Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University Department of Athletics has formally announced the six outstanding individuals who will comprise the 2021 induction class at the 48th Annual Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony.

The biyearly celebration, which was set for this fall and later postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will now take place during Adelphi's Spirit Weekend on Wednesday, October 13, 2021. Details are still being finalized.

The Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to honor former student-athletes, coaches and friends of the University, who have distinguished themselves during their time on campus or thereafter.

The 2021 class of honorees include Richard Byrd '11, Erica Devito '12, Emily Dorko '13, Linda Jelovich, John "Matt" Jordan '07, Bobby Lanigan '08 and the 1992 Adelphi University women's soccer team as this year's Legendary Team. Additionally, the department will honor the undefeated 1965-70 field hockey teams as a group of "Legends".

Richard Byrd, Men's Basketball (2007-11)
Richard Byrd sits atop Adelphi's career scoring list with 2,013 points and remains the only 2,000-point scorer in the program's history. In three of his four seasons as a Panther, Byrd helped lead Adelphi to the finals of the conference tournament and, in his senior year (2010-11), captained the Brown and Gold to their first-ever NE10 title, pulling off the feat as a No. 7 seed. Byrd played in 123 games -- tied for second-most all-time at Adelphi -- and averaged 16.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game throughout his career. He was twice named to the All-Met First Team and NE10 All-Conference Second Team, and garnered ECC Rookie of the Year accolades as a freshman.

Erica Devito, Women's Lacrosse (2009-12)
Erica Devito will be the first three-time women's lacrosse national champion inducted to the Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame. Adelphi remains the only Division II women's lacrosse program to have ever earned a three-peat. Between 2009-12, Devito was a three-time NE10 All-Conference and IWLCA All-America first-team selection and four-time IWLCA All-Region player. In 2011, she was named the Most Valuable Player of the NE10 Tournament, after scoring five first-half goals in a 17-11 win over Le Moyne in the conference championship. Devito, who never missed a game in four seasons, amassed a program-record-tying 380 points and ranks second all-time at the school in goals scored with 270.

Emily Dorko, Softball and Volleyball (2009-13)
Before she was the department's Associate Athletic Director for External Relations and Senior Woman Administrator, Emily Dorko starred as a two-sport athlete at Adelphi in softball and volleyball. Dorko's most noteworthy achievements came on the softball field, where she was selected as the program's first NFCA First Team All-American in 2013. That same season, Dorko set a single-season record for hits (107) and batted .495 (second-highest all-time at Adelphi) in leading the Panthers to their first-ever NE10 Championship. To date, she remains the program's career leader in stolen bases with 106.

Linda Jelovich, Former Head Swimming & Diving Coach (1998-2014)
A former freestyle swimmer at Adelphi from 1993-97, Linda Jelovich took over the reins of the men's and women's swimming and diving programs in 1998 and continued in that role for 16 seasons. Over that time, her teams consistently posted Top 10 finishes at the Metropolitan Conference Championships, including the men's program's first-ever Met title in 2010. In her first decade coaching the Panthers, Jelovich was responsible for helping to re-write all but three school records. Nine of those records were broken by the men's team in the 2008-09 campaign. That same season, Jelovich coached the school's first qualifier (Corey McKee) in nearly 20 years for the NCAA Division II National Championships.

John "Matt" Jordan, Men's Swimming & Diving (2003-07)
At the time of his graduation, John "Matt" Jordan owned the school records in the 50- and 200-yard freestyle and swam a leg of the records that were shattered in four different relay events. He completed his collegiate career as a four-time All-Conference swimmer and amassed over 100 career victories in dual meets. Nearly 15 years later, Jordan still holds the school record for the 50-free. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Adelphi in 2007, Jordan was named Adelphi's Male Freshman Athlete of the Year and Nassau County Male Athlete of the Year. He also collected Academic All-America merits and earned the post-graduate distinction of being selected as a recipient of Adelphi's "10 Under 10" Award in 2013.

Bobby Lanigan, Baseball (2006-08)
In only three seasons, Bobby Lanigan earned himself the title of 'strikeout king' at Adelphi. Until 2011, Lanigan held the program's career strikeout record with 241 whiffs. No other pitcher at Adelphi has recorded as many strikeouts in three years or fewer. In 220.1 career innings, Lanigan posted a 16-8 lifetime record with a 2.66 earned-run average. His 12 victories in 2007 are tied with 2014 Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Tyler for the school's single-season record. Lanigan was a three-time All-ECC (ECC Rookie of the Year in 2006) and two-time ABCA All-Region pitcher and became the first Division II player taken in the 2008 MLB Draft, when he was a third-round pick of the Minnesota Twins at No. 92 overall. He completed his degree at Adelphi in the winter of 2012, finishing between baseball off-seasons.

1992 Adelphi Women's Soccer Team
Under the guidance of legendary head coach and Adelphi Athletic Hall of Famer Rich Ilsley, the 1992 Adelphi University women's soccer team are the recipients of this year's Legendary Team Award. The 1992 team left behind a lasting legacy, as the Panthers made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship game, where Adelphi eventually lost to Barry, 3-2, after rallying from a 2-0 deficit on a pair of second-half goals by Gabrielle Caruso. The Panthers won a then-program-record 15 matches in 1992 and posted 12 shutouts in 19 games along the way, outscoring their opposition by an overwhelming 80-10 count throughout the season.

1965-70 Field Hockey Teams
With a start date of 1929, the Adelphi field hockey program has seen various successes throughout the years, even despite a 25-year hiatus from 1985-2008. The 1965-70 teams put up undefeated seasons and will be inducted as one group of 'Legends' next fall. Included in this group is Anne DiPrima '70, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame as an individual in 2004. DiPrima thrived and made a name for herself in field hockey, basketball and softball while also participating in club European handball and bowling. From 1966-70, she was an essential part of the women's field hockey team, not losing a single game in any of the four years of competition.

Former Adelphi swimmer Dr. Sue Tendy, a 2006 Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, and Long Island University Associate Director of Athletics Deirdre Moore will be bestowed the department's Cassell Award and Woodruff Award, respectively.

The Cassell Award, created in honor of former Adelphi Head Athletic Trainer Frank Cassell, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the Adelphi University Department of Athletics, while the Woodruff Award, a recognition of lifetime achievement in athletics throughout the metropolitan New York area, is presented to salute an ambassador for excellence in coaching, teaching and educating young adults.

For more information on the 2021 Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, please contact Vinny Amodeo, Coordinator of Athletic Marketing and Special Events, at vamodeo@adelphi.edu or by phone at 516-877-4241.