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Colby-Sawyer College To Induct Seven Athletes, Coaches and Contributors Into First Athletic Hall of Fame

NEW LONDON, N.H., June 6, 2006 — Colby-Sawyer College will induct seven alumni, coaches and contributors to its first athletic hall of fame. The 2006 inductees, who will be honored for their outstanding contributions to the college's athletic programs this fall, include alumni Tyler Blout '99, Beth Chartier Tower '99, Laura Danforth '83, Janet “Jen” Ellis '85, T.J. Gondek '95, Sara Hammond '01 and trustee and benefactor Pat Kelsey.

Tyler Blout, a two-sport athlete during his career at Colby-Sawyer, is best known for his accomplishments on the baseball diamond, where he was the first player in school history to earn All-New England accolades by the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association. Blout was a two-time First-Team All-Commonwealth Coast Conference selection and was named the conference's Player of the Year as a junior in 1998. He is a native of Hopkinton, N.H., and currently resides in Chatsworth, Calif.

Blout, a graduate of Hopkinton High School, remains Colby-Sawyer's career leader in batting average (.380), slugging percentage (.714), runs scored (123), hits (174), doubles (29), triples (11), home runs (34) and runs batted in (168). Blout, who started 119 games in the outfield, also recorded 33 stolen bases during his four-year career, ranking him fourth all-time. With Blout leading the way, the Chargers won back-to-back Commonwealth Coast Conference championships in 1998 and 1999.

Blout was also a forward on the Colby-Sawyer men's soccer team for four seasons. He scored seven goals during his soccer career and tallied another seven assists and was named a Senior All-Star by the New England Intercollegiate Soccer League. Blout helped the Chargers to a Commonwealth Coast Conference men's soccer title in 1997.

Beth (Chartier) Tower '97 has been a major part of the success of the Colby-Sawyer women's basketball program, both during her college days and after graduation. Tower was a four-time all-conference honoree and guided the Chargers to their first ever Commonwealth Coast Conference championship as a senior in 1997. She is a native of Weare, N.H.

During her junior season, Tower became just the third player in Colby-Sawyer history to cross the 1,000 career-points mark. She was also the first player in school history to earn All-America honors, being named honorable mention by Columbus Multimedia. Tower was also named to the Commonwealth Coast Conference's first team in addition to the Columbus Multimedia All-Northeast First Team.

A three-time team most valuable player, Tower was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference's Player of the Year as a senior while also earning Third-Team Division III All-Star honors by the New England Women's Basketball Association. A star in the classroom as well, Tower was named GTE/CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-District I following her senior season.

Tower became Colby-Sawyer's career scoring leader during her senior season, a mark she still holds with 1,514 career points. She is currently first in field goals (553), second in assists (473) and three-pointers (160) and third in free throws (248). The John Stark Regional High School graduate has also been instrumental in each of Colby-Sawyer's five Commonwealth Coast Conference championships, winning the first one as a player and as an assistant coach in 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2006.

The top student-athlete of her time, Laura Danforth '83 became the first student-athlete in Colby-Sawyer College history to earn 12 varsity letters during her collegiate career, earning three letters in each of the four years of soccer, basketball and lacrosse. Danforth was also selected as an alternate for the U.S. National Women's Lacrosse Team following her playing career at Colby-Sawyer College.

While at Colby-Sawyer College, Danforth was third in all-time scoring in basketball, setting records for games played, assists and points in a game. As a member of the women's soccer team, she graduated as the program's all-time leading scorer with 58 career points and 24 career goals, numbers for which she ranks fifth in both categories, despite playing nearly 30 fewer games during the course of her career than today's teams play.

Danforth also enjoyed a career playing in the Boston Women's Lacrosse League from 1983 to 1986. She has also continued her involvement with sports, coaching soccer and lacrosse at the secondary school level for more than 20 years.

Janet “Jen” Ellis '85 has been a part of Colby-Sawyer athletics in nearly every facet possible - starting out as a player, moving to the coaching ranks and serving as one of the college's biggest supporters. A resident of Wilmot, N.H., Ellis is a native of Brielle, N.J.

Few people have contributed as much to the college's athletic department as Ellis has over the last 20 years. She has served as president of the Chargers Club since 1992 and has overseen the donation of many improvements to the athletics equipment and facilities at the college. Ellis also served as the head coach of the Colby-Sawyer women's tennis team in 2001 and 2002, guiding the Chargers to a 17-19 overall record and a 12-6 mark in Commonwealth Coast Conference play.

