Garden City, N.Y. - This October, the Adelphi University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will enshrine six new members and one legendary team to its Hall of Fame, and also honor two special award winners at the 47th Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
The ceremony honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the Adelphi athletics program, includes honorees from three different decades and five sports and will be held this year at the Chateau Briand in Carle Place, N.Y. - home of the department's annual Fall Cocktail Reception.
This year's honorees are Amy Delmore '06 (softball), Edmund Menegaux (men's lacrosse), Cheri Pearce '03 (softball), Rachel Ray '09 (women's lacrosse), Gianna Smith '08 (women's basketball), and Ed Quinlan '71 (cross country/track & field).
The Panther Legendary Team Award will be presented to the 1974 men's soccer team. That squad recorded the first NCAA Championship in school history, under the direction of Head Coach Mel Less. They finished the 1974 campaign at 16-1-1, while posting 10 shutout victories.
The first of two inductees from the softball program is Delmore, who spent four seasons at second base for the Brown and Gold under the direction of former head coach
Kate Whalen. She hit .304 in her career, setting a school record in doubles and single-season highs in batting average and slugging percentage during her All-American campaign in her junior season. In addition to being named a Second Team All-American, she was a three-time All-Conference honoree and was named the East Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2005.
Menegaux was a four-year starter for the Brown and Gold, winning two NCAA National Championships, the first in 1979 and then again in 1981. He was a two-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) First Team All-American and rounded out his career as the Adelphi Male Athlete of the Year in his final two seasons. In 1981, Menegaux was tabbed the top defenseman in Division II, one year prior to the program's transition to the Division I ranks. The following season, he earned Honorable Mention All-Americans among athletes from several storied Division I lacrosse teams.
Pearce patrolled the outfield for the Panthers from 2000-03. A two-time All-Region player, Pearce was a member of the softball program that made its first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in 2000 - the same season the team was crowned ECC Regular season champions. Her efforts on the field still rank her in the top-10 under several categories, both single season and career records.
Bookending her career with two NCAA Division II National Championships, Ray was a significant contributor for the women's lacrosse program from 2006-09. She was named an Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) First Team All-American two times and capped her career with East Coast Conference Player of the Year accolades.
The Long Island native also had her name appear on the prestigious Tewaaraton Award Watch List on two separate occasions. In the current record book, Ray ranks fourth all-time in career points and second in both points oer game and assists. Among holding positions in the top-10 in several other categories, she holds individual records in assists (game/tournament/career) in NCAA tournament games.
Smith was a four-year contributor on the hardwood for the Panthers under the direction of head coach Kelley Watts from 2004-08. She was named to the ECC All-Conference First Team two times and was also a two-time All-Met Division II First Team selection. In 2007, Smith led the Panthers with 16.6 ppg and 7.1 rpg, shooting 52.4 percent from the field with 40 steals to be named All-Met Player of the Year.
She notched her 1,000th career point on Feb. 17, 2007 and remains in the top-five of the 1,000-point club, totaling 1,558 for her career.
Quinlan began his career at Nassau Community College, where he spent two seasons before transferring to nearby Adelphi on a scholarship. He quickly became the top harrier for the program, and was named the team MVP in the 1968 and 1969 seasons. He captained the 1969 cross country team, was a part of 10 school records in total, and helped spark the squad to a second place showing in the regional championship in 1968.
The Frank Cassell Memorial Award, was created in honor of former Head Athletic Trainer (1953-74) and Adelphi Hall of Famer, Frank Cassell -- a healer, counselor, motivator, father, confessor and sincere friend of the Adelphi athlete -- his spirit epitomized what college athletics should be. This award recognizes individuals who make contributions above and beyond to Adelphi athletics and will be presented to Dennis Lind ('88) - president of the Panther Club for the past 12 years and baseball alumnus.
The Woodruff Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented for excellence in coaching, teaching and educating young adults, also salutes an Ambassador of Sportsmanship and Goodwill, while stressing that the athletic experience enhances the educational experience and quality of life. This year's award will be presented to Chris Armas ('94), current head coach of the New York Red Bulls.
The cost of the dinner is $100 per person and reservations are required. Deadline to purchase or reserve tickets is Monday, October 1. The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m.
Those wishing to place an ad in the event journal should have artwork to
Emily Dorko (edorko@adelphi.edu) by Wednesday, September 27, 2018 after purchasing the spot using the link above. If you would like to send text and images along to the department they can fulfill your request with artwork done in-house.
The Adelphi University Athletic Hall of Fame was founded in 1961 to honor those athletes, coaches and friends who have distinguished themselves during their time at the university and thereafter. For more information, please contact Vincent Amodeo at (516) 877-4241 or vamodeo@adelphi.edu.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past eight seasons, has collected 27 regular season conference titles, 29 tournament championships, 41 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup four times (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), while winning six NCAA Division II National Championships.
For the latest on Adelphi University Athletics, follow the Panthers at www.aupanthers.com or via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.
