Ithaca College Inducts 54th Athletic Hall of Fame Class

By Patrick Bohn, September 19, 2024

Inductees fondly remember Ithaca as a place where family bonds were forged.

Clockwise from top left: Scott Connelly '96, Ricardo Gomez-Perez '13, Katherine Bixby '10, Taylor Borda '10, Jamie Donovan '08, Josh Rifkin '11, John Cole '86 and James Ravener '04

(Photos courtesy of Ithaca College Athletic Communications)

Summar Lowe '24, contributed reporting to this article.

During an evening filled with an equal amount of tears and laughter, Ithaca College inducted eight individual former student-athletes and two teams into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, September 13.

The members of the 54th Hall of Fame class in school history didn’t share the same background, and the paths that brought them to Ithaca are as unique as their accomplishments on the field, track, court, mat, and water.

But as hugs and handshakes were shared, stories swapped, and memories recalled throughout the night in Emerson Suites, a common theme emerged. Even more than their individual and team accomplishments, what the inductees remembered were the people: teammates, coaches, and others who made Ithaca more than just a college, but a home, surrounded by people who care about you and make an impact on your life that lasts for decades.

“My head coach, Jim Nichols, used to tell us that there are two families you have in life: the one you’re born with and the one that you make. As a college student, I didn’t understand that, but now, at 43 years old, it makes all the sense in the world.”

James Ravener ’04

“I hope that sense of belonging you felt as a student has never left you, and it is my wish that tonight you find yourself filled both with Bomber pride and a deep feeling of having come back home,” President La Jerne Terry Cornish told the inductees at the start of the ceremony.

And that was a sentiment shared by all the inductees on this special night.

“My head coach, Jim Nichols, used to tell us that there are two families you have in life: the one you’re born with and the one that you make,” said James Ravener ’04, who was a standout member of the men’s track and field and cross country teams. “As a college student, I didn’t understand that, but now, at 43 years old, it makes all the sense in the world. Every time I came back to Ithaca over the years, he always greeted me with a hug and his catchphrase ‘Welcome home.’”

I Remember When

The Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony wasn’t just a chance for athletes to revel in the glory days of competition, but also to let non-athletic memories come flooding back as well. Here’s what stood out from their weekend in Ithaca:

Jamie Donovan ’08, football: “My family and I went to Stewart Park today and it was beautiful. I loved getting to experience all the nature that I took for granted because I was playing football in the summer and fall.”

Katherine Bixby ’10, women’s basketball and lacrosse:“I remember I used to skateboard at the skate park, and loved it.”

Josh Rifkin ’11, men’s tennis: “I went to Shortstop Deli and got a ‘double’ sandwich. I remember going as a student and getting ‘Grand Slams,’ but that’s a young man’s game.

Allyson Alexander ’06, women’s rowing: “I miss studying late night at the library. I also took my family downtown and walked around the Commons like I used to.”

Ricardo Gomez-Perez ’13, wrestling: “I loved exploring all the gorges in the area.”

James Ravener ’04, men’s cross country and track and field: “I have so many memories of the ‘moon towers,’ which was the track house, and we had so many fun times—especially playing cards with my teammates. It was moments like that which really made my college experience special.”

Scott Connelly ’96, football and wrestling: “I met my wife here, and Simeon’s and Joe’s were two places we went to for dates.

John Cole ’84, baseball: “I remember living off campus in an apartment on 96B with friends, and all the shenanigans we got up to.”

Perhaps no other speech drove home the message of the family and love that grew from time at IC than that of Josh Rifkin ’11, one of the college’s most accomplished men’s tennis players of all-time, who was inducted alongside his longtime doubles partner Taylor Borda ’10, who was unable to attend.

Rifkin had a message for his teammate, who was watching the ceremony on the livestream provided by the athletic department.

“I’m saddened that you’re not standing up here tonight with me to accept this award,” he said, fighting back tears. “But I am honored to share this accomplishment with you. We’ll get together to celebrate soon.”

“Ithaca shaped me in ways I only fully now appreciate. Ithaca was more than just a place; it provided the foundation of how I would continue to evolve. And it’s because of this community and the people who shaped me that I can say with pride I am an IC alumna.”

