BU Athletic Hall of Fame Unveils Class of 2016
January 22, 2016 | Women's Lacrosse
Longtime sports information director Ed Carpenter will be joined by Terrier greats Sarah Dalton '09 (women's lacrosse), Jamie Haas '05 (softball), Mark Kimball '82 (men's cross country, track & field), Florian Mennigen '06 (men's rowing) and Mark Seals '89 (football) in this year's class, which officially will be inducted on May 21, 2016, at the Metcalf Trustee Center on the ninth floor of the Questrom School of Business at One Silber Way.
The banquet is open to the public at a cost of $70 per person. To purchase tickets, please contact Sonia Vetrano (svetrano@bu.edu, 617-353-4637) in the athletic department's business office.
"To no one's surprise, our Hall of Fame committee has presented yet another impressive group of Terriers for induction," said Marrochello. "While they competed for us, these five athletes were among the best ever not only at BU but across all of NCAA Division I athletics, so they are most deserving of this recognition. This year's class is extra special with Ed Carpenter's inclusion – as anyone who had the pleasure to work with him knows there is not a more fitting or beloved individual to be the first non-athlete to join our Hall's ranks."
Qualifications were recently changed in the BU Athletic Hall of Fame by-laws, allowing administrators, coaches and contributors to join former student-athletes in the annals of distinguished Terriers. Carpenter was a staple of BU's athletic department for nearly three decades, promoting the stories and successes of hundreds of student-athletes while serving as the head SID for 29 years before retiring in 2006 as the assistant athletic director for communications. In addition to working with BU's football and men's ice hockey teams, Carpenter was the primary media contact for women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's crew and men's and women's swimming & diving while overseeing the communications department.
During his tenure at BU, Carpenter served as the president of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) from 1992-93 and was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 1996. Carpenter worked with the 1978 and 1995 men's ice hockey squads that claimed NCAA titles and was a part of 17 Beanpot titles and five Hockey East tournament championships. In addition, he played host to the national media at the 1998 and 2004 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Fours and served as the media contact during nine NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Regionals in Worcester, Mass. He also filled the role of venue press chief at two Olympiads— the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta and the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
The most decorated player to ever wear the Scarlet and White on the lacrosse field, three-time IWLCA All-American Sarah Dalton left her mark in both the BU and NCAA record books during her time as a Terrier. She remains the all-time leader at BU in both points (284) and goals (247) and is also the program's all-time leader in draw controls with 191. Dalton helped lead the Terriers to four straight America East Conference championships and trips to four NCAA tournaments, including two NCAA quarterfinal appearances.
Her senior season was one for the books, however, as she had the highest goal-scoring output of any NCAA player not just in 2009, but in the past 20 years. Her 91 goals that year still stand as the fifth-highest total by a player in NCAA history. The Cornwall, Vt., native was the America East Player of the Year in each of her final two seasons, earning IWLCA All-America First Team honors both years. A two-time AE All-Tournament Team selection, she was tabbed as the event's Most Outstanding Player as a senior after establishing league records with six goals in the championship game and 11 in the tournament. Dalton was named to the U.S. Developmental Team in 2008 and 2009.
The only student-athlete in America East softball history to claim three Offensive Player of the Year honors, Jamie Haas became the first in program history to earn the Department of Athletics' Mildred Barnes Award as the top female athlete in the spring of 2005. She graduated as the career leader in batting average (.363), hits (250), runs scored (131) and stolen bases (82). A four-time All-Conference First Team and NFCA All-Region shortstop from Houston, Texas, Haas helped guide BU to a pair of NCAA appearances in 2002 and 2003.
Haas broke onto the scene by leading the America East in batting average at .404 as a freshman to help the Terriers make their first NCAA appearance since 1996. The following season, she stole a then team-record 24 bases, as BU made back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in program history. Her senior year, she batted .388 with 44 runs scored and was named to her fourth AE All-Tournament squad while also receiving CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team and AE Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades.
