RIC Athletics enshrines new members into Hall of Fame in Homecoming ceremony
- Timothy Yean, Sports Editor
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Tim Yean
Sports Editor
More of the Anchormen’s greatest athletes and contributors were inducted into the RIC Athletic Hall of Fame at the Murray Center Saturday morning, Oct. 18, with two previously-named RIC hall-of-famers also being inducted into the Little East Conference Hall of Fame.
“Today we come together to celebrate both our past and our present, with alumni returning from near and far,” Rhode Island College president Jack Warner said in his opening statement to the crowd of family, friends and current student-athletes who were in attendance.
The two RIC Hall of Famers now on the Little East Hall of Fame are Class of 2014 men’s basketball player Antone D. Gray and Class of 2015 softball player Stacy Pokora, their dominance now enshrined into LEC history.
“Legacy is a gift, or something that is passed down,” said Gray in his acceptance speech. “For me, today is about one thing: showing gratitude to those who left an impact on me.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time on softball fields in my life, but I’d never imagine standing here and being recognized for something that has meant so much to me for so long,” Pokora emphasized in a speech of her own.
The women’s basketball team of the 2011-12 season became the seventh team to be named into the RIC Athletic Hall of Fame. The team went 25-4 overall that year, with a near-spotless 13-1 record in Little East Conference play, winning the LEC tournament and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division Three tournament.
“Just an extraordinary group and team of athletes, leaders, success stories, overachievers and now rightfully so, Hall of Famers,” Marcus Reilly, head coach of the now-hall-of-fame squad, said. “I’ve been doing this for 26 years now, and you [the 2011-12 team] are the team I measure against every team.”
From the Rhode Island College graduating class of 1972, Robert Sepe was the oldest graduate recognized. Even over 50 years later, the right-handed pitcher holds the record for the lowest earned run average in program history.
“Having experienced being a player on the Rhode Island College baseball team, it has always been and always will be part of my lifelong memories. It has been a while since I threw my last pitch, but the experiences both on and off the field have not diminished,” Sepe said.
On the opposite end, Melanie Brunelle, a Class of 2020 graduate, and the second athlete from that class and the decade to be named a Hall of Famer (last year w/ Eleni Grammas), was the youngest graduate honored.
“It’s not just about winning, but it’s about perseverance, teamwork and pride in every stride that you take,” Brunelle said.
Also honored at the event were executive staff who have provided the athletics department with over a combined 110+ years of service to the Anchormen.
“They have worked tirelessly to provide RIC’s 400+ student-athletes with the very best experience possible with limited resources,” said Director of Athletics Don Tencher, who is himself a Hall of Famer.
Assistant Athletic Directors Andy Coughlin (who himself was an athlete with the Anchormen, currently Assistant A.D. for Athletics and Recreation Facilities), Jerry Shellard (Sports Medicine and Club Sports) and Scott Gibbons (Media Relations and Promotions), as well as Dr. Philip Reilly (Medical Consultant) were four of the eleven individuals honored in the ceremony. They have each and still are an instrumental part of the athletics department since the late 1990s.
“We’re not the ones in the spotlight, but we’re a part of the engine that keeps things running,” Shellard, the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Club Sports, remarked in his acceptance speech.
The Hall of Fame ceremony was streamed on the LEC Network. Viewers can rewatch the broadcast at https://www.littleeast.tv/.