UAlbany
Inducts Five Athletes into Hall of Fame
The University at Albany inducted five former athletes into its Athletic
Hall of Fame on October 5 at the 19th annual HOF Dinner and Induction
Ceremony. The ceremony was held at the Recreation and Convocation Center
(RACC). The event was preceded by UAlbany’s Northeast Conference home
football game with Wagner at 1 p.m.
The new inductees and their sports: Tonya Dodge ’97, cross country/track; Meredith Jackel ’97, field hockey; Blake Kim ’92, lacrosse; Cort Kim ’92, lacrosse; and Rudy Vido ’78, football, wrestling, and track.
With this year’s class, there are 94 former athletes, coaches, and administrators who have been inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Tonya
Dodge (1994-97) -- Dodge is the only woman in school history
to earn All-America honors in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor
track. In 1996-97, she was named the University at Albany’s Female Athlete
of the Year.
As a senior, Dodge posted the best finish by an eastern runner at the 1996 NCAA Division II cross country championships and was 13th overall in 18:35.1. A first-team All-New England Collegiate Conference selection on two occasions, she captured four individual titles, including the NECC and Collegiate Track Conference championships, and set an East Stroudsburg course record (18:20).
Dodge, who finished her career with nine school records in track and field, received All-America recognition during the ’97 indoor season with a fifth-place finish in the NCAA Division II one-mile run with a time of 4:54.72. She also captured the NECC 3,000 title and ECAC 5,000 crown.
A three-time NCAA outdoor championship participant, Dodge was sixth in the 1,500 and eighth in the 3,000 at the 1997 NCAA Division II meet. She also qualified provisionally in the 5,000 and 10,000. Dodge, who established school records in all four events, won the CTC 5,000 by shattering a 12-year-old standard and broke another long-standing mark in winning the Albany Invitational’s 10,000 in 36:55.94. She also registered a school-record 9:39.34 in the 3,000 at the Penn Relays. For her efforts, she was named the NCAA East Region’s top female outdoor track athlete.
Dodge, who received an ECAC Merit Medal as the school’s top senior female student-athlete, has an undergraduate degree in psychology. Dodge, a native of Granville, N.Y. (Granville Central H.S.), is a doctoral student in psychology at the University. She is expected to complete her dissertation in May 2003. Dodge, who recently served as UAlbany’s assistant cross country coach, continues to compete on the national level in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and ran at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif.
Meredith Jackel (1995-97) -- A three-time All-American, Jackel was the first UAlbany field hockey player to be recogized at the national level. She also played in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s 1997 North-South Senior All-Star Game.
As a senior sweeper back, Jackel led Albany to the ECAC Division II championship and a school-record 17-2 campaign. The Great Danes, who defeated Bentley 2-1 in the title contest, shut out 11 opponents and allowed 0.57 goals per game. Jackel, a 19-game starter on defense, was chosen to the NFHCA All-America first team.
In 1996, Albany posted a 14-3 record and finished with a No. 3 ranking in the North Region. Jackel, who earned first-team All-America recognition, again spearheaded a defensive unit that blanked 11 of 17 opponents. She scored four goals and added four defensive saves.
Jackel, a three-time team MVP who transferred from Ball State University, was dominant in her first year with the UAlbany program. She started all 15 games as a defender and midfielder when the Great Danes registered an 11-3-1 record in just their second varsity season. UAlbany’s defense held 10 opponents off the scoreboard and limited the opposition to 0.66 goals per game.
A native of Mahopac, N.Y. (Mahopac H.S.), Jackel earned a B.A. in sociology. She works in the Chappaqua School District as a sixth grade special education teacher. Jackel has also been a two-year varsity assistant field hockey coach at Chappaqua High School. She received a master’s degree in elementary education from Mercy College, and is pursuing another master’s degree in reading.
Blake Kim (1989-92) -- A three-time Capital District College Lacrosse League All-Star, Kim is second on the school’s all-time scoring list and the program’s career leader in assists.
