ALFRED, NY – The Induction Class of 2024 for the Alfred University Athletics Hall of Fame has been selected and will include five Saxon alumni and a Team of Distinction.
The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 16. Tickets and registration will be announced at a later date.
The five Saxon alumni and the Team of Distinction who will be members of the Class of 2024 include:
-Rebecca (Graudons) Kramer '14 – Women's Track & Field/Western & Hunt Seat Equestrian
-Beth (Sanger) Brown '06 – Women's Volleyball
-Richard Lee Scott '12 – Men's Track & Field
-Thomas Secky '12 – Football
-Mark O'Meara '74 – Football/Basketball/Track & Field – Distinguished Saxon Alumni Award
-2004 Women's Tennis (Team of Distinction)
The Hall of Fame was established in 1973 to honor athletes, coaches, athletic administrators and friends of Alfred University for outstanding achievement, involvement and service to Alfred University Athletics. A selection committee comprised of members of the Saxon Nation Board of Directors, alumni and institutional representatives reviewed nominees and selected the class.
The Hall of Fame weekend events will be held November 15-16, 2024 and include a reception, media day breakfast, tour of facilities, a tailgate, recognition at halftime of the football game and the induction ceremony. In the Hall of Fame game, Alfred University will play SUNY Brockport at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 16. Game tickets can be purchased at the gate.
"We are proud to recognize this year's honorees," Associate Vice President for Student Experience, Athletics and Recreation Deb Steward said. "Their legacy will forever remain in our Hall of Fame for generations of Saxons to learn about them."
Alfred University Athletics, Saxon Nation General Fund and University Advancement sponsor the Hall of Fame events.
------
Rebecca (Graudons) Kramer '14 was a four-year member of the Alfred University women's track & field team (both indoor and outdoor), the western equestrian team and the hunt seat equestrian team. In 2011, she punched her ticket to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in pole vault where she finished 17th with a clearance of 3.39m (11'-1.5"), earning United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American status. She cleared 3.55m (11'-7.76") at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference (NYSCTC) Outdoor Championships the same year to win the meet and earned Rookie of the Meet honors while also winning the indoor meet's pole vault event.
Graudons continued to secure champion titles in the NYSCTC, winning the indoor and outdoor titles in 2012, indoor title in 2013 and the indoor title in 2014, totaling six state championships in total.
Graudons first broke the Alfred University school record for indoor pole vault, also in her inaugural collegiate season. She continued to build upon that mark until her final height of 3.58m (11'-9"), set in 2012. Graudons also broke the Saxon school record for indoor high jump in 2012 with a clearance of 1.63m (5'-4.17"). She also owns the school outdoor pole vault record with a mark of 3.55m (11'-7.76"). In total, she broke the indoor pole vault record six times, the outdoor record four times
Outside of Alfred University school records, Graudons held facility records at Hamilton College and St. Lawrence University. She tacked on records for the NYSCTC, both for the meet record and overall association record for indoor pole vault in 2012, re-breaking it in 2014.
Graudons garners three All-Empire 8 First Team selections, twice for outdoor, being the back-to-back pole vault champion in 2011 and 2012 and another in 2013 for indoor, making her a three-time Empire 8 Champion in pole vault. She also earned All-E8 Second Team in 2012's indoor championships and again in 2014's outdoor meet.
She earned two Empire 8 Weekly Awards, first in indoor track in 2012 and again in indoor during her senior season while also earning NYSCTC Athlete of the Week once. Graudons closed out her athletic career by not only earning the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Merit Medal award but also the Ideal Saxon Award (later named the Nicholas F. Clark '11 Ideal Saxon Award).
In total, she won individual track events 24 times, compiled 49 Top-3 finishes and 87 Top-10 placements.
On the equestrian side, Graudons qualified for Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) regionals her senior year for both western and hunt seat. She won a regional title in intermediate horsemanship in western. She also earned 2013 IHSA National All-Academic Second Team. Also on the academic side, she consistently earned Dean's List with eight semesters' worth of honors, completed the Leadership Program "ANT" (Alfred's Newest Talent), was a member of Pi Mu Epsilon the National Honorary Mathematics Society, Omicron Delta Kappa Society the Leadership Honors Society, Phi Beta Kappa, earned USTFCCCA Scholar Athlete three times, recipient of the W. Varick Nevins III Award for mathematics and the Hal W. Metzge Award in astronomy.
Graudons graduated in 2014 with a double major in mathematics and physics and even spent years returning to AU to help coach the pole vaulters.
