General | 10/17/2019 12:46:00 PM
PURCHASE, N.Y. -- The Manhattanville College Department of Athletics and Recreation held its sixth annual Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet Saturday, Oct. 12. The event filled the halls of Reid Castle with over 130 guests, all of whom were there to celebrate the inductions of Anne (Driesse) Villanova '81, Larry Holten, Susan (Horton) Bowen '03 and Mike Prendergast '87.
The festivities began with a cocktail hour before the guests moved into the West Room for dinner and the induction ceremony. In attendance this year were 49 alumni spanning five decades and 25 different class years. Also, in the crowd were six previous Hall of Fame inductees from past years who made the trip back to Manhattanville to celebrate with this year's class.
The night began with opening remarks from Acting Director of Athletics Julene Caulfield. She thanked the crowd for their attendance and previewed the nights events. After Caulfield spoke, Manhattanville College President Dr. Michael Geisler and visiting sports studies professor Amy Bass took the podium to welcome guests, share their insight and offer sentiments toward the 2019 inductees.
The first inductee of the night was Villanova, who was introduced by lifelong friend and former teammate Nancy Dyer '81. Following her ceremony was the induction of Holten. Holten was introduced by his former player, assistant coach and fellow Hall of Famer Theresa Carey '82 (HOF '14). Holten's widow, Beth, accepted a framed jersey on his behalf and gave an emotional speech in his honor.
After a break was taken for dinner, the next inductee was Bowen. Before she accepted her jacket and spoke, she was introduced by her husband and Manhattanville alumni Sean Bowen '03. The last inductee of the night to receive their jacket was Prendergast. He was inducted by his lifelong friends and former teammates Gerard Nolan '87 and Tommy Jones '87.
To view the full biographies of the four 2019 Hall of Fame inductees and all Athletics Hall of Fame members, visit http://www.govaliants.com/halloffame.
With the induction of the 2019 Hall of Fame class, the nominating process has officially begun for the Manhattanville Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020! To view the eligibility requirements or nominate a worthy candidate for the Hall of Fame, please visit http://www.govaliants.com/halloffame.
