Slippery Rock University Athletics

The PSAC released four different lists of 75 honorees in September of 2025 as a kickoff to celebrating the 75th year of the conference.

The first list was the "Made in the PSAC" list, which celebrated 75 former student-athletes that went on to influential careers. The second list was the "75 Greatest Female Athletes," which highlighted 75 female student-athletes that achieved greatness in competition during their time in the PSAC. That was followed by the "75 Greatest Male Athletes," which recognized 75 male student-athletes for their accomplishments. The final list was the "75 Distinguished Keystones," which recognized individuals who have been historically influential in the PSAC, whether it be staff, administrators or coaches.

In total, Slippery Rock had 27 individuals with ties to the University that were recognized on the lists. A brief look at the accomplishments of all 27 can be found below. 


MADE IN THE PSAC

JANET ANDERSON
• Sport: Golf
• Years at SRU: 1975-77
• Accomplishments: Anderson played tennis and lacrosse during her college days, but her best sport was golf, which she had to play with the men's team. She left SRU early to focus on a golf career and made it to the LPGA Tour in 1978, where she was named Golf Digest's Rookie of the Year. She had nine top 10 finishes in 1981 before breaking through with her first victory when she shocked the field to win the 1982 U.S. Women's Open, becoming one of 13 LPGA members to have the Open stand as their first win. Anderson would play on the tour until 1997 before retiring to a career as a head golf pro in the Phoenix area.  She tallied 99 career top 25 finishes and won more than $650,000 in prize money on the LPGA Tour.
 
CHERYL BAILEY
• Sport: Track & Field
• Years at SRU: 1973-77
• Accomplishments: Standout track & field athlete at SRU that went on to a storied career as an athletics administrator. Bailey served as the athletics director for women's sports at Denison from 1983-90 before moving to the University of Wisconsin, where she was a member of the senior management team from 1990-2005, including a three-year stint as the senior associate athletic director for sports administration. She left college athletics to become the general manager for the U.S. Women's National Team, a role she served in from 2007-11. During her tenure, she helped guide the U.S. soccer team to a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, a silver in the 2011 World Cup and a bronze in the 2007 World Cup. After her time with the USWNT, Bailey became a founder of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), where she also served as the league's executive director from 2012-15. She was inducted into the University of Wisconsin Hall of Fame in 2022.
 
JERRY BEJBL
• Sport: Football
• Years at SRU: 1959-63
• Accomplishments: Bejbl is one the three retired numbers in the history of Slippery Rock football. An All-American in 1962 and the MVP of the 1962 PSAC championship team, Bejbl played on SRU teams that won two conference titles. After graduation, Bejbl became a successful businessman, launching the Armoloy Corporation and serving as the owner for 40 years. Armoloy, a metal coating company, now operates 16 franchise locations in seven different countrie. Bejbl also served as the president of the SRU Alumni Association and became the largest individual financial donor in Slippery Rock Athletics history with lifetime contributions to SRU totaling more than $1 million. His generosity funded the creation and equipment for the Bejbl Weightroom at SRU, which is named in his honor.
 
ROBERTA PAGE
• Sports: Softball, Basketball
• Years at SRU: 1984-88
• Accomplishments: Page became the first female in SRU history to be named the permanent full-time athletic director when she returned to her alma mater in 2021 after serving as the director of championships and alliances at the NCAA office from 2009-21. Page also served as the director of athletics at fellow PSAC institution Shippensburg from 2003-09. She played four years of softball and one season of basketball at The Rock, graduating in 1988 before going on to earn a doctorate in educational leadership from Duquesne University. Page has led two different PSAC institutions to the Dixon Trophy as the league's best athletic department and has overseen four total Dixon Trophy wins, including the 2023-24 victory for Slippery Rock. In four years serving as the athletic director at SRU, Page has overseen dramatic transformations to the campuses athletic facilities, including the complete renovation of Kasnevich Field, one of the finest Division II softball facilities in the country.
 
