Seven former student-athletes will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Oct. 3. Three teams also will be honored for their championship seasons.
-- Dan Bash and Brian Blaszczyk, graduates of 2006, anchored the defense of the men’s soccer team from 2002 through 2005. They led the Lions to the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) title in 2003, holding opponents to a 0.89 goals-against average over 21 games. Bash, a four-time All-AMCC choice and two-time team MVP, had seven goals and two assists in his career; Blaszczyk, a three-time All-AMCC choice, had 11 goals and seven assists.
-- Adam Best, a 2004 graduate, was the AMCC Player of the Year for baseball in 2003. Best, a centerfielder, had a .493 batting average and was 27 for 30 in stolen bases during his junior season, leading the team to its first AMCC championship. He is second all-time in career batting average (.409), third in stolen bases (72), eighth in runs (130) and 11th in hits (168).
-- Stephanie Bowen Curren and Holly Greiner Jennings, graduates of 2006, led the women’s soccer team to back-to-back Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament appearances. Both were four-time All-AMCC choices. Curren also earned Rookie of the Year and Team MVP honors; Jennings, the team’s all-time top scorer, had 103 points and 42 goals.
-- Isiah Meek, a 2006 graduate, dominated the men’s track-and-field hurdling events, earning both indoor and outdoor team MVP honors in 2005. He set school records in the 110-meter and 55-meter hurdles and qualified for multiple events at the ECAC championships.
-- Casey Ponsoll, a 2004 graduate, started every game in his four-year career with the men’s basketball team. He is one of just 15 players in the program’s history to have scored more than 1,000 points. As a senior, Ponsoll shot 51.7 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three-point range, leading the Lions to a 22-4 record and a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Three teams also will be honored during the induction ceremony and dinner, which will be held in McGarvey Commons. The 2005 women’s volleyball team and the 2004-05 men’s basketball team will be recognized for their AMCC championships and NCAA tournament play. The 2005 women’s tennis team will be honored for its AMCC title win.