Kim was the Division III national leader in assists at 4.00 per game as a senior, when he helped the Great Danes reach the 1992 ECAC championship final and capture the Capital Cup with a school-record 10-3 campaign. He set UAlbany’s single-season mark with 52 assists that spring. Kim, who had three goals and five assists in a 15-14 victory over Union for the Capital Cup title, was named to the CDCLL first team.
An All-CDCLL selection in 1990 and 1991, Kim totaled 34 goals and 30 assists for 64 points as a junior. He finished with 21 goals and 32 assists for 53 points in his sophomore season. He completed his college career as the school’s second-leading scorer with 206 points, including 87 goals and 119 assists. Kim is first on the all-time assists chart.
A native of Schenectady, (Guilderland H.S.), Kim graduated with a B.S. in biology. He then coached lacrosse and enrolled in art classes at Skidmore College, and eventually earned a master’s degree in medical and scientific illustration from Johns Hopkins University. He is an art director for Addison-Wesley & Benjamin Cummings, a subdivision publishing firm of Pearson Education in San Francisco, Calif. He and his brother, Cort, continue to play for the Barbary Coast Lacrosse Club and were members of Team Korea at the 2002 World Championships in Perth, Australia.
Cort Kim (1989-92) -- An All-America attackman, Kim was a two-time Capital District College Lacrosse League All-Star. He completed his career as the school’s all-time leader in total points and goals scored.
Kim, the 1992 Capital District Player of the Year, established the school’s single-season scoring record with 89 points (45 goals, 44 assists) as a senior. He was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association’s Division III All-America squad in the honorable mention category. A first-team CDCLL selection, Kim led the Great Danes to the Capital Cup championship and an ECAC championship final appearance.
In 1990, Kim ranked ninth among the national scoring leaders with 66 points (33 goals, 33 assists). He was named to the Capital District All-Star squad. Kim totaled 20 goals and 26 assists in his first season as a collegian and was voted the Capital District Freshman of the Year.
Kim is the UAlbany lacrosse program’s all-time scoring leader with 218 points. He also ranks third in career goals (110) and second in assists (108).
A native of Schenectady (Guilderland H.S.), Kim earned a B.S. in biology. He was a UAlbany assistant lacrosse coach for one season before working at Springfield College as an assistant for two years. At Springfield, Kim received an M.S. in physical therapy. He works as a physical therapist at the San Mateo County Health Center and resides in San Francisco, Calif. Kim’s father, Sung Bok, is a UAlbany professor and former dean of Undergraduate Studies.
Rudy Vido (1970-74) -- An all-around, three-sport athlete, Vido excelled in football, wrestling, and track and field. He competed on the national level as a heavyweight wrestler and in the shot put event, and later played football on the professional level.
Vido, a 6-foot-2, 248-pound defensive end, started on UAlbany’s first varsity football teams. In 1973, he was named the program’s outstanding defensive lineman with 105 tackles, seven sacks, and one blocked punt. Vido, an All-Metroland choice, also played on the school’s only undefeated football team in 1974. He totaled 80 tackles, six sacks and three fumble recoveries. Vido became the first UAlbany player to ink a professional contract, when he signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots. He went on to play for the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts and was a four-time Empire State League defensive MVP as a semi-professional.
In track and field, Vido won four consecutive SUNY Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) shot put championships. He earned All-America recognition as a junior, and qualified for NCAA Division III nationals and the IC4A championships on three occasions. Vido still holds the school record with a toss of 54 feet, 4.25 inches in 1973.
As a wrestler, Vido was a two-time SUNYAC heavyweight champion and won three varsity letters. He reached the NCAA Division III quarterfinal round in 1974 and claimed a New York State title. Vido was the state runner-up with an undefeated dual meet record as a junior. He was named the 1973-74 Athlete of the Year by the Albany Student Press.
A native of Albany, (Albany H.S.), Vido earned a B.S. in sociology in 1978. He works as project manager for the Wildwood Institute’s Neurobehavorial Resource Project. The Schenectady-based division assists individuals with brain injuries to live successfully in the community.