COW inducts 7 into W Association Hall of Fame

COW inducts 7 into W Association Hall of Fame
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Ali Drushal Sloan

                        

The College of Wooster will induct its latest class into the W Association Hall of Fame on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at McGaw Chapel on the college’s campus. This year’s induction class includes Ali Drushal Sloan (Class of 2009), Frank Andrew Knutsen (1934), Jack Lengyel (coach), Seth T. Mastrine (2001), Kate Messer Dulac (1999), Steve Moore (coach) and Travis Snyder (1999).

Drushal, a West Holmes graduate, starred for Wooster’s track and field and volleyball programs in the mid- to late-2000s, and she gained the most notoriety in the latter. Drushal was a third-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American as a senior, and she’s one of 10 players in NCAA Div. III history with over 3,000 career digs. The three-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference honoree still holds the league and Wooster records for most career digs with 3,043. In track and field, Drushal earned nine All-NCAC honors and was the conference’s 2007 champion in the indoor pole vault after clearing 10 feet, 8 inches.

Knutsen was Wooster’s top distance runner in the early- to mid-1930s. He originally joined the team as a pole vaulter as a sophomore but was quickly steered toward running by Carl Munson. Knutsen won the 2-mile race at the Big Six Championships all three years he competed and added two titles at the Big Six Cross Country Championships. In fact, he never lost a cross country race in his two years on the team.

Lengyel, perhaps best known for leading and rebuilding Marshall University’s football program after its tragic 1970 plane crash and as the focal point of the popular movie, “We Are Marshall,” served as the head football and men’s lacrosse coach at Wooster from 1966-70. He later embarked on a decorated and lengthy career in athletic administration, headlined by a 13-year stretch as the athletic director at the United States Naval Academy.

He’s earned numerous awards from multiple organizations including the American Football Coaches Association’s Tuss McLaughry Award, joining a distinguished list of recipients that include six former United States presidents. Lengyel is the W Association’s inaugural selection for its Distinguished Award of Excellence.

Mastrine, a Waynedale grad, one of the top defensive backs in program history, earned All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America as a junior and senior and from the Football Gazette as a senior. The two-time first-team All-NCAC defensive back also was a three-time All-Conference pick as a return specialist. He’s still Wooster’s all-time leader in single-game (four), single-season (nine) and career (18) interceptions.

Messer, Wooster’s first four-time Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association all-region honoree, was the third player in program history to be a four-time All-NCAC selection. Upon graduation the versatile attacker ranked third in program history with 152 goals and was Wooster’s all-time leader in assists (76) and points (228). She still ranks in the top-five all-time in assists and points.

Moore retired at the end of the 2019-20 academic year. During his 33 years as head men’s basketball coach, Moore guided Wooster to 780 wins, a league-leading 18 NCAC titles and 28 NCAA Tournament appearances including a Div. III record 18 straight from 2003-20. Moore-coached teams advanced to the Div. III Final Four in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and played in the 2011 national championship game. His 867 career wins are 12th in NCAA men’s basketball history and are the second-most in Div. III.

Snyder, a Triway High grad, picked up two All-Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association and was a three-time first-team All-NCAC selection. The infielder’s biggest contributions came in 1997 when he helped lead Wooster’s storied baseball program to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Div. III Championships. As a sophomore Snyder hit .465 (94-for-202), scored 66 runs and clubbed a still-standing program record 25 doubles. He’s one of five players in program history with at least 250 career base knocks.

Notably, Drushal joins her brother, J. Richard “Rick” Drushal, Jr., in the Hall of Fame while Mastrine’s stepbrother, Erich Riebe, also is a W Association Hall of Famer.


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