By VICTORIA ADDISON
Sports Editor
The College of Saint Rose held their annual Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, October 19. A total of six players were inducted as part of the 2014 class.
The first inductee, Nicole LaRocque Cuoco, was a member of the women’s basketball team from 1996-2000. LaRocque Cuoco is seventh all-time in scoring history at the College, recording 1,416 points during her career. She also holds seventh place for assists (326) and is eleventh overall in steals (184). Furthermore, she was a member of the 1999-00 team that set an NCAA Division II single-season record with 34 consecutive wins. LaRocque Cuoco was named the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Northeast Regional that same year.
Tim Koubek, a member of the men’s basketball team from 1985-1989, was the next athlete to be inducted. Koubek is the second all-time assists leader (688), as well as one of the top-20 scorers (1,185) in the history of the basketball program. He led the team as the only captain in the 1988-89 campaign to win both the NAIA District 31 Championship and the National Catholic Basketball Tournament.
Koubek expressed how he was not only proud to be a new member of the Hall of Fame, but also humbled.
“I played because I had passion for the game,” he said.
“I think it just represents how great of a time I had at St. Rose and how much St. Rose helped develop me as an individual at a personal, academic, and an athletic level.”
The third inductee, Gus Terry, was a member of the men’s baseball team from 1998 to 2001. Terry helped lead the team to the NCAA Divison II World Series in 2000, in which he earned NCAA Northeast Regional MVP honors. Terry stands as third all-time in strikeouts (277) and also holds the ninth-best winning percentage (24-11; .686) in the history of the program.
“It’s a great honor, and I am glad that everyone that came was able to support St. Rose and the athletics department,” Terry said. “It really is a great honor.”
Laurie Darling Gutheil, head coach of the women’s soccer team, introduced the fourth inductee, Kylee Litchfield. As a member of the team from 2003 to 2006, Litchfield earned the Northeast-10 Conference title of Co-Defender of the Year as a senior and was also a member of the team that set a school record with 17 wins in 2006. During her four years at St. Rose, Litchfield was a part of three NCAA Tournament teams.
Despite her many successes at St. Rose, Litchfield mentioned that she feels as though she did not deserve the honor, especially after watching the women’s matchup against Merrimack earlier that day.
“I don’t think I am in any position to give the players advice,” she said, “I watched them play today and I could have learned a thing or two from them.”
Coach Gutheil added on the experience, “It is such a special evening. It’s so powerful because you are able to recognize and celebrate the players that have contributed to the success of our program.”
The next inductee, Daniel P. Nolan, was not an athlete at St. Rose, but rather the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, a position that he held for 10 years. During his tenure as chairman, the Plumeri Sports Complex was completed and the Events and Athletics Center underwent renovations. Nolan is not only an active member of the St. Rose community, but also an avid fan of the Golden Knights sports teams.
David Benyo was the last member to be conducted. A former teammate of fellow inductee Terry, Benyo was a player on the baseball team from 1998 to 2001. Benyo helped lead the team to the NCAA Divison II World Series in 2000 and was also seleceted to the NCAA Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team in the same year. Upon graduation, he led the school in hits (225) and games played (190). He was also tied for second in all-time doubles (43) and home runs (41).
The College’s Athletic Director, Cathy Haker, expressed her appreciation for the ceremony and also how special the experience was for those in attendance.
“It is such a special evening. It’s just so celebratory of a great deal of hard work, commitment, selflessness, and opportunity,” she said. “These players had an opportunity to excel because of what we do here at St. Rose, and are great examples of what the coaching staff tries to instill in our student athletes, to work hard and be the best and do the right thing.”
As for the current Golden Knights in attendance, the evening was very inspirational.
“It is nice to see how great the alumni did before us. It is inspiring and it makes us want to play better for them,” said senior soccer player Emily Benjamin.
And for the current players, now-Hall of Fame member Koubek had some very important advice to offer.
“Enjoy the time you have here and do the little things,” he said. “Don’t expect things to come to you. If you see something that needs to be done, go out and fix it yourself.”
