Courtesy: Penn Athletics
PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania’s T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W’69 Director of Athletics and Recreation, Alanna Wren C’96 , has announced 12 men and women who will comprise the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame Class XIII. This class will be inducted on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in a ceremony to be held at The Inn at Penn. The following day, the group will be honored during halftime of the Penn football game against Colgate at Franklin Field.
More information about this Hall of Fame class and the induction ceremony will be forthcoming. Biographies on each of the Hall of Famers can be found at the end of this release.
To be eligible for consideration into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame as a student-athlete, a candidate must have graduated from the University or been a member of the General Alumni Society of Penn and earned his or her last letter at least 10 years ago. Candidates are selected based primarily on accomplishments during their undergraduate days at the University.
Coaches under Hall of Fame consideration must have coached at least five years and no longer be at Penn.
The Penn Athletics Hall of Fame inducted its Inaugural Class on April 13, 1996. The most recent induction, Class XII, took place on May 7, 2022.
Penn Athletics Hall of Fame Class XIII
*Alyssa Baron C’14, women’s basketball
*Erin Brennan W’12, women’s lacrosse
*Natalie Capuano C’09, women’s soccer
*Shelby Fortin C’14, women’s swimming & diving
*Kristen E. Lange C’10, women’s squash
*Yoshi Nakamura W’02, wrestling
*Ugonna Onyekwe W’03, men’s basketball
*John Pescatore C’86, men’s heavyweight rowing
*Karl D. Thornton C’72, men’s cross country/track & field
*Tom Wecal W’76, men’s golf
*COACH: Eldo Al Bagnoli, football
*DECEASED: Henry Geyelin AB’1877 LLB’1879 AM’1880, men’s track & field
MEET THE PENN ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS XIII INDUCTEES…
BAGNOLI, Eldo (Al) – Head Coach of Football, 1992-2014
The program’s all-time winningest coach, both overall (148) and in Ivy League games (112) … His 112 Ivy League wins are third in Ivy history and 80 more than the second-place coach at Penn (Ray Priore, 32) … Second in Ivy League history in championships (9) but first in outright titles (also 9) … His Ivy League win percentage at Penn (69.6) is eighth in Ivy history; of the seven in front of him, only two won more than 30 games and none won more than 61 … Coached Penn to three undefeated seasons overall (1993, 1994, 2003) and six undefeated Ivy League seasons … Had five other 6-1 Ivy campaigns … Had ten different teams earn a national ranking … Coached the team to 24 straight wins from 1992-95,a Football College Subdivision (FCS) record that stood for 20 years … Coached Penn to the three longest Ivy League winning streaks in conference history: 20 games from 2001-04, 18 from 2008-11, 17 from 1992-95 … Coached five Ivy League Players of the Year and two Ivy League Rookies of the Year.
BARON, Alyssa C’14 – Women’s Basketball
2013-14 Ivy League Player of the Year and Big 5 Player of the Year as a senior, when she helped Penn to its first Ivy title in 10 years … Two-time Ivy League scoring champion and first freshman in Ivy history to lead the league in scoring (16.6 ppg) … Graduated second in program history and ninth in Ivy League history in scoring with 1,806 career points … School record 116 games played (started all of them) … Made a school-record 31 starts in 2012-13 … ON PENN CAREER LISTS: Third with 165 3-point FG; third with 627 field goals, fourth with 353 career assists, fourth with 387 free throws, fourth with 76.5 FT percentage, fifth with 198 career steals … Third all-time at Penn with 627 made field goals … Four-time first-team All-Big 5, just the second Penn player and sixth overall to accomplish the feat … Two-time unanimous first-team All-Ivy (2012-13, 2013-14) … 2013-14 College Sports Madness First-Team Mid-Major All-American … Second-team All-Ivy as a sophomore … Big 5 and Ivy League Rookie of the Year, honorable mention All-Ivy, and unanimous All-Ivy Rookie Team as a freshman … 2010-11 Philly College Sports Rookie of the Year … Four-time Philly College Sports First-Team All-City … Nine-time Ivy League Player of the Week … Seven-time Big 5 Player of the Week … Seven-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week her freshman season … College Sports Madness National Mid-Major Player of the Week … 2011 Surf ‘N Slam All-Tournament Team … Penn’s 2012-13 Team Leader Award … Penn’s 2011-12 Co-Impact Player of the Year … Penn’s 2010-11 and 2013-14 Impact Player of the Year Award … Catalyst for a program turnaround during her four-year career … The season prior to her arrival at Penn, the Quakers went 2-26; her senior year, Penn tied the program record with 22 wins and won the Ivy League title … Two-time Academic All-Ivy … 2013-14 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Performer of the Year and two-time Philadelphia Inquirer All-Academic.
