '09. He also currently holds the 50-yard freestyle relay split record (19.47), being the only individual in AU's history to break 20 seconds.
Luke qualified for the 2015 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships held in Shenandoah, TX. He competed in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle. His top finish was in the short race, taking 27
th place with a time of 20.71. He then finished 38
th with a time of 46.07 in the 100-free. This was the second year in a row that he competed in the NCAA Championships, finishing 42
nd in the 50-free in 2014 in Indianapolis, IN.
Luke earned All-Empire 8 First Team recognition in 2015 as he won the event with a 20.55. He ended his career with 39 individual and relay wins in total and was named an Empire 8 Athlete of the Week once during his senior season.
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Nicole Maher '16 – Softball
Maher was a four-year member of the Saxon softball team and helped the Saxons to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and the program's first ever Empire 8 Championship Tournament title. She first helped the Saxons put together a standout 2014 season that, despite falling to Ithaca College in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Maher and the Saxons played in the University of Rochester Regional Tournament and won their first two games before the hosts claimed the regional title. In 2015, Maher and the Saxons put together the program's longest run into the NCAA Tournament.
The Saxons earned the Empire 8 Regular Season Champion title, hosted the E8 Tournament, claimed their first ever Empire 8 Champion title and then posted a historic run in the NCAA Tournament. First, Maher and the Saxons hosted the Regional Round where they went 3-0 to advance to the Super Regionals at Heidelberg University. The Saxons won 2-of-3 games to claim the Super Regional title and moved on to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in Salem, VA, where their season came to an end.
Through both NCAA appearances, Maher earned 2014 NCAA Rochester All-Tournament Team and 2015 NCAA Alfred All-Tournament Team honors. In 2015, she was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Northeast Regional Second Team and in her senior season, she was named to the 2015 NFCA Northeast Regional Third Team. Alfred University named Maher the 2016 Ideal Saxon alongside teammate
Dana Torchia '15 and men's tennis's
Conor Doud '15. Maher was also named the 2016 Muriel Strong Morley Outstanding Female Athlete.
Maher held three school records upon graduating. She held the career doubles (43), career hits (178) and career RBI (126) records. Maher earned Empire 8 Player of the Week honors twice and GoSaxons.com Athlete of the Week honors twice as well.
Maher graduated from Alfred University with a degree in Biology. Upon graduation, she spent the summer participating in Beyond Sports: Cape Town, South Africa, playing and hosting softball clinics throughout the country.
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Dave Murray – Football
Coach Murray was the Head Football Coach for Alfred University for 16 season. He amassed the second-most wins in school history with 108. His complete record of 108-60 stands at a .643 win percentage, making him also the second winningest coach in AU history between coaches who were at the helm for five or more years, only behind legendary Head Coach,
Alex Yunevich (.668 with a record of 177-85-12 in 36 seasons). Coach Murray also has a .653 win percentage in Empire 8 action, going 47-25.
Out of Murray's 16 seasons, he only had three seasons where the Saxons didn't go at least .500, nine seasons with seven or more wins and one season with 10 wins in 2010. Murray's first ECAC Championship season came in 2004 where the Saxons went 8-3 and defeated Norwich University, 36-17 in a home contest, earning their first ECAC championship game since 1989. Murray's Saxons continued success as they won the 2005 ECAC Northeast Championship game against Maine Maritime Academy, 63-20, capping off a 9-2 season. They then defeated University of Rochester, 40-34 in 2006 for their third ECAC Northeast Championship title in a row, ending their season with an 8-3 record.
Coach Murray and the Saxons had a repeat performance in 2007, defeating Rochester again, this time with a dominant, 49-14 score, ending the year again with an 8-3 record. 2008's, 7-4 team had its first ECAC Northeast Championship loss, ending the streak with a close, 34-31 loss to RPI.
2009 saw Coach Murray's Saxons make their first NCAA appearance under his tutelage and only their second in school history since the 1981 team. Murray's Saxons went 8-1 in the regular season before dropping out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Albright College. Having experience NCAA play, the Saxons rebounded in 2010 as Coach Murray posted his 10-3 season. Two of those wins were in the NCAA Tournament, defeating SUNY Maritime, 60-0 and SUNY Cortland, 34-20 to advance to face perennial powerhouse, Mount Union.
In 2011, the Saxons went back into the ECAC and earned the Northwest Championship title over Bridgewater State, 41-10. Coach Murray won his second Northwest Championship in 2013 with a 21-14 win over SUNY Cortland, just prior to his departure from Alfred University.
Murray earned two Empire 8 Championship titles. First, in 2009 when the Saxons shared the title with St. John Fisher and then outright in 2010. In total, he coached 20 All-Americans, earned Empire 8 Coach of the Year three times (2005, 2009 and 2010) and has eight players in the Alfred University Athletics Hall of Fame.