SARAH PATTERSON
• Sport: Gymnastics
• Years at SRU: 1874-78
• Accomplishments: Patterson is one of the most successful collegiate gymnastics coaches of all-time and served 36 years as the head coach at the University of Alabama. She announced in 2014 that she was stepping down from the only job she had ever known after leading Alabama to 1,006 career wins, six NCAA Division I team titles, 29 regional titles and 32 consecutive appearances in the NCAA National Championships. She coached her teams to eight SEC titles and led a total of 25 individual athletes to a national title. Patterson's student-athletes were honored with 11 SEC postgraduate scholarships, five NCAA Elite 89 awards and 275 SEC Academic Honor Roll selections. She coached a total of 302 All-Americans and 189 Scholastic All-Americans during her career and her teams qualified for the national meet 32 straight years from 1983-2014.

C. VIVIAN STRINGER
• Sport: Basketball
• Years at SRU: 1967-70
• Accomplishments: Stringer is one of the truly legendary names in the history of women's basketball in the United States. She spent 50 years as a collegiate head coach, where she amassed 1,055 wins, four NCAA Final Four appearances and 28 berths in the NCAA Tournament. She was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. She began her storied career in the PSAC, where she played at Slippery Rock before becoming a coach at Cheyney from 1972-83. While at Cheyney, she led the Wolves to an NCAA Division I Final Four run and an appearance in the first women's national championship game in 1982. Stringer went on to coach at Iowa, leading the Hawkeyes to the 1993 Final Four. She made her biggest mark at Rutgers University, where the home court is named in her honor after she spent 27 seasons leading the Scarlet Knights. She took Rutgers to two Final Fours and also helped the U.S. win a gold medal while serving as an assistant coach at the 2004 Olympic Games. Stringer had a Child Development Center at the Nike World Headquarters dedicated in her name in 2008. She named one of the wings in the center "The Rock" in recognition of her time at SRU.

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75 GREATEST FEMALE ATHLETES

KARYN McCREADY
• Sport: Track & Field
• Years at SRU: 2000-04
• Accomplishments: McCready was a three-time All-American in the javelin and recorded the highlight of her career when she won the 2004 NCAA Division II national title in the event. Her performance was so strong at the collegiate level that she qualified for and competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. She won three PSAC titles in the javelin and closed her career as a two-time Academic All-American. McCready was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
 
MEGHAN McGRATH
• Sport: Soccer
• Years at SRU: 2003-07
• Accomplishments: McGrath was a four-time first team All-PSAC honoree and a four-time All-Region honoree during a storied career leading The Rock women's soccer program. She earned a pair of All-America honors and was named the PSAC Rookie of the Year. McGrath led The Rock to an overall record of 57-20-7 (.720) with four PSAC tournament appearances, two conference titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. She ranks third all-time at SRU in points (101), goals (38) and assists (25) and is still the all-time record holder for game-winning goals (13). McGrath was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.
 
JULIE MORROW CAITO
• Sport: Gymnastics
• Years at SRU: 1981-85
• Accomplishments: Caito was Slippery Rock's only NCAA national champion in women's gymnastics when she won the balance beam title during her senior season in 1985. She was also the national runner-up in the all-around competition in 1985. Caito finished her career as a five-time All-American and a three-time Academic All-American. She was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.
 
ANDI ROSE
• Sports: Track & Field
• Years at SRU: 2003-07
• Accomplishments: Rose was the best hurdler in Slippery Rock history and closed her career as a six-time All-American and a 14-time PSAC champion. She won 11 PSAC outdoor titles during her career, including three 100-meter hurdle titles and three 400-meter hurdle titles. She also claimed three PSAC indoor titles. Rose was named the MVP of the PSAC championships five times during her career, winning both the indoor and outdoor track and overall MVP awards in 2007. She still owns the SRU indoor 55-meter and 60-meter hurdle records. Rose was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
 
BECKY SIEMBAK
• Sport: Basketball
• Year at SRU: 1999-00 (transferred to Cal after freshman year)
• Accomplishments: Siembak began her college career at Slippery Rock, where she helped The Rock win 23 games and a regional title as a freshman in 1999-00. She was named to first team All-PSAC honors and was the PSAC West Rookie of the Year. She transferred to California (Pa.) to follow former SRU head coach Darcie Vincent after her freshman year and helped lead the Vulcans to a national title in her senior season.

