Posted: May 29, 2024

MASCAC Announces 2024 Hall of Fame Class, Three Former Vikings to be Inducted

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) is pleased to announce the 2024 Hall of Fame Class, which will feature former Salem State women's basketball player Mary Dolores Brown '86 and men's soccer player Alvaro Ibanez '92. Former men's tennis coach Grant Longley will also be inducted. The MASCAC created the Hall of Fame to provide the recognition of those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conference and to help preserve the storied history of the MASCAC and its member institutions.

There are seven categories for nomination: student-athlete from a men's team, student-athlete from a women's team, overall team, male coach, female coach*, administrator and legends. The 2024 MASCAC Hall of Fame Class is as follows:

Alvaro Ibanez, Salem State University -Student-athlete from a Male Team
Ibanez was the first soccer player at Salem State College to be named an All-American. Alvaro's three-year Salem State College career at the striker position (he transferred to Salem State College after being named conference player of the year while attending Old Dominion University in 1985) included being chosen first team All-American each season. He captained the Vikings to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1987 and 1988 and is still the school's all-time leading goal scorer. A native of Barranquilla, Columbia, Ibanez was chosen as Salem State College's top male athlete his junior and senior years.

Mary Dolores Brown, Salem State University - Student-athlete from a Female Team
Brown, a two-time captain, was a four-year standout for the Lady Vikings' basketball program from 1982-86, earning Kodak District One All-American and (CoSIDA) Academic All-American honors her senior year after leading Salem State to the 1986 NCAA National Championship. A three-time All-New England and All-MASCAC selection, she played on three MASCAC championship teams and finished her career with 1,058 points and 598 rebounds. As one of the premier guards in New England, she was instrumental in helping Salem State reach the "Elite Eight three straight years (1984-86), which included two "Final Four appearances (1984, 86). Brown was the first female student-athlete at Salem State to be awarded the Howard C. Smith Award, recognizing her as best athlete in the State College Conference her senior year.

Grant Longley, Salem State University - Male Coach
Grant Longley was the head coach of tennis and a professor in the physical education department at Salem State College from 1969 to 1999.

A graduate of Springfield College, Grant guided the SSC's men's tennis program to the 1973 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championships in Kansas City. The 1973 national tournament appearance was a first for the college's tennis program.

Grant led the Vikings back to the nationals in 1976 when the team traveled to Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi for the NCAA Division III championships. The 1976 squad won 20 out of 21 matches, the program's best single-year record. The following year Salem State returned to Millsaps for the NCAA Tournament, where the Vikings placed 16th in the 28-school field.

Grant directed the women's tennis program at the college from 1991 through 1998, coaching SSC in nearly 600 matches. He directed the men's program to a record 11 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) titles, including eight of the first nine years the championship was staged.

Grant, who retired as an associate professor in the college's Sports Fitness and Leisure Studies major, compiled 361 victories as a tennis coach at Salem State College. He also coached the men's varsity soccer program at Salem State College from 1971 through 1975.

Brian Crossman, Fitchburg State University- Student-Athlete from a Male Team
In the steep track tradition at Fitchburg State, Mr. Crossman is the most highly decorated athlete of all. He was a 13-time All-American and three-time National Champion. He also won nine New England Championships and set two national records. Six of his records at Fitchburg State still stand.

His New England All-Division 400-meter title as a freshman in 1985 was a sign that Fitchburg State was about to witness a special career. The following winter he set a national meet record at the indoor NCAAs with a blistering 48.45 in the 400 meters.

In the winter of 1988, his senior season, Mr. Crossman set two more national records at the NCAA Indoor Championships, anchoring the 4x400 team and running the first sub-48 second (47.88) indoor 400 meters in NCAA Division III history.

Mr. Crossman credits his coaches, Jim Sheehan and fellow Hall of Famer Dave Farnsworth, for pushing him to excel.

He is currently a Technology Education Teacher in the Lowell School Department. He and his wife Camille have a daughter, Mary Jane.

