Each Thursday of the fall semester, we'll be throwing it back and looking at historical and significant moments and individuals from the history of Slippery Rock athletics. For our seventh “Throwback Thursday” feature of the semester, we’re looking at some of the top multi-sport athletes in Slippery Rock history.


The multi-sport athlete has become exceedingly rare throughout college sports. While today’s athletes are perhaps more skilled than any generation before, the recent phenomenon of sport specialization at an early age, as well each sport on the collegiate level becoming what has amounted to a year-round endeavor, has made excelling at two or more sports on the varsity level in college nearly impossible.

Across the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference there were just 51 athletes who appeared on rosters in two or more sports last season – an average of only 2.8 per school. John Eakin, a starting tight end on the football team and a two-time top-five finisher in the shot put at the PSAC Track & Field Championships, was SRU’s lone multi-sport athlete last year. 

However, it was not always this way. In fact, it used to be quite common for college athletes to compete in two or more sports on the varsity level collegiately. For today’s “Throwback Thursday” feature, we’ll look back at a few of the many great multi-sport varsity athletes that have suited up for The Rock.

Alex Dutkin

ALEX DUTKIN
Years Active: 1941-47
Sports Played: Football, Basketball, Golf, Track, Soccer, Cross Country

Like so many brave young men at Slippery Rock in the 1940s, Alex Dutkin had his college experience interrupted by World War II. However, sandwiched around Dutkin’s stint in the armed forces was an exceptional athletic career. During his time at The Rock, Dutkin lettered in basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer and track. 

Prior to being called to defend his country, Dutkin put together one of the top all-around years in Slippery Rock history in 1942-43. In the fall, he served as Slippery Rock’s No. 2 cross country runner. The winter months saw Dutkin lead the basketball team in scoring at 14.6 points per game. He then capped off the year as Slippery Rock’s top golfer by carding a 74 to bring home medalist honors at the Allegheny College Invitational. 

After serving in World War II for two years (1944-45), he returned to Slippery Rock as an ex-G.I. to play basketball and soccer for two years before graduating in 1947. 

Connie Palumbo 

CONNIE PALUMBO
Years Active: 1954-57
Sports Played: Basketball, Football, Golf, Soccer, Track & Field

To say Conrad “Connie” Palumbo did it all at Slippery Rock is in no way an exaggeration. One of the best all-around athletes during his time at Slippery Rock, Palumbo earned 11 varsity letters in five different sports and received SRU’s Outstanding Senior Award in 1957. 

On the basketball court, Palumbo was an automatic double-double machine before the term even existed. Over his four-year career on the hardwood, Palumbo averaged 18.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. It has been 63 years since his last collegiate game and Palumbo still ranks second in Slippery Rock history in total rebounds (902) and 10th in scoring (1,227). He was named an All-American as a senior in 1956-57. 

Palumbo was also a bright star on Slippery Rock’s track & field team, where he set a then school-record in the high jump of 1.88 meters. 

Palumbo was inducted into the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984. 

Jon Boyd 

JON BOYD
Years Active: 1963-66
Sports Played: Baseball, Men’s Basketball

Jon Boyd was an All-America performer, all-state selection and four-year letterman in baseball at The Rock. He led the team in hitting during two seasons.

In addition to his strong baseball prowess, Boyd was also an all-state selection and four-year letterman in basketball. He averaged 10.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over the course of his 81-game, four-year career at Slippery Rock. He closed out his career by averaging a double-double in each of his final three seasons to finish with career averages of 11.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Boyd also led SRU to a state runner-up finish in 1965.

Boyd was inducted into the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

Ron Hunt 

RON HUNT
Years Active: 1969-72
Sports Played: Football, Track & Field

Ron Hunt was a star for both the Slippery Rock football and track & field teams in the 1970s.

Arguably the best defensive back of the decade at The Rock, Hunt was a three-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division performer for the football team. As a junior in 1971, Hunt recorded four interceptions. During his senior campaign in 1972, Hunt registered 42 tackles and 11 passes defended while serving as the defensive captain of a team that went 8-2-1 and won the PSAC. 

On the track & field team, Hunt won the PSAC title in the long jump and set a then school record with a leap of 7.13 meters in 1972.

After earning his bachelor's degree in 1973, Hunt became SRU's head junior varsity and assistant varsity football coach, a role he held until 1978. In addition to his coaching duties, Hunt served as SRU's Assistant Director of Admissions from 1973-78.

