Hall of Presidents Dinner caps event-filled Homecoming Day
Colgate Athletics capped a weekend to remember for its 2017 Hall of Honor class with a Saturday night induction dinner at the Hall of Presidents.
Five women and four men representing eight teams that combined to win 11 conference championships took center stage and received their Hall of Honor rings in front of a packed crowd of nearly 200 family members, former classmates and well-wishers.
Earlier Saturday, the inductees attended the formal unveiling of their names inside the Colgate Athletics Hall of Honor Room, and then were recognized at halftime of the Homecoming football game on Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium.
Here are the 2017 Colgate Athletics Hall of Honor inductees and their accomplishments, along with a brief comment from their acceptance speeches:
Brion Applegate – Class of 1976 (Football)
Applegate played football at Colgate and has been heavily involved in supporting all of Colgate’s athletic programs in the years since his graduation. As a Colgate receiver, he led the team in receiving yards as a senior and his 20.4 yards per catch that season ranks second in program history. Applegate is a Board of Trustee Emeriti and recipient of the Maroon Citation and Wm. Brian Little ’64 Award for Distinguished Service to Colgate. He served on the Athletic Affairs Committee, providing valuable insight and support to the department. Applegate is a member of Raiders for Excellence and has donated to several athletics capital campaigns, including the Class of 1965 Arena, Football Press Box, Indoor Golf Facility, and most recently the new football locker room and academic enhancement center, both of which opened last month.
Quote: “As a student-athlete, I had the chance to go into battle with some incredible individuals. And the interestingly, 30 years later, to come and serve on the board, it was the same thing. Very hard-working, very dedicated and people very committed to Colgate. For me, it’s really simple: there’s something very special about this place. I love it dearly, and I’m so proud to be a part of this community.”
Kate (Barrett) Lukabu – Class of 2004 (Women’s Soccer)
Barrett was the 2003 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year after reaching the NCAA season top 10 in points per game. She finished her senior campaign with 18 goals and 45 points – both Colgate season records to this date – and added nine assists to lead the team in that category as well. Barrett remains in the Colgate career top 10 in all three rankings and was a member of Colgate’s 2000 Patriot League regular season championship team.
Quote: “I had an awesome four years here and I can’t thank you enough for this honor. When I met Kathy (Brawn), we had this instant connection. I loved her sense of humor – I was always secretly cracking up inside – and Kathy and I had a bond almost immediately.”
Dorothy Donaldson – Class of 2055 (Softball)
Considered one of the most dominant softball players in Patriot League history, Donaldson earned 2004 Patriot League Player of the Year honors to go with four All-Patriot League First Team selections. She remains Colgate’s career leader in home runs with 39 and stands in the top five in nearly every offensive category. The Raiders captured the 2003 tournament championship behind Donaldson’s .390 batting average, nine home runs and 33 runs batted in.
Quote: “My time here was an amazing experience and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything else. It was truly a very family atmosphere and I loved it here very much. It was an honor to play for such a prestigious university.”
Nate Eachus – Class of 2012 (Football)
Eachus was Colgate’s 2010-11 Male Student-Athlete of the Year after compiling 4,485 career rushing yards and 53 TDs. He was a Consensus All-America First Team selection in 2010 after leading the nation in both rushing with 170.1 per game and points with 12 per game. Eachus also boosted the Raiders to the 2008 Patriot League crown, earning conference Rookie of the Year honors on the strength of his 932 yards and 10 TDs. After graduation, Eachus played the 2012 season with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
Quote: “Coming out of high school, I had a couple of offers on the wrestling side. But my heart was in football. And the thing I’m now most proud of, even greater than the NFL, is having that Colgate degree and that Colgate education. If I could do it all over again, I’d come to Colgate. It was the right decision.”
Rebecca Galves – Class of 1994 (Volleyball)
Galves earned a spot on the Patriot League’s Volleyball All-Decade Team for 1990-99. She was the league’s Rookie of the Year in 1990 and followed that up with three straight All-Patriot League First Team selections, highlighted by her 1992 pick as conference Player of the Year. The Raiders with Galves on board won the Patriot League tournament in 1990 and regular season title in 1991. Galves was the first in program history to reach both 1,000 career digs (1,316) and kills (1,061) and still ranks among the program top 10 in those two categories.