Marlee Berg, Westfield State University - Student-athlete from a Female Team
Women's track and field star Marlee Berg (2009) is one of just four Westfield State athletes to win an individual NCAA Championship, earning the 2009 NCAA Division III indoor high jump crown.

She was a four-time qualifier for the NCAA Division III National Championships, three times for the indoor and outdoor high jump in 2008 and 2009, and for the first-ever NCAA Division III women's pentathlon event in 2009.

Berg's accomplishments spanned multiple track and field events - holding the school record in four events: the high jump, 200-meter dash, 500-meter run, and pentathlon. As a three-year team captain, she set the standard of excellence for the team with three All-ECAC honors and nine All-New England awards. She was also a member of four school-record-setting relay teams.

Berg dominated the MASCAC by winning fifteen different events over a three-year span from 2007-09. In 2008 alone, Berg won eight events (indoor/outdoor high jump, indoor long jump, indoor/outdoor 200 and 400-meter dash, and outdoor triple jump). She set the MASCAC's outdoor high jump record.

In her National Championship year of 2009, she won the high jump with a leap of 5'-6.5" at the NCAA Division III indoor championships at Terre Haute, Ind.

Berg was also a member of the women's cross-country team in her junior and senior year where she won two MASCAC team championships. In her senior year, she placed fourth individually at the MASCAC Championships.

A native of Chelmsford, Mass., Berg graduated from Westfield in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication, public and corporate relations. She also furthered her studies at Smith College, earning a Master's of Science in Exercise and Sport Studies.

She served as a graduate assistant coach at Smith, an assistant coach at UMass Lowell and then Brandeis University before returning to Westfield State in 2016, as part of an NCAA Women's and Ethnic Minority Grant, and now serves as head men's and women's cross country coach as well as assistant athletic director for recruitment, retention & student-athlete well-being.

Berg is married to Westfield State alumnus Daniel Haryasz. The couple resides in Longmeadow.

1974 Westfield State Men's Soccer – Team
John Amaral, Mike Andrukonis, Manny DaCruz, Dennis Dugas, Mark Fournier, Mike Gauthier, Allie Goncalves, Bino Goncalves, Dennis Laprade, Bill Lownds, Chris Lynch, Steve Mancini, Bill Martin, Lidio Mateus, Ken McCarron, Chris Moukas, Ray Peetz, Antonio Ribeiro, Jim Robinson, Gary Rodrigues, Chris Roukas, Tim Sicard, Willie Sorenson, Carlton Steele, Rex Stevens, Mike Walker, Paul Whalley, David-Ross Williamson, Manager - Bob Dolan, Head Coach – John Kurty

The 1974 Westfield State College men's soccer team advanced further than any previous Westfield State athletic team, advancing all the way to the NCAA Division III Final Four, and finished third in the nation.

Largely consisting of players from Western Mass high schools, Westfield built on a 1972 ECAC Tournament bid and a 1973 first-round exit in the NCAA's to complete the magical season in 1974.

The team, coached by the legendary John Kurty, finished with a record of 17 wins, four losses and two ties. Westfield was the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference champion with a 5-1 mark in league play.

Along the way, the team earned Kurty's 100th career collegiate coaching win with a 5-2 win over Boston State early in the season, and the season marked the debut of Westfield State University's Astroturf Field, now known as Alumni Field.

The Owls defeated Coast Guard 10-1, and Framingham, 3-0 to win the NCAA Northeast Regional and advance to the final four, played in Wheaton, Ill.

The Owls won a physical game against Framingham, as Chris Moukas got the Owls on the board first, and Dennis Dugas added a pair of second half goals to seal the win and the trip to Illinois.

The Owls fell to Brockport (N.Y.) State 6-0 on a slippery, muddy field in the national semifinal game on Thanksgiving Day but bounced back two days later to defeat MacMurray (Ill.) College by a 3-1 score with goals from Allie Goncalves, Chris Moukas and Dennis Dugas in the consolation final to claim third place in the nation.

