Alumni Bravo to the Big Red Athletics Hall of Fame, Class of 2024! Stories You May Like Cheer for These Cornellian Athletes at the Paris Olympics After a Century on Hoy Field, Baseball Slides into a New Home Pioneering Big Red Players Look Back at Early Days of Women’s Varsity Athletics Eleven Cornellians are being honored for contributions to sports from hockey (both on field and ice) to track and basketball Editor’s note: This feature was adapted from a story by Big Red Athletics. By Jeremy Hartigan Since 1978, the Big Red has celebrated the achievements of former players—as well as legendary coaches and staff—with one of its highest honors: induction into the Athletics Hall of Fame. The 11 members of the Class of ’24 include five All-Americans. They’ll all be honored at a campus ceremony on September 28 (the Saturday of Homecoming weekend). Alumni Athletes Hannah Balleza ’14, field hockey One of the Big Red’s most prolific scorers, the Hotelie was just the fifth player in Cornell history to earn four All-Ivy selections. She finished her career ranked fourth overall for both points and assists, while ranking third in goals. She led the Ivies with nine assists as a senior and tied the school mark for goals in a single season and second for points in a single season as a junior. Named the 2010 Ivy League co-Rookie of the Year, she was also a four-year member of the U.S. National Indoor Squad Team. Montez Blair ’14, men’s track & field The CALS alum was a six-time NCAA All-American in the high jump, graduating with school records in the indoor and outdoor events and claiming three Heps titles. He also won the NCAA Northeast Regional crown twice. He was chosen to represent the U.S. at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia, in 2013 and earned a bronze medal at the U.S.A. Championships. Blair tied for first at the NCAA Regionals as a junior before placing 11th at the national championship, then won the outdoor Heps crown, won the East Regional title and finished 11th at NCAAs. He placed seventh at the 2012 Olympic Trials and qualified for the 2016 Trials. Allyson DiMagno ’14, women’s basketball A three-time All-Ivy selection, DiMagno was the first player in Cornell history to reach 1,300 career points and 900 career rebounds. The CALS alum concluded her time on East Hill as the Big Red’s all-time rebounding leader and set records for offensive and defensive rebounds and games and minutes played. She ranked second in Cornell history for career free throw percentage and was third all-time in career points. In terms of single-season performances, she also set school records in rebounds. She was named Ivy Player of the Week six times; as a junior, she led the Big Red in both points and rebounds. Jeff Mathews ’14, football Mathews, a two-time All-American, ended his Cornell career as the most accomplished quarterback in Ivy history and one of the top in all of college football. He ranks among the top 20 all-time in career passing yards in the Football Championship Subdivision and set the Ivy all-time passing record by more than 2,000 yards. The three-year team captain holds 47 Big Red school records and 18 Ivy marks for passing and total offense. A three-time All-Ivy selection, he was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year in 2011. After attending the NFL Draft Combine, he signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons. The CALS alum also spent time on the practice squad with the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals before playing four seasons in the Canadian Football League, including winning a Grey Cup in 2017 with the Toronto Argonauts. Jason Noble ’13, men’s lacrosse A three-time All-America selection, Noble was also a two-time first-team All-Ivy pick. As a senior, he anchored the 15th-best defense in the nation, allowing opponents just 9.06 goals per game, and he ranked 16th in the nation in caused turnovers. Noble registered at least one ground ball in all but one game during his career. Stories You May Like Cheer for These Cornellian Athletes at the Paris Olympics After a Century on Hoy Field, Baseball Slides into a New Home In March 2013, the CALS alum was honored as a National Player of the Week by the Baltimore Sun. Noble was the 10th overall pick in the 2013 Major League Lacrosse draft and also spent time playing in the sport’s National and Premier leagues. He was named the 2017 National Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Year and led the Georgia Swarm to the league title. Patrick Slogic ’14, men’s soccer A three-time first-team All-Ivy selection, the Engineering alum was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. On offense, he tallied eight goals and four assists for 22 points, including four game-winning goals. He ended his college career on a consecutive minutes streak of 5,123 and graduated with a school record 5,894 minutes played and with 64 consecutive career starts. Slogic was drafted by the Columbus Crew in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft and played professionally for four seasons in the MLS and the United Soccer League. Rachel Sorna ’14, MEng ’15, women’s track & field / cross country Sorna was a four-time All-American, earning accolades twice in cross country and twice in track and field. A two-time first-team All-Ivy League and NCAA all-region selection, Sorna—who was a CALS undergrad and went on to earn a master’s in mechanical engineering—owns the school record in the 3,000 steeplechase. In that event, she won the Penn Relays in 2013 and outdoor Heps in both 2013 and 2014, becoming the first Cornellian to win it in back-to-back years. Her school record time of 9:43.48 in the event was more than 23 seconds faster than the next closest. Jessi Steinberg Stone ’12, women’s lacrosse A three-time first-team All-Ivy League selection, the two-year captain graduated with the fourth-most points, third-most goals, and eighth-most assists in school history. Her senior season total of 65 points was also the third-best single season ever at Cornell. An alum of Human Ecology, Stone was a four-time Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week selection during her career. She earned second-team All-Region honors as a sophomore and junior and first team as a senior. Stone was the leading scorer for the Israeli national team that competed at the 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse World Cup. Catherine White ’12, women’s ice hockey A second-team All-American in 2010, White was named ECAC Hockey and Ivy League Player of the Year that season, and both leagues’ Rookie of the Year in 2009. The CALS alum finished her career ranked sixth on the school’s career scoring list, including fourth in assists and ninth in goals. Her 10 game-winning goals and 19 power play scores both ranked among the school’s all-time top 10 marks. In seven career postseason games, she scored nine points (six goals, three assists), including the overtime game-winner in the 2010 national semifinal against Mercyhurst, handing the top-ranked Lakers their only loss of the season. She was a member of Canada’s U18 and U22 teams while at Cornell. Standout Staff Terry Cullen, MBA ’66, head coach, sprint football Cullen led the team in six different decades, from the 1960s to the 2020s—starting as an assistant coach and later serving as co-head coach with his father (Bob Cullen) before taking the helm. In 45 seasons as a head coach and 58 years with the program, Cullen’s teams combined for a 143-138-4 record and garnered five of the program’s six league championships and all three unbeaten seasons. In all, Cullen was involved in 75% of the games played in the history of the program—which kicked off in 1936—and is beloved by the 1,500 sprint alumni, managers, parents, and friends. The head coach position was endowed in his name in 2001. Bernie DePalma, head athletic trainer A legendary figure in Big Red athletics, DePalma served generations of student-athletes and shaped one of the nation’s most respected sports medicine departments over 42 years. After arriving in 1980 and taking over as head trainer three years later, DePalma had a significant impact on national athletics legislation—including chairing the NCAA’s Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport Safety. He played an important role in the development of the Ivy League’s collaboration with the Big Ten on concussion research, while developing protocols on the return to academics and play. He presented at numerous national conventions, and published dozens of papers and textbooks chapters in which he shared his innovative approach to injury prevention and rehabilitation. All photos courtesy of Cornell Athletics. Published August 5, 2024 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Ask the Expert Ah-choo! Insights on Seasonal Allergies from a Big Red Expert Quizzes & Puzzles Cornellian Crossword: ‘Happy Thanksgiving!’ Alumni Better Living Through Landscape Architecture