ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø

An NBA player, former professional soccer and baseball players, an All-American wrestler, and the first women’s soccer player into the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø Athletics Hall of Fame June 11.

Jason Thompson ’08 of basketball, Jim McKeown ‘81 of soccer, Kevin Connolly ’75 of baseball, Don Fisch ’08 of wrestling and Sarah Artale ’03 of soccer make up the 2016 class.

Thompson was an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America, US Basketball Writers’ Association District II Player of the Year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 3 selection, MAAC Player of the Year and the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø. He compiled 2,040 points (third most ever at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø) and a ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø-record 1,171 rebounds.

The 12th player picked in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft, Thompson played a franchise record 541 games for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA, compiling over 5,000 points and 3,750 rebounds in seven seasons. Thompson is currently a member of the Toronto Raptors.

McKeown was the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø Athlete of the Year in 1977-78 after earning First Team All-East Coast Conference and All-Region honors. A former member of the US National under 19 soccer team, McKeown was drafted in the first round of the NASL and played two years in the NASL, for the Tulsa Roughnecks and the Philadelphia Fury.

Connolly graduated as the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø career leader in hits and RBI. As a sophomore, the Bronc catcher batted .371 with 43 hits in just 34 games and earned All-District honors. Connolly was drafted in the 13th round by the Atlanta Braves and reached the AA level.

Artale is ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s career leader in goals (41) and points (95). She scored a ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø record 16 goals as a junior, leading ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø to the MAAC Championship Game. Twice a Second Team and once a First Team All-MAAC selection, Artale led ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø to its first three MAAC semifinals and first MAAC Title Game.

Fisch compiled 110 wins in his ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø career and earned All-America honors as a junior when he placed fifth at the 2007 NCAA Championships. The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø Athlete of the Year in 2007, Fish was a two-time Colonial Athletic Association Champion and a four-time NCAA qualifier.  As a freshman, Fisch was the CAA Rookie of the Year.

The 1994 volleyball team, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s first women’s varsity team to advance to an NCAA tournament on the Division I level, will receive the Clair Bee Award as the Most Outstanding Team Achievement Award.

Attend the induction ceremony

Attend a cocktail hour and induction ceremony June 11 as the University welcomes the new class of athletes into the Athletics Hall of Fame.

Cocktail hour (with hearty hors d'oeuvres) begins at 6 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center Atrium and the induction ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Bart Luedeke Center Theater, Bart Luedeke Center. The cost is $60 per person.

Please RSVP by June 6, 2016, by .

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 609-896-5340 or alumni@rider.edu.