Athletic Hall of Fame to Induct Class of 2015

Herkimer College’s 2015 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held Friday, October 2, 2015 in the Robert McLaughlin College Center, as part of the College’s Fall Fest & Alumni Weekend.

            The College will honor five individuals and one team who have made outstanding contributions to the institution through intercollegiate athletics. The event will begin at 5 p.m. with a strolling dinner and cash bar, induction ceremony at 6:30 p.m. followed by a social hour with dessert. The fee is $40 per person. For reservations, contact the Herkimer County College Foundation Office at shepartda@herkimer.edu or 315.866.0300 ext. 8459.           

            About the 2015 Inductees:

            Pepe Aragon, New Hartford, NY, head men’s soccer coach for the Herkimer Generals, is being inducted for his contributions as a student-athlete. Aragon was captain of the men’s soccer team and played in 1989 and 1990. In 1989, he was named first team All Mountain Valley Conference, first team All-Region III, first team NSCAA All East and first team NSCAA All-America. In 1990, he was team captain, First Team NJCAA All-America, First Team NSCAA All East, NJCAA National All-Tournament Team and Herkimer’s Male Athlete of the Year.

            P. J. Henriques, Kitty Hawk, NC, was a member of the 1988 and 1989 men’s nordic ski team and won every meet he competed in, with the exception of one second place finish. In 1988, Henriques was Herkimer’s first national champion in the Men’s Nordic 10K among 400 skiers in the national college meet in Waterville, NH.         

Charlie LaQuay, Utica, NY, was a technical assistant in the Athletic Department from 1989 to 2000. His duties included intramurals director, budget manager, equipment manager, supervisor of open gym and official clock operator and time keeper. Jason Palkovic, technical assistant for the Fitness Center said, “Charlie was a devoted Herkimer College sports enthusiast. He loved what he did. You will find very few people who were as committed as Charlie was.”

            Sarah Lazarus, South Berlin, NY, was a multi-sport athlete at Herkimer from 2005 to 2008, participating in cross country, track, basketball, lacrosse and indoor track. Lazarus was an outstanding runner as well as a two-year starter for the women’s basketball program. Lazarus’ accomplishments include placing third at the 2005, and then second at the 2006 cross country national meets. In 2007, she was national champion in both the 800m and 1500m races at the Women’s Track & Field National Championships. In 2008, Lazarus helped lead her team to win the College’s first women’s track and field national championship, finishing second in the high jump and second in the 3200m relay. Lazarus was named Herkimer College’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2006, and currently holds the record for the cross country course at Herkimer College.

            Paul Wehrum, Little Falls, NY, served as head men’s lacrosse coach from 1980 through 2003 and implemented the women’s lacrosse program in 2004 serving as head coach for three seasons. In 24 seasons coaching the men (1980-2003), Wehrum guided the Generals to a 403-62 record including three undefeated seasons, 21 consecutive Region III championships and eight national championships. He was named NJCAA Coach of the Year four times in 1985, 1986, 1992 and 1994. Wehrum was an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team which won the 1998 World Lacrosse Championship. He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1999 and is also a member of the Long Island Lacrosse Hall of Fame, the Upstate New York Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the SUNY Cortland Hall of Fame. In 2005, Herkimer College dedicated its new athletic stadium to Paul Wehrum, naming the facility Wehrum Stadium.  Wehrum joined the faculty in 1979 and taught health and physical education until his retirement in 2006, and was subsequently named professor emeritus.            

            The 1988 men’s lacrosse team, coached by Paul Wehrum, will also be inducted for winning the men’s lacrosse program’s first ever national championship in 1988. Many members of the team went on to win a second national championship in 1989. Team members included: Anthony Annunziata, Ivan Astralaga, Christine Battisti (mgr.), David Beaudry, Greg Boyce, Christine Carpenter (mgr.), Keith Casey, Bob Chapman,  Mark Cooper, Tracey D’Amore (mgr.), Dom D’Arcangelo, Jerry Farrell, Jeff Heisinger, John Hill, Jim Hoyle, Stephen Hughes, Stephen Kisslinger, Michael Lacrosse, Mike McGrane (deceased), Eric Modesitt, Mike Motkowski, Russell Myers, David Nelson, Tom Quinn, Paul Ramirez, Joe Reilly, David Reilly, Tom Reisinger, Joe Solazzo, Rich Schad, Dan Shappee, David Sizing, David Sutherland, Eric Ungleich, and Gary Zimmerman.

            More information about the Herkimer College Athletic Hall of Fame is available at www.herkimergenerals.com/hof.

 

Herkimer County Community College’s national championship athletic program is a Division III member of the National Junior College Athletic Association and has amassed 53 national, 103 regional and 145 conference championships. For the second consecutive year, Herkimer is ranked first in the nation among NJCAA non-scholarship athletic programs by winning the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Cup, based on athletic success in championship competition.