200 Memories Central

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Welcome back to our celebration of 200 moments, memories, coaches and student-athletes from the history of Lycoming College athletics. In this 15th series of moments, we take a look at the building of a sports complex, the beginning of an annual basketball tradition and a trio of All-Americans, including the first men’s lacrosse one in school history.

With no more ado, here are moments 141-150 in our series of 200:

141. 1997-99 MAC Champions – There is an old saying that you can tell how successful a college coach will be by his fourth year – the year when his first recruiting class becomes seniors. In 1996-97, Roger Crebs’ fourth year as head coach of the Lycoming wrestling team, he certainly set a tone for the success his programs would have. All that team did was win the Budd Whitehill National Duals, rise up to third in the NCAA Division III poll and win the MAC Championship for the first time since Crebs’ first season in 1994, doing it on the home mats of Lamade Gym. Not to mention, the Warriors went undefeated, 22-0, for the only time in program history, won the NCAA East Regional, produced a national champion in Aaron Fitt and finished seventh at the NCAA Division III Championships while Crebs was named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year. It was only the beginning for the Warriors, though, as Crebs’ second and third recruiting classes followed with MAC titles in 1998 and 1999. During that time, the Warriors produced 10 individual champions, including two-time winners Colin McSherry and Jamie Yonkin. At the MAC Championships, the Warriors placed in 28 of 30 weight classes during the three-year run, not to mention the team producing five All-Americans – Fitt, Jerry Boland (fifth, 1997, 118), Matt Yonkin (sixth, 1997, 190), Aaron Harris (sixth, 1998, 142) and Rob Cosper (fourth, 1999, heavyweight). In 1998, the team reached as high as 13^th in the national poll, finished first at the NCAA East Regional for the second year in a row and finished 20-4 before taking 26^th at the NCAA Championships. To wrap up the run in 1999, the Warriors posted an 18-3 record, won their second Budd Whitehill National Duals and rose as high as third in the national polls before finishing 24^th. Even though the run of MAC Championships ended in 2000 by finishing second, the Warriors still managed to put together a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, their highest-ever at an NCAA event and highest at a national event since the 1962 squad took third at the NAIA Championships.

142. Shangraw Athletic Complex, 1998 – By 1998, David Person Field was more than 35 years old and starting to show its age. Bleacher seats for 875 people when the Warriors had reached two national championship games in the previous eight years and become one of the most successful NCAA Division III programs in the country. In a rare move for the Board of Trustees, it decided to start the project before all the money had been raised and alumni and friends quickly rose to the challenge, raising $1.1 million before a $400,000 challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation and sales of lockers in the facility covered the rest of the nearly $2 million project. When it was finished, the 17,500-square-foot facility quickly took its place as one of the finest outdoor facilities in the state, with a football locker room named for Frank Girardi and a west wing, housing the soccer locker rooms and support facilities, named for Dale ’67 and Dallas ’69 Krapf. Dale Krapf is a trustee of the college. Seating was increased to 2,000 and a modern press box with a presidential suite and coaches’ booths was also erected. Before the first football game in 1998, the complex was named for Robert L. Shangraw ’58, as the chairman of the Board of Trustees, was not just a faithful fan of the football team, but also a great supporter of the College who oversaw three fundraising campaigns during his time as the board’s chairman. With the completion of the stadium and the indoor infrastructure at the stadium, the complex has continued to undergo outdoor transformations, including the installation of a softball field in 1999, the installation of field turf at the lacrosse/soccer field in 2005 and the erection of an outfield fence at the softball field in 2011. Currently, a fundraising campaign is being undergone to erect a monument for Coach Frank Girardi in the complex’s entryway plaza and the installation of field turf at the football field.

143. Scott Condello, 1998-00 – A transfer from Division I St. Joseph’s (Pa.), Scott Condello made an immediate and lasting impact when he made the decision to come to Williamsport for his sophomore year. His impact was quick and immediate, as the North Penn High School graduate led the Warriors in every cross country meet for the next three years. Along the way, he earned three straight First Team All-MAC honors, beginning by finishing a school-record fifth in 1998 at the championships at DeSales, crossing the finish line at 27:35.2. As a junior, he continued to pace the team, finishing in the top five at three races before finishing fifth at the MAC Championships with a time of 27:14.47, which is still the school record for best time at the race. In 2000, as a senior, he finished his career by posting a time of 27:35.99 to finish 10^th in the race. A business major, Condello wrapped up his career by earning an Iruska Society award and he was named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll as a senior.