BRENNAN, Erin W’12 – Women’s Lacrosse
Member of four Ivy League championship teams, the Quakers going 26-2 in Ivy play across her four seasons and playing in four NCAA tournaments … Two-time IWLCA All-America … Three-time first-team IWLCA All-Region … Three-time first-team All-Ivy (unanimous selection as a senior), second-team All-Ivy as a freshman … 2009 Ivy League Rookie of the Year … Graduated second on Penn’s all-time list in goals (126), assists (87) and points (213) … Recorded 27 assists and 60 points as a senior; both numbers were third on Penn’s single-season list at the time … Two-time Ivy League Tournament all-tournament selection.
CAPUANO, Natalie C’09 – Women’s Soccer
Three-year captain … Three-time unanimous first-team All-Ivy midfielder … Second-team All-Ivy as a freshman (2005) … Second-team NSCAA All-Region in 2007, third-team NSCAA All-Region in 2006 and 2008 … Started 63 of 65 matches played across her career, missed just three due to injury … One of 30 semifinalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in women’s soccer (2008) … CAREER: 14 goals, 4 assists, 32 points … Third-team NSCAA Scholar All-America (2007) … First-team NSCAA Scholar All-East (2007) … Second-team NSCAA Scholar All-East (2008) … CoSIDA Academic All-District (2008) … Academic All-Ivy.
FORTIN, Shelby C’14 – Women’s Swimming & Diving
Two-time NCAA Championships qualifier … CollegeSwimming.com honorable mention Mid-Major All-America … Seven-time Ivy League individual champion, more than any other woman in program history (prior to her arrival, three women had won one title each) … The highest-scoring athlete in program history at Ivy Champs … Three-time champion in both the 200 and 500 freestyle, won the 1,000 free as a freshman … Graduated with the Ivy League Championships meet record in the 200 free (1:45.69 as a senior) … Graduated with all five of the program’s freestyle records (100, 200, 500, 1000, 165) and as a part of four program record relay teams … Graduated with three Sheerr Pool records, two as an individual and one as part of a relay team … 2012 Olympic Trials qualifier, between her sophomore and junior years.
GEYELIN, Henry AB’1877 LLB’1879 AM’1880 (Deceased)
(FOUNDER OF THE SCHOOL COLORS)
In the summer of 1875, in connection with the annual championship rowing races (what would become the IRA Championships), intercollegiate track games were contested in Saratoga, N.Y. Geyelin was Penn’s only athlete at the event, and it was there that for the first time the “Red and Blue” was worn in public as the colors of the University in an intercollegiate contest. The following fall, the Athletic Association adopted red and blue as the emblem of the association and gradually they became recognized as our University colors. In 1875, Geyelin placed second in the 100-yard dash. At the fall games in 1876, Geyelin ran the 100 in 10.25 seconds, thus making a collegiate record. Geyelin stayed active with the Athletic Association after graduation as a chair to Track and Field in the inaugural year of 1882. He was President of the AA as an undergrad, and after graduation he remained involved starting at chair on up to Presidency again in 1894.
LANGE, Kristen E. C’10 – Women’s Squash
Four-time College Squash Association (CSA) first-team All-America … 2008-09 Ivy League Player of the Year as a junior … 2006-07 Ivy League Rookie of the Year … Four-time first-team All-Ivy … Three-time Intercollegiate Singles Championship finalist … CAREER: 42-15 overall record, 21-5 Ivy League record, played all but three matches at the No. 1 position across her career … Two-time captain … Played No. 1 for Penn’s 2007-08 team which ranked No. 1 nationally, won the Ivy League title, and finished runner-up at the Howe Cup (national championship) … Won the Under-19 Junior U.S. championship during her Penn career.
NAKAMURA, Yoshi W’02 – Wrestling
Two-time NCAA All-America and three-time EIWA champion … The 2002 Ivy League Wrestler of the Year and a two-time first-team All-Ivy selection … Member of four Ivy League championship teams … 2001 Midlands champion at 157 pounds, just the second Penn wrestler all-time to win a Midlands title … Two-time team captain … EIWA Hall of Fame inductee.
