NJIT Athletics Holds Hall of Fame Ceremony on Homecoming Weekend

NJIT Athletics held its 2020 Hall of Fame Ceremony on Homecoming Weekend, Saturday, October 9 inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.

The 2020 induction class included: Kelly (Crowe) Ascolese '07 (Women's Basketball), Demond Cowins '04 (Men's Basketball), Bob English (Robert Swanson Recipient), Wycliffe Gordon '00 (Men's Volleyball), King Moy '74 (Herb M. Iris Recipient), Vincent Naimoli '62 (Benefactor), John Rapsomanikis '68 (Men's Soccer),  Erika Taugher '08 (Women's Soccer), Steve Tice '93 (Baseball), Wayne Webb '58 (Men's Basketball) and Sonia Zacher-Martini '90 (Women's Volleyball) to make up the 19th class in school history. 

"I am so very happy to recognize these 11 outstanding individuals as the newest members of the Highlander Athletic Hall of Fame," said Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Lenny Kaplan.  "This is a true embodiment of the history, tradition, excellence and progress of Highlander athletics. These individuals have set the standard by which we measure our success."

After a five-year hiatus, the Hall of Fame was revived in 2002 by Kaplan. After the induction of the Class of 2020, the Hall's membership stands at 81.

Below are brief bios of the inductees (in alphabetical order):

Kelly (Crowe) Ascolese '07 (Women's Basketball; 2003-07)
Ascolese graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer (1,497) and sits in second on the all-time list.  She averaged 13.2 ppg and ranks fourth on the school's all-time assist list with 307.

Demond Cowins '04 (Men's Basketball; 2001-04)
Cowins finished his career as NJIT's second all-time leading scorer (1,909) and fourth all-time leading rebounder (959).  Cowins holds the school-record for free throws made (478) and sits in third and ninth all-time for points in a season with 598 (2003-04) and 550 (2002-03), respectively.

Robert "Bob" English (Robert Swanson Recipient)
Robert English will be the fifth recipient of the Robert Swanson Award.  The Swanson award was named for the late professor and athletic director.   The award is presented to the NJIT faculty or staff member who has shown continued support for the Highlander athletic program. Bob Swanson, who served as Director of Athletics from 1947 to 1982, was an original inductee into the NJIT Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.

Wycliffe Gordon '00 (Men's Volleyball; 1995-98) 
Gordon earned AVCA All-America second-team honors in 1998, when NJIT competed at the Division II level.  He graduated as one of the top offensive weapons in Highlander history finishing his career ranked in the top five in kills.

King Moy '74 (Herb M. Iris Recipient)
King Moy will be the second recipient of the Herb M. Iris Award.  The Herb M. Iris Award pays tribute to the late Herb M. Iris (Class of '51, 1930-2006), a great visionary and a major benefactor and supporter of NJIT athletics. The Herb M. Iris Award will honor exemplary leadership and support in the advancement of athletics at NJIT.  

Vincent Naimoli '62 (Benefactor)
Vincent Naimoli earned his  master's degree in 1962 from New Jersey Institute of Technology (then NCE).   A long time member of the school's Board of Overseers, Naimoli's support of athletics led to the construction of the  Naimoli Family Athletic and Recreational Facility, home of the NJIT men's and women's tennis programs. Opened in 2011, the 25,000-square foot indoor athletic facility that primarily serving as home to the men's and women's tennis teams, provides a home for NJIT's intramural programs, recreational sports, and practice facilities.

John Rapsomanikis '68 (Men's Soccer; '196-63)
Rapsomanikis, an All-American, helped the men's soccer program to a 32-5-2 record. Rapsomanikis guided the team to 1960 NAIA Co-Championship and NAIA Runner up in 1961.

Erika Taugher '08 (Women's Soccer; 2004-08)
Taugher, regarded by many to be the best-ever player to ever wear a Highlander uniform, holds the NJIT school-record for points in a career (47) and shares the school-record mark for goals in a career (16) as well as the all-time mark for career assists (15) and tied for fifth all-time in games played (72).  She also ranks among the program-best in: goals in a game (2nd-3 in 2008), goals in a season (4th – 6), assists in a season (t-4th – 5) and points in a season (4th and 5 th – 17 and 15 – 2004, 2005).

Steve Tice '93 (Baseball; 1990-93)
A four-year member of the NJIT baseball program and three-year captain, Steve Tice combined for 23 career wins, five saves and a .314 career batting average.  Tice, a two-time Independent Athletic Conference (IAC) Player of the Year (1992 and 1993) and Skyline Conference Pitcher of the Year in 1993, was a three-time All-IAC and Skyline Conference first-team honoree (1993) and second-team All-Skyline Conference (1992).

Wayne Webb '58 (Men's Basketball)
Webb was a highly-touted Essex County recruit coming out of high school and did not disappoint the Highlander faithful, finishing each season as a scoring leader.   In his junior year, Webb helped NCE to a 9-6 record. During his senior campaign, Webb set the school record for points in a game with 29 against Brooklyn Poly en route to finishing the season with better than 20.0ppg.

Sonia Zacher-Martini '90 (Women's Volleyball; (1985, 87-88)
Zacher-Martini, IAC Player of the Year in 1988, helped the NJIT women's volleyball team to a program-best 26-6 overall record and an ECAC Metro NY/NJ championship semifinals appearance.  She earned GTE Regional Academic All-America and All-WIAC honors in 1988.  She was honored as All-IAC in consecutive seasons (1987 and 1988), guiding the team to a 62-20 overall record in three years.

The NJIT Athletic Hall of Fame was founded in 1986 by then-director of athletics J. Malcolm Simon in conjunction with the NJIT Alumni Association. 

The first class of inductees included multi-sport standout John Walsh '66, soccer all-American Hernan "Chico" Borja '81, beloved coach and professor Joseph M. Fitzgerald, and long time director of athletics Robert Swanson. Simon, also the school's all-time winningest coach, was inducted upon his retirement as athletics director in 1994. In all, 44 individuals and three teams were honored through 1996.