Hunt was inducted into the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.

Tim Nunes 

TIM NUNES
Years Active: 1969-72
Sports Played: Football, Baseball

Tim Nunes was one of the first great modern quarterbacks at Slippery Rock in addition to serving as a more than dependable middle infielder on the baseball team.

In an era of Rock football where the rushing attack was emphasized, Nunes spent two years as a starting quarterback (1971-72) and in the process re-wrote SRU’s record book. At the time of his graduation, Nunes led Slippery Rock in career completions (148), passing yards (2,013), passing touchdowns (27) and completion percentage (57.4). 

Nunes was named the Slippery Rock MVP of the 1972 team that went 8-2-1 and won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship.

He was also a Tri-State All-Star selection as a baseball player at The Rock, posting a .269 batting average and .337 on base percentage to go along with two doubles and six RBI in 24 games in the 1972 season.

Nunes was inducted into the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

Nancy Kunkel 

NANCY KUNKEL
Years Active: 1978-81
Sports Played: Softball, Volleyball

Slippery Rock had a long and storied history of women playing a variety of sports prior to the 1970s, but that was prior to women’s sports earning varsity status. With that in mind, Nancy Kunkel was one of the first great multi-sport athletes of the women’s varsity era at Slippery Rock.

She was an all-conference volleyball competitor while also being one of the stars on two Rock softball teams that earned postseason tournament berths. She closed her softball career as a .301 hitter that scored 16 runs, hit two home runs and recorded 18 RBI. She hit .347 during the 1980 season. 

Kunkel, who went on to become a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, was inducted into the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.

Kathy Lisman 

KATHY LISMAN
Years Active: 1978-82
Sports Played: Basketball, Softball

Along with Nancy Kunkel and Laura Remaly, Kathy Lisman is another of The Rock’s top multi-sport women’s athletes of the early varsity era. Lisman was a four-year standout in both basketball and softball. 

Lisman was a great point guard on the basketball team. Appearing in nearly 100 career games, Lisman is still The Rock’s career leader in total steals (311) while ranking second in assists (422). With Lisman running the point, Slippery Rock recorded winning records in three of her four seasons.   

As a member of the softball team, Lisman was a career .319 hitter. She was a vital piece on the 1981 squad that went 15-8 and qualified for the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Tournament. She hit .317 and scored 18 runs that season.

Lisman was inducted into the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.

Laura Remaly 

LAURA REMALY
Years Active: 1979-82
Sports Played: Field Hockey, Judo, Track & Field

Laura Remaly was a four-sport athlete at Slippery Rock, where she excelled in judo and field hockey and was also a member of the indoor and outdoor track and field teams. 

The highlight of her career came in 1982 when she claimed a national championship in judo. That capped a successful collegiate career in which she also won regional titles in judo in 1980 and 1981. 

In addition to her excellence in judo, Remaly was also a three-year starter on the field hockey team and was named to the 1981 Midwest All-Star team. She also excelled as a multi-event specialist for the track and field team, where she won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title in the pentathlon in 1980 (2,978 points).

Remaly was inducted into the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

Jodi Kest 

JODI KEST
Years Active: 1980-84
Sports Played: Basketball, Tennis

Kest was a two-time All-America women’s basketball player and a dominant tennis athlete.

During her basketball career, Kest tallied 1,289 points (13.7 ppg) and 540 rebounds (5.7 rpg) over 94 games. She graduated as Slippery Rock’s all-time leader in both points and rebounds and still ranks 11th in points scored for a career. Kest is one of just 17 players in program history to have recorded at least 500 points and 500 rebounds for her career. 

Her personal success carried over to the team as well. Slippery Rock qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament in all four years of Kest’s career, including the 1982-83 season when SRU went 20-6 and was ranked as high as 14th in the nation. 

Kest was also an outstanding tennis player for The Rock. She served as Slippery Rock’s No. 1 singles competitor in addition to teaming with Sharon Sirpilla to win the 1981 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship in the second flight. (In the 1980s PSAC championships were given in each flight as opposed to crowing overall champions like the conference presently does.)

Kest was inducted into the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

Marlene Hall 

MARLENE HALL
Years Active: 1985-88
Sports Played: Field Hockey, Lacrosse

Hall was Slippery Rock’s first true dynamic offensive athlete in both field hockey and lacrosse.