One of the pillars of the BU cross country program, Mark Kimball helped rebuild the Terriers' distance program in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He remains the only Terrier to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in four straight years, a stretch highlighted by his All-America season in 1981. Kimball helped lead BU to three straight NCAA Cross Country Championship appearances from 1979-81 and helped the Terriers claim the 1979 IC4A Cross Country team title. A revitalized Terrier squad also won three Greater Boston Championships during a period in which the GBCs were a major east coast competition.
On the track, Kimball qualified for the 1980 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 10,000m run. The next year, Kimball finished second in the 10,000m run at the prestigious Penn Relays in what former Terrier head cross country coach Bob Sevene called one of the greatest races he had ever seen. Kimball was a multiple-time New England champion in both indoor and outdoor track events, proving that he was an elite runner in all three seasons.
A three-time World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, Florian Mennigen becomes the first men's rower to be inducted in 16 years and just the second to have competed after the 1950s alongside U.S. Olympian Jonathan Brown '91. The Mustin, Germany, native joined the Terriers after earning a silver medal in the quadruple scull at the German National Championships and a bronze medal in the same event representing Germany at the Nations Cup.
Recipient of the E. Ray Speare Award as the top BU male scholar-athlete his senior year, Mennigen helped guide the Terriers' varsity eight boat to three Lusins Cup victories against Columbia and a pair of Conlan Cup wins against Syracuse. In 2005, BU won the Jablonic Cup against Wisconsin for the second time in program history and first since 1995. That same year, the Terriers made a huge splash at the Eastern Sprints with their best-ever performance in 60 years of the event. Despite being seeded ninth, the V8 reached the Grand Final and placed fourth to help BU take fourth overall. With his collegiate success, Mennigen went on to be named team captain of the German eight boat at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and later became the third in program history to claim a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Just the second Terrier in program history to earn two All-America awards following fellow BU Hall of Famer Paul Lewis '85, Mark Seals was recognized as the Department of Athletics' top male athlete with the Mickey Cochrane Award. He was also a recipient of the Scarlet Key, one of BU's highest academic honors, and graduated ranked second all-time behind the legendary Harry Agganis in interceptions with 21 while tallying the third-most tackles at 378. The Syracuse, N.Y., native made key contributions as a punt and kick-off returner and further demonstrated his athleticism by lettering with the track team.
Seals returned a kick 89 yards for a touchdown as a rookie and collected two interceptions to earn the team's Paterno Award as the top freshman. He then collected six picks his sophomore season and later became the first Terrier defensive back since BU Hall of Famer Bruce Taylor '70 to claim AP All-America First Team status with five interceptions as a junior. He finished his stellar career with eight interceptions and a blocked kick as a senior to earn AP, Kodak Coaches and Camp Foundation All-America accolades. Just one of four Terriers to be named to the Yankee Conference 50th Anniversary Team, he participated in the Blue-Gray and Senior Bowl All-Star Games before playing professionally in NFL Europe.
Other awards, whose winners will be announced at a later date, to be presented at the Hall of Fame Banquet are the Aldo "Buff" Donelli Memorial Leadership Award for a current senior student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding leadership both on and off of the field; the William French Award for a current or former Boston University coach or graduate of Boston University who has distinguished himself or herself in the coaching profession in the past year; the Murray Kramer Memorial Award for an individual or organization in recognition of outstanding media coverage or publicity of intercollegiate sports; and the Roger "Moose" Washburn Award for a graduate of Boston University who has given continuous unselfish support to the Terriers' athletic program.
The Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame, which held its first induction ceremony in 1959, currently has 243 members, including Terrier greats such as Harry Agganis, Tunji Awojobi, Bill Brooks, Jim Craig, Chris Drury, Mike Eruzione, Terry Geldart, Jim Hayes, Drederick Irving, John Kelley, Jack O'Callahan, Debra Miller Palmore, Jack Parker, Lesley Sheehan, Dave Silk, John Simpson and Steve Wright.
