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| 2005 Sports Hall of Fame inductees are, from left: Ted Solarek,
Chris Palmer, Sheila Stevenson, Dave Stackwick, Janet Testa-Fox,
Alberto Montanez, Sue Traynor Pail, Ralph Van Peursem and Brian
Hart. Photo by Ken Huth ’88 |
Meet the newest members of the RIT Sports Hall of Fame:
Brian Hart ’89, ’90 (painting-illustration and art education)
wrestled at RIT from 1987 to 1990, earning All-American honors in
1990. He had 36 career tournament wins and was a two-time Academic
All-American (’89 and ’90).
Alberto Montanez ’97 (criminal justice) played with the
Tigers basketball squad for two seasons, scoring 1,200 career points.
In 1993, he was named Eastern College Athletic Conference and
Empire Athletic Association Player of the Year and helped the Tigers
to an ECAC title.
Chris Palmer ’99 (packaging science) was one of the most
prolific hockey scorers in the nation from 1987 to 1990. In his
second season, he led RIT to the NCAA Division III title game.
Palmer signed a contract with the New Jersey Devils and was assigned
to Utica of the UHL. He played in Europe and was a member of
the Canadian Olympic Team.
Ted Solarek ’64 (business administration) was a member
of undefeated golf teams in 1962 and 1963. He won 23 straight matches
and played in two NCAA championship tournaments. He tied for
44th in the 1964 NCAA championships, posting a score of 232, helping
the Tigers to a 12th place finish.
Dave Stackwick ’74 (business administration) excelled in
baseball and basketball, earning Co-Male Athlete of the Year
honors in 1976. He had a .271 career batting average and posted
a career .951 fielding percentage. He was a two-time captain and
a two-time All-Independent College Athletic Conference selection.
Stackwick was captain of the basketball team his senior season
and helped RIT to a 20-win season and its first appearance in the
NCAA Tournament.
Sheila Stevenson ’79 (printing management) is credited with
launching women’s hockey at RIT in 1976 as a club team.
Stevenson played in 32 games over four seasons. She has served
as president of the ECAC Sports Information Directors Association
and has been cited by the College Sports Information Directors
of America (CoSIDA) with the Kodak Good Person Award. Stevenson
also was the recipient of the ECAC Irving T. Marsh Service Award.
Janet Testa-Fox ’89 (hotel and resort management) was the first
women’s hockey player to score 50 goals in a career. She captained
the squad for two seasons and was named team MVP in 1988-89, capping
her career by playing in the Senior All-Star Game. She guided RIT
to its first ECAC championship and the team’s first win
over a Division I squad.
Sue Traynor Pail ’98 (mechanical engineering) played four sports
at RIT but excelled on the women’s soccer team and served as
a student trainer. She earned All-Empire Athletic Association honors
in 1994 as a sophomore and was named Senior Women’s Athlete
of the Year in 1997.
Ralph Van Peursem ’58 (chemistry) was a strong-armed third
baseman who was turned into a pitcher. He batted fourth in the
lineup and was a longtime RBI record holder. Van Peursem also played
basketball for four years, and was a member of the 1955-56 undefeated
basketball team.