Katherine Bixby ’10

Although Borda was not there in person, his words were shared by Rifkin, and his speech reflected on the lifelong connections he made at IC.

“The tennis team was a gateway to many profound relationships in my life,” he wrote.

The importance of those relationships was passed down from the inductees to others during the weekend. Katherine Bixby ’10, a standout women’s basketball and lacrosse player, came to Ithaca a few days before the ceremony and met with current members of the basketball squad, where they asked her for advice.

“I told them to surround themselves with good people,” Bixby said. “It’s the people who make the place. My friends, coaches, and teammates, they made IC my home away from home. Ithaca shaped me in ways I only fully now appreciate. Ithaca was more than just a place; it provided the foundation of how I would continue to evolve. And it’s because of this community and the people who shaped me that I can say with pride I am an IC alumna.”

You can watch the full ceremony from the 54th Athletic Hall of Fame induction here.

Regardless of when they graduated or the sport they played, all the student-athletes expressed gratitude for finding a home at Ithaca.

Scott Connelly ’96, who was a two-sport athlete for the Bombers (wrestling and football), shared with the audience a card his now-wife Renee — herself a 1996 graduate and a former women’s lacrosse player — gave him the night before his final game. One of the key messages? “Never forget how fortunate we are to be Ithaca College students,”. “People would always ask me why I was so happy at IC,” Connelly said. “It was because I had a football coach [Mike Welch ’73] who loved us all.”

The 2004 women's crew team won the first of back-to-back championships. (Photo courtesy of Ithaca College Athletic Communications)

Jamie Donovan ’08 also played on the gridiron for Welch after transferring from a Division I school. He remarked on how it was immediately apparent that it was the people at Ithaca who made it a different, special place. “It was about being a part of the Bomber family, and representing the Ithaca College community in everything we did,” he said. “As I reflect on my time at Ithaca, I remember the people, everyone from the coaches to the fans, who were part of everything.”

Jess Selock ’05, who spoke for the 2005 women’s crew team, also recalled the support the team got from others as they embarked on their second of back-to-back national championships. “We had fans who would set up tents and chairs and food all along the inlet so they could cheer for us during competition,” she said. “We could hear them chanting ‘IC! IC! IC!’”

“When I joined the crew team I didn’t know I would be joining a team where my experiences would help define who I am as a person,” said Catie Gloo ’04, who spoke on behalf of the 2004 title-winning team.

The 2005 women's crew team is the most recent Bomber team to win a national championship. (Photo courtesy of Ithaca College Athletic Communications)

For Ricardo Gomez-Perez ’13, a standout wrestler for the Bombers who won a national championship in 2013, it wasn’t the cheering of the crowd that he recalls, but the kindness of an individual.

“To Tony the janitor, thank you for all the late-night words of encouragement when you’d see me working hard to cut weight,” he said, reminding the crowd that everyone at IC can play a role in an athlete’s success and help craft a memory that lasts a lifetime.

A lifetime of memories is something baseball player John Cole ’86 recalled during his speech, as he described the emotions that came flooding back when he came upon his old residence hall decades later during a return trip to campus.

Cole’s memories of IC were so strong he not only remembered the room number he had in the Towers, but what his roommate was wearing when he first met him:

“A shirt with a popped collar,” he laughed.

“I still tell prospective students today that college isn’t a one-year choice, it’s a 40-year choice.”

John Cole '84

A second garment-related memory of the night came from Donovan, who shared a story that reminded everyone that dreams can come true.

“I still dream about IC, 20 years later,” he said. “And it’s always a dream where I realize I’ve arrived at the football stadium without my gear, so I can’t play. Well, last night, I’m sitting out on the deck of the house my family rented for the weekend, thinking about how amazing this is. My wife comes up to me and says, ‘Jamie, where’s your suit?’ I told her it’s in the car and she looks at me and says, ‘Jamie, it is absolutely not in the car.’

“So I’m standing up here in my father’s suit after realizing that, just like in my dreams, I’ve left my clothes at home,” he said, as the crowd burst into laughter and applause, driving home the sense of camaraderie that reminded all in attendance that it was a great night to be a Bomber.