CCSU Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Unveiled

Five former student-athletes and a championship coach have been selected for induction into the Central Connecticut State University Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame it was announced Wednesday.  The induction ceremony for the Class of 2023 will be held in Alumni Hall on the CCSU campus on Thursday, October 5, 2023, as a kickoff to Alumni Weekend. 

This year's Hall of Fame class includes, Paul Arciero '86 (tennis), George Kawecki (cross country/track & field coach), Paige (Martin) Krabill '95 (women's basketball), James Mallory (football), Jessica McCavanagh '07 (women's soccer) and Steve Stokoe '90 (men's soccer). 

"It is an honor to announce and recognize this group of Blue Devil greats," said Director of Athletics Tom Pincince. "I look forward to honoring them this fall, when we gather to kickoff Homecoming Weekend by inducting this talented group of men and women into the Hall of Fame. It will be a wonderful celebration of their accomplishments." 

Tickets for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony will go on sale this summer. 

Arciero enjoyed a decorated career as an undergraduate and went on to great success as a coach and a playing career on the professional circuit. With the Blue Devils, Arciero represented the program in the NCAA Tournament and helped the team to winning records. In a 12-year coaching career, he led the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds to a 136-86 mark that included five Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association/Liberty League titles, including back-to-back championships in 2005-06. A highly-ranked player nationally, Arciero won third place at the 2012 National Over-50 Grass Court Championships. 

Kawecki was the first head coach of the women's cross country and track & field program at CCSU and took over the men's team in 2002 after coming to the school as an assistant coach in 1979. His women's squads won consecutive cross-country titles in 1998 and 99 and won an NEC Women's Indoor Track & Field title in 2001. Kawecki mentored several standout individuals at CCSU, including three-time All-American Adrienne Pitts-Mink, ECAC 10,000m champion Heather Gardiner, and Nancy Wenzel-Sanregret who participated at the 1996 Olympic Trials. He also coached Stephanie Johnson to the 1998 NEC women's cross country individual title and Kim Crowley, the 1999 NEC Rookie of the Year. In addition to being a two-time NEC Women's Cross-Country Coach of the Year and the 2001 NEC Women's Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year, Kawecki's teams earned Academic All-America status for having a 3.00 cumulative GPA. 

Krabill enjoyed a standout career on the hardwood in the Blue Devils' early years at the Division I level. She became the 10th athlete in program history to score 1,000 career points and graduated with 1,084 career points which ranked 8thin the record book. She finished her career third on the all-time list with 335 career assists, which included 101 as a senior. Her mark of 4.6 assists per game in 1992-93 is the third-best single-season mark at CCSU, and she ranked third in the East Coast Conference as a junior with 3.7 assists per game. A team captain in 1994-95, she earned All-ECC Rookie Team honors in 1991-92. 

Mallory was one of the most decorated Blue Devils on the gridiron, earning Third Team AP All-America, AFCA All-America and ECAC All-Star honors in 2009. The 2009 NEC Offensive Player of the Year, Mallory was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award when he ranked fourth nationally with 112.67 rushing yards per game and ran for 1,352 yards total. He ran for 1,520 yards in 2008, which is the second-highest single-season total at CCSU and 10th-most in NEC annals. He finished his career with the third-most rushing yards in school history (3,245 yards) and ran for 256 yards against Bryant in 2008. A two-time New England Sports Writers All-New England selection and two-time All-Northeast Conference pick, he would attend camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

McCavanagh was dominant on the pitch in helping the Blue Devils win three straight conference titles during her career. She still ranks second in career goals (40), third in points (99) and fourth in assists (19). McCavanagh totaled 31 points in 2004, which ranks fifth all-time at CCSU, and posted top-five single-season totals for goals in 2004 (12, 3rd) and 2003 (11, 5th). The 2003 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, McCavanagh would become a three-time All-NEC First Team pick and was the 2005 NEC Tournament MVP. She also earned NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches All-Region and NEWISA All-New England Second Team honors as a senior. She capped her career being named the NEC Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2006 and was the Gail Rutz Award honoree in 2007.  

Stokoe was one of the Blue Devils' first standouts at the Division I level, assuming a role as a coach on the field for his squads. A sweeper for CCSU from 1986-89, he was a four-time All-New England selection helping the program to a 43-26-6 record during his career, which included a 15-3 mark as a senior. He won All-Tournament Team honors at the Mass. Challenge Cup and Florida Invitational Cup as an undergraduate before embarking on a successful coaching career. He coached the Connecticut Wolves of the United Soccer League and later led the Connecticut Fusion to the 2018 national final in United Women's Soccer. 

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 2023, there are 167 members of the CCSU Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame, and five teams.