2024 Ted Ducey CMS Hall of Fame Inductees
CLAREMONT, Calif. - A total of 10 Athenas and Stags will become the newest members of the Ted Ducey Hall of Fame at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, when the Class of 2024 is honored on Sunday, Jan. 21 at Roberts Pavilion as part of the Hall of Fame weekend.
The 10 inductees into the Ted Ducey CMS Hall of Fame Class of 2024 are Henry Albrecht (CMC '91 – Basketball), Emily Bennett Taylor (Scripps '06 - Volleyball), Nicole Esclamado Feola* (HMC '07 – Soccer), Patrick Gorgue (CMC '95 - Soccer), David Juiliano (CMC '02 - Cross Country and Track & Field), Harmony Palmer (CMC '13 – Softball), Stephen Poorman (CMC '84 - Tennis), Chris Powell (CMC '93 – Water Polo and Swimming), Michael Starr (HMC '10 - Tennis), and Lauren Williams (CMC '02 – Swimming and Water Polo).
HALL OF FAME CEREMONY LIVE STREAM (JAN. 21, 2024 - 1 p.m.)
Henry Albrecht (CMC '91)
Basketball
Albrecht was a key part of a CMS men's basketball team that made back-to-back NCAA appearances in 1990 and 1991. He earned the SCIAC Player of the Year Award as a junior in 1990, and was a first-team All-West selection, averaging 19.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. As a senior, he was first-team All-SCIAC, while teammate Chris Greene (HOF '08) earned the Player of the Year, and the duo helped the Stags to a 22-5 final record and a ranking as high as No. 10 in the nation, before finishing at No. 15. CMS also won an 84-81 playoff game against La Verne after tying for the league title to earn their second straight NCAA bid. Albrecht finished his career with 1,267 points in three seasons, averaging 16.9 points on 54.0% shooting from the floor, and also had 595 rebounds as a Stag (7.9 per game).
Emily Bennett Taylor (Scripps '06)
Volleyball
Bennett had an immediate impact on CMS volleyball, leading the Athenas to a 21-7 record in her first season in 2002, a 12-win improvement from the year before. She was named the SCIAC Freshman of the Year, added All-West Region honors, and earned her way on to the All-SCIAC second team. She went on to capture All-SCIAC honors in each of her four seasons, earning first-team all-league selections as a junior and senior, while she earned second-team as a sophomore in 2003 behind only two veteran All-Americans in the league. She went over 1000 kills as a senior, and currently holds the No. 2 position in the CMS record book with 1,180 kills. She was the team MVP as a sophomore and junior, and she earned the Scripps Alumnae Athlete of the Year Award as a senior.
Nicole Esclamado Feola (HMC '07)*
Soccer
Esclamado was a first-team All-SCIAC and second-team All-West Region selection as a senior in 2006, serving as a team captain and earning team MVP honors for the CMS women's soccer team. Her efforts helped the Athenas to the SCIAC Tournament championship in the first year of the tournament's existence, earning CMS an NCAA Division III bid. Esclamado had a standout role in the SCIAC Postseason title, converting the clinching penalty kick in a wild 15-14 shootout in the semifinals against Pomona-Pitzer in the semifinals, and then scoring the tying goal in a comeback 2-1 win over Redlands in the championship. She finished her senior season with 10 goals and five assists, giving her 25 goals and 14 assists in her career.
* Nicole will be celebrated as part of the 2025 Ted Ducey CMS Hall of Fame ceremony."
Patrick Gorgue (CMC '95)
Soccer
Gorgue was a four-year standout for a CMS men's soccer program during a run of dominance for the program. The Stags were 42-3-2 in SCIAC play in his four seasons, earning four league titles in a row, while compiling an overall record of 58-13-7, including three different 15-win seasons. He earned All-West Region honors all four years, and was a two-time All-American, earning second-team honors as a junior and third-team distinction as a senior. He graduated as the second-highest goal scorer in program history with 56 goals in four seasons, and was only the second Stag to earn first-team All-SCIAC honors all four seasons, earning the league's Player of the Year honor as a senior.
David Juiliano (CMC '02)
Track and Field and Cross Country
Juiliano graduated in 2002 with the second-most league championships in SCIAC track and field history with eight, including four straight titles in the 800 meters, three in the 1500 meters and one in the steeplechase. As a senior, he won the 800, 1500 and steeplechase, while adding a second-place finish in the 5000, earning program records and NCAA qualifying times in all four events (as well as in the 4x400 relay). He also competed for one season on the varsity cross country team as a senior, and finished runner up at the NCAA Championship, which remains the highest finish for a Stag in program history. His time of 24:19 broke the old program record for an 8K race by 29 seconds, and held for 20 years until it was finally eclipsed. He became the first Stag to ever earn All-America honors in both track and field and cross country.
