Alfred University holds Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremonies

The 2023 inductees were Nicole (Hedrick) Kivett ’12 (softball), Vinson Hendrix ’11 (football), Lyndsay (Murphy) Kieffer ’11 (women’s basketball), and Chad Pieri ’10 (football). Steven Miller ’73 was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award and the 1983-84 men’s swimming and diving team was recognized as a Team of Distinction.

Video of 2023 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies at Alfred University

Hedrick, who earned a degree in criminal justice studies, starred for four seasons on the softball team, becoming the program’s first-ever All-American in 2010, when she helped lead the Saxons to an NCAA tournament berth. She was a three-time First Team Empire 8 Conference all-star, winning conference Player of the Year honors in 2010, when she was won National Softball Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region and All-American recognition.

Hendrix, who earned a degree in psychology, is one of the top rushers in the history of Alfred University football. As a sophomore in 2007, he was a First Team Empire 8 all-star and a Third Team All-American. He is the only player in school history listed twice in the top 10 for single-season rushing yards and shares the school record for 100-yard rushing games in a season, with eight in both the 2007 and 2009 campaigns.

Murphy was a three-time Empire 8 all-star, earning First Team honors twice and Second Team recognition once. In 2011, she was Muriel Strong Morley Award winner (given to the top female student-athlete at Alfred University) and ECAC Merit Medal Award recipient, given in recognition of excellence on the court and in the classroom. Murphy earned a bachelor’s degree in childhood education and returned to Alfred as a graduate assistant coach, earning a master’s degree in school counseling in 2014.

Pieri played four seasons as a linebacker for the Saxon football team (2006-07 and 2009-10) and is one of just a handful of players at Alfred to earn Empire 8 all-conference recognition four times: First Team in 2007; Second Team in 2006, 2009, and 2010. In 2009 and 2010, he helped lead the Saxons to Empire 8 Conference titles and back-to-back NCAA championship tournament appearances. Pieri graduated with a bachelor’s degree in childhood education and also earned a master’s degree in literacy from Alfred University in 2011.

Miller, who earned a degree in business administration, is the third former Saxon to be named Distinguished Alumni. Established in 2018, the award recognizes Alfred University student-athletes for outstanding achievement following their playing careers at Alfred. Miller, who played three seasons in the Saxon men’s lacrosse team, has been an accomplished lacrosse official who in 2004 was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the New York Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse.

The 1983-84 men’s swimming and diving team is the third Team of Distinction honored at Alfred University, joining the 1971 football team and 1988 women’s soccer team. The 1983-84 Saxons, coached by Hall of Fame inductee Mike Schaeberle, placed eighth at the NCAA Division III championships, with six Saxons earning All-American recognition. They included Howard Seidman ’84, who as a senior claimed NCAA titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke, setting national records in both events. Seidman, the most decorated athlete in Alfred University history, also won national titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke in 1982 and 1983. Other All-Americans from Alfred University on the 1984 team were Cary Schaeberle ’87, John Jewell ’85, Mark Ginn ’86, Tim Jaenecke ’84, and Tim Schaeberle ’85. Seidman, Tim and Cary Schaeberle, Jewell, and Jaenecke are all members of the Alfred University Hall of Fame.