Online Banquet Registration
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University Athletics Hall of Fame will officially welcome seven new members at the annual Hall of Fame induction banquet Oct. 8. The Class of 2022 was announced today by SRU director of athletics and Hall of Fame committee chair Roberta Page.
 
The Class of 2022 includes:
 
• Jenn (Hansen) Chittenden – Track and Field (class of 2008)
• LaMonte Coleman – Football (attended 1992-94)
• Jeremy Deighton – Men's Soccer (class of 2010)
• Brandon Fusco – Football (class of 2010)
• Paul Lueken – Administrator (1994-2021)
• Karyn McCready – Track and Field (class of 2005)
• Jane Morrison – Field Hockey, Basketball, Swimming (class of 1940)
 
SRU will also be celebrating the undefeated 1969-70 wrestling team with a "Special Achievement Award" during the banquet.
 
The 38th annual induction ceremony will take place Oct. 8 prior to SRU's home football game against Mercyhurst University. The event will be hosted at the Slippery Rock Golf Club and Events Center and begins with a social hour at 1:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the induction ceremonies at 2:30 p.m. The induction class will then be recognized during halftime of the football game (6 p.m. kickoff) at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
 
Tickets for the 2022 SRU Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are $50 each if reserved by Sept. 5. A full table (eight tickets) can be purchased for $400. Children under 12 will be admitted for $20. Ticket prices will increase to $60 per individual and $480 per table after Sept. 5. Tickets can be ordered online at the link above. Any questions should be directed to the Athletics Office at 724.738.4117.
 
The addition of the seven-person Class of 2022 increases the number of former Rock student-athletes, coaches and contributors inducted into the Hall of Fame to 264.
 
The following are brief profiles of members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2022, listed in alphabetical order.
 

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JENN (HANSEN) CHITTENDEN
- Sports: Track and Field
- Graduation Year: 2008
- Highlights: Seven-time PSAC champion in the pole vault, six-time NCAA Division II All-American, still owns SRU pole vault record, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, five-time PSAC Top 10 Award winner, 2007-08 PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, perfect 4.0 GPA for undergrad and graduate degrees.
 
Jennifer (Hansen) Chittenden is among the most decorated track and field athletes in Slippery Rock history after graduating in 2008 as a six-time All-American and a seven-time PSAC champion in the pole vault.
 
She claimed three PSAC titles indoor and swept all four PSAC outdoor titles in the pole vault during her career. She also set the SRU and all-time PSAC records in the pole vault. Chittenden picked up All-America honors for top-eight finishes at the National Championships two times indoor and all four seasons outdoor during her career.
 
Her career-best outdoor clearance of 4.10 meters in 2008 still stands as the SRU record and is both the PSAC all-time and championship meet record to this day.
 
Chittenden was named the PSAC Rookie of the Year her freshman year was named the Most Outstanding Field Athlete of the PSAC Championships her junior season.
 
In addition to her excellence in competition, Chittenden was also among the best student-athletes in the country during her career. She finished both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Slippery Rock with a perfect 4.0 GPA and would go on to earn her doctorate in special education from Northcentral University in 2016.
 
That academic excellence led her to being named the PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2007-08 academic year. She was named to CoSIDA Academic All-America honors twice and was selected to five different PSAC Top 10 teams in recognition of her combined performances in the pole vault and in the classroom. Chittenden was also named the Atlantic Region Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a four-time All-Academic selection by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
 
After finishing her master's degree at Slippery Rock in 2010, Chittenden embarked on a special education teaching career for eight years, most recently at Mossyrock High School in Mossyrock, Washington. She and her husband, Matthew, who owns Chittenden Woodworks, are the proud parents of four boys: London, Micah, Judah and Kendrick.
 

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LaMONTE COLEMAN
- Sport: Football
- Attended: 1992-94
- Highlights: Still holds SRU records for single-season rushing average and rushing touchdowns, All-American running back, two-time first team All-PSAC, played in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, also played and coached professional arena football.
 