TABITHA BEMIS
• Sport: Track & Field at Edinboro
• Coach at Slippery Rock: 2015-17, 2021-Present
• Accomplishments: Bemis was a graduate assistant at Slippery Rock from 2015-17 and has been a full-time assistant coach at The Rock since 2021. Before coming to SRU, she was a standout track & field athlete at Edinboro, where she was a six-time All-American and a 15-time PSAC champion. She qualified for the National Championships in 14 events during her career. Bemis owns the PSAC record for the most PSAC Top 10 honors (six) in a career and was named the PSAC Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in her senior year.  

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75 GREATEST MALE ATHLETES

MATT ADAMS
• Sport: Baseball
• Years at SRU: 2007-09
• Accomplishments: Adams was the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year in 2009 and finished his SRU career as a three-time All-American and a three-time first team All-PSAC honoree. He still holds program records for batting average (.454), slugging percentage (.746) and on-base percentage (.525) while ranking in the top 10 at SRU in every major hitting category. Adams was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2009 MLB Draft and went on to play 856 career games at the Major League level. He earned a World Series ring as a member of the Washington Nationals in 2019. Adams retired from his playing career following the 2024 season and was hired in 2025 as a coach in the San Diego Padres organization. He spent the 2025 season as a bench coach with the AAA affiliate of the Padres.
 
MYRON BROWN
• Sport: Basketball
• Years at SRU: 1987-91
• Accomplishments: Brown is the best basketball player in the history of the PSAC and one of the best basketball players in NCAA Division II history. He still owns the PSAC and SRU all-time scoring records after he tallied 2,619 points during his SRU career, averaging 22.6 points per game. He also owns SRU records for made field goals (887), made free throws (638) and minutes played (3,885). Brown led SRU to two NCAA Tournament berths and was a four-time All-American and four-time All-PSAC honoree. He was drafted in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and to this day he is still the highest draft pick from a Division II program in the modern era of the NBA.
 
GEORGE CRUNKLETON
• Sport: Track & Field
• Years at SRU: 1978-79
• Accomplishments: Crunkleton led the 1979 Slippery Rock men's outdoor track & field team to the NCAA Division III national title when he won three events at the national meet, including the clinching points with a win in the 200-meter dash. That team title remains as the only NCAA team national title in Slippery Rock University history. He won the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash titles at the national meet and ran the anchor leg of the winning 4x100-meter relay. Crunkleton also won a pair of PSAC titles in the sprints and led SRU to the conference title as well.
 
STAN DZIEDZIC
• Sport: Wrestling
• Years at SRU: 1969-72
• Accomplishments: Dziedzic is the best wrestler in Slippery Rock program history and was one of the best wrestlers in the world in the 1970s. He won a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympic Games and climbed to the top step of the podium as a gold medalist at the 1977 World Championships. During his tenure at SRU, he was nearly unbeatable, posting a 116-2 overall record with his only losses coming to 1970 national champion Mike Grant of Oklahoma and 1972 national champion Carl Adams of Iowa State. Dziedzic was a three-time NCAA College Division national champion and won the 1971 NCAA Division I national title. He also won three PSAC titles. He went on to a storied coaching and administrative career in the sport that included stints at Michigan State and with the Amateur Athletic Union before he served as manager of the 1984 Olympic freestyle team and as VP of the Coaches Commission of the International Wrestling Federation. Dziedzic was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1996 and he has served multiple terms as an elected member of the United World Wrestling Bureau, the governing council for international amateur wrestling.
 
