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Four alumni to enter Athletic Hall of Fame

Four standout alumni athletes will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 12.

Plaques will be unveiled at the Charles B. Luce Field House at 6 p.m., with a reception and dinner to follow. For tickets to the reception and dinner, contact Judy Richard at jaric@conncoll.edu or call 860-439-2541.

Created in 1989, the Athletic Hall of Fame honors those who have brought distinction to themselves and Connecticut College through their achievement, commitment, sportsmanship and leadership in athletics.

The inductees are:

Katherine Grinnell Peila '89 (track & field)
A three-year captain and prolific performer in the field events, Peila was a pioneer for Connecticut College’s first varsity track & field program. She established school marks in the hammer throw, discus and 20-pound weight throw and ran a leg on the school record sprint medley relay. Peila captured the Camels’ first NESCAC track & field championship in the hammer throw in 1988, and she closed out her career with a school record 371.75 career points in 96 field events and four relays.

Timothy Smith '90 (tennis and soccer)
On the tennis court, Smith held national rankings in singles (31st) and doubles (20th) as a senior and was a three-time team most valuable player. He led the Camels to team rankings of second in New England and 18th nationally. In addition to earning an overall career record of 68-12 (37-7 singles, 31-5 doubles), Smith received the NESCAC tennis Clarence Chaffee Sportsmanship Award in 1990, the same year he was the College’s Brown-Brooks Award winner for excellence in scholarship, leadership and sportsmanship.

Smith was a top midfielder for the school’s soccer program, which earned a four-year 38-18-2 mark in his tenure. As a first-year player, he helped lead the Camels to a 13-3 overall record, a national ranking of 13th and the 1986 ECAC New England Tournament, where the team was runner-up to Middlebury in a heartbreaking, five-overtime, 2-1 decision. Smith scored 15 goals and chipped in 12 assists for 42 career points.

Zach Smith '00 (basketball)
A team captain for the 1998-99 squad that advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament Final Four, Smith was a second team All-America for the Camels. He graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer (currently ranks second) with 1,393 points and holds the program record with 201 blocked shots. The two-year team captain was the 1999 ECAC New England Division III Co-Player of the Year and garnered NESCAC All-Star first team (1998, 1999) and second team (1997) accolades.

Meghan J. Welch '00 (lacrosse and soccer)
On the lacrosse field, Welch was twice (1999, 2000) honored as a second-team All-America, and she graduated as the program’s all-time leader in career points with 235 (180 goals, 55 assists). After leading the Camels to the 2000 ECAC New England crown, Welch received the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. In June 2000, she was featured in Sports Illustrated’s coveted “Faces in the Crowd” section.

In 1998, Welch was named MVP of the Camels’ most successful women’s soccer team, which was ranked eighth nationally and reached the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. A two-time All-New England and All-NESCAC selection ? both in 1998 and 1999 ? she graduated as the program’s third all-time leading scorer with 22 goals, 18 assists and 62 points.

More about the Hall of Fame.

 



January 19, 2011