Ellis enjoyed a four-year playing career for the women's tennis team from 1982 to 1985, serving as co-captain of the 1985 squad. Equally impressive in the classroom, she was the recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award in 1985.

T.J. Gondek earned a spot in the inaugural class of the Colby-Sawyer Athletics Hall of Fame as a key contributor to the early success of the men's basketball program. Gondek was the first men's basketball player in school history to earn All-America honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He is a native of Nashua, N.H., and currently resides in South Boston, Mass.

Gondek, a graduate of Nashua High School, was named third-team All-America by the NABC following his senior season in 1994-95. A two-time All-Northeast District selection by the NABC, he was also a two-time Colby-Sawyer Male Outstanding Athlete award winner. Additionally, he was a two-time Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England All-Star, one of only two players in school history to earn the honor more than once.

Gondek still stands as Colby-Sawyer's all-time leading scorer, tallying 2,164 career points, the first of only three players to score more than 2,000 points. He also ranks second in school history in field goals (736) and free throws (456) and is third in rebounds (836) and three-pointers (236). Playing before Colby-Sawyer was affiliated with a conference, he still led the Chargers to 23-5 mark and a runner-up finish in the 1995 ECAC Division III New England Tournament.

The youngest member of the inaugural class of the Colby-Sawyer Athletic Hall of Fame, Sara Hammond was a two-sport star during her career at Colby-Sawyer, earning conference Player of the Year awards in both women's volleyball and in women's basketball and being a member of three NCAA Tournament teams during her four-year career, two in women's basketball and one in women's volleyball. Hammond is a native of Belmont, N.H., and currently resides in Melrose, Mass.

Hammond was a two-time First-Team All-Commonwealth Coast Conference selection in women's basketball, earning the honor during her junior and senior seasons. As a senior, Hammond was also named the league's Player of the Year and earned All-District honors from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. In addition, she earned ECAC Division III New England All-Star honors, making the second team, and was invited to play in the New England Women's Basketball Senior Classic. During both her junior and senior seasons, Hammond was named Colby-Sawyer's Female Athlete of the Year.

Hammond currently ranks in the top 10 in five different categories, including the most three-pointers in school history (162). Hammond scored 1,104 points during her Colby-Sawyer career, ranking her as the college's sixth highest all-time scorer. She also is third in steals (242) and ranks fourth in both assists (432) and free throws (240).

Her contributions to Colby-Sawyer volleyball were just as impressive, as she helped lead the Chargers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999, her junior season. As a first-year student, she was named to the conference's All-Tournament Team, and was named First-Team All-Commonwealth Coast Conference during both her junior and senior seasons, earning league player of the year honors both seasons. Hammond also earned a pair of honors from the New England Women's Volleyball Association, earning honorable mention as a junior and being named to the second team following her senior season. She was also the first player in school history to be named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-New England Team.

Hammond still ranks first in school history in aces (326) and is second with 1,358 kills. She also has 1,222 career digs, ranking her third all-time, and making her the only player in school history with at least 1,000 kills and digs.

New London resident Pat Kelsey has been one of the biggest supporters of Colby-Sawyer athletics, serving the college as a friend, trustee, coach and booster. She was the founder and a past-president of the Chargers Club, which has been responsible for the continued improvement of facilities and equipment for Colby-Sawyer College's athletic programs.

Kelsey's contributions to the college include spearheading efforts to create the campus tennis courts and athletic fields, both of which are named in her honor. She was also a key figure in the construction of the Hogan Sports Center, which serves as the indoor home for all of Colby-Sawyer's athletic teams.

An athlete in her own right, Kelsey was a standout golfer, winning the New Hampshire women's amateur golf championship in 1955, 1956 and 1958. She also served as head coach for the college's field hockey team in the late 1970s.

Kelsey's contributions have not been limited to just athletics. She currently serves on the college's Board of Trustees and has been supportive of improvements in academics and technology, with the Kelsey Computer Laboratory on campus serving as a reminder of her contributions in those areas. She has also been awarded the Town Award and the Susan Colgate Cleveland Medal for Distinguished Service.

Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students from 26 states and six foreign countries learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with pre-professional experience.

Colby-Sawyer College
541 Main Street
New London, NH 03257
Tel: 603-526-3000