------
Beth (Sanger) Brown '06 graduated with 13 school records during the rally-scoring era, as the NCAA moved away from side-out scoring in 2001. A four-year member of the Saxon women's volleyball team, she held the school records in career kills, career kills per set, single season kills per set, career service aces, single season service aces, career digs, single-season digs, career digs per set, single season digs per set, career points, single season points, career points per set and single season points per set.
Sanger earned All-Empire 8 Honorable Mention three years in a row in 2003, 2004 and 2005. She was also a team captain for the team each of those three years. Sanger helped the Saxons accrue 14 3-0 match wins during her tenure with six being in-conference with five of those being against Utica College.
Sanger was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest honor society, in the spring of 2005. She was listed on the Empire 8 President's List and Dean's List multiple times.
She graduated from Alfred University in 2006 with a dual major in chemistry and secondary education. Sanger went on to be one of four individuals in Maryland to earn 2019 Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. The award is the highest honor given by the United States government to math and science educators who teach kindergarten through 12th grade. The process for selecting award winners is facilitated by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation.
------
Richard Lee Scott '12 was a four-year member of the Alfred University indoor and outdoor track & field teams. He capped off his impressive athletic career with a trip to the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 400-meter dash. His time of 48.67 in the preliminary round was 0.06 off of making finals as he finished 10th out of the 19 competitors. Scott ran in the third and final heat, finishing third in the section.
He held school records in the indoor and outdoor 400-meter dash, records that still stand at the time of induction into the Hall of Fame. He clocked in a time of 49.20 for the indoor 400 and a time of 47.99 during the spring season of his senior year. Scott teamed with Chris Lopez, Jeremy Weaver and Tyler Robinson for the school record in the 4x200-meter relay, combining for a time of 1:31.11. He also teamed with Lee Consolo, Matthew Phillips and Weaver for the indoor 4x400-meter relay record time of 3:25.22. That same team also owns the outdoor 4x400-meter relay record with a time of 3:20.85.
Scott was a three-time Empire 8 Champion and All-Empire 8 First Team selection while also tacking on four All-Empire 8 Second Team honors in 2012. Upon completion of the 2012 outdoor season, he was named the Men's Co-Track Athlete of the Year as well as the 2012 NYSCTC Male Athlete of the Year. He was named the 2012 Empire 8 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Meet as he won the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and teamed with Weaver, Sean Locker and Randy Brito to win the 4x400-meter relay.
His All-E8 Second Team honors include the 2012 indoor 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash, the indoor 2012 4x400-meter relay and the 2010 outdoor 4x400-meter relay.
Scott earned 25 state medals and five ECAC medals. He was the 2012 NYSCTC indoor and outdoor 400-meter dash champion and outdoor 200-meter dash champion while also becoming the ECAC outdoor 400-meter dash champion and earned indoor NYSCTC indoor 200-meter dash bronze. He was a four-time NYSCTC Athlete of the Week as well as a three-time Empire 8 Track Athlete of the Week, once for indoor in 2012 and twice for outdoor, once in 2012 and once in 2010.
Scott was a two-time team captain in 2011 and 2012. He graduated from AU with a degree in criminal justice in 2012 and went on to earn his Masters in Education for School Counseling from Liberty University in 2020.
------
Thomas Secky '12 was a four-year member of the Saxon football team, earning All-Empire 8 First Team in 2009, Second Team in 2010 and Honorable Mention in 2008 along with the 2008 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year tag.
Upon graduating, Secky held the school record for career passing yards with 8,612, passing yards in a single game with 387, career passing touchdowns with 87, passing touchdowns in a single game with six (tied with Hall of Famer Paul Keeley '09), most passes completed in a single season with 222 in 2010, most passes completed in a career with 669, most pass attempts in a single season with 379 in 2010 and most pass attempts in a career with 1,138. Seven of his records still remain at the top of AU's records board at the time of his induction into the Hall of Fame.
Secky had seven games with four or more passing touchdowns. He was named an Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week in 2009. Secky was a two-time captain for the Saxons during his junior and senior years.
Secky graduated from Alfred with a degree in psychology with a minor in business administration in 2012.
------
Mark O'Meara '74 is the fourth Saxon to earn the Distinguished Saxon Alumni recognition since its inception in 2018 to recognize Alfred University student-athletes for outstanding achievement following their playing career at Alfred University. This award is not necessarily based on athletic achievement, but on the nominees' career success following graduation via leadership, service, advancement, or other similar means.
O'Meara played football, competed in track & field and was on the basketball team. During his time as a student and well beyond, he was involved in all things AU. On October 17, 1970, he attended his first every Saxon Homecoming football game as a freshman on campus. On Saturday, October 5, 2019, O'Meara attended his 50th, consecutive Homecoming game and continues to be seen, and even more so, heard as he rallies the home crowd with his chants and horn.
