NATIONAL CHAMPS INDUCTED INTO STOCKTON ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

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The 2011 Stockton Athletics Hall of Fame dinner was held at the Campus Center Event Room on October 14. The event was attended by a large crowd of nearly 300 guests. This year’s class, the second group of inductees into the Stockton Athletics Hall of Fame, held the unique distinction of consisting entirely of national champions.

Paul Klemic ’08 (track & field), Tiffany Masuhr ’07 (track & field), Jeff Moore ’02 (men’s soccer), Greg Ruttler ’03 (men’s soccer) and the 2001 Stockton Men’s Soccer Team, which won the College’s only team national championship, comprised the Stockton Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2011.

The program began with the inductions of Moore and Ruttler who were 2001 All-Americans and key players on Stockton’s NCAA champion squad. Moore also is Stockton’s all-time leader in assists while Ruttler ranks second in school history in career points. The pair were teammates at Stockton for four seasons from 1998-2001 and now work together as assistant coaches for the Ospreys.

Moore paid tribute to his parents in saying, “The work ethic, mental toughness and never-quit attitude that I had were all because of them.” Ruttler called the 2001 national championship season “a four-year project” in referring to the team’s veteran core of 10 seniors. Ruttler spoke about his playing career, national championship, current position on the coaching staff and marriage to a fellow Stockton grad before commenting, “Almost everything good that has happened to me is because of Stockton.”

After dinner, the inductions resumed with two-time NCAA long jump champion Paul Klemic and 2005 NCAA javelin champ Tiffany Masuhr. Like the other honorees, Klemic thanked his Stockton coaches and credited them for much of his success. The six-time All-American said of his mother, “Through all my ups and downs, and I’ve had plenty, she’s always been there for me.” Klemic closed by saying, “This is a great honor and I hope that I can continue to make Stockton very proud.”

Masuhr also was generous in her praise of the coach who helped her become a two-time
All-American and four-time NJAC champion. “Coach Preston was such a positive influence during my years at Stockton,” she stated. Masuhr also thanked women’s track & field head coach Todd Curll and long-time assistant Kevin Chandler who coaches Stockton’s throwers.

The induction of the 2001 men’s soccer team began with remarks from Stockton Dean of General Studies Dr. Jan Colijn, an avid soccer fan and one of the team’s biggest supporters. Colijn introduced head coach Jeff Haines, who reminded the crowd that the Ospreys were the first soccer team to borrow a basketball tradition by cutting down the net after winning the NCAA championship.

Haines went on to credit his team’s tight-knit bond as a key factor saying, “We won the national championship because we were so close.” That bond remains strong today as all but one player attended the induction ceremony, which served as a 10th anniversary celebration of the NCAA crown.

The final speech of the night came from Ralph Maione, a member of the 2001 Ospreys who spoke on behalf of his teammates. Maione, who entered the game late as a substitute and was on the field when time expired, reiterated the squad’s unity and claimed, “The one thing that I will take away from this team is the faith that we had in each other.”

The evening concluded with closing remarks from Stockton athletic director Lonnie Folks, followed by a video made by Jeff Moore that chronicled the 2001 season. The video drew several bursts of applause from the audience and served as a fitting conclusion to a festive night of celebrating Stockton’s best.