ONYEKWE, Ugonna W’03 – Men’s Basketball
Member of three Ivy League championship teams including two that went unbeaten in conference play (1999-00, 2002-03) … Two-time Ivy League Player of the Year (2001-02, 2002-03), one of three such players in program history … Ivy League Rookie of the Year (1999-00) … Four-time All-Ivy pick, earning second-team honors in 1999-00 and 2000-01 and first-team in 2001-02 and 2002-03 … Graduated second on Penn’s all-time scoring list, with 1,762 points, and eighth on the all-time rebounding list (759) … Tied for first all-time in games played (118) and double-figure scoring games (99); second all-time in field goals made (690) and blocked shots (139); fifth in games started (105); and 11th in free throws made (329) … Two-time first-team All-Big 5 selection and led Penn to the Big 5 title as a junior (2001-02) and second-team All-Big 5 as a freshman … Inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame in 2015 … Ended his career with a 30-point game against Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament.
PESCATORE, John C’86 – Men’s Heavyweight Rowing
Captain and stroke of Penn’s 1986 Varsity Eight that won gold at Eastern Sprints—Penn’s first Sprints win in 24 years—and bronze at the IRA National Championships … As a sophomore, stroked Penn’s Varsity Eight boat that took silver at both Eastern Sprints and IRAs … Following graduation, stroked the U.S. to gold at the 1987 World Championships and bronze at the 1988 Olympics … Also rowed at the 1992 and 2000 Games, making him the only other Penn rower besides John Kelly Jr. (Penn Athletics HOF Inaugural Class) to row in at least three different Olympics … Has enjoyed a storied career as Yale’s head coach including numerous national championships and U.S. Rowing Coach of the Year awards.
THORNTON, Karl D. C’72 – Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field
Co-recipient of the Class of 1915 Award in 1971-72 with Bob Morse (basketball, Penn Athletics HOF Inaugural Class) … TRACK: Graduated with individual school records in the outdoor 880, indoor mile, outdoor mile, outdoor two-mile … Also anchored five record-setting relay teams … Three-time NCAA qualifier (2 indoor, 1 outdoor) … A captain of the 1971-72 team that swept the Indoor and Outdoor Heps and IC4A championships … Penn’s IC4A titles were the first since 1913 (outdoor) and 1931 (indoor) … Penn also swept the Indoor and Outdoor Heps his junior year (1970-71) … Individually, swept the mile and 2-mile titles at the 1971 Outdoor Heps and anchored the two-mile relay team that won the race and clinched the Heps title, ending Harvard’s nine-year run as top Ivy team … Also anchored Penn’s champion 2-mile relay team at the 1972 Indoor Heps … CROSS COUNTRY: Captain of the 1971 team that won the program’s first Ivy Heptagonal title and finished a best-ever third at the NCAA Championships … Penn scored 19 points in winning the 1971 title, still an Ivy Heps record for low score … Also scored for Penn teams that finished eighth (1969) and 22nd (1970) at the NCAA Championships … First-team All-Ivy in 1970 (4th individually at Heps) and 1971 (3rd) … Finished 11th overall at 1969 Ivy Heps Championship … Has three of the 23 top-100 individual finishes at the NCAA Championships in program history … Friars Senior Honor Society member … Head Coach of Penn men’s cross country from 1979-82, assistant coach with Penn men’s track & field from 1978-82 … As a coach, helped Penn win two Indoor and two Outdoor Heps titles … Winner of inaugural Penn Relays Marathon in 1973, later Director of the Penn Relays Marathon … Penn Relays official for more than 40 years … Penn Track & Field Board member since 2019.
WECAL, Tom W’76 – Men’s Golf
Co-captain of 1976 team … The only three-time honorable mention Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-America in program history … The first three-time All-Ivy recipient in program history … Tied with teammate Vince Scarpetta for low score among Ivy players, earning first-team All-Ivy and helping Penn win the 1974 Eastern Intercollegiate Championship team title … Low Penn player as Quakers took second place at the ECAC Championship in fall 1973 … Low Penn player (second overall) at 1975 Easterns to earn first-team All-Ivy … Finished second at 1976 Ivy League Championship to earn first-team All-Ivy … Placed sixth among Ivy players at 1973 Easterns to earn first-team All-Ivy … Helped Penn advance to the 1973 and 1974 NCAA Championships, advanced to all four rounds as an individual both times … Selected to play in the East vs. West match-play event at 1974 NCAAs and won his match.
