Moravian Welcomes 2016 Hall of Fame Class & Presents Herbstman Award
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Meagan Hennessy '06; Chris Jacoubs '06; Henry Nehilla '67; Brandon Zaleski '05 and Scot Dapp made up the class of 2016 that was inducted into the Moravian College Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, November 11 in Johnston Hall. The 2005 football and 2005 softball teams were also inducted while Amy Greiner Hawley ’76 received the Robert Martin Herbstman Award.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Meagan Hennessy '06; Chris Jacoubs '06; Henry Nehilla '67; Brandon Zaleski '05 and Scot Dapp made up the class of 2016 that was inducted into the Moravian College Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, November 11 in Johnston Hall. The 2005 football and 2005 softball teams were also inducted while Amy Greiner Hawley '76 received the Robert Martin Herbstman Award.
Click here for a photo gallery of the event.
Meagan Hennessy, a 2006 Moravian graduate, was a four-year letterwinner on the softball squad. She was a four-year starting pitcher and helped the Greyhounds reach the NCAA Division III National Championship game in 2004 while being named to the World Series All-Tournament Team. Hennessyfinished her career with her name throughout the NCAA Division III record books as she ranked in the top 15 at graduation in shutouts with 53, complete games with 105, strikeouts with 876, wins with 92, innings pitched with 819 2/3, games started with 114, games with 129 and ERA at 0.91. She also had 11 saves, five no-hitters and 233 assists in her career. Hennessy earned a spot on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III East Region First Team each season, and she was a First Team NFCA All-American in 2004 and a Second Team honoree in 2005 while finishing her career with a 92-24 record. Hennessy was a four-time Commonwealth All-Conference First Team selection and a four-time Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Year honoree. She was also on the NCAA Division III Regional All-Tournament Team each of her four seasons while leading Moravian to the regional championship game each spring. Hennessy was honored as Moravian's Senior Outstanding Female Athlete in 2006.
Chris Jacoubs, who graduated from Moravian in 2006, was a three-year member of the football squad as a running back. Jacoubs set the school record with 3,854 rushing yards in just 31 career games with 17 100-plus yard games in 26 starts, including four games over 200 yards. Jacoubs became the first player in school history to reach 3,000 rushing yards in a career and the only player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back-to-back seasons in 2003, 2004 and 2005. He also finished his career first all-time at Moravian with 216 points, 36 career touchdowns, and 786 career rushing attempts. Jacoubs was the Middle Atlantic Conference Rookie of the Year in 2003, named to the All-MAC First Team in 2004 and 2005, a member of the ECAC Division III Southeast All-Star First Team in 2004 and 2005 and the ECAC Division III Southeast Rookie of the Year in 2003. Jacoubs was also on the Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-East Region Second Team as a sophomore.
Henry "Hank" Nehilla, who graduated in 1967, was a standout on both the football and baseball teams. Nehilla became the first Greyhound to reach 1,000 career rushing yards on the gridiron as he ran for 1,422 yards on 356 carries in his final three years with the program. He was named to the 1965 Middle Atlantic Conference Northern All-Star and ECAC College Division South All-Star Teams after setting then school records of 688 yards on 185 attempts. On the baseball diamond, Nehilla was an outfielder that played with five other Moravian Hall of Fame members during his career. He had a .354 career batting average with 69 hits, 33 RBIs, 26 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, one home run, seven walks and six stolen bases in his four seasons.
Brandon Zaleski, a 2005 Moravian graduate, was a four-year letterwinner on the men's basketball team as a forward. Zaleski completed his career as the Greyhounds' all-time leading scorer with 1,891 points. He also completed his career as the all-time leader in field goals made with 703 while ranking second in free throws made with 456, second in games started with 103, fourth in rebounds with 723 and fourth in scoring average at 18.5 points per game. Zaleski was a three-time Commonwealth All-Conference First Team selection, and he was the Commonwealth Conference Rookie of the Year in 2002 and the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year in 2003. Zaleski was honored as Moravian's Senior Outstanding Male Athlete in 2005.
Scot Dapp stepped down as Head Football Coach on July 1, 2011 to assume duties as Moravian's Director of Athletics, a position he held until July 31, 2015 when he retired. He also served as assistant softball coach for 11 seasons. His long tenure as the football coach began in 1987 and was the most successful period in Moravian football history. He finished his career with a 24-year record of 144-103-1. His win over McDaniel College on September 8, 2007 was his 123rd victory surpassing the total of legendary coach, Rocco Calvo. When he retired, Dapp's .583 winning percentage ranked him among the top 50 active Division III coaches. Dapp's teams strung together 11 consecutive winning seasons (1988-1998) that is the longest streak in school history. His Hounds were Middle Atlantic Conference Champions in 1988; Commonwealth League Champions in 1993 and they made post-season trips to the NCAA playoffs in both of those seasons. The 1988 team was the first football team in Greyhound history to advance to the NCAA playoffs. Dapp-coached teams also earned post-season berths in five ECAC Championship games (2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2010); winning ECAC Championships in 2005 and 2010. He also received Coach of the Year accolades from the Middle Atlantic Conference in 1988, 1993, and 1997. Dapp served for three years as the Chairman of the Division III Football Council, and in 1999, he was elected to the Board of Trustees for the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Six years after being named to the Board, Dapp was elected as the President of the AFCA making him only the fifth Division III coach to hold that position in the 83-year history of the Association. From 2010 through 2012, Dapp served on two NCAA Committees: the Football Rules Committee and the Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports Committee. In 2011 and 2012 he was the Chair of the Football Rules Committee.
The 2005 Football Team coached by Scot Dapp and with Chris Jacoubs in the backfield finished 7-4 and won the Greyhounds' first ECAC Division III Southwest Championship with a 14-7 victory at Frostburg State University. Jacoubs ran for 1,014 yards in his final season with 10 touchdowns while quarterback Jerry Venturino '06 completed 112-of-233 passes for 1,705 yards and 15 touchdowns. Linebacker Chad DeFelice '06 led the defense with 97 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, six and a half sacks, five passes defended and five forced fumbles. DeFelice was named the Most Valuable Player of the ECAC Bowl Game after making 16 tackles with two for loss.
The 2005 Softball Team, under the direction of Head Coach John Byrne '82, posted a 37-8 record and reached the NCAA Division III Regional Championship game for the third of four straight years during the career of Meagan Hennessy. In 2005, Hennessy was 29-7 while starting 36 of the team's 45 games in the circle. Hennessy recorded 17 shutouts, three saves and 277 strikeouts in 290 innings while Heather Bortz '05, a 2015 Moravian College Hall of Fame inductee, led the Greyhounds at the plate with a .428 average to go along with 62 hits, 30 runs scored and 21 RBIs.
The Robert M. Herbstman Award recognizes an alumnus or alumna whose qualities of teamwork, leadership, and selflessness exemplify the spirit of Moravian College athletics.
Hawley, who resides in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, was a part of the Title IX women sports movement at Moravian College in the mid-1970s as she participated in field hockey, badminton, tennis, basketball and volleyball during her collegiate career.
One of Hawley's coaches, long-time Moravian women's tennis coach Dawn Ketterman-Benner, who also coached badminton and volleyball during her career, said the following about Hawley. "Amy was highly motivated and worked hard on each team on which she played. She was an enthusiastic team member who always cheered on her teammates. Her high energy was motivating, and she was a natural leader on the teams."
In 1985, she founded Hawley Realty, and has gone on to serve positions on several of Board of Directors including the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, the Lehigh Economic Advancement Program and the LifePath Foundation.
