Holy Cross Varsity Club announces 2024 class in Athletic Hall of Fame

WORCESTER, Mass. – A group who set numerous school records and earned extensive recognition headlines a class of six individuals who will be inducted into the Holy Cross Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2024 inductees into the Hall of Fame are Sam Fregenti (Class of 2013, softball), Kalif Raymond (Class of 2016, football, track and field), Mandy Sifferlen (Class of 2017, volleyball), Tara Welch (Class of 2007, field hockey), Tony Froio (Class of 1986, baseball, varsity club, honorary) and Paul Pearl (Class of 1989, ice hockey, baseball, honorary).

These new honorees will be formally inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 16, at the Varsity Club's annual dinner, to be held in the Hogan Campus Center. 

Fregenti was a four-year star on the Crusader softball team from 2010-2013. Just the second four-time All-Patriot League selection in program history, she was selected to the first team in 2010, 2011 and 2013, while making the second team in 2012. A two-time team captain, Fregenti set school single-season records with 11 home runs, 34 runs batted in and a .691 slugging percentage as a sophomore. She also earned All-Patriot League Tournament honors in 2011, while helping the team to 18 total victories, the fourth-most in program history at the time. Fregenti graduated as Holy Cross' all-time career leader in home runs (22) and slugging percentage (.569), while standing second in runs batted in (89), doubles (38) and batting average (.345).

Raymond was a two-sport standout on the Holy Cross football and track and field teams from 2012-2015. A two-time first team All-Patriot League and All-New England selection on the gridiron, he caught 74 passes for 978 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior, while leading the team with 1,543 all-purpose yards. Over the course of his four-year career, Raymond totaled 155 receptions for 1,683 yards and 14 scores, in addition to recording 4,059 all-purpose yards with 18 total touchdowns. A two-time All-New England selection on the track, he broke the school record in the indoor 60-meter dash (6.92 seconds) and placed second at the 2015 New England Championship in the outdoor 100-meter dash. Following his graduation, Raymond has played in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions, earning second team All-Pro honors as a punt returner in 2022 

Sifferlen was a star member of the Crusader volleyball team from 2013-2016. She earned first team All-Patriot League honors as a senior, after being a second team selection during her sophomore and junior years. During her senior year, Sifferlen set a school single-season record with 497 kills, to go along with 305 digs, 40 blocks and a .244 hitting percentage. She finished her career with 1,344 kills, 866 digs and 144 blocks, ranking second all-time at Holy Cross in career kills at the time of her graduation. A three-time selection to the Academic All-Patriot League team, Sifferlen earned Crusader of the Year honors following her senior season.

Welch was a four-year standout for the Holy Cross field hockey team from 2003-2006. The 2006 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, Welch led the Crusaders to an overall record of 14-6 as a senior, with the team finishing as the runner-up in the conference. A three-time All-Patriot League selection, she led the team and the league in scoring with 42 points on 19 goals and four assists in 2006. In addition, Welch's averages of 0.95 goals per game and 2.05 points per game stood 10th and 19th in the nation, respectively. Over the course of her four-year career at Holy Cross, Welch totaled 59 goals and 18 assists for 136 total points, graduating as the Crusaders' all-time leader in both career goals and career points. In 2015, she was selected to the Patriot League 25th Anniversary Team.

Froio was a four-year starter on the baseball team during his days as an undergraduate, playing third base from 1983-1986. As a senior, he received a Presidential Service Award and was named a Dana Scholar. Froio began serving on the Varsity Club's board of directors in the fall of 1986, and would later serve as president from 1996-1997. He then took over as the Varsity Club's treasurer in 1997, a position he has held for over 25 years, while serving as the chair of the Hall of Fame Dinner since the late 1990s. Froio has spent countless hours working on the club's finances and ensuring the club is well represented in meetings with college leadership. In 1999, he received the Philip E. O'Connell Memorial Award as a member of the Varsity Club who has demonstrated outstanding service and loyalty to the club and to Holy Cross.

Pearl served as the head coach of the Holy Cross men's ice hockey team from 1994-1996 and 1997-2014, posting an overall record of 297-293-69 and a 236-188-60 mark in conference play. He led the Crusaders to two Atlantic Hockey Association championships, one Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and two trips to the NCAA Tournament (in 2004 and 2006). Pearl was behind the bench in 2006 when Holy Cross upset Minnesota 4-3 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The all-time winningest coach in the history of the men's ice hockey program, Pearl was named the Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2011, the MAAC Coach of the Year in 2002, the New England Writers' Association Coach of the Year in 1998 and the ECAC East Coach of the Year in 1998. A four-year letterwinner for the Crusaders in both ice hockey and baseball, he also spent three years as Holy Cross' head baseball coach from 1999-2001, posting an overall record of 46-76-1 and twice earning Patriot League Coach of the Year honors (in 1999 and 2001).

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow all things Crusader Athletics on social media!
Twitter - @goholycross
Instagram - @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross