The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

November 24, 1997

Many colleges have halls of fame to honor achievements of athletes over the years, but how many have such a hall devoted exclusively to women?

Until now, the answer may have been zero.

William Smith College took a step forward October 4 when it dedicated its new Heron Hall of Honor as part of a daylong, on-campus celebration of the achievements of its women's athletics program.

Sports information director Eric Reuscher says it appears to be the only such hall dedicated to women athletes only. It was established in 1996 by the Heron Society, the college's athletics booster organization.

The first class contains 11 members, most of them William Smith pioneers in one way or another. Among the inductees were Mary E. Hosking, an administrator during a period of athletics expansion and a one-time coach of every William Smith sport; the late Janet Seeley, a faculty member from 1932 to 1971 and a key figure in the development of the college's dance program and promotion of women's athletics; and the late Marcia Winn, director of athletics from 1934 to 1967 and originator of intercollegiate athletics competitions for women.

The Hall of Honor Room is in a new wing of Winn-Seeley Gymnasium. The names of new inductees will be mounted in a recessed entryway to the room alongside an interactive video display where the careers of inductees will be portrayed.

Deja vu

For Boston College athletics director Gene DeFilippo, the scene had to be familiar: A DeFilippo starting his first varsity football game at quarterback at Northeastern University's Parsons Field.

This time, it was John DeFilippo, a sophomore for James Madison University, who quarterbacked the Dukes against Northeastern.

Twenty-eight years ago, it was Gene himself who made his debut, quarterbacking Springfield College to a 21-13 victory over Northeastern. DeFillipo, a freshman at the time, threw three touchdown passes on that day.

The younger DeFillipo didn't do badly either, hitting 15 of 26 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown in his first game as a starter.

Gene DeFillipo is a Big East Conference representative on the Division I Management Council.

Sportsmanship Day set

National Sportsmanship Day will be celebrated in all 50 states March 3, 1998.

The event promotes appreciation for the critical role of ethics, honesty and fair play in athletics. It focuses on outreach programs, writing and arts contests, coaches' forums, and other activities aimed at furthering the principles of sportsmanship and ethics.

Participating schools will be provided with free instructional packets containing suggested activities, essay contests, role-playing scenarios, discussion questions and promotional materials. Each school then is encouraged to adapt National Sportsmanship Day (NSD) to its own needs and carry out activities that will provide administrators, students, athletes, parents and fans the opportunity to best address the issues of sportsmanship, ethics and fair play.

Those interested in more information on National Sportsmanship Day can contact NSD headquarters at 800/447-9889 or 401/874-2550.

Division II tip-offs

They didn't get the same national publicity as the big preseason winners in Division I, but the University of Southern Indiana and the College of Saint Rose recently won major Division II tournament championships in the Disney Men's and Women's Tip-Off Classics.

Saint Rose's women rode the play of senior center Krista Kandere to a 69-57 victory over Delta State University. Kandere, the Division II preseason player of the year, had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the title game November 10.

In the men's final November 17, senior forward Wayne Houston averaged 24.6 points and 13 rebounds over the three-game tournament to pace Southern Indiana, which beat Columbus State University, 86-85, in the championship game.

-- Compiled by David Pickle