Franklin Pierce Issues Student-Athlete Awards & Inducts Five into Athletics Hall of Fame
Former men's soccer coach Tod Silegy highlights Hall of Fame
class
Athletics Department also issues Walter Peterson Male & Female
Senior Student-Athlete of the Year and Richard Burns Male &
Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards
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RINDGE, N.H. (May 3, 2009) - Franklin Pierce University held its annual Student-Athlete Awards and Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet on the campus on Sunday. Several student-athletes received honorary scholarships or awards, while the department also inducted five individuals into its Hall of Fame.
Members of the Franklin Pierce Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2009 are volleyball standout Kerri (Jendras-Burstein) Pritchet, Class of 1995, women's soccer All-American Nina Nilsson, '93, men's basketball All-American Robert Nurse, '93, contributors Dr. Arthur and Mrs. Martha Pappas and former men's soccer head coach Tod Silegy.
Student-athlete awards issued were the Fred Berger, Catherine Crochiere, Henry Verity, Bruce Kirsh and Don & Judy Schriefer Scholarships as well as the Franklin Pierce Athletics Community Service Award, Richard Burns Male & Female Senior Scholar-Athletes of the Year and Walter Peterson Male & Female Senior Student-Athletes of the Year.
Kerri (Jendras-Burstein) Pritchet, a native of Mahopac,
N.Y. (Mahopac HS), who presently resides in Hopewell Junction,
N.Y., was a four year letterwinner and team captain of the
volleyball team as the program first gained regional recognition.
The Ravens enjoyed their most successful era during her playing
days in the early to mid 1990's. The team posted a 68-34 mark over
her first three years alone, including a 25-9 mark her sophomore
season to earn an ECAC Tournament berth.
An All-New England Collegiate Conference selection multiple seasons, Pritchet set a program record with 73 service aces in 1991, a total which still ranks second all-time in program history. The two year captain became the program's head coach the year following her graduation.
Nina Nilsson, a native of Helsingborg, Sweden, who
currently resides in New Milford, N.J., was a four-year
letterwinner for the women's soccer team during the early stages of
the program becoming a regional and national power. She was a
member of the first women's soccer team to earn an NCAA Tournament
berth in 1992, becoming the second All-American in program history
that season and later was named the 1992-93 NCAA/Champion Woman of
the Year. Nilsson, an NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-American, currently
ranks 14th in program history with her 24 career
assists, while she ranks 16th all-time with 27 career
goals and 17th with 78 career points.
Robert Nurse, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. (Bishop
Laughlin) who presently resides in Rochester, N.Y., was a two-year
letterwinner on the Franklin Pierce men's basketball team after
transferring from Monroe College. A two-time All-New England
Collegiate Conference and ECAC Division II All-Star, he became the
program's first NABC All-American in its NCAA Division II era (post
1988) in 1994. He helped lead the Ravens to a pair of NCAA
Tournament appearances, scoring 1,221 career points in just two
seasons, a total which still ranks 21st in program
history.
The two-time NABC All-Region selection was named to the NECC's 15th Anniversary team in 1997. Franklin Pierce posted a combined 45-15 record over his two seasons, including a 23-7 mark in the NECC.
Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas' generosity played a
significant role in producing one of the finest collegiate baseball
facilities in the Northeast, which bears their names. Dr. Pappas, a
renowned orthopedic surgeon, operated on a handful of Franklin
Pierce student-athletes from a variety of sports dating back to the
mid-1990's when they owned a home in the area. The association with
the University would grow into a role on the Board of Trustees.
Today, Dr. Pappas Field allows Franklin Pierce to host postseason events such as four-straight NCAA Regional Tournaments and next weekend the facility will serve as host to the Northeast-10 Championships for the second-straight year. The state-of-the-art facility is a just product for a doctor who was at the cutting edge of orthopedic surgery throughout his career, which would see him serve numerous years as medical director for the Boston Red Sox.
Tod Silegy, a native of Peterborough, N.H., who currently
resides in Keene, N.H., served as head men's soccer coach at
Franklin Pierce from 1978-1999. He established the tradition of
Franklin Pierce soccer as a regional and national power, first in
the University's NAIA era, but into NCAA Division II during the
1990's. Silegy posted a career record of 258-131-28 over his 22
seasons as head coach - a win total which ranks 16th in
NCAA history.
Silegy led Franklin Pierce to an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament in 1987 and then to eight-straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1991-98. The Ravens made their first trip to the Division II Final Four in 1991. Silegy earned Conference Coach of the Year honors five times, three in the Mayflower Conference (1981, 1986 & 1987) and twice in the NECC (1989 & 1995). Silegy also served as head baseball coach at Franklin Pierce seven plus years and was also an assistant men's basketball coach.
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Walter Peterson Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year
Franklin Pierce seniors Jennifer Leedham
(Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy
(Conn.)), a member of the women's basketball team, and
Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park), a
member of the baseball team, were named the Walter Peterson Female
and Male Student-Athletes of the Year, respectively.
