I've been saving up some emails and press releases to share on here, so here goes.
I got this one from the University of Vermont about a week ago, dealing with the latest class of former Catamounts to be inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame. There are several familiar names, including former Frost Heave Erik Nelson.
Nelson played just one season with the Frost Heaves, but made his mark much earlier with the men's basketball program at UVM. I remember when he signed with the Frost Heaves and they had a press conference at the Windjammer and everything - in part to announce Erik and in part to announce a pair of sponsorship deals with VSECU and the Vermont National Guard.
Nelson went on to make a big impression with Heaves fans and spent last season playing for a team in the Netherlands - a place he'd played before that also was a favorite place he had lived with his wife, Priscilla. They are still in the process of building their own house in the Duxbury area, and I'm not positive what Erik's basketball plans are for this coming season.
Here's the text of the UVM release. I put Erik Nelson's entry at the top and the rest of the class follows.
-Anna Grearson
Class of Six To Be Inducted Into UVM Athletic Hall Of Fame August 17, 2009 BURLINGTON, Vt. - The University of Vermont will welcome six new members into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 3, 2009. This year's inductees are:Gordon Allen '97 (men's lacrosse), Ethan Barlow '96 (baseball), Erik Nelson '98 (men's basketball), Brooke Taft Robbins '90 (women's gymnastics), Lori Taylor '98 (women's basketball) and Laurie Woelfel '97 (women's swimming and diving). Erik Nelson '98 (Men's Basketball):
The inductees will be lauded at the 41st annual UVM Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets to the dinner may be purchased starting September 1 through the UVM Athletic Ticket Office in Patrick Gym (1-866-4CAT-TIX).
A two-time all-conference forward for the Vermont men's basketball team, Nelson was one of three UVM frontcourt players to earn America East All-Conference First Team honors in Vermont's first 20 years in the league. The 6-foot-7 forward/center finished his career 12th all-time at UVM in scoring (1,222 points), second in blocked shots (282), third in rebounds (795), third in field goal percentage (55%) and fifth in steals (129). He was one the top shot-blockers in UVM and America East history leading the conference three times in blocked shots. Nelson had a strong senior season leading the Catamounts to a third place finish in the America East, the team's best in its first 20 years in the conference. Vermont also set new program marks with 11 league wins and 15 Division I victories.
Gordon Allen '97 (Men's Lacrosse):
One of the most prolific scorers in team history, Allen capped off an outstanding career in a Catamount uniform. He finished his career third all-time in career points (189) and assists (73) and tied for third in career goals (116) at Vermont. He was one of only six players to score 100 or more career goals at UVM at the time of his graduation. Entering his senior year Allen was named a preseason Honorable Mention All-American by College Lacrosse USA. As a senior he led the team with 68 points on 46 goals and 22 assists. The 46 goals are the third-most in a single season in school history and the 68 points rank as the fifth-highest total. Allen became only the second player in UVM history to be selected to play in the prestigious North-South Senior Division I All-Star game. He also played in the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association East-West Senior All-Star game following his senior year.
Ethan Barlow '96 (Baseball):
One of the top hitters in the history of the Vermont baseball program, Barlow was twice selected to the America East All-Conference First Team. The speedy outfielder set several UVM single-season and career records in his four seasons as a starter. He graduated in 1996 as the program leader in total bases (257), triples (17), games played (154) and runs scored (141), while ranking tied for second in career hits (174), third in stolen bases (45) and 10th in batting average (.327). As a senior co-captain in 1996, Barlow led the conference with a .455 batting average, setting a new UVM single season record. He also had an on base percentage of .550, another school record. Following the campaign he was named to the all-conference first team and was selected by his teammates as the Larry Gardner Most Valuable Player.
Brooke Taft Robbins '90 (Women's Gymnastics):
A top gymnast and four-time MVP of the women's gymnastics team, Taft Robbins was an Academic All-American who led the team to its first ECAC postseason championship meet in 1989. When she graduated in 1990 she held every school record in women's gymnastics. She had the all-time top score in the floor exercise, balance beam, vaulting and uneven bars, and also had the top all-around score. Her all-around score is still among the top 10 all-time at UVM. The first UVM gymnast to be named to the ECAC All-Conference team (1989), she was among the ECAC's top gymnasts back when national gymnastics powers like New Hampshire, Towson and Pittsburgh were still competing on a regional level. She finished fourth in the vault at ECACs that year. In 1990, she was an all-around alternate to the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships, and was also a member of the Catamount team that won the National Association of Women's Gymnastics Academic National Championship.
Lori Taylor '98 (Women's Basketball):
The 1998 women's winner of UVM's Wasson Athletic Prize for outstanding academic and athletic achievement, Taylor was a standout point guard on the women's basketball team who finished as the program's all-time leader in assists and three-point field goals upon graduation. She was named to an all-conference team three straight seasons after earning all-rookie honors in 1995. One of the most durable guards in Vermont history, she started all 114 games in her career and played 4,066 out of a possible 4,590 minutes (89%). Along with her 571 assists and 194 three-pointers, Taylor finished eighth all-time at UVM in scoring (1,112 points) and third in both steals (209) and three-point field goal shooting (37.6%). She wrapped up her career with an excellent senior season and was named to the America East All-Conference Third Team after helping lead the Catamounts to the league's regular season title and another trip to the championship game.
Laurie Woelfel '97 (Women's Swimming and Diving):
Twice named the women's swim team's Athlete of the Year, Woelfel finished her standout four-year as the program's best-ever in the breaststroke. She is the first and only Catamount to win an America East individual title in the breaststroke capturing the 200 championship as a junior in 1996. When she graduated in 1997, she held the school-record in both breaststroke events, the 100 and 200, with times that stood for more than 10 years. Several times throughout her career she bettered each record. Woelfel wrapped up her career with an outstanding senior season retiring as the UVM record holder in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events setting both marks at the America East Championship, her final meet for the Catamounts. At the Maine pool, she came in second in the 200 with a time of 2:25:64 and finished fourth in the 100 swimming the event in 1:07.85. She also added an eighth place finish, tops for the Cats, in the 200 IM. Woelfel was inducted last year, but was unable to attend the ceremony.
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