Postseason awards poured in for the Owls, as forward Allie Goncalves, back Ken McCarron, forward Dennis Dugas and goalkeeper Mike Walker were named to the MASCAC All-Star team. Goncalves was named to the New England All Star team, and McCarron and Goncalves were named as New England Regional All Americans.

Chris Lynch was named the team's most promising freshman. McCarron was the defensive MVP, and Dugas the offensive MVP. Mike Walker earned the Coach's Award, Carl Steele was named Most Versatile, and Goncalves earned the Department Award.

The 1974 Owls are well represented in the Westfield State Hall of Fame as six players have been chosen to the Hall as individuals, alongside coach Kurty.

John Kurty, Westfield State University - Male Coach

John Kurty was the first coach inducted in the Westfield State Hall of Fame. Kurty, who retired from the Westfield State faculty as a physical education instructor in 1988, compiled a brilliant 153-36-13 record in coaching the Owls from 1966 to 1977.

At the time of his retirement, his .790 winning percentage was the highest of any coach, active or retired, in all New England divisions. Kurty led the Owls to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances and three New England state championships. Kurty's 1974 team finished third in the nation.

Kurty coached golf for 10 years and volleyball for seven years at WSC and was a volunteer assistant for the baseball team. He came to Westfield from his hometown of Ludlow, where he coached the high school soccer team to a 10-year record of 150-19-19 and three consecutive state titles.

In his retirement years, Kurty was an avid golfer, and an umpire for local college and high school baseball games.

Sue Lauder, Fitchburg State University – Administrator
For over 21 years, Lauder guided and greatly enhanced both the intercollegiate athletics and recreation programs at Fitchburg State University during her tenure as Director of Athletics. Lauder was a catalyst behind the construction of the new faciilities and secured one of only nine NCAA/Strategic Alliance grants to help fund Fitchburg State Athletic initiatives. She spearheaded two new women's varsity programs (lacrosse and volleyball).

Lauder served as the Commissioner of the New England Football Conference from 2005-2012. Sue was awarded the Asa S. Bushnell Outstanding Commissioner Award from the All-American Football Foundation in 2009.

On a national scale, Sue was on the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women's Internship Grant selection committee. She formerly served on several committees, including the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee, Nominating Committee, Championships Committee, Strategic Planning and Finance Committee and the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, while also a member of the several ECAC Championship Tournament selection committees.

Lauder was the 2016 recipient of the National Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Administrator of the Year and was inducted into the SUNY Cortland Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2017, Sue received the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Division III Athletic Director of the Year Award.

A graduate of Fairport (N.Y.) High School, Lauder earned her bachelor's degree in physical education from Cortland in 1975 and a master's degree from Syracuse University in 1978. Prior to her tenure at Fitchburg State, Sue served as the Director of Athletics at Hartwick College.

Lauder retired from Fitchburg State University in 2018 and now resides on Cape Cod.

Robert Elliott- Fitchburg State University – Legends
The late Robert Elliot dedicated much of his adult life to Fitchburg State athletics. Elliot coached baseball at the college for 24 years, from 1942-66. In 1962 he led the school to its first ever unbeaten season when the Falcons finished 12-0.

He also coached soccer for 15 years and men's basketball for four seasons. Under his leadership the soccer team won five NETCC Championships and enjoyed the school's first unbeaten season - 4-0-3 in 1952.

Elliot taught Physical Education from 1941-42 to 1966-67. He was the department head and the Athletic Director for much of this span. His contributions for FSC athletics were recognized in 1979 when the college named their outdoor athletic complex after Robert Elliot.

The inductees will be recognized at a formal MASCAC Hall of Fame induction which will be coupled with a MASCAC athletic championship or event at the site in which the individual competed or was housed during the 2024-25 year.

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(MASCAC Press Release)