Quote: “I was supposed to be the third generation going to Cornell. But when I came to visit Colgate, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Fred Dunlap, who was the athletics director at the time. After meeting with Fred and after meeting with Vicky Chun, they really won me over to coming to Colgate from New Mexico for the highest level of academics and the highest level of athletics.”
Joel Gardner – Class of 1990 (Men’s Hockey)
Gardner helped propel Colgate to the 1990 ECAC Hockey championship, setting off a postseason trek that carried all the way to the NCAA championship game. He was an All-America selection that season and remains solidly inside Colgate’s career top 10 in points (seventh with 184) and assists (fifth with 113) to go with 71 goals. Gardner combined for 14 points in Colgate’s eight playoff games that year and finished as the team’s overall leading scorer with 26 goals and 36 assists for 62 points.
Quote: (Gardner was unable to attend. Colgate assistant hockey coach Mike Harder spoke on his behalf) “Joel, without a doubt, was the most talented hockey player to ever put on a Colgate jersey. He was that scary combination of being super-skilled, super-high hockey IQ and super tough. As his teammates told me this week when I called them, he was electric.”
Matt Lalli – Class of 2008 (Men’s Lacrosse)
Lalli remains Colgate’s career assist leader with 95. He added 89 goals and is tied for fifth in career points (184). Lalli earned All-America Third Team as a senior and twice garnered All-Patriot League First Team honors. He helped the Raiders tie for the 2006 Patriot regular season title and then matched a conference tournament record for assists with seven as Colgate captured the 2008 title and advanced to the NCAAs. Lalli’s career-high seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) helped Colgate trip No. 2 Syracuse, 12-11.
Quote: “All nine of us here tonight owe the world to our teammates, because we’re not up here without everybody else we played with. I’m so privileged and honored to have called the 75 or so guys who I played with over four years my teammates. This is as much of an honor for you as it is for me.”
Courtney Miller – Class of 2012 (Women’s Lacrosse)
Miller became just the third player in Patriot League women’s lacrosse history to be named All-Patriot League First Team four consecutive seasons. In 2012, she was the Patriot League Midfielder of the Year and Colgate’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Miller was named to the Patriot League’s Silver Anniversary Team in 2016. She still stands as the Colgate leader in draw controls with 201 and is third in career points (241), third in goals (168) and fourth in assists (73). The Raiders swept the Patriot League regular season and tournament championships in 2009 and also tied for regular season honors in 2011. Miller has played for the New York Athletic Club women’s lacrosse team since 2012 and for the Israeli National Team since 2015.
Quote: “We’ve been invited back here tonight to the greatest school ever to be recognized as a few of the best athletes in Colgate history. I wish I could have taken a step back when playing at Colgate to reflect on how lucky I was. It’s really incredible when you think about how few people get to attend a school like this, and here we are an even smaller number who get to do what we did. Being a student-athlete for four years and graduating – that’s pretty remarkable.”
Lauren Schmetterling – Class of 2012 (Women’s Rowing)
Schmetterling was part of the U.S. Women’s Eight rowing crew that won the Olympic gold medal last summer in Rio de Janeiro. The Americans defeated the Great Britain crew by 2½ seconds and Schmetterling became the first Colgate athlete and first Patriot League athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. The Rio Games marked her Olympic debut after she had helped the U.S. team to world championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Schmetterling holds Colgate’s 2K and 6K erg records and was an All-America Second Team selection as a senior.
Quote: (Schmetterling was unable to attend. Her parents, Eric and Lorie, spoke on his behalf) “In her junior year, Lauren realized that she may have more potential and she doubled down on her workouts. She worked out with the team and then she repeated that workout. She won a rowing erg competition and got an email from the Olympic Committee, and that was the beginning. All of that happened when she was here at Colgate, and she was proud to bring the gold to Colgate.”