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| This year's inductees are Warren Cham-A-Koon '95, Mike Collins '87, Liz Helstein Thomforde '96, Tim Kelly '81, Steven Kuri '90, Kristen Leslie '83, Matthew Miller '04, Michelle Poole O'Grady '97, and Elizabeth Roesch '05. |
A class of nine former College of Wooster standout student-athletes will be inducted into the W Association Hall of Fame during the College's "Black & Gold Weekend," announced the alumni organization that supports intercollegiate athletics on Friday. The official ceremony will take place on Friday night, Sept. 16, at Scheide Music Center.
Scheduled to be on hand for their induction are Warren Cham-A-Koon '95, Mike Collins '87, Liz Helstein Thomforde '96, Tim Kelly '81, Steven Kuri '90, Kristen Leslie '83, Matthew Miller '04, Michelle Poole O'Grady '97, and Elizabeth Roesch '05.
Cham-A-Koon, one of the staples on Wooster's first-ever team appearance at the NCAA Div. III Men's Tennis National Championship, graduated as a four-time All-American. Notable, he's the second student-athlete in program history to earn All-American certificates in both singles and doubles. Cham-A-Koon advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1995 NCAA Div. III Doubles National Championship with partner James Weaver, and one year later advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Div. III Singles National Championship.
Collins, a two-time All-American, capped his career with a top-three finish at the 1987 NCAA Div. III Men's Golf National Championships, where he shot a 295 over 72 holes. As a sophomore, Collins was a part of the inaugural North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championship team, the same year the golf standout went on to earn his first All-American certificate. That year, he tied for 17th at the national championships. Over the last three years of his career, Collins averaged 80.2 strokes over 72 rounds.
Helstein was a regular on the national scene during her time at the College. She placed fifth on both the 1- and 3-meter boards as a junior at the 1995 NCAA Div. III Women's Swimming & Diving National Championship that was held in her home state of Connecticut. As a senior, Helstein became the first diver – male or female – in the NCAC to capture first-place in all four years on the same board (1-meter) at the NCAC Swimming & Diving Championships.
Kelly earned All-American honors both in the classroom and on the field during his career. The catching great capped his career with first-team Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America® laurels, after earning third-team All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association as a junior. In fact, Kelly was drafted in the 32nd round of the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft, but elected to come back to the College for his senior year.
Kuri anchored Wooster's lineup at No. 1 singles and doubles on some of the deepest teams in program history. In fact, he was a part of two of the College's four NCAC championship teams, and Wooster is still one of three men's programs with a NCAC tennis title to their credit in the 32-year history of the conference. Notable, Kuri really heated up as a junior and went on to earn All-American honors in singles in his final two years on the team.
Leslie was one of the driving forces in helping Wooster's women's basketball program take the next step in the early 1980s. A two-time all-state honoree, Leslie helped Wooster to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance on the hardwood, and scored a game-high 22 points the Fighting Scots' first NCAA game. She was also a standout on the volleyball court, and helped both programs establish new single-season benchmarks for wins.
Miller, Wooster's all-time hits leader at 277, earned first-team American Baseball Coaches' Association All-American honors. Over his final three seasons, the slugger turned in a .439 average (230-for-524) with 168 runs and 138 RBIs. At the conference level, he was just the second second baseman in conference history to be tabbed as the NCAC Player-of-the-Year. Notable, Miller delivered a walk-off two-out, two-run double against Div. I Kent State University as a junior.
Poole earned 20 all-conference certificates during her four-year career as a member of the cross country and track & field teams. Even more impressively, eight of those all-conference laurels came via first-place finishes, including the 800 meters (2:21.80) and the 1,500 meters (4:50.3) at the 1997 indoor conference meet, a pair of performances that led to Poole being named as the Mid-Distance/Distance MVP. She was also a member of the only team to qualify for the cross country national championship in program history.
Roesch capped her career with a national champion swim in the 1,650-yard freestyle, becoming the third in program history, and second female to earn individual first-place accolades at the national meet. The distance specialist earned eight All-American certificates during her career, and had four top-five finishes. She was also a key contributor during a pair of top-10 team finishes, including a fifth-place showing by Wooster at the 2003 national meet.