BRANDON FUSCO
• Sport: Football
• Years at SRU: 2007-10
• Accomplishments: Fusco was the NCAA Division II Lineman of the Year in 2010 and was a two-time All-American at the center position on the offensive line. He was selected to play in the Senior Bowl following the 2010 season and went on to be drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He played eight seasons as a starting guard in the NFL with his most productive years coming with the Vikings. Fusco started every game during Adrian Peterson's 2,097-yard rushing season in 2012 and he was ranked as the sixth-best guard in the NFL that year by Pro Football Focus. He also started with the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons during his NFL tenure. Fusco is the longest tenured NFL player in SRU program history.
 
MARCUS MARTIN
• Sport: Football
• Years at SRU: 2014-17
• Accomplishments: Martin is statistically the best defensive lineman in NCAA history and ranks as the best defensive player in Slippery Rock program history. He broke the NCAA Division II records for career sacks (56.0) and tackles for loss (92.5) and his 56.0 career sacks still rank as the most in NCAA football history by a player from any level. Martin is the only defensive player in PSAC history to earn four major awards during his career as he was named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year three times and was the Rookie of the Year his freshman year. Martin was a four-time All-American, a three-time Academic All-American, was the Division II Lineman of the Year and the National Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. He was also a national finalist for the William Campbell trophy, the nation's top scholar-athlete prize. Martin signed with the Los Angeles Rams after graduating from SRU and was on the Rams' practice squad during the 2018 season.
 
RANDY McKAVISH
• Sports: Football and Basketball
• Years at SRU: 1996-00
• Accomplishments: McKavish changed the way the QB position was played at the Division II level as a dynamic dual-threat player that could run it as well as he threw it. He led Slippery Rock on what was the most dominant run in program history in the late 1990s as The Rock reached as high as a No. 2 national ranking and made their first appearance ever in the national semifinals. McKavish is one of just two offensive players in PSAC history to be named as a PSAC Player of the Year three times and he closed his career as a four-time All-PSAC selection and as a two-time All-American. A Harlon Hill Trophy finalist in 2000, McKavish still owns the SRU program record for career passing yards (7,634) while ranking second in completions (523), third in passing TDs (59) and 15th in rushing yards (2,069). He led SRU to a 41-9 overall record with four PSAC West titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances as the starting QB. McKavish also played basketball for four years at SRU and averaged 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.6 assists per game. He tallied 55 assists and 50 steals on the PSAC runner-up team in 1999-00.
 
ROLAND RIVERS III
• Sport: Football
• Years at SRU: 2018-19
• Accomplishments: Rivers is the only player in Slippery Rock program history to win the Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II Player of the Year. He was a consensus All-American and was named the National Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 after leading The Rock to a program record 13 wins and a trip to the national semifinals. Despite playing just two seasons at SRU, Rivers broke the program record for passing touchdowns (80) and he ranks third at SRU in completions (520) and passing yards (7,181). He led The Rock to 23 wins as a starting quarterback and put together one of the finest seasons in NCAA Division II history in 2019 when he threw for 4,460 yards with 52 touchdowns and just seven interceptions while also rushing for 700 yards and nine touchdowns. His 370 points responsible for were a single-season Division II record at the time. Rivers went on to play professionally in the USFL and was the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Maulers.

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DISTINGUISHED KEYSTONES

DOC HUNKLER
• Sport: Water Polo, Swimming
• Years at SRU: 1968-98
• Accomplishments: Hunkler led the Slippery Rock women's water polo team to the National Championship in 1995 to become the first and still the only coach in women's collegiate water polo history to lead a team from outside the state of California to a national title. He also led SRU to a total of 10 top three national finishes during his career. Hunkler compiled an overall combined record of 316-82 in 23 seasons coaching women's water polo, men's water polo and women's swimming at SRU. He was inducted into both the Collegiate Water Polo Hall of Fame and the U.S. Water Polo Association Hall of Fame.
 