144. Shawn Rosa, 1998 – Stepping on board the men’s lacrosse team for its first varsity season in 1997, Shawn Rosa left a mark that has been untouched in the last 12 years since he has left campus. The Webster, N.Y., native had a remarkably consistent career, finishing in the top 10 in the MAC in points three times and the top five in assists three times, including leading the league in assists as a senior with a school-record 50. A three-time all-conference selection, Rosa scored more than 50 points in all four years of his career, helping him set a career record of 274 that has never been broken. His 139 assists is also tops in the school record book and he is ranked amongst the top 10 in nine career categories and 10 single-season ones. His crowning achievement came as a sophomore when he was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association’s Honorable Mention All-American team after posting 35 goals and 33 assists, all while playing just 13 games, including seven with a broken thumb. The coach of the team at the time, Gene Peluso, said when Rosa was chosen to the team, “Shawn is the hardest working guy on the field during the season and the hardest worker in the offseason.” Perhaps that is what made him the perfect choice to replace Peluso as coach when he stepped down in 2001. Rosa coached the team for three years, guiding the team to the MAC title game in 2002 and finishing his time on the bench with a 24-20 record, 18-10 in MAC play. He was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.

145. Andy Rutherford, 1995-98 - Game-changer. When Andy Rutherford transferred from Methodist College to join his brother, Kevin, the athletic 6-5 forward immediately changed the Warriors’ fortunes. Having suffered through six losing seasons in a row, Rutherford stepped onto an elite stage, averaging 19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game en route to his first of two straight Freedom League Most Valuable Player awards and the Columbus Multimedia Regional Player of the Year award. Along the way, he helped the team reach the NCAA Tournament Second Round and set a school record with 21 wins. As a junior, his scoring average dipped to 14.6 points per game, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game, but he still earned his second first-team NABC All-District and Columbus Multimedia All-Region honors. A two-time DIII News and Columbus Multimedia All-American, Rutherford wrapped up his career by averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game, earning his third straight All-Freedom League honors. In all, despite playing just three years, Rutherford finished his career with 1,352 points and in the top 10 in 10 career categories and 14 single-season ones. Rutherford was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.

146. Jill Sheeley, 1995-98 – While Sonny Kirkpatrick had the team well on its way to becoming a consistent contender in the Freedom League, the arrival of middle hitter Jill Sheeley to the team in 1995 vaulted the Warriors to the top of the league, where they stayed for the next four years. In fact, the Troy, Pa., native never lost a conference game in her career, as the Warriors went 22-0 in Freedom League. From her first year, when she set a school-record of 133 solo blocks to her final campaign, when she became the only player in school history to post 600 career blocks, she was a force at the net. Sheeley, who is still ranked in the top 10 in 12 career categories and 19 single-season ones, was an immediate impact player for the Warriors, earning second team all-conference honors as a freshman before being named the Freedom League’s Most Valuable Player in 1996 as a sophomore. She averaged 2.34 kills per set, hit .310, posted 1.14 digs and 1.91 blocks per set, which ranked 13^th in the Division III, en route to the award. She wrapped up her career with two more first-team all-league honors and she also earned three MAC Academic Honor Roll citations. She was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

147. Erica Weaver, 1995-98 – One of the most versatile women’s athletes in school history, Erica Weaver arrived at Lycoming as a dual-sport athlete from West Snyder High School. The 5-8 guard in women’s basketball made a quick impact, averaging 10.8 points for the team before joining the softball team and earning Second Team All-Freedom League honors by hitting .333 with six extra-base hits and 22 RBI while helping the Warriors to the Middle Atlantic Conference title. She continued to leave her mark in softball and the middle infielder still holds the school record for assists and is in the top 10 in nine career categories, but it was in basketball where she really shined. As a sophomore, Weaver’s scoring average jumped nearly five points and she earned her first of three All-Freedom League honors. After crossing 1,000 points as a junior while helping the Warriors to the NCAA Tournament to earn WBCA Honorable Mention All-American honors, she was even better as a senior. The slash-and-drive specialist averaged 16.7 points per game and 4.8 rebounds en route to earning the Freedom League Most Valuable Player award, becoming the second league MVP in school history, while she also earned the Pocohonotas Award. She also became the school’s all-time leading scorer during the season and she still stands second with 1,490 career points. In all, she is in the top 10 in 14 career categories and 11 single-season ones. Her 103 games played is still a program standard. She was elected to the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.