LaMonte Coleman was among the best running backs in Division II in the early 1990s and set multiple records at The Rock during a two-year stretch in 1993 and 1994 when he picked up back-to-back first team All-PSAC honors.
 
Coleman was named to All-America honors in 1993 and followed that up by ranking second in Division II in scoring in 1994 when he tallied 21 rushing touchdowns and 126 points. The 21 rushing scores that year, along with his 160.1 rushing yards per game, still stand as single-season records at Slippery Rock. Coleman also owns the Mihalik-Thompson Stadium single-game rushing record from when he ran for 306 yards against Edinboro in 1993.
 
In 31 games at SRU, Coleman rushed for 3,166 yards and 37 touchdowns, finishing his career averaging 5.7 yards per carry, 102 yards per game and 1.2 rushing touchdowns per game.
 
A team captain in 1994, Coleman was selected to play in the 1995 Snow Bowl in Fargo, North Dakota, a senior showcase game that at the time was among the most elite invites in college football.
 
Coleman signed a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 1994 season and began a pro football career before finishing his undergraduate degree. He was a member of the Steelers' roster for Super Bowl XXX before continuing his pro career at the arena level through 2005. He was the 2001 Offensive MVP of the National Indoor Football League when he scored 38 touchdowns in a single-season for the Johnstown J-Dogs. 
 
He returned to college after his playing career and earned his undergraduate degree in education from Ohio State University in 2008 and would later add a master's degree in athletic administration in 2017.
 
Coleman went into coaching at the arena level and was named the 2014 Coach of the Year for the Continental Indoor Football League after leading the Marion Blue Racers to a division title and an appearance in the league championship game. He served as head coach with the Blue Racers in Marion, Ohio through the 2015 season.

Coleman and his wife, Dr. Shavonne Ramsey-Coleman, now reside Parkland, Florida with their two children, Kennedy and Christopher. He is currently the director of operations for Identity Security and Investigations, where he oversees security and hospitality contracts for the Miami and Orlando markets.
 

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JEREMY DEIGHTON
- Sport: Men's Soccer
- Graduation Year: 2010
- Highlights: Two-time PSAC Player of the Year, two-time first team All-PSAC, 2009 Atlantic Region Player of the Year, two-time first team All-Region, 2009 All-American, ranks fourth in SRU history in goals and points.
 
Jeremy Deighton was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility last year, but could not attend the induction and was moved back one year to the induction class of 2022.
 
The former Rock soccer standout was among the best players in the country in the late 2000s and led a resurgence for the SRU men's soccer program as one of the best programs in the Atlantic Region. He appeared in 77 games over four seasons and tallied 112 points on 47 goals and 18 assists, numbers that still rank him fourth all-time at SRU in career goals and points and 10th in career assists.
 
Deighton's best season was his last when he dominated the region in 2009 with 21 goals and seven assists while leading The Rock to the PSAC title, a school record 18-wins, an upset victory over the No. 1 team in the country and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He was named the PSAC Athlete of the Year for the second straight season after that campaign and added the Atlantic Region Player of the Year award as well. Deighton would also be named to multiple All-America teams following the 2009 season, becoming a consensus All-America selection.
 
In four years at SRU, Deighton helped The Rock to post a stellar 52-27-5 overall record with two NCAA Tournament berths and a PSAC title.
 
In addition to his excellence on the field, Deighton was also a stellar student in the classroom. He was a four-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete and earned 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors in addition to National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America honors.
 
Deighton, who was inducted into the SRU Soccer Ring of Honor in 2015, went on to play professionally for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League. He was named the 2010 USL-2 Rookie of the Year and was a second team All-Star in the USL-2 that season. He followed that up by leading the team in goals in 2011. He stepped away from a professional playing career following the 2012 season.
 
Deighton and his wife, Stephanie, currently reside in Sparrows Point, Maryland with their daughter, Gabriella Grace. He currently serves as a program manager for the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Training Centers, where he works in the Center for Leadership and Innovation.
 

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BRANDON FUSCO
- Sport: Football
- Graduation Year: 2010
- Highlights: Consensus All-American in 2010, Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year award winner in 2010, first SRU player to ever be invited to the Under Armour Senior Bowl, selected in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, played eight seasons in the NFL and started more than 85 NFL games.
 
