Posted by Madeline Frank
On Saturday, Sept. 25, the Friends of Skidmore Athletics inducted five individuals and one team into Skidmore's Athletic Hall of Fame. The ceremony also honored the 2010 equestrian team, which won the national championship in May.
The Friends of Skidmore Athletics Benefit and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony began at 6:00 p.m., with a cocktail hour at Skidmore's Sports and Recreation Center. About 270 people attended the event with dinner provided in one of the large gyms by local hotel and restaurant, Longfellows.
Colleen Barber '04, a field hockey player, earned herself a spot into the Hall of Fame as one of the best players in the history of women's field hockey. She is a four-time UCAA All-Star and became Skidmore's all-time assist leader. Taryn Howard Drake '03 played both field hockey and lacrosse. She was the first Skidmore student to be featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" by scoring five goals in a playoff game, a record, and remains Skidmore's all-time leading scorer.
Dana Martin '05, a basketball player, was his team's lead scorer for all four years of college and moved on to play professionally for the Vermont Frost Heaves. Josef Pohle '02, a member of Skidmore's golf team, captured many individual championships at tournaments during his time at Skidmore and even won the 2007 Taylor Made Assistants Championship and the 2009 Callaway TPD Championship as a Skidmore graduate. Kathy Tschampel '02 helped the volleyball team achieve a 0.857 winning percentage and was the first Skidmore player to be named National Player of the Week in 2000.
The men's 1999-2000 golf team was also inducted into the hall of fame. The team won seven tournaments and the Golf Coaches Association of America ranked the golf team third in the nation. The 1996-1997 men's ice hockey team earned team of distinction by capturing its fourth-straight Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association South regular-season title.
Skidmore's 2010 National Champion Equestrian Team was also recognized at the ceremony. In May 2010, seven members of Skidmore's Equestrian Team competed in Kentucky against the country's best collegiate riding teams. Skidmore began the competition with a lead and remained on top to emerge victorious against competitive schools like Centenary College and the University of Kentucky. Elizabeth Kigin '10, Laura Roberts '10, Cecilia Culp '11, Hanae Kimura '11, Kelly Campbell '12, Chelsea Jones '12 and Isabella McKeon '12 all received rings for their performance for the team at nationals, and Alexandra McGuire '11 received a ring for her individual walk-trot-canter championship ribbon. Coaches Cindy Ford and Belinda Colgan were also given rings.
A silent auction including over 60 items took place, with proceeds benefiting the Friends of Skidmore Athletics. Speeches included a welcome and introduction from President Philip Glotzbach and Athletics Director Gail Cummings-Danson. Guest speaker, Hall of Fame NBA coach Dr. Jack Ramsay also took the stage. Ramsay coached in the NBA for 20 years, winning a championship with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. He finished his career as the seventh-winningest coach in NBA history.