STANDISH, Maine - The 14th Saint Joseph’s College Athletics Hall of Fame Class was inducted with a ceremony at the Mercy Dining Hall on the evening of Saturday, September 10th. Sheri McCarthy ’93 (Basketball), Julia Ostrowski ’10 (Field Hockey), Bryan Rubenskas ’87 (Basketball), and the 1986 Baseball Team were enshrined with nearly 150 family members, friends, and alumni in attendance.
The addition of this year’s class increases the Athletics Hall of Fame membership to a total of 81 accomplished individuals and teams.
The evening began with a reception in the Harold Alfond Center, which included an unveiling of the plaques for each of the newest members in the Hall of Fame Room, which was constructed in 2014. President Dr. James Dlugos kicked off the evening with a brief introductory address in the Hall of Fame Room.
The ceremony followed in Mercy Dining Hall with Athletics Director Brian Curtin welcoming the crowd and Father John McHugh, the College’s Chaplain, providing the Invocation. Dinner and dessert followed.
Sheri McCarthy ’93 was the first individual to be inducted and was presented by Head Coach Mike McDevitt ’83, a former men’s basketball standout who entered the SJC Hall of Fame in 2011. A Westbrook native, McCarthy tallied 859 points, 603 assists, 253 steals and 228 rebounds in 117 career contests as the Monks’ starting point guard and remains among the program’s all-time leaders in assists (2nd), assists average (5.2, 2nd), games (3rd), steals (4th), and three-point percentage (34.9%, 5th). Later in life, McCarthy became one of the most prominent female marathoners in the country and claimed three United States Women's Masters Championships while qualifying for a pair of Olympic Marathon Trials.
Next on the docket was Bryan Rubenskas ’87, who was presented by former Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Simonds, a 2010 SJC Hall of Fame inductee. Rubenskas, who hails from Arlington, Massachusetts, ranks among the men’s basketball program’s all-time leaders in rebounds (838, 2nd), blocked shots (137, 2nd), rebounding average (7.8, 4th), blocks average (1.3, 5th), field goals made (489, 13th), field goal percentage (53.7%, 13th), and points (1,183, 23rd). He played on four Western Maine Athletic Conference (WMAC) Championship teams and helped the Monks post a 98-23 (.810) overall record with a 31-5 (.861) mark in Western Maine Athletic Conference (WMAC) play during his four seasons.
The third member of the 2016 Class was Julia Ostrowski ’10, who was presented by Field Hockey Head Coach Rupert Lewis. An Albany, New York native, Ostrowski ranks as the Monks’ career assists leader (39) and is second all-time in goals (46), points (131), and game-winning goals (9) and helped lead the Monks to a 49-27 (.645) record with a pair of ECAC Tournament appearances and a North Atlantic Conference regular season title during her career. The first field hockey player to enter the Saint Joseph’s Hall of Fame, Ostrowski was selected as the 2009 North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, claimed a pair of NFHCA All-New England honors, and twice garnered All-Conference accolades.
The 1986 Baseball Team was the final entry into the SJC Hall of Fame this year and was presented by former Baseball Head Coach Jim Graffam, a member of the 2012 Hall of Fame Class. That year, Saint Joseph’s posted a 34-10 (.773) record en route to winning the team’s first NAIA New England Championship and won 22 consecutive games, a streak that remains as the team’s longest to this date. That season’s win total ranked as the program record for 24 years while the 1986 team’s totals in walks (243) and stolen bases (140) remain as program records.
Steve MacDowell ’86, one of the team’s captains, also spoke on behalf of the 1986 team.
Current SJC student-athletes – Emily Kehoe ’17, Quinn Richardson-Newton ’18, Hayley Winslow ’18, and Brett Barbati ’17 - introduced each presenter at the podium.
Founded in 2000, the Saint Joseph’s College Athletics Hall of Fame honors past athletes, faculty, staff and friends who, through their actions, have brought distinction through athletics to themselves and to Saint Joseph’s College. With the combination of the committee and members who have associations with the college and/or athletics department, the Saint Joseph’s College Hall of Fame has continued to make strides toward the future while honoring the past.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.