Perhaps the most recognizable name in this year's class is 2010 graduate Brandon Fusco, who enjoyed a highly successful NFL playing career that lasted nearly a decade and included more NFL starts than any Slippery Rock player in history.
 
Fusco added more than 50 pounds to his frame during his undergraduate career at Slippery Rock and found himself on the radar of NFL scouts following a standout junior season in 2009 when he earned second team All-America honors after picking up a second straight first team All-PSAC recognition.
 
He followed that year up with one of the most dominant senior seasons by an offensive lineman in PSAC history, which made him a consensus first team All-American in 2010. He also picked up the 2010 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award and earned an invite to the Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, which is the premier senior showcase game in the country.  
 
The 2010 SRU captain was a three-time first team All-PSAC selection as an offensive center and capped his Slippery Rock career when he was selected in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. The 172nd overall pick made Fusco the highest draft pick in Rock history and the first SRU draftee since 1989.
 
Fusco made the Vikings' 53-man roster in his rookie season and played three games in 2011 before earning a starting job entering the 2012 season. He started every game he appeared in from 2012-16 with the Vikings, racking up 64 starts in Minnesota and helping to block for some of the best offensive performances in NFL history. He started every game of the 2012 season at right guard and helped Adrian Peterson top the elusive 2,000-yard mark when he ran for 2,097 yards. Following that season, Fusco was rated as the No. 6 run-blocking guard in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
 
After six seasons in Minnesota, Fusco signed with the San Francisco 49ers prior to the 2017 season and went on to start all 16 games at guard in 2017. He then signed a multi-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons and started the first seven games of the 2018 season before suffering a season-ending injury that has sidelined him since.
 
In total, Fusco appeared in 90 NFL games and made 87 starts between 2011-18.
 
Fusco currently splits his time between homes in Louisville, Kentucky and Las Vegas, Nevada. He makes frequent return trips to Slippery Rock to support Rock football and most recently attended the National Football Foundation Awards Dinner in Las Vegas to support 2021 Campbell Trophy finalist Henry Litwin.
 

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PAUL LUEKEN
- Administrator: Director of Athletics
- Active Years: 1994-2021
- Highlights: Longest-tenured director of athletics in SRU history, serving for just over 26 years, oversaw significant improvements to SRU Athletics facilities, significant increases to student-athlete scholarships and a significant improvement in academic performance by SRU student-athletes, saw SRU win 39 total PSAC titles in 11 different sports.
 
Paul Lueken was a lock for the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame after serving as the director of athletics for more than 26 years from 1994 until his retirement in January of 2021. Lueken's 26+ years of service in that role make him the longest-tenured director of athletics in school history.
 
The list of accomplishments for Slippery Rock Athletics over those 26 years includes 39 PSAC championships, a Dixon Trophy as the top Athletics Department in the PSAC, significant increases in student-athlete scholarship dollars and most importantly, a streak of academic success that rivaled any program in the country.
 
Slippery Rock won the 2007-08 Dixon Trophy as the top Athletics Department in the PSAC to mark one of the high points in athletic performance under Lueken. Other highlights on the playing surfaces included eight trips to the NCAA Division II football playoffs and two appearances in the national semifinals. Lueken saw 11 SRU students win individual national championships during his tenure thanks to a stellar track and field program, which claimed 19 total PSAC titles. In total, Lueken oversaw 21 women's PSAC titles and 18 men's titles for 39 conference championships during his 26 years.
 
The success on the fields, courts and track could be attributed to major improvements in facilities and increases in athletics scholarships. When Lueken arrived in 1994, the total scholarship fund was just over $300,000. When he retired in 2021, that number had climbed to more than $1.1 million in annual scholarships.
 