JEFF MESSER
• Sport: Baseball
• Years at SRU: 1986-Present
• Accomplishments: Messer is the winningest coach in PSAC baseball history and ranks 11th all-time in NCAA Division II history for victories with 1,154 wins over 40 seasons. He is third among all active coaches in Division II in career wins. A seven-time PSAC Coach of the Year, Messer has led The Rock to 30 PSAC Tournament berths, 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament and four trips to the College World Series. The Rock has seen 13 players drafted in the MLB Draft during Messer's tenure, including Matt Adams, who was named to the PSAC's 75 Greatest Male Athletes list last week, and Lou Trivino, who is currently pitching for the Phillies. Just last week, the playing surface at Critchfield Park was named in his honor and is now called Messer Field at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
GEORGE MIHALIK
• Sport: Football
• Years at SRU: 1988-2015
• Accomplishments: Mihalik was a PSAC champion as a quarterback on the field, leading The Rock to back-to-back PSAC titles in 1972 and 1973. He earned undergraduate (1974) and master's degrees (1976) from The Rock before embarking on a football coaching and teaching career that would see him spend more than 40 total years at SRU. He earned a doctorate degree from West Virginia in 1986 and helped write the curriculum for the safety management program at SRU, which has developed into one of the top safety programs in the country. He was hired as head coach of The Rock football team in 1988 and served in that role until 2015, amassing an SRU record 197 wins and posting a career record of 197-111-4, the fourth-most wins in PSAC history. His teams won eight PSAC West titles and made six trips to the national playoffs, reaching as high as a No. 2 national ranking. A six-time PSAC Coach of the Year and a three-time Regional Coach of the Year, Mihalik also served as a full-time professor in the safety management department during his entire coaching career. The football stadium at SRU was renamed in 2011 to Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. Mihalik has remained active with SRU since his retirement, working with the University advancement office on fundraising projects that support both athletics and the safety management program.
 
JOHN PAPA
• Sports: Track & Field and Cross Country
• Years at SRU: 1984-2022
• Accomplishments: Papa was an All-American student-athlete at SRU as a decathlete on the track & field team, graduating in 1979 after helping lead Slippery Rock to the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Championship that spring. That team title by the 1979 SRU men still stands as the only NCAA team national title in SRU history. Papa was hired as head coach of the track & field and cross country programs in 1987 after serving as a graduate assistant for two years. He stayed in that role until 2022, serving more than 35 years as head coach and turning The Rock into one of the most respected track & field schools in the Atlantic Region. Slippery Rock claimed 25 PSAC titles under Papa and finished as conference runner up an additional 32 times. His student-athletes won 12 individual national titles, earned 127 Division II All-America honors and won 345 individual and relay PSAC titles. Papa was a 21-time PSAC Coach of the Year and a 16-time NCAA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. Since retiring in 2022, Papa has stayed active with the program, volunteering annually at home meets, including the John Papa Invitational, which was named in his honor.
 
RUTH PODBIELSKI
• SRU Grad Year: 1949
• PSAC Tie: Associate AD at Indiana (Pa.), 1955-87
• Accomplishments: Podbielski was credited as a pioneer of women's athletics at Indiana (Pa.) after graduating from Slippery Rock in 1949. She was a faculty member in physical education and served as the women's volleyball and basketball coach, as well as the director of women's intramurals during her time in Indiana. The softball field at IUP is named in her honor.
 
DENNY DOUDS
• SRU Grad Year: 1963
• PSAC Tie: Head Football Coach at East Stroudsburg, 1974-2018
• Accomplishments: Douds was an All-American football player at Slippery Rock and led SRU to the 1962 PSAC title over East Stroudsburg before eventually going on to become one of the most important athletics figures in ESU history. He served as head coach of the Warriors football program from 1974-2018 and retired as the all-time PSAC wins leader with 264 victories.
 
DARCIE VINCENT
• Years at SRU: Head Women's Basketball Coach, 1996-00
• Other PSAC: Head Coach at California (Pa.), 2000-08
• Accomplishments: Vincent served as head coach of the SRU women's basketball program for four seasons from 1996-00 before leaving The Rock to become head coach at California (Pa.) from 2000-08. She led SRU to a 23-7 record in 1999-00 and a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight after The Rock won three NCAA Tournament games to win the regional title. Vincent posted a 212-47 record at Cal and led the Vulcans to the 2004 national title.