148. Tim Dumas, 1996-99 – Another one of the famed Philadelphia Catholic League recruits who helped turn the Lycoming football team into a dynasty, Tim Dumas came to Lycoming from Archbishop Ryan and spent much of the next four years completely rewriting the school’s record book. After catching 22 passes as a freshman, he became the Warriors’ feature receiver in 1997 and caught 58 passes for 1,093 yards, becoming the first player in school history to cross the 1,000-yard barrier, all while helping the Warriors reach the national title game. As a junior, he was even more dominant, catching a school-record 76 passes for a record 1,271 yards, helping him earn Don Hansen Football Gazette Honorable Mention All-American honors. He capped his career by becoming the first receiver to cross 3,000 career yards, breaking the school record for touchdown passes and by finishing his final campaign with the Warriors with 54 catches for 966 yards. A three-time First Team All-Freedom League receiver, he was also a two-time all-region pick and a Preseason All-American during his career. Dumas was elected to the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.

149. First MAC Final Appearance, 4/27/1999 – With an All-American returning and one about to claim the title for the first of three straight seasons, it’s no surprise that the 1999 men’s lacrosse team was destined to become one of the best teams in the MAC, despite the program being in just its third year as a varsity sport and its second year in the conference. However, the team did go through it’s trials, as it started the year 3-1 before back-to-back losses to MAC favorite Widener and perennial Division III power Nazareth evened the team’s records. The Warriors didn’t lose again in the regular-season though. They didn’t even let a team within three goals, and in an eight-day stretch, they outscored King’s, FDU-Madison and Eastern by a combined 66 goals, setting up a battle with Drew for second place and a berth in the conference title game with Widener on April 24. With the score tied at three in the last minute of the first half, the Warriors took control as 1998 All-American Shawn Rosa found Chris Rausch for a goal and then with just 20 seconds left in the half, 1999 All-American Mark Barnes dented the twine. In the second half, the Warriors outscored the Rangers, 8-3, to close out the 13-6 win, as Mike Bonnes led the team with four goals and two assists. The Warriors lost the title game to Widener, 10-2, but the team’s 10-4 mark overall stood as the team’s first winning season, while the squad’s 6-0 mark at home is still the only undefeated slate in program history. Accolades rolled in for the team, as six players earned all-conference honors, including first-team selections Todd Riescher and Mark Barnes. Mike Bonnes, Shawn Rosa, Elliot Love and Jared Jankowski were named to the second team. In addition, Mark Barnes, a longstick midfielder, earned not just MAC Most Valuable Player honors, but also earned Honorable Mention All-American accolades, and head coach Gene Peluso was named the MAC’s Coach of the year.

150. Tracey Hracho, 1996-99 – As a freshman, Tracey Hracho spent a year working into a volleyball lineup that featured three all-conference members, averaging 1.79 kills in 80 sets, hitting .325. As a sophomore, though, the Pottsville, Pa., native moved into the regular rotation and started out on a record-setting career, posting 437 kills, 313 digs and 171 total blocks while earning Freedom League Most Valuable Player honors and helping the team to its first NCAA Tournament berth. She repeated the honor as a junior, averaging 3.39 kills, 1.61 digs and 0.94 blocks per set while leading the team back to the NCAA Tournament. She capped the season by earning her first of two AVCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors. As a senior, she was even better, finishing sixth in Division III with 5.02 kills per set and 24^th in the NCAA with a .373 hitting percentage, while setting a school-record with 667 kills en route to earning First Team All-Freedom League honors. She finished her career with a record 1,650 kills, a mark that stood for seven years while her mark of 308 block assists still stands as the school standard. In all, she is in the top 10 in school history in 10 career categories and 14 single-season categories. She was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.

We hope you enjoyed our 15th look at 200 Memories. Stay tuned on Friday, March 16, as moments 151-160 will be released, with moments capturing the period from 1999-2001, as we take a look at some of the most dynamic men’s lacrosse players in the program’s history, a two-time Academic All-American, the creation of a soccer rivalry game and the winningest swim coach in school history.

As always, if you feel we missed an event or two that can be deemed a memorable moment or a memorable student-athlete, please share them. Tell us why they are special and any information you may have about that moment or person by contacting Sports Information Director Joe Guistina at guistina@lycoming.edu. Special addendums with your feedback will be released following the conclusion of the list in 2012.