Leedham, a four-year starter and
two-year captain on the women's basketball team, led the Ravens to
unprecedented success over her career. She led Franklin Pierce to
back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, including
this past winter when the team reached the National Championship
game where she scored a season-high 31 points in the highest
scoring national final in program history. She is a two-time
All-Northeast-10 selection, earning the Conference's Defensive
Player of the Year award this past season while also being named to
the All-East Region and ECAC All-Star teams. Leedham became the
19th player 
in program history to score 1,000 career points, finishing her
career ranked seventh all-time with 1,386 points, while also
ranking second on the program's career steals and assists charts.
Adams, a four-year letterwinner on the baseball team who has served as captain this season, has established himself as one of the top pitchers in the history of the Franklin Pierce baseball program. He helped the Ravens to three-straight NCAA Regional Championships and four Northeast-10 titles, posting a career record of 18-4 over his four years. Adams was named the NCBWA Division II Pitcher of the Year as a junior, leading the Ravens with an 11-1 record and 1.36 earned run average with 113 strikeouts in just over 112 innings pitched. The consensus All-America selection is also a two-time All-Northeast-10 first team pick.
Richard Burns Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Franklin Pierce seniors Brittany Ester (Toms River,
N.J./Toms River East) and Shane Murphy (Tolland,
Conn./The Gunnery School) received the Richard Burns
Female and Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors,
respectively.
Ester, a two-year starter on the
women's soccer team, has earned a 3.86 cumulative grade point
average while majoring in psychology at the University. She earned
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District and NE-10 All-Academic
honors, while also being a third team All-Northeast-10 
performer this past fall. In 2007, she set an NCAA Division II
record by not allowing a goal in six NCAA Tournament matches to
lead the Ravens to their seventh appearance in the national
championship game.
Murphy, a two-sport student athlete on the ice hockey and baseball teams, has earned a 3.24 GPA while majoring in criminal justice at the University. He appeared in all 50 of the Ravens ice hockey games over the last two seasons and finished his career with ten goals and 20 assists for 30 points in 67 career games played. Murphy was named to the ECAC-Northeast All-Academic team this past winter.
Franklin Pierce Athletics Community Service Award
Franklin Pierce senior Karissa Hookstadt (Camarillo,
Calif./Camarillo) was presented with the department's
Community Service Award, presented annually to a student-athlete
who has performed outstanding community service during their career
at the University.
Hookstadt, a four-year starter and three-year captain on the volleyball team, served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for three years. She has volunteered her time on the planning committee for the "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" program and "Dig for a Cure." She is treasurer of the Sports and Recreation Club and was a key person behind the resurrection of "Pierce Pride" during this current academic year.
On the volleyball court, Hookstadt earned All-Northeast-10 Conference honors three times. She finished her career with 4,306 assists, 987 digs, 375 kills, 236 blocks and 136 service aces in 120 career matches played.
Don and Judy Schriefer Scholarships
Franklin Pierce juniors Carolyn McNeil (Lowell, Mass./Lowell), a three-year letterwinner on the women's lacrosse team, Monica Lavertu (Berlin, N.H./Berlin), a three-year letterwinner on the women's tennis team and Ian Randall (Leominster, Mass./Leominster), a three-year letterwinner on the men's rowing team, and freshman Benjamin Benigno (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull), the starting third baseman in his first collegiate season on the baseball team, all received Don and Judy Schriefer Scholarships.
McNeil and Randall are repeat winners of the scholarship, while Lavertu and Benigno have received the award for the first time. The Don and Judy Schriefer Scholarships recognize returning non-scholarship student-athletes who are recommended by their coaches' and meet certain other criteria set by the University's development office.
Bruce Kirsh Scholarship
Franklin Pierce sophomore Erika Takegawa (Fukuoka, Japan), a member of the volleyball team, was awarded the Bruce Kirsh Scholarship. The award is given annually to a non-scholarship varsity student-athlete who best exemplifies the integrity, hard work and dedication to the University and Community represented by Franklin Pierce's Vice President and Director of Athletics.
Catherine Crochiere Scholarship
Franklin Pierce junior captain Rachel Kimball (Schenectady, N.Y./Monohasen) received the Catherine Crochiere Scholarship. The award is given to a women's basketball player in memory of the 1968 Franklin Pierce graduate who was a faculty member at the time of her tragic death in an automobile accident in 1972.
Henry Verity Scholarship
Franklin Pierce freshman Michael Busto (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou)received the Henry Verity Scholarship. The award is given to a men's soccer player, who is a community leader, team player, all-around good student and United States citizen. The scholarship is in memory of Verity, a former soccer player at the University, who passed away in August, 2001, after a battle with cancer.
Fred Berger Scholarship
Franklin Pierce junior Yumi Taguchi and senior Richard Myette received the Fred Berger Scholarship. The scholarship is given annually to a deserving manager of one of the varsity programs at the College. Taguchi has been the manager of the volleyball team over her Franklin Pierce career, while Myette has served in the same capacity with the Ravens baseball team.