O'Meara served on the student newspaper, the yearbook committee and was on the St. Pat's Board. He was a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha and also worked in the dining hall. Off campus, O'Meara was also incredibly visible, working with Eric Vaughn to start Hot Dog Day Weekend, a weekend that is shared between both AU and Alfred State College and anticipated all year. The pair along with AU and A-State utilized the weekend to raise funds to donate to local charities. O'Meara and his wife, Loretta '75, founded the Alfred Sub Shop.
Back on campus, O'Meara worked with Gary Horowitz at building visibility of the university and to raise funds for the campus. In 1980, O'Meara started and coached the women's soccer team for one year before hiring a full-time coach. O'Meara's Saxons went 5-4 during the inaugural season. He was also instrumental in starting the Alfred University softball team, that saw its first season in 1994.
O'Meara lives in Virginia where he and his wife host an annual alumni/admissions event and is also a Purple City volunteer for Alfred University. In 2008, he was honored as the recipient of the Athletics Award of Distinction.
------
The 2004 women's tennis team is the fourth Team of Distinction to be inducted into the Alfred University Athletics Hall of Fame, joining the 1971 undefeated football team inducted in 2021, the 1988 women's soccer team who was the first women's team to make the NCAA Tournament in AU history and was inducted in 2022, the undefeated 1983-84 men's swimming & diving team that finished second in upper New York State and was eighth in the nation at the NCAA Championships.
The women's tennis team went a perfect, 12-0 and 8-0 in Empire 8 action. It was the program's first undefeated season and first Empire 8 Championship title. The Saxons entered the E8 tournament as the No. 2 seed, battled to the finals to face No. 1 seeded Ithaca College and won the title with a 5-4 score. They outscored their opponents, 72-24 throughout the year and outside of the New York State Championship Tournament where they finished 11th out of 16 teams.
The 12 wins held as a school record until this past season, the 2023-24 women's tennis team, went 13-3 to break that record. Ballard held the school record for career singles wins when she graduate as teammate, Calfee broke it and holds the new record of 44 upon the time of induction into the Hall of Fame. Butterfoss is No. 3 with 39. Ballard also held the singles wins in a season record when she graduated, but has since been broken. Butterfoss tied the record the during the 2004 season while Calfee tied it in 2006. Butterfoss and Calfee both held the career doubles wins record after they had graduated.
The trio also is 1-2-3 for total wins for a career as Calfee totaled 74 wins, Ballard won 71 matches and Butterfoss finished her career with 69 victories.
The 2004 Saxons featured three athletes that would go on to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame. Alicia (Ballard) Cordle '05 was inducted in 2015, Katie Calfee '08 was inducted in 2019 and Jodi (Butterfoss) Dobmeier '08 earned induction in 2022. Ballard repeated as the Empire 8 Player of the Year after she earned the accolade in 2003 while Calfee was the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in '04. Head Coach Brian Friedland earned Empire 8 Coach of the Year honors.
Ballard earned New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSWCAA) Second Team All-Star while Butterfoss and Calfee earned Honorable Mention.
Members of the 2004 women's tennis team (and their Hall of Fame inductions years) are:
-Alicia Ballard (2015)
-Janice Brooks
-Jodi Butterfoss (2022)
-Katie Calfee (2019)
-Kelly Donohoe
-Jamie Drooz
-Beth Harris
-Charice Pastor
-Emily Salzberg
-Corrine Wakeman
-Desiree Woods
-Renee LaPorte
Head Coach: Brian Friedland
Athletic Director: Jim Moretti (1982)
Team Captain: Alicia Ballard
Seniors: Alicia Ballard, Janice Brooks, Beth Harris
The 2004 Women's Tennis Schedule and Results were:
-9/9/04, at Elmira College, W 8-1
-9/11/04, at Penn State Behrend Tournament
- Fredonia, W 5-0
- Penn State Behrend, W 3-2
- Bethany College, W 4-1
-9/13/04, vs. RIT, W 8-1
-9/18/04, at Hartwick College, W 7-2
-9/23/04, vs. Fredonia, W 8-1
-9/25/04, vs. St. John Fisher College, W 6-3
-10/2/04, at Nazareth College, W 5-4
-10/9-10/04, at Empire 8 Championships in Rochester, NY
- No. 7 Elmira College, W 7-2
- No. 3 Nazareth College, W 6-3
- No. 1 Ithaca College, W 5-4
-10/15/04 at New York State Championships at Cornell University
- 11th out of 16 teams
--Swords Forward Saxons--
Print Friendly Version