How dominant was Hall in field hockey? Her career totals of 51 points and 25 goals stood as program records for 27 and 28 years, respectively, until Megan McKay eclipsed both marks. In lacrosse, Hall posted over 50 career goals, which ranked in the top five all-time at SRU at the time of her graduation. 

Along with all of Hall’s goals came victories in both sports. All told, Hall helped lead Slippery Rock field hockey and lacrosse to a 54-40-4 overall record during her career. The highlight of her tenure at SRU came in 1987 when the SRU field hockey team qualified for the NCAA Tournament before finishing the year with a 14-5 record. 

Randy McKavish 

RANDY McKAVISH
Years Active: 1996-00
Sports Played: Football, Basketball

Randy McKavish was not only one of the most important figures in the illustrious history of Slippery Rock football, he was also a solid four-year basketball player at The Rock.

McKavish’s success as a quarterback both in terms of victories and individual accolades is practically unmatched. 

During his four years as a starting quarterback (1997-00), Slippery Rock won 41 games, four Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times. Individually, McKavish was named the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year three times (1997, 1998, 2000). He still ranks first in Slippery Rock history in passing yards (7,634), third in touchdown passes (59) and 15th in rushing yards (2,069).

As a basketball player, McKavish started 28 of 72 games played over four years, averaging 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game. His 147 career steals are the fourth most in program history.

McKavish was inducted into the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. 

DJ Flick 

DJ Flick
Years Active: 1998-02
Sports Played: Football, Track & Field

DJ Flick stands out even among all the great multi-sport athletes that Slippery Rock has produced, which is a feat in its own right. Flick successfully accomplished the task of truly being great at two sports.

In football, Flick was a constant big play threat at wide receiver. Over his four-year career, he recorded 101 receptions for 2,005 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is still The Rock’s all-time leader in yards per catch (19.85), punt returns yards (1,183), kick return touchdowns (four) and punt return touchdowns (six), in addition to ranking second in all-purpose yards (4,773), sixth in touchdown receptions and 10th in receiving yards. 

For his efforts, Flick was a two-time All-American and a four-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division honoree.

On the track, Flick excelled in both sprints and jumps. An eight-time PSAC champion, Flick still holds Slippery Rock records in the indoor 200-meters (21.62 seconds) and the outdoor long jump (7.55 meters). He was named the PSAC Track MVP at the 2000 outdoor championships.

Nikita Lewis 

NIKITA LEWIS
Years Active: 1998-01
Sports Played: Track & Field, Basketball

Winning one national championship in any sport is an accomplishment of a lifetime, but winning multiple titles is even more rare. Nikita Lewis won four in one year. Additionally, she was a quality reserve on a Rock basketball team that was on the cusp of becoming one of the top units in school history.

Lewis’ accomplishments as a jumper on The Rock’s track & field team are unparalleled. She not only won national titles in the long jump and triple jump at the 2000 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, she repeated the accomplishment at the outdoor championships later that year. 

Lewis, who was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Outdoor MVP at the 1999 and 2000 championship meets, is a seven-time conference champion. Unsurprisingly, she holds The Rock’s indoor and outdoor records in both the long jump (6.22 meters / 6.58 meters) and the triple jump (12.86 meters / 12.66 meters).

On the basketball court, Lewis appeared in 23 games as a reserve on the 1998-99 team. She shot 47.3 percent from the field while providing The Rock with 5.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. A year later, Slippery Rock went 23-7 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. 

Lexi Arnold 

LEXI ARNOLD
Years Active: 2009-13
Sports Played: Track & Field, Volleyball

The most recent example of a great multi-sport athlete at The Rock, Arnold was a dominant javelin thrower on the track & field team while also being a reliable reserve on SRU’s volleyball team.

Arnold’s track & field resume reads like one of a future Slippery Rock Hall of Fame inductee. She earned All-America honors in the javelin twice (2011, 2013), won three PSAC titles (2011, 2012, 2013) and posted 10 career victories overall. Her All-America performance at the 2013 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships saw her finish third in the nation with a personal-best mark of 46.68 meters. 

As a volleyball athlete, Arnold appeared in 61 matches over four years, finishing her career with 301 kills. Arnold had 91 kills as a reserve on the 2011 team that qualified for the NCAA Tournament. 

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