February 4, 2011

Varsity Club To Induct Six Into Athletic Hall Of Fame

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross Varsity Club has announced that six individuals have been selected for induction into the Holy Cross Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2011 inductees into the Hall of Fame are Jay Bowers (Class of 1961, cross country, track & field), Meg Galligan (honorary), Rusty Giudici (Class of 2003, soccer), Jim Kavanagh (honorary), Art Kenney (Class of 1938, baseball) and Tim Szatko (Class of 2003, basketball).

Bowers was a standout member of the cross country and track and field squads for the Crusaders, serving as the captain of both teams during his senior year. He won the New England championship in the 880-yard run as a junior with a time of 1:55.2. Bowers also set what were then Holy Cross and Fitton Field records in the 880-yard run with a time of 1:52.7 in May of 1960. In addition, he was a member of the two-mile relay team which won the IC4A championship and the National AAU championship in 1961, while going undefeated in the 880-yard run in dual meet competition as a senior. Following his senior year, Bowers received the John C. Lawlor Medal, awarded to the top student and athlete at Holy Cross throughout the college course.

Galligan spent 23 years as the head coach of the Holy Cross field hockey team from 1985-2007, posting an overall record of 206-223-10 with a 58-35 mark in the Patriot League. The winningest field hockey coach in school history, she earned Patriot League Coach of the Year honors in 1997 and 2000, while guiding the Crusaders to three Patriot League regular season titles (1998, 2000 and 2001) and three Patriot League tournament crowns (1997, 1998 and 2000). During her final 11 seasons as head coach, Galligan’s teams never finished worse than third in the Patriot League standings, while advancing to the Patriot League championship game seven times in those 11 years. In addition, Galligan also served as the head coach of the Holy Cross women’s lacrosse team from 1986-1995, earning Patriot League Coach of the Year honors in 1992. Her 233 combined victories between field hockey and lacrosse rank as the seventh most all-time at Holy Cross among all sports.

Giudici was a star defender on the Crusader men’s soccer team from 1999-2002, serving as team captain for three seasons. He led the team to an overall record of 40-24-7 during his four years, with Holy Cross winning three Patriot League regular season titles and one Patriot League Tournament championship. The Crusaders also made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament during Giudici’s senior season. A four-time first team All-Patriot League selection, he was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. Giudici also earned first team All-New England honors as a senior, after being a second team selection as s junior. Along with his success on the field, Giudici earned a number of honors for his academic work. He was named the 2002 Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year, was a second team CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in 2002, and was chosen to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times.

Kavanagh is currently in his 40th season as a coach with the Holy Cross track and field and cross country programs, and has coached over 2,000 Holy Cross student-athletes during his tenure. He joined the Crusader staff in 1970 as an assistant track and field coach and was appointed head coach in 1978. Kavanagh was then promoted to the position of director of men’s and women’s track and cross country in the summer of 1999. Under his tutelage, five members of the cross country and track and field teams have been named Crusader of the Year, while four have received the Honorable John P. Cooney Memorial Award. Kavanagh has coached 14 New England champions, over 25 Patriot League champions, four Patriot League Scholar-Athletes of the Year, four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and hundreds of Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selections. A 1968 graduate of Boston College, Kavanagh was a four-time All-American in the hammer and weight throws. He was also drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League.

Kenney was a standout pitcher for the Crusader baseball team in the late 1930s. He posted a career record of 16-4 on the mound, while helping the team to an overall mark of 51-9-1 during his collegiate career. Kenney threw a two-hit shutout to defeat Rhode Island in 1936, when he finished the season with a 0.91 earned run average. During the 1938 season, he allowed just one run on two hits in four innings of relief in a 3-2 exhibition win over the Boston Red Sox, while striking out eventual Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx twice. Following his graduation, Kenney signed with the Boston Bees of the National League. He pitched in two games for the Bees that year, and also played for several seasons in the minor leagues. At 94 years of age, Kenney is currently the 10th oldest living former Major League baseball player.

Szatko was a star forward on the men’s basketball teams which won three straight Patriot League championships and made three NCAA Tournament appearances from 2001-2003. He was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2000, before earning Patriot League Player of the Year honors in 2001 and being selected as the Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Player in 2002. Twice named first team All-Patriot League, Szatko helped lead the team to an overall record of 76-46 during his collegiate career. He totaled 1,464 points and 783 rebounds during his four years, to rank 10th all-time at Holy Cross in rebounding and 11th in scoring at the time of his graduation. Szatko averaged at least 11.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in each of his four seasons, while hitting 71.8 percent of his career free throw attempts. Following his graduation, he went on to play professional basketball in Europe.

These six individuals will be formally inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 7, at the Varsity Club’s annual dinner, to be held in the Hogan Campus Center.