2016 LHU Athletics Hall of Fame Class Enshrined
LOCK HAVEN – The 2016 Lock Haven University Athletics Hall of Fame Class was inducted on Sunday..
This year’s inductees included nine individuals and the 1995 field hockey team.
The 2016 Class included Bob Craig, Leonard “Gus” DeAugustino, Ann (Grim) Showers, Cary Kolat, Cherry Li, Tina Martin, John “Red” Murray (The Golden Era Inductee, Pre-1950) and Ross Nevel, Jr.
The 1995 field hockey team went a perfect 21-0 on the way to a National Championship.
The 2016 Hall of Fame Class marked the second in the history of the LHU Athletics Hall of Fame Class.
The LHU Athletics Hall of Fame was established to celebrate the rich history, pride, passion and tradition of LHU Athletics by honoring the school’s greatest athletes, coaches and supporters from the school’s founding in 1870.
The 2016 LHU Athletics Hall of Fame Class:
Bob Craig
Leonard “Gus” DeAugustino
Ann (Grim) Showers
Cary Kolat
Cherry Li
Tina Martin
John “Red” Murray – The Golden Era Inductee (Pre 1950)
Ross Nevel Jr.
Joy Sundberg
1995 Field Hockey Team
Bob Craig
The late Craig was a five-sport athlete who graduated from Lock Haven State Teacher’s College in 1953. He competed in football, track & field, gymnastics, swimming & diving and wrestling. As a gymnast, Craig won 5 of 7 events and earned the All-Around Award at the 1952 AAU Allegheny Regional Championships. As a fullback, he rushed for 12 TDs in 1952, which is still tied for the third-most in a single-season. On the mats in 1953, Craig defeated a three-time PSTC champion for the title and Outstanding Wrestler Award. He eventually advanced to the 1953 NCAA quarterfinals. Craig went on to place third at 174 pounds at the 1955 Pan American Games. He also enjoyed a successful football (283-143-12) and wrestling (513-131-9) coaching career at Cedar Cliff High School. Craig is a member of the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Leonard “Gus” DeAugustino
The late DeAugustino was the first Lock Haven student-athlete to win a National Championship and is one of just nine wrestling National Champions. The 1953 LHSTC graduate was also the first to represent Lock Haven at the Olympics, earning a spot on Team USA in 1952 as a 136.5 pound alternate in Helsinki, Finland. He won the 1953 NCAA Division I title at 137 pounds. While at LHSTC, DeAugustino was undefeated in dual meets. He enjoyed a stellar high school wrestling coaching career at North Allegheny High School, leading 21 athletes to individual PIAA titles. DeAugustino won 380 matches as a high school coach (380-104-2).
Ann (Grim) Showers
Showers, a 1984 LHU graduate, was a standout three-sport athlete at Lock Haven, competing in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. She played on two National Championship teams and one national runner-up field hockey team, and was a two-time First Team All-American in the sport. Following the 1982 season, Showers was nominated for the Broderick Cup Award, given to the top collegiate field hockey player in the nation. In 1982 and 1983, she was the only NCAA Division II player selected as First Team All-American. Showers was invited to four U.S. Olympic training camps. She captained the field hockey team in 1983 and was a co-captain on the lacrosse team in 1984. Showers enjoyed a standout coaching career following her time at LHU.
Cary Kolat
Kolat, a 2003 LHU graduate, won two NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships while competing for the Bald Eagles. The four-time NCAA Division I All-American won the 1996 and 1997 NCAA titles for Lock Haven and finished his collegiate wrestling career with a 111-7 record. Kolat represented Team USA in 13 different international events, including the World Team (1997-2001). He won a gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1999, a silver medal at the 1997 World Championships and bronze at the World Championships in 1998. Kolat was a member of the 2000 Olympic Team. Arguably the greatest high school wrestler Pennsylvania has ever seen, Kolat went 137-0 during his high school career. Currently, Kolat serves as the head coach at Division I Campbell University.
Cherry Li
Li, a 2006 LHU graduate, was nothing short of dominant while playing volleyball for the Bald Eagles. The four-year starter was a three-time All-American and she was named the 2006 Co-National Player of the Year. Li led the nation in hitting percentage during the 2003, 2004 and 2006 seasons and her name is scattered throughout the LHU, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and NCAA record books. She was a finalist for the 2007 Honda Award and twice named the PSAC Player of the Year. In all, she was a four-time All-PSAC selection and was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year as well, to go along with numerous regional honors. Following her playing days at LHU, she served as an assistant coach with the Bald Eagles for several seasons.
Tina Martin
Martin, a standout LHU women’s basketball player, still holds the school record for points with 2,157. The 1986 Lock Haven University graduate enjoyed a stellar career for the Bald Eagles. Martin was an All-American in 1985 and 1986, a four-time PSAC All-Star, and she was twice named the PSAC Player of the Year. As of 1986, she was the PSAC’s all-time leading scorer and her 2,157 points currently rank fifth all-time for the conference. Prior to moving on to coach Division I, Martin was the graduate assistant coach at LHU from 1986 to 1987. Currently, Martin is the head coach at Division I Delaware, where she has led the Blue Hens to four NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 run in 2013. She’s already the winningest coach in Delaware women’s basketball history as she nears 400 career wins.
John “Red” Murray
The late Murray was a three-sport athlete at the Central State Normal School in the early 1900’s. He played baseball, basketball and football from 1903-1905, excelling most notably on the baseball diamond for a team – at the time – that was considered to be the most successful in the history of the school. Murray went on to play 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (1906-1917) and was the starting right-fielder for the New York Giants in three consecutive World Series (1911, 1912 & 1913). In 1909, he led the National League in home runs and was second in both RBIs and stolen bases. Murray’s lifetime batting average was .270 and his slugging percentage was .379.
Ross Nevel Jr.
Nevel provided extensive coverage of LHU athletics from 1943 to 1980. He served as a sportswriter for The Express (Lock Haven, Pa.) from 1943 to 1970 and was the Sports Information Director at LHSC from 1970 to 1980. Nevel is remembered as a gifted writer, an avid sports historian, and, above all, an enthusiastic and devoted friend of all LHU sports, who provided balanced coverage of men’s and women’s athletics. In 1967, he won the Dellinger Award, given annually by Amateur Wrestling News to the top wrestling writer in the nation. Nevel was made a lifetime honorary member of the LHSC Alumni Association in 1967 and in 1968 was named an honorary member of the LHSC Varsity Club for his outstanding service to all sports at Lock Haven State College.
Joy Sundberg
Sundberg, a 1980 LHSC graduate, was the school’s first and only National Champion in swimming, winning the 50-yard backstroke in 1977. Sundberg won the title at the AIAW Small College National Championships with a time of 28.35, which at the time was a small college national record. She was a six-time All-American, including a four-time All-American in the 50-yard backstroke and a two-time All-American in the 100-yard backstroke. Sundberg’s 1:01.63 in the 100-yard backstroke, clocked at the 1977 AIAW Small College Nationals is still the fifth-fastest time in school history. In 1978, she was second in the 50-yard backstroke and fourth in the 100-yard backstroke at the National Championships.
1995 Field Hockey Team
The 1995 LHU field hockey team completed the season a perfect 21-0-0, the first unbeaten and untied season in more than two decades under head coach Sharon Taylor. The Bald Eagles won the NCAA Division II National Championship, defeating rival Bloomsburg 1-0 in the title game. Following the season, Taylor was named PSAC and National Coach of the Year, and Mel Helm was named PSAC Player of the Year. A total of seven players were named to the All-PSAC Team and five players honored as All-Americans.