Harmony Palmer (CMC '13)
Softball
Palmer earns induction to the CMS Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility after a transformative career for the Athena softball team. She was a first-team All-American twice, while playing two different positions (second base, third base - left handed), and helped the Athenas to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Her career batting average of .442 remains a program record, as does her career RBI total of 175, which is still 32 more than any other Athena has tallied. For a single season, she still holds the Athena mark with 58 RBI in 2010 (she also ranks second with 51 RBI in 2011) and for runs scored with 52, set in 2013. Her impact on the team was clear as well, as the Athenas had their first four 30-win seasons during her career, won either the SCIAC regular season or postseason title all four years, and had a combined 78-22 conference record. Her individual accolades also included the SCIAC Athlete of the Year, and the CMS Female Athlete of the Year, in addition to her All-America honors.
Stephen Poorman (CMC '84)
Tennis
Poorman played No. 1 singles for a CMS men's tennis team that won the first NCAA Division III national title in program history in 1981, winning a crucial doubles match at nationals to enable CMS to tie Swarthmore for the title. He was also a part of two teams that earned runner-up finishes during his three varsity seasons. He reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA singles championship as a freshman in 1980, when CMS finished just one point (14-13) behind Gustavus Adolphus for the national title, earning All-America honors in the process. As a senior, when the NCAA switched to the modern dual match format, he led CMS to the national championship match, as the Stags earned 5-4 wins over Gustavus Adolphus and Kalamazoo in the quarters and semis, before a tight 5-4 defeat to Redlands in an all-SCIAC final. He earned All-America honors in both singles and doubles as a senior, reaching the NCAA quarterfinals in doubles.
Chris Powell (CMC '93)
Water Polo and Swimming
Powell was the SCIAC Player of the Year for the CMS men's water polo team as a senior in 1992, when the Stags completed his fourth straight undefeated season in league play, while stretching the program's win streak in SCIAC to 110-0 over 11 seasons. The 110th win took everything he had, as he scored nine goals in a 13-12 overtime win in the SCIAC Championship match. Powell set the CMS season and career scoring record while leading the team in scoring in each season. He was a four-time first-team All-SCIAC selection for the Stags, and earned the team's MVP honor twice, after winning the Rookie of the Year in his debut campaign. As a senior, he led the CMS win its opening round match in the WWPA Championships, a 10-9 win over UC Riverside, earning the program a top-20 ranking nationally and picking up first-team All-WWPA honors. He competed for three seasons on the swimming team, earning all-SCIAC honors as a junior and senior and helping the Stags set meet & conference records in the medley relays. After graduating, Chris played professional water polo in the Spanish 'A' league in Barcelona and to top it off, he returned to Claremont to coach the water polo team in the Fall of 1998, leading the team to its fifth consecutive SCIAC championship.
Michael Starr (HMC '10)
Tennis
Starr is the only player in CMS Tennis and NCAA Division III history to win the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III National Singles title and then go on to win a match in the Small College Super Bowl (Fall 2006). As a result, he held the No. 1 ranking in singles nationally as a first-year in 2006 and was an All-American. As a sophomore, Starr earned second-team All-SCIAC honors. As a junior, Starr earned ITA Scholar Athlete honors with a better than 3.5 GPA at Harvey Mudd College. Despite a career cut short because of injuries, Starr had an immense impact as a leader on the team and he graduated with the 5th best career singles winning percentage in Stags Tennis history at .738 with his 31-11 record, and a 24-9 career record in doubles matches.
Lauren Williams (CMC '02)
Swimming and Water Polo
Williams earned All-America honors 12 times in her career, eight times as a swimmer and all four seasons as a water polo player. In swimming, she was a two-time SCIAC Swimmer of the Year, and earned a pair of third-place finishes at nationals in the 400-yard individual medley and the 1650-yard freestyle. She was a two-time first team All-American in both the 400 IM and the 500 free, and also picked up honorable mention All-America honors in the 200 fly. She graduated ranked either first or second in 11 of the 14 individual swimming events in program history and won 10 individual SCIAC titles. As a member of the water polo team, she was a third-team All-American as a freshman, earned second-team honors as a sophomore and junior, and was named a first-team All-American as a senior. She was part of the 2001 Athena team that won a national title by defeating Redlands 5-3 in overtime in the Collegiate III finals, scoring a key goal in the championship match.