The Slippery Rock University Athletic Hall of Fame will officially welcome eight new members at the annual Hall of Fame induction banquet Sept. 24. The Class of 2016 was announced Thursday by SRU director of athletics and Hall of Fame committee chair Paul Lueken.
The Class of 2016 includes:
• Sarah Arsenault – Women’s Soccer (class of 2006)
• Stacey (Green) McKavish – Women’s Basketball (class of 2005)
• Billy Gross – Baseball (class of 1993)
• Don Henry – Wrestling (class of 1983)
• Eric Laughlin – Men’s Cross Country/Track (class of 1995)
• Jim Mill – Football (class of 1965)
• Ryan Phillips – Swimming/Water Polo (class of 1999)
• Steve Roberts – Wrestling (class of 1983)
The 33rd annual induction ceremony will be held Sept. 24 prior to SRU’s home football game against Gannon University. The event will be held in the Robert M. Smith Student Center ballroom and begins with a social hour at 1:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the induction ceremonies at 2:30 p.m. The induction class will then be recognized during halftime of the football game (6 p.m. kickoff) at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
Tickets for the 2016 SRU Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are $40 each if purchased before Sept. 16 and $50 each if purchased after Sept. 16. No tickets will be available on the day of the event. Tickets can be ordered online at the link above or through the mail by sending the registration form to Tracy Allison at: Slippery Rock University, Alumni House – Attn. Tracy Allison, Slippery Rock, PA 16057. Allison can be reached via telephone at 724.738.2182.
The addition of the eight-person Class of 2016 increases the number of former Rock student-athletes, coaches and contributors inducted into the Hall of Fame to 230.
The following are brief profiles of members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2016, listed in alphabetical order.
SARAH ARSENAULT
Sport: Women’s Soccer
Graduation Year: 2006
Highlights: Two-time PSAC Player of the Year, PSAC Rookie of the Year, Most goals in SRU women’s soccer history, First team All-American.
Sarah Arsenault, a native of Rome, N.Y., is the all-time leading scorer in Slippery Rock women’s soccer history with 70 goals and 162 points. She was a four-time All-Region performer and was named a first team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 2003. She was twice named the PSAC Player of the Year and was also named the PSAC Rookie of the Year after her freshman season. Arsenault helped lead Slippery Rock to the PSAC title in 2003 and to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances in 2001 and 2003. She earned her undergraduate degree from The Rock in 2006 and went on to earn a master’s degree (MBA) from Waynesburg University in 2012. Arsenault also played professionally for the Steel City Sparks of the Women’s Premiere Soccer League after graduating from Slippery Rock. She was inducted into the SRU Soccer Ring of Honor in 2014.
Currently: Arsenault began her coaching career shortly after graduating from Slippery Rock. She is currently the head women’s soccer coach at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. She also spent time as the head coach at SUNY Canton and Salem International and served as an assistant at Hamilton College and Waynesburg. Arsenault resides in Ridgeland, Mississippi.
BILLY GROSS
Sport: Baseball
Graduation Year: 1993
Highlights: All-American, Two-time All-Region, Two-time All-PSAC, Most runners caught stealing in SRU baseball history.
Bill Gross, a native of Glendora, New Jersey, started all 108 of his games played at catcher over his three-year career for Slippery Rock. He led SRU to a sparkling 99-47 (.678) record that included three PSAC Tournament appearances and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths. Gross helped SRU win a PSAC championship in 1991 and as a senior captained a squad that won 37 games, the fourth most victories in a single-season in program history. For his career, Gross hit .381 (135-for-354) with 68 runs scored, 11 home runs, 88 RBI, 23 doubles and a .451 on-base percentage. 23 years since playing his final game at Slippery Rock, Gross still ranks 12th in career on-base percentage and 13th in career batting average. He was a two-time All-Region honoree that also received All-America recognition in 1993. At the conclusion of his collegiate career Gross signed a free agent contract with the Florida Marlins and played in their minor league system for the Gulf Coast Marlins and Elmira Pioneers. He went on to earn a master’s degree (MBA) from the University of Hartford in 2000.
Currently: Gross has enjoyed a successful career in the banking and insurance industries. He is currently the vice president of commercial lines sales and marketing for the Hanover Insurance Group. He resides in Norfolk, Massachusetts with his wife Denise and son Jackson.