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Joe Kovacs '70 – Football/Wrestling/Track & Field – Silver Saxon
Kovacs is the fifth alumni to earn the title of Silver Saxon. He was a halfback who, when sporting the purple and gold, put everything on the line, physically, to drive the Saxon offense. In particular, he was a standout player in 1967 and 1968. Kovac's legs and rest of his body, propelled the Saxons to a 6-1 record in 1967 with the only loss coming from C.W. Post, 20-15. The Saxons outscored their other opponents, 134-60. The 1968 roster unfortunately was plagued by injuries, resulting in a 2-5 record, despite Kovacs' efforts running the ball. The efforts and resulting pummeling of those physical games resulted in a career-ending injury for Kovacs in 1969.
In 1967, Kovacs rushed 133 times for 518 yards and added 154 carries and 509 yard in 1968. He earned All-Conference honors in both seasons and was named an ECAC Player of the Week in '68 after a matchup with St. Lawrence, carrying the ball 41 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns, in a blizzard.
He wrestled in 1967 in the 168-pound class, winning half of his matches. In the one year of competing in track & field, Kovacs was part of two winning relay teams during the Rochester Indoor Relays as the leadoff runner in the sprint medley relay and the anchor in the mile relay. He was a part of the winning sprint medley relay at the 1967 Outdoor New York State Track & Field Championships at Brockport.
This award, created in 2018, honors student-athletes from early eras (40 years prior to the current Hall of Fame class year) at Alfred University for outstanding athletic achievement, but may lack statistical information that puts nominees at a significant disadvantage when assessing them against contemporary student-athletes.
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1985-86 Men's Basketball – Team of Distinction
The 1985-86 men's basketball team posted the program's second season of 20 or more wins, this being the second time for Head Coach
Ron Frederes, having done so in his third season at the helm in 1980-81, as the Saxons went 20-7. The 1985-86 team finished with a record of 23-3 (25-3 with the two international school wins over Brock University and Conestoga College from Canada).
The Saxons opened the season with nine wins in a row, including the two over the Canadian institutions. It wasn't until their first meeting against St. Lawrence where the Saxons faced an overtime loss on the road in Canton, NY, 81-79. AU responded with another nine wins, including a home retribution win over St. Lawrence, 79-65. Nazareth College ended that streak as it would be the last regular season loss for the Saxons before going on another seven-game win streak, including an 88-86 NCAA East Regional, revenge win over Nazareth. The Saxons fell to Potsdam in the second round of the tournament, 80-51.
The '85-'86 men's basketball team broke multiple records including most wins in a season (23 official and 25 total), most points in a season (2,341), most home wins (15), best all-time win percentage (.893 overall) and most field goals in a season (938).
Brian Andrews '87,
Chris Tighe '88 and
Mike Wing '87 are all members of the Alfred University Athletics Hall of Fame. Andrews and Wing were inducted in 1997 and Tighe was inducted in 2016. Wing was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) East All-Region Second Team for the 1985-86 season as well as Independent College Athletic Conference (ICAC) All-Conference First Team. The ICAC became the Empire Athletic Association in 1991 and eventually became the Empire 8 in 1999.
For 32 years, their win record wouldn't be broken and only two more teams since would join the 20-win club (2018-19 Empire 8 Champions and 2022-23 ECAC Champions).
Members of the 1985-86 Men's Basketball Team
- Paul Amrose
- Brian Andrews
- Nick Azzara
- Tim Burkhart
- Jon Butinski
- Mike Casseri
- John Dagon
- Paul Harding
- Mike Kobis
- Dave Minnich
- Jim Stremich
- Chris Tighe
- Mike Wing
- Head Coach Ron Frederes
- Assistant Coach Chuck Crist
- Assistant Coach Ernie Childers
The 1985-86 Men's Basketball Schedule and Results
- Away – Hampden-Sydney Invitational Tournament
- Newport News – W: 83-57
- Hampden-Sydney – W: 75-65
- Away – Elmira – W: 78-69
- Home – Brock – W: 119-90 (International Exhibition)
- Home – Alfred Charity Cage Classic
- Conestoga – W: 106-49 (International Exhibition)
- John Jay – W: 84-64
- Home – Houghton – W: 98-81
- Home – Geneseo – W: 100-77
- Away – Hobart – W: 76-70
- Away – St. Lawrence – L: 79-81 (OT)
- Away – Clarkson – W: 74-69 (OT)
- Away – Ithaca – W: 57-54
- Home – Clarkson – W: 87-77
- Away – RPI – W: 68-59
- Home – RIT – W: 91-53
- Home – Hartwick – W: 86-77
- Home – RPI – W: 95-74
- Home – Rochester – W: 88-71
- Home – St. Lawrence – W: 79-65
- Home – Nazareth – L: 74-75
- Home – Buffalo – W: 76-70
- Home – Hobart – W: 100-90
- Away – RIT – W: 63-53
- Home – Fredonia – W: 91-75
- Away – Daemen – W: 97-59
- Home – Ithaca – W: 78-72
- Away – NCAA East Regional Tournament
- Nazareth – W: 88-86
- Potsdam – L: 51-80