Winter 2005
PEOPLE
Four
Inducted into SUNY Geneseo Sports Hall of Fame
The SUNY Geneseo Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation
inducted four new members into its Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 2 as part
of the College’s Homecoming festivities.
The 2004 class includes women’s track and field star Beth Shope
’99, men’s lacrosse players Gary Lewis ’76 and Tom
Gleason ’79, and former men’s lacrosse and wrestling coach,
Paul Rose.
Shope is an eight-time SUNYAC and five-time New York state champion performer
in women’s track and field. Under head coach Mike Woods, she
helped the Knights to a pair of SUNYAC team championships and a New York
state team championship, participating in the outdoor hammer throw, indoor
20 pound weight throw, shot and discus. Combining power, speed and agility,
the Irondequoit High School graduate earned All-American honors seven
times in her career, each of her four years for the hammer and three years
for the weight. Shope’s impressive career reached its apex on Thursday,
May 20, 1999 at the NCAA Division III championships at Baldwin-Wallace
College in Berea, Ohio when she tossed the hammer 173’ 1" to
become the first student-athlete in Geneseo history to earn a National
Championship. A Dr. Myrtle A. Merritt Scholar-Athlete award winner, Shope
graduated in 1999 with a mathematics degree and an art minor. She still
holds the school records for the hammer and weight throws and continues
to compete in the hammer at the Empire State Games, where she has earned
three golds, two silvers and a bronze for the Western team. She currently
resides in Fairport, N.Y., and is the web department manager for wholelattelove.com
in Victor, N.Y.
Lewis was a two-time ECAC champion as part of the men’s lacrosse
program. From his midfield position, he helped the Knights to a record
of 39-15 during his four seasons, including the two ECAC titles in 1974
and 1975. As a junior in 1975, he scored a whopping 41 of his 72 career
goals, earned All-SUNYAC honors and became Geneseo’s first lacrosse
All-American and just the seventh Geneseo student-athlete in any sport
to gain national recognition. Those 41 goals still rank fourth for a season
and the 72 for his career is a tie for 10th all-time at the College. He
graduated from Geneseo with a history degree in 1976 and works as senior
sales representative for Stryker Orthopedics. He resides in Jamesville,
N.Y., with his wife, Deborah, and has two sons, Ryan (20) and Jeffrey
(17).
Gleason guided the men’s lacrosse program to a record of 34-17 in
four seasons from his attack position. The Yorktown Heights native earned
All-SUNYAC honors in 1979 as a senior and later that season became the
College’s 11 overall All-American and second men’s lacrosse
player to gain national honors. He ranks fourth all-time at the College
with 176 points, is fourth in assists with 108 and is 15th with 68 goals.
His 75 points on 40 goals and 35 assists in 1979 rank third all-time for
a single season and his single game high of nine points on five goals,
four assists came against Colgate during that prolific scoring season.
The Pleasant Valley resident graduated from Geneseo in 1979 with a degree
from the Jones School of Business and his career led him to be the manager
of Global Services at IBM in Somers, N.Y. He and his wife, Joanne, have
three children, Jennifer (22), Megan (21) and Tom (18), the latter two
following in Dad’s footsteps as current Geneseo students.
Rose provided the impetus and leadership over 10 years that turned a fledgling
Geneseo men’s lacrosse program, started by John Hoey and Geneseo
Sports Hall of Famer John Linfoot in 1968, into a regional powerhouse.
Leading the Knights to a record of 83-44 in his ten years, Rose still
holds the highest winning percentage for a men’s lacrosse coach at
Geneseo. During his tenure, Geneseo never had a losing season and he guided
the team to the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship in back
to back seasons in 1974 and ’75. In addition, he spent eight years
as the College’s wrestling coach. The 1967 graduate of Cortland earned
his master’s degree in physical education from Penn St. in 1973 and
taught an eclectic array of physical education classes at Geneseo including
all the racquet sports, handball, yoga and fencing. Following his time
at Geneseo, he coached at Colgate for five years and at SUNY Morrisville
for 10 years before retiring from his position as dean of enrollment management
and men’s lacrosse coach in 1994. After officiating lacrosse for
six seasons, Morrisville twisted his arm, but probably just a little,
and convinced him to come back to the playing field as their coach in
2003. Still an active age group lacrosse player and distance runner, he
cherishes the first ECAC championship over Union and the Knights 1977
16-12 win over Division I Syracuse University as his most memorable moments
at Geneseo. He and his wife, Jeanne, have two sons, Brian (33) and Christopher
(30).
In addition to the Hall of Fame inductions, Geneseo recognized Gloria
Tarantella and Ruth Robinson in the "Legends of the Blue Knights"
category. A resident of Retsof, N.Y., Tarantella was the athletic department
secretary for six years before moving to the administration building and
eventually to the Office of the President as an assistant to then president,
Dr. Carol Harter. Robinson, a Geneseo resident, served the athletic department
as the secretary for 27 years under department heads and/or athletic directors,
Dr. Myrtle A. Merritt, Dr. Dan Mullin, Bob Riedel, Fred Bright and Dr.
John Spring.
The ceremony also included recognition of the 1996 women’s track
and field team, which set a standard of excellence that today’s teams
strive to emulate. After winning three invitationals to open the indoor
season for head coach Mike Woods (Geneseo, 1969), the team won the indoor
SUNYACs and finished third at the state meet. In the outdoor season, the
Knights joined the 1984 version of the team as the only teams to sweep
both the indoor and outdoor SUNYAC championships, a feat that has since
been duplicated by both the 2003 and 2004 teams.
Nominations are sought for future Hall of Fame inductions
Nominations are currently being accepted for inductees into the SUNY Geneseo
Sports Hall of Fame for 2005.
Nominees must have participated in an outstanding capacity in varsity
athletics or contributed significantly to the athletic program during
matriculation at the College. A five-year waiting period is required,
making any athlete with a 2000 graduation date or earlier eligible for
the year 2005 induction. Prospective candidates may not nominate themselves.
Nominations may be submitted by March 1, 2005, to George Gagnier, Chair
of the Selection Committee, Merritt Athletic Center Room 232, Department
of Sports and Recreation, SUNY Geneseo, One College Circle, Geneseo, N.Y.
14454.
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From
left: Paul Rose, Beth Shope ’99, Tom Gleason ’79, Gary
Lewis ’76.
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Gloria
Tarantella, left, and Ruth Robinson, right, are congratulated by
Marilyn Moore upon being inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame as
"Legends of the Blue Knights."
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Photos
by: Ron Pretzer
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