DON HENRY
Sport: Wrestling
Graduation Year: 1983
Highlights: Two-time NCAA national qualifier, Member of three regional championship teams, PAWF State Freestyle and Greco Roman champion.
A four-year wrestler at Slippery Rock, Don Henry served as Slippery Rock’s team captain as a junior and senior and placed three times at the PSAC championships, including a second-place showing as a senior. He was a two-time NCAA Division I national qualifier at 142 pounds. He helped lead Slippery Rock to NCAA East Regional championships in 1979, 1980 and 1983 as well as regional runner-up honors in 1982. Henry also won the PAWF freestyle and Greco Roman championship while at SRU. After graduating from Slippery Rock with a bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation management he participated in the Olympic Trials in 1984 and 1988.
Currently: Henry has served as the head wrestling coach at Gannon University since 1984. Over the last 32 years he has coached 32 All-Americans, 22 regional champions and 72 national qualifiers. A three-time NCAA Division II East Regional Coach of the Year, he was recognized for his hard work and many accomplishments by being inducted into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014. Henry resides in Erie, Pennsylvania.
STACEY (GREEN) McKAVISH
Sport: Women’s Basketball
Graduation Year: 2005
Highlights: Two-time All-PSAC, Ranks third in SRU women’s basketball history in rebounds, fourth in blocks and seventh in scoring.
A native of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, Stacey McKavish was a four-year starter for the Slippery Rock women’s basketball team from 2001-05. One of the most dominating post players in SRU history, McKavish averaged 12.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks per game over her career and ranks third in Slippery Rock history in total rebounds (938), fourth in blocks (61) and seventh in points (1,329). She is one of just three players in program history to record more than 1,000 points and 900 rebounds. A scoring threat from anywhere on the floor, McKavish also made 75 three-pointers, the 13th most in SRU history. She earned All-PSAC honors in back-to-back years as a junior and senior. McKavish received a bachelor’s degree in health service administration from Slippery Rock in 2005.
Currently: McKavish has worked in human resources since graduating from Slippery Rock. She is currently the manager of recruiting at Dewberry, a leading engineering firm in Fairfax, Virginia. McKavish is responsible for full life cycle recruiting at Dewberry. She also spent time as a corporate recruiter at Telesis and as a human resource specialist at Toll Brothers. McKavish is married to former Rock football standout Ryan McKavish. The couple has three daughters, Alainah, Paige and Sydney, and resides in Berryville, Virginia.
ERIC LAUGHLIN
Sport: Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field
Graduation Year: 1995
Highlights: Six-time All-American, Two-time PSAC champion, Four-time All-Region performer in cross country.
Eric Laughlin, a native of Clarion, Pennsylvania, is one of the most decorated distance runners in Slippery Rock history, earning six career All-America accolades in the combined sports of cross country and track and field. He placed in the top 10 in the PSAC championships and NCAA regional meet in all four years of cross country and earned three All-America finishes, including a sixth place finish at nationals his sophomore year when he helped Slippery Rock to its highest team finish ever at nationals with a sixth place showing. On the track, Laughlin won the PSAC titles in the 1,500-meter run and the 5,000-meter run as a sophomore and went on to place fifth in the 5,000m at nationals for his first career All-America honor on the track. He would add All-PSAC finishes in the 1,500m and the 5,000m in each of the next two years and would finish sixth in the 5,000m at nationals as a junior and senior to round out his six All-America honors.
Currently: Laughlin has carried his passion for distance running into a successful coaching career and is currently the head women’s cross country coach and assistant track and field coach at Clarion University. He spent five years at West Liberty University before moving on to Clarion, helping the Hilltoppers to annual top five finishes in the Mountain East Conference as the head men’s and women’s cross country coach. Laughlin also spent time as the head coach at Buckeye Local High School from 2000-10, leading his teams to multiple championships. He resides in nearby Shippenville, Pennsylvania with his son Zachary.