Under Lueken, numerous facilities were constructed and all of SRU's athletic facilities underwent major upgrades. The creation of new facilities during his tenure included the field hockey and lacrosse locker rooms, training room and offices at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium and the women's soccer and softball locker rooms and offices at the SRU Softball Complex. While all of the facilities at SRU have received significant upgrades, the most impressive upgrade to the SRU campus under Lueken came with the construction of Jack Critchfield Park and its significant enhancement that was completed in 2020. The state-of-the-art home of Slippery Rock baseball is now one of the finest collegiate baseball facilities in the country, regardless of NCAA division.  
 
Those facility upgrades also gave Slippery Rock another way to connect with Butler County and the surrounding community and became a significant source of revenue generation for the Athletics Department. Slippery Rock's campus routinely hosts PIAA, WPIAL and District 10 high school playoff events, in addition to cheerleading regional tournaments, youth soccer tournaments and other camps and clinics.
 
More important than the athletic success during Lueken's tenure was the academic achievements of SRU student-athletes. During his tenure, Slippery Rock ranked at or near the top of all PSAC schools in academic success. A total of 11 SRU student-athletes were named the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of Year during his tenure, while 69 SRU student-athletes were named to PSAC Top 10 teams. That number was just two shy of Shippensburg (71) for the most in the PSAC during that stretch. Under Lueken, Slippery Rock had a total of 75 student-athletes named to CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, a figure that led all schools in the Atlantic Region and ranked sixth nationally.
 
When Lueken took over in the fall of 1994, Slippery Rock's student-athletes combined for an average GPA of 2.614 his first semester on campus. Over the course of his tenure, that average rose nearly a full point with The Rock's student-athletes posting a 3.532 cumulative GPA in the spring of 2020. During the entirety of his tenure, Slippery Rock's student-athletes recorded a total combined average GPA of 3.064.
 
Since retiring, Lueken has stayed active in the Slippery Rock community and has attended numerous SRU games as he continues to support the SRU student-athletes. He and his wife, Donna, still reside in Slippery Rock. The couple have four combined adult children: Lindsey Lueken, Adam Rose, Tyler Ruby and Hannah Buckley.
 

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KARYN McCREADY
- Sport: Track and Field
- Graduation Year: 2005
- Highlights: 2004 NCAA Division II national champion in the javelin, placed 13th at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, three-time All-American, three-time PSAC champion, owned SRU and all-time PSAC record in the javelin until it was broken in 2021.
 
Karyn McCready was nearly unbeatable in the javelin in the early 2000s when she won back-to-back-to-back PSAC titles and set and broke her own school record multiple times. She picked up her first PSAC title in 2002 and went on to place fourth at the national championships to earn her first career All-America honor.
 
She followed that up with another PSAC title in 2003 and improved one place at the national meet with a third place showing for a second straight All-America award.
 
McCready saved her best for last, when she won a third straight PSAC title and set the SRU and all-time conference records in the javelin in 2004. She also claimed a title at the historic Penn Relays and went undefeated in every meet of the collegiate season. That included the Division II National Championships, where she won the 2004 title and picked up a third straight All-America honor.
 
The only meet McCready didn't win in 2004 was the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, where she placed an impressive 13th in a field of the best javelin throwers in America.
 
McCready helped SRU to back-to-back PSAC team titles in 2003 and 2004 and was named the PSAC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year in 2004.
 
In addition to her athletic success, she also stood out in the classroom, graduating in 2005 with a 3.9 GPA in education. She was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, including a first team honoree in 2004, and a three-time U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic honoree. McCready was also named the PSAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2003-04 academic year.  
 
McCready left SRU in 2005 and took a position as a health and physical education teacher and athletic director at Freedom Middle School in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a position she still holds today. The 2020 Freedom Teacher of the Year award winner is also involved as a member of the Principal's Leadership Team and is on the Board of Directors at Christ Lutheran Preschool.
 
In addition to teaching, McCready also coached girls' basketball from 2005-11 and posted a record of 59-11 with four county championships. She also spent 10 years as an assistant track and field coach at the University of Mary Washington from 2005-15, where she coached 28 All-Conference athletes and eight school record holders.
 
She and her wife, Emily, reside in Fredericksburg, Virginia with their two children, Dehn and Rowan.
 

