CCSU Announces 2018 Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame Class

Six former student-athletes and the winningest baseball program in school history have been selected for induction into the Central Connecticut State University Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame.  The induction will take place on Saturday night, May 5, 2018 in Alumni Hall on the CCSU campus.  Cocktail hour will begin at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner.  Reservation and ticket information will be made available in the coming weeks.

The Hall of Fame class includes, Thomas Bezrutczyk '77 (track and field), Jen Cote '04 (volleyball), Amy Crispino '97 (softball), Jere Quinn '77 (basketball), Juan Roman '90 (football), Mark St. Germain (football) and the 2004 baseball team.

"We're excited to honor these six former standout student-athletes as well as one of the most successful teams in school history," Vice President for Institutional Advancement Chris Galligan said. "We're also looking forward to bringing the event back to campus in May.  These six new members join a prestigious list of CCSU's best, and on that Saturday night they will take their rightful place among the most decorated student-athletes in school history."

Bezrutczyk was a two-time All-American for the Blue Devils whose discus record still stands.  In 1972 he threw the discus 173 feet, 6 inches, and 46 years later no Blue Devil has ever thrown it further.  Prior to his time at CCSU he was a state and New England Champion in the discus, and he went on to compete worldwide for much of his adult life.  Bezrutczyk competed in the 1976 Olympic trials.

Cote is second all-time in career kills for the Blue Devils with 1,432, trailing only Hall of Famer Christine Dadducci in that category. Her hitting percentage of .319 is second all-time in school history.  She holds the single-season hitting percentage mark at .378, set during the 2004 season.  Cote holds two of the top-10 single season kills marks in school history with 415 in 2003 and 385 in 2002.  The Blue Devils won 68 matches in her four seasons and posted 20 or more wins twice.  In her final two years Central was 41-17.  They advanced to the NEC Tournament three times in four seasons.  Cote was a four-time All-Conference selection in the NEC, earning three First Team selections and one Second Team pick.

Crispino played for former head coach and CCSU Hall of Famer Ron Pringle.  She remains in the top-10 in several career offensive categories for the Blue Devils, two decades after her playing career ended in 1996.  Her .312 career average in ninth all-time in school history.  At the time of her graduation she was second on the all-time list.  She is also eighth all-time in career hits with 155, fifth in runs scored (98), tied for eighth in triples (7) and is the school's all-time leader in stolen bases with 58. 

Roman was a three-year starter for the football team and a two-time captain during the 1988 and 1989 seasons.  As a junior, Roman earned First-Team All-New England honors after leading the Blue Devils in tackles with 105. During that season, he recorded single-game highs of 18 tackles against A.I.C. and 16 tackles against Springfield.  Roman was also the Blue Devils leading tackler in his sophomore campaign (89), including 16 in a win over Western Connecticut.  He finished his career with 261 career tackles.

St. Germain was one of the most decorated running backs after his career with the Blue Devil football team.  After completing his eligibility, he set a then-school record with 104 career points.  During his senior year, St. Germain tied the records for single-season scoring and touchdowns.  He was named an Honorable Mention All-American selection in 1974.  St. Germain finished his career ranked second in career rushing yardage with 1,620 yards.  He is currently ranked 14^th in both career rushing and scoring.

Quinn, currently the head boys' basketball coach at St. Thomas More, was a two-time captain for former head coach and CCSU Hall of Famer Bill Detrick in 1975-76 and 1976-77. Quinn's single-season assist record of 227 assists during the 1975-76 season is still the school-record, 36 assists more than the second spot on the same list.  His 413 career assists are fifth all-time in school history.  Quinn holds the school-record for assists in a game (18) and posted five games with 14 or more assists in his career.  Quinn also scored 1,006 points in his career with the Blue Devils.   

The 2004 baseball team captured the program's third straight Northeast Conference Championship and posted a program-record 41 wins in the process while advancing to the NCAA Tournament.  The Blue Devils finished 41-17-1 marking the fourth straight season with 30 or more wins for head coach Charlie Hickey's team.  Four members of that team remain in the top-10 all-time in hitting in school history, including Keith Stegbauer who finished his two seasons with a batting average of .388.  He posted a school-record 100 hits in 2004.  The program's all-time leaders in batting average (Stegbauer), at-bats (Tim D'Aquila), hits (D'Aquila), runs scored (Rob Hosgood), doubles (D'Aquila), triples (Hosgood), RBI (D'Aquila) and total bases (Hosgood) were all members of that team.  The Blue Devils advanced to the Oklahoma City Regional and faced Florida and Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament.  The 41 wins was an NEC record at the time.

The CCSU Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame recognizes and honors former outstanding CCSU student-athletes for their contributions and achievements in athletics. Nominees, in general, must be of good character and worthy of the award, and individuals, who, through their actions, have shown support for the ideals of the University. Nominees shall have represented CCSU in a positive manner both on and off the playing arena.  Including the Class of 2018, there are 150 members of the CCSU Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame, and three teams.