JIM MILL
Sport: Football
Graduation Year: 1965
Highlights: First team All-PSAC lineman, Team captain in 1964, Copley Award winner as SRU MVP in 1964, Successful career as professor, coach and administrator at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Being inducted into the SRU Hall of Fame will be one more accolade in a lengthy list of career accomplishments for Pittsburgh native Dr. James Mill, who retired in 2002 after more than 30 years of service to Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Before he embarked on that career in education, Mill was a standout two-way lineman on the Slippery Rock football team in the mid-1960s. He was elected as a co-captain of the team in 1964 and went on to be named team MVP that same year. Mill was a first team All-Pennsylvania State College selection as an offensive lineman and was also named to first team Small College All-District honors by the Pittsburgh Press. He was invited to play in the Gem City Bowl that season as well.
After SRU: Mill made his biggest impact after his graduation from SRU in 1965. He went on to earn his master’s degree from Temple University and his Ph. D. in higher education administration from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981. From 1970-80 he served as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the Indiana football team while also serving as an associate professor in the health and physical education department. From 1980-83 he moved into the associate athletic director role while still teaching and from 1983-2002 he served as the chairman of the health, physical education and sport science program. Mill retired from Indiana in 2002 and was honored by his colleagues in 2004 when the university named its campus fitness facility the James. G. Mill Fitness Center. Mill met his wife Bonnie Anderson Mill (SRU class of 1964) while at Slippery Rock. The couple has four children, Shannon Boyle, Jodi Dephillipo, James L. Mill and Mark Mill, and 12 grandchildren. Mill currently resides in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
RYAN PHILLIPS
Sport: Men’s Swimming/Water Polo
Graduation Year: 1999
Highlights: Two-time All-American in water polo, National Player of the Year in water polo in 1998, NCAA record holder in goals per game.
Ryan Phillips, a native of Reading, Pennsylvania, is the only Slippery Rock men’s water polo player to ever be named the National Player of the Year, an honor he earned in 1998. Phillips was named an All-American in both 1998 and 1997 in water polo and at one point held the NCAA record for goals per game. He was named the Southern MVP in 1998 as well. He also excelled as a swimmer, earning PSAC Rookie of the Year honors in 1996 and going on to set since-broken SRU records in both individual and relay races. In addition to his outstanding efforts at SRU, Phillips was also a member of the USA East squad and a National “B” Team member in 1998 and 1999.
Currently: Phillips is the director of national accounts, IDN/GPO for Xenex Disinfection Services, an international medical device company based in San Antonio, Texas, a role he moved into in 2016. Prior to joining Xenex, he spent 10 years working in progressively advanced roles for Verathon, Inc., where he consistently performed above expectations. Phillips currently resides in Moorestown, New Jersey with his wife Janet and their two children, Ella and Jack.
STEVE ROBERTS
Sport: Wrestling
Graduation Year: 1983
Highlights: Two-time NCAA Division I East Regional champion, PSAC Champion, Seventh most wins in SRU history as a wrestler, 16 years as a member of SRU wrestling coaching staff, including eight years as head coach.
Steve Roberts, a native of Saegertown, Pennsylvania, is one of the winningest wresters in Slippery Rock history and also devoted many years of service to the university as a coach and educator. He ranks seventh all-time at SRU in career victories with a 105-28-1 overall record and is one of just nine men to record 100 or more individual wins during their careers. Roberts’ highest honors came in both 1979 and 1980 when he won the NCAA Division I East Regional titles at 142 pounds, earning a berth in the National Championships each year. He also claimed a PSAC title and was named the Robert G. Lutz Award winner during his tenure as a wrestler. Following his graduation from Slippery Rock in 1983, Roberts spent a total of 16 years as a member of the coaching staff at The Rock, first serving as a graduate assistant for one year, then as an assistant coach for seven years and then as the head coach for eight years, where he coached Derek Delporto to an NCAA Division I All-America finish at nationals.
Currently: In addition to his service as a coach, Roberts also served Slippery Rock as the coordinator of recreational sports and outdoor adventure for 11 years before retiring in 2012. He stays active as an advisor to the SRU adventure club and cycling club and is very active with the SRU wrestling alumni group, hosting an annual pig roast and helping to organize a reunion trip each year to attend the NCAA Division I National Championships. Roberts and his wife Charese, who is also an SRU graduate, are the proud parents of daughter Jody, who earned an elementary and special education degree from Slippery Rock in 2015. The couple currently resides in Mercer, Pennsylvania.
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