Mitchell Athletics Announces 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Class
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College Athletic Department is proud to announce that seven former student-athletes, one former coach, and one team will be enshrined in the 12th induction class of the Mitchell College Athletics Hall of Fame during Fall Weekend in October. Comprising the first class since 2006 is Alvin Young '97 and Joshua Ford '15 of men's basketball, Gina Derosier (Lindberg) '06 and Sarah Craft (Kill) '01 of women's basketball, Kyle Hartenstein '18 and J.R. Chiappone '93 of baseball, Chris Mackinnel '07 and Dean Roberts of men's soccer, along with the 2010 women's soccer team.
The 2024 Hall of Fame ceremony will be held inside the Red Barn on the campus of Mitchell College on Friday, October 25.
"This will be our first class of Hall of Fame inductees in 18 years," said Director of Athletics, Matt Finlayson. "To say this group of individuals and teams are making up for lost time would certainly be an understatement. We have a variety of accomplished athletes as well as our first program to earn a bid to an NCAA tournament as a four-year institution. We're all excited to honor and celebrate our Hall of Famers on campus that will be able to check out their name on the new display in the Yarnall lobby."
Alvin Young '97 - In his first basketball season at Mitchell, he led the nation in scoring on the Division II National Junior College level with a 29.4 point per game average. Young finished his Mitchell career with over 1,000 points scored across two seasons and went on to play at Division I Niagara University, where he led all of Division I in scoring during the 1998-1999 season, averaging 25.1 points per game.
Joshua Ford '15 – A two-time New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Player of the Year, Ford was a four-time All-Conference First Team selection who helped Mitchell to the 2014 NECC Championship, earning Tournament MVP honors. Ford led the NCAA in double-doubles during the 2013-14 season and finished his career with 1,749 total points and 1,057 total rebounds, second most in the Division III era of the program in both statistical categories.
Sarah Craft (Kill) '01 – Craft totaled 1,225 points and guided her team to a 49-6 record during her two seasons at Mitchell. She guided Mitchell to the National Tournament both years and was a captain both years. She was twice a Kodak All-American and All-Region recipient.
Gina Derosier (Lindberg) '06 – A three-year captain, Deroiser helped bridge the gap between the two and four-year model. A two-time Mitchell College Athlete of the Year, she finished with 1,214 points, led Mitchell to a second place finish in the NJCAA National Tournament, and set a NJCAA record with 11 three-pointers in a single game. Derosier was also named the Mitchell College Laurence Memorial Citizen of the Year.
Chris Mackinnel '07 – Mackinnel was named the 2006 Association of Division III Independents Offensive Player of the Year, finishing his senior season leading Mitchell in goals (9), assists (5) and points (23). Named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2006 AD3I Northeast Regional Tournament, Mackinnel scored the game winning goal in the championship match against Newbury College.
J.R. Chiappone '93 – 1993 NJCAA Division II All-American Second Team selection who batted .412 that season and had a fielding percentage of .995.
Kyle Hartenstein '18 – The NECC Player of the Year in 2018, Hartenstein was a two-time All-Conference First Team selection, three-time conference champion, who was named to the D3baseball.com All-America Third Team in 2018. A career.378 hitter, he ranks second all-time in program history games played (158). runs scored (167), doubles (63), RBI (128), and total bases (314).
Dean Roberts – Coach of the Mitchell men's soccer team who guided his team to postseason appearances in 25 of 29 seasons. Dean was honored as the New England Collegiate Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2008 after leading the Mariners to an undefeated regular season in the conference's inaugural season. He also produced over 30 all-conference selections during his time in the NECC. Instrumental in Mitchell's transition to the four-year model, Dean was named the Association of Division III Independent Conference National Coach of the Year in 2007 after his team played in the regional championship. He also led Mitchell to an AD3I Northeast Championship in 2006 and was tabbed as the AD3I National Coach of the Year runner-up. When Mitchell College competed as a junior college, Roberts' teams won two NJCAA XXI championships in 2001 and 2001.
2010 Women's Soccer – Led by head coach Damian Houlden, the team defeated Lesley 2-1 to capture the NECC Championship, the first in Mitchell history while also earning the first berth into the NCAA Tournament for the school as a Division III member. Team produced the conference Player of the Year (Nikki Hoxie), along with four other all-conference selections
The Mitchell College Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to provide a means to recognize the efforts and achievements of various athletes, coaches, teams and contributors to Mitchell College Athletics. A total of 81 individuals have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame to date.
Registration Link: https://web.cvent.com/event/81440a93-a508-475e-aced-c49e0cba28c9/summary
