Wheaton News

PICTURED ABOVE: The 1999 women’s indoor track and field team was among the most recent inductees into the Yowell Hall of Fame.

The Department of Athletics and Recreation in October 2015 honored the most recent inductees into the Yowell Hall of Fame with a festive ceremony in Emerson Dining Hall.

The new inductees are: Therese Ross ’86, Jessica Johnson ’98, James Manganello ’99, Deshawnda “Dee-Dee” Williams ’00, Rahiem Greenridge ’02, Damon Whalen ’02, Erin Duffy Corbett ’05, longtime head coach and administrator Del Malloy, and the 1999 women’s indoor track and field team. The 1941 Wheaton Tritons were also honored as the pioneering squad for synchronized swimming, which celebrated its 75th anniversary.

“These seven alums are some of the most accomplished student-athletes in Wheaton’s history, with all of them being named All-American at least twice in their collegiate careers. Along with his accolades as a head coach and taking Wheaton women’s basketball team to the NCAA Final Four, Del Malloy was instrumental as a part of the athletics department staff that helped transition Wheaton athletics from a single-gender athletics department to a coeducational program, said Director of Athletics and Recreation John Sutyak ’00.

“The 1999 women’s indoor track and field team kick-started one of the most dominant stretches in NCAA Division III women’s track and field history,” Sutyak noted. “The depth of talent on that team was rather impressive, and it set a standard of excellence that many of our programs strive for to this day.”

The Yowell Hall of Fame honors and gives lasting recognition to individuals who, either through participation, support or interest, have made outstanding contributions in the athletics arena, and specifically to the Wheaton athletics program. The individuals and teams selected have not only brought recognition, honor, distinction and excellence to the college and its intercollegiate athletics program, but they also have continued to demonstrate in their lives the values imparted by intercollegiate athletics.

Inductees:

Therese Ross ’86, of Amherst, Mass., is a two-time Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-American. She ranks fourth all-time in program history in points (232) and goals (192) and 10th in assists (40). Ross’s 97 goals in 1986 tie her for 13th all-time in a single season in NCAA Division III women’s lacrosse history. Ross was instrumental in leading Wheaton to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, highlighted by the first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance for any Wheaton program, in 1986. She was a member of Wheaton’s first-ever NCAA team, in 1983, helping to lead the field hockey team to the second round that season.

Jessica Johnson ’98, of Hancock, Mass., is one of the most highly decorated two-sport student-athletes in Wheaton’s rich history. Johnson’s name is etched throughout record books for both softball and women’s soccer. She garnered two National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America honors in her career, while also picking up a pair of All-Conference accolades and Rookie of the Year laurels. She helped to lead the softball team to three New England Women’s 8 Conference (NEW 8) championships and the women’s soccer team to two titles. She also was a member of the 1997 softball team that finished third in the Division III Softball World Series. Johnson was equally successful in the classroom, garnering Academic All-Conference honors four times while at Wheaton and two NFCA Scholar Awards.

James Manganello ’99, of Duxbury, Mass., who was drafted in the second round of the 1999 Major League Soccer draft, led the first men’s team in Wheaton history to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1997. He was named the first New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Player of the Year in 1998 and also collected two National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America honors in 1997 and 1998. Manganello currently ranks No. 6 overall in program history in points (91) and is tied for sixth in goals (31) and third in assists (29), despite wrapping up his career nearly two decades ago.

Deshawnda “Dee-Dee” Williams ’00, of Philadelphia, earned a staggering amount of accolades and honors during her career. An eight-time NCAA national champion and 20-time NCAA All-American, Williams was named the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) Indoor National Track Athlete of the Year twice (1999, 2000); the USTCA Outdoor Regional Track Athlete of the Year in 1998; and NEWMAC Athlete of the Year in her final year of competition. She also was a key member of the 1999 and 2000 national championship indoor track teams, as she claimed national championship titles in the 400-meter dash during both seasons.

Rahiem Greenridge ’02, of Wyandanch, N.Y., a six-time NCAA national champion and 12-time NCAA All-American, is the most decorated student-athlete in men’s track and field program history. He compiled all six of his national titles between the high jump and triple jump, highlighted by a sweep of the triple jump and an indoor high jump title during his season as a senior. Greenridge also collected NEWMAC Rookie of the Year honors in 1999 to go along with four NEWMAC All-Conference laurels and the Wheaton Male Athlete of the Year award in 2001. One of his highest individual honors came in 2002 as the then senior earned USTCA Indoor National Field Athlete of the Year accolades.

Damon Whalen ’02, of Pelham, N.H., was the finest power hitter in baseball program history. He was a part of four consecutive NEWMAC championships, which resulted in three NCAA Tournament berths and an appearance in the New England Regional final in 2002. Individually, Whalen received two American Baseball Coaches Association All-America honors; a pair of NEWMAC Player of the Year awards; three NEWMAC All-Conference selections; and the NEWMAC Co-Rookie of the Year award, in 1999. He still owns the highest batting average (.411) in the 19-year history of the program; the home runs record with 43 total—nearly 20 more than the second-highest student-athlete on the list; and notched the most total bases (430), highest slugging percentage (.734), highest on-base percentage (.488), and registered 194 RBI (the most in program history).

Erin Duffy Corbett ’05, of East Longmeadow, Mass., is the gold standard of what it means to be an NCAA Division III student-athlete. She is a three-time NSCAA first team All-American, and a two-time Academic All-American, receiving her academic honors from ESPN The Magazine and the NSCAA. Corbett also collected NEWMAC Player of the Year accolades in 2003, four NEWMAC All-Conference laurels and eight All-Region awards. The soccer player was a part of four consecutive NEWMAC championships, played in one NCAA Final Four, and competed in two NCAA Elite 8 tournament rounds. During her career, Wheaton went 88–6–2 overall and 35–0–1 in the NEWMAC, thanks to her skills and leadership in the backfield.

Del Malloy, of Attleboro, Mass., a true pioneer in Wheaton athletics history, coached the women’s basketball team to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances and guided his squad to a Final Four appearance in 1994 and a Sweet Sixteen showing in 1995. Malloy led Wheaton to four NEW 8 championships in his 13-year career; earned conference Coach of the Year accolades twice and New England Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year honors; and collected 207 wins, the most in program history. In addition to serving in multiple administrative capacities during his time at Wheaton, including as associate director of athletics, Malloy also coached the softball team for eight seasons, leading the 1988 team to a NEW 8 championship and the 1984 team to the Midwest Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women title. He also directed the women’s cross country team for nine years and the men’s cross country team for four.

The women’s indoor track and field team of 1999,was the first-ever national championship team in Wheaton history. The Lyons scored 43 points to start a historic five-year national championship run in NCAA Division III women’s track and field. Wheaton went on to win a total of eight titles between the indoor and outdoor seasons from 1999–2003. Winning all five indoor NCAA championships during that stretch, the team became the first Division III team of either gender to capture five straight titles. Deshawnda Williams ’00 won the 400-meter dash crown in 1999, while the Lyons racked up 10 All-American honors total, en route to the first-ever national title in Wheaton history. Williams led the team with three All-America accolades, while Tenille Johnson ’01 and Colleen Myrie ’01 earned two honors, and Amy Swanson ’99, Beth Castagno Marks ’00 and Angela Mullins ’00 claimed one All-America award each.