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JANE MORRISON
- Sports: Field Hockey, Basketball, Swimming, Rifle
- Graduation Year: 1940
- Highlights: Heavily involved in athletics and clubs during her undergrad career from 1936-40, played field hockey and basketball, was a member of the swimming team and the rifle club, also spent time with the dance team and served as class treasurer, became a pilot and flew planes in World War II, coached swimming for 20 years at Ohio Wesleyan.
 
Jane Morrison will be posthumously inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame this fall after a life of service to education, athletics and to her country.
 
Morrison attended Slippery Rock from 1936-40, well before Title IX helped elevate women's athletics to varsity and intercollegiate status. She did not let that lack of opportunity deter her and instead worked to make sure women had the chance to be involved in multiple sports.
 
She took on multiple leadership roles, including serving as her class treasurer in both 1939 and 1940. Morrison was a member of the field hockey, basketball and swimming teams and also spent time as a member of the rifle and dance clubs during her time at what was then Slippery Rock State Teachers College. She graduated in 1940 with a degree in physical education with minors in both math and science.
 
After finishing her degree at Slippery Rock, she took advantage of a passion for flying and a need for pilots during World War II and joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). She trained and earned her pilots license, eventually flying solo planes and serving as a pilot for the U.S. Military during World War II.
 
WASP flew every aircraft in the Army's arsenal to assist in the war effort. In addition to ferrying, they towed gunnery targets, transported equipment and non-flying personnel and flight-tested aircraft that had been repaired before the men were allowed to fly them again. For more than two years, WASP performed a wide variety of aviation-related jobs and served at more than 120 bases around the country.
 
Her and the other women pilots during World War II were originally denied military status despite their efforts, but were officially granted military status in 1977 by President Carter. For her efforts, Morrison was awarded the Reserve Forces Policy Board Citizen Patriot Award by the U.S. Department of Defense.
 
Following her military career, Morrison embarked on a career in education. She earned a master's degree from Ohio State University and found her way to Ohio Wesleyan University, where she joined the faculty in 1963. In addition to teaching, she coached synchronized swimming for 10 years and the intercollegiate swimming team for 20 years. She also served as the secretary and treasurer for the Ohio Women's Swimming Association from 1973-82. She was inducted into the Ohio Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame in 1983.
 
Morrison, originally from Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, passed away in 2006 at the age of 87. Members of her family will accept the Hall of Fame honor on her behalf.
 

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SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- Team: 1969-70 Wrestling Team
- Record: 19-0

In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees listed above, Slippery Rock will also recognize the 1969-70 wrestling team with a "Special Achievement Award" during the annual induction ceremony. The special recognition is reserved for honoring team and group accomplishments. The 1969-70 wrestling squad was originally scheduled to be honored in 2020 for their 50th anniversary, but the pandemic canceled that ceremony and the group decided to move to 2022 to allow more members to attend.

The 1969-70 team was coached by Fred Powell and led by eventual Olympic bronze medalist and world championship gold medalist Stan Dziedzic, who went a perfect 17-0 in dual matches and finished the season with a 37-1 overall record. The team also featured two other men that were undefeated in dual matches with Bill Schellhorn posting an 18-0-1 record and Dave Chalfont going 17-0. Dziedzic, Schellhorn and George Enos all won state titles that year to give SRU its first three state champions.

A total of 13 men competed in dual matches in 1969-70 to help lead the team to a perfect 19-0 record, a significant improvement from the 1968-69 team that went 5-8 in dual matches. The Rock finished fifth in the PSAC tournament and 14th in the NCAA College Division tournament that year.

The 13 men that recorded dual match wins during the 1969-70 season included Dziedzic, Schellhorn, Chalfant, Enos, Len DeMeo, John Pawlish, Dan Grobe, Denny Hilgar, Bob Beckel, Mike Fatigante, Roger Washburn, Bill Foltz and Ralph Craig. Powell served as the head coach at SRU from 1967-91 and put together a stretch of 14 straight winning seasons that began with the 1969-70 squad.
 
 

 
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