LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University Athletics announces that seven former student-athletes and a contributor will be added to the Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame during an Alumni Weekend ceremony on Friday, July 29 at 12 p.m. Tickets for the Athletics Hall of Fame are $35 and can be purchased by contacting Kate Little at (814) 472-3286 or via email at klittle@francis.edu.
 
Former student-athletes Megan (Taliaferro) Albidrez (women's volleyball,1996-99), Marc Honore (men's volleyball, 2004-07) Scott Lewis (football, 2007-11), Melissa Mackel (track and field, 2000-04), Gary Pirozzola (wrestling, 1969-73), Ryan Sheehan (track and field, 2001-05), Eric Taylor (men's basketball, 1994-98) and Stacy Trice (softball, 1995-98), along with former longtime football and basketball play-by-play announcer Joe Vesnesky (contributor) will join the Athletics Hall of Fame. With the addition of these individuals, the Hall of Fame will have 65 individuals and six teams and will be the first induction ceremony since 1999. 

Taliaferro Albidrez becomes the first NCAA Division I Red Flash women's volleyball player to enter the Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame. She was the first player in program history to register 1,000 kills and only one of two players to reach the mark before rally scoring. She left Saint Francis as the program's all-time leader in kills (1,240), hitting percentage (.243) and blocks, and ranks second in total attacks (3,080) and third in digs (999). Taliaferro Albidrez still ranks in the program's Top-10 in each category. A three-time All-NEC first-team performer and 1999 NEC Player of the Year, she helped the Red Flash to a 26-8 record in league play and participated in the NEC Tournament in each of her seasons including advancing to the title bout in 1997 and 1999. Saint Francis went 10-0 in league play in 1997 and was the only team to post a 10-0 mark in the circuit before the format was changed 12 years later.
 
Honore is the second men's volleyball player to enter the Saint Francis Hall of Fame. He was named the 2007 EIVA Player of the Year and an AVCA first-team All-American and was selected to the EIVA first team selection in each of his final three seasons. He left as the program's all-time career leader in hitting percentage (.466), kills (1,148) and service aces (91) and now sits third in service aces and fourth in kills in program history. In a single game, he registered 29 kills against George Mason on Apr. 27, 2006 and 28 kills against Santa Cruz on Mar. 2, 2007 for the top two marks when he left and now sits fifth and seventh all-time. He also holds the program single-season top two marks for hitting percentage (.524, 2007) and (.502, 2006), while his 425 kills were the most in team history when he left and now sits fourth all-time. After graduation, Honore has enjoyed a professional career overseas.
 
Lewis, who is the sixth football player to enter the Hall of Fame, left Saint Francis not only as the all-time program leader in tackles, but also the Northeast Conference all-time leader in the category and only the second player in Division I (FCS) with 500 tackles. Lewis still ranks fifth in FCS history in career tackles and third in career tackles per game (12.1). He broke the Red Flash record in just three seasons and his total of 524 career tackles are 147 more than the previous record. A four-time All-NEC performer and two-time All-American, Lewis also holds the single season mark for both Saint Francis and the NEC with his 142 tackles in 2008, while his 138 tackles in are second in Red Flash history and fifth in the league, and his 126 tackles from 2007 are seventh most in NEC history. His career 51.0 tackles for loss ranks fifth in the NEC when he left and now sits 10th all-time. He finished 2008 and 2010 ranked in the Top-5 in tackles per game after ranking fourth in 2008 (12.6) and second in 2010 (12.5). Lewis was honored as only freshman on 2007 Sports Network Mid-Major & Independent All-America First Team Defense, and was named ECAC Rookie of the Year and NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year. His 23 tackles against Wagner on Oct. 18, 2008 was the third-best total in a single game and now sits as the fourth most in program history. Lewis returned in 2021 to serve as the Defensive Coordinator for the Red Flash, where the Red Flash ranked fourth overall in scoring defense and total defense and third in scoring defense and second in total defense in his first season.
 
Mackel, who becomes the fifth women's track and field athlete to enter the Hall of Fame, scored 40 points for the Red Flash track and field indoor track and field team and 51 points for the team during the outdoor season at the Northeast Conference Championships with her 91 career points ranking third all-time when she graduated. She earned a medal four times at the NEC Indoor Track and Field Championships and six medals at the NEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She won the weight throw and finished second in the shot put at the 2003 NEC Indoor Championships, and then placed second in the javelin and third in the hammer to help the Red Flash to the 2003 NEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Mackel also finished second in weight throw and third in the shot put at the 2004 indoor championships and second in the shot put and third in the hammer at the 2004 outdoor championships. She started her career with a second-place standing at the 2001 NEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and third in the event in the 2002 outdoor conference meet. She left as the program's record holder in the shot put (13.76m) and that mark still ranks fourth today, while she also posted Top-10 marks in the weight throw, hammer and javelin.
 
Pirozzola becomes the second wrestler to go into the Red Flash Hall of Fame. He was one of the best wrestlers to come through Saint Francis during the 14 years of the program. He posted a 74-9-1 record in his four-year career including 47 wins by a pin. Pirozzola was the first-ever Red Flash wrestler to qualify for the NCAA Championships in 1972-73 and was leading in his regional match by a large margin in points, but lost by a pin with seconds left in the match. He was the runner up at the Catholic National Open Tournament in 1971-72 and then won his weight class in 1972-73. Saint Francis as a team had three winning seasons and won 65 percent of dual matches in his career.
 
Sheehan, who becomes the second men's track and field athlete in the Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame, will go down as one of the most decorated athletes to don the red and black after leaving Loretto as a three-time cross country champion, six-time indoor track and field champion and five-time outdoor track and field champion, along with four NEC team cross country team titles and five track and field team crowns (three indoor, two outdoor). On the cross-country course, Sheehan finished fifth in his first NEC Championship and then was in the winner's circle in his final three seasons (2002, 2003 and 2005). He is the only three-time winner in NEC history and one of five runners to win back-to-back league cross country individual titles and the last athlete to reach the feat. He also participated in the 2002 NCAA Championships and posted the second-best mark in Saint Francis history with his 54th-place finish, while also finishing 82nd in 2003. The success in cross country translated onto the track with six indoor titles, which ranks fourth in NEC history. He won the 5000m all four years during the indoor season and also took home the 3000m titles in his last two seasons. His outdoor track and field career is highlighted by being named an All-American after finishing sixth at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and being named the Most Valuable Performer at the 2005 NEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. After being on the medal stand in his first season with a second-place finish in the 5,000m and a third-place standing in the 10,000m, he won the 5,000m in his final three seasons and the 10,000m in his final two campaigns. Sheehan is married to former cross country/track and field athlete Taryn Gibson, who was a standout for the Red Flash women's teams from 2003-07.
 
Taylor is the 19th men's basketball player to enter the Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame after posting 1,287 points and 967 rebounds in his career on the Loretto hardwood and he is one of five players to register 1,000 points and 950 rebounds in his Red Flash career. A three-time All-NEC performer, Taylor is one of two players to lead the team in rebounding all four years and one of three players to lead the squad in scoring and rebounding in back-to-back seasons in the last 25 years. During Taylor's senior season, he ranked second in NCAA Division I in rebounds per game (12.5) and 10th in total rebounds. During his senior year, he led the team in rebounding in 25 of the 27 games and registered a season-high 22 rebounds against Norfolk State in the second game of the year, while his career high is 23 against LIU in his junior campaign. Taylor notched a career-best 30 points in a 66-57 win at Robert Morris in his junior season. After graduating from Saint Francis, Taylor played professionally overseas for 13 years that included stops in 11 different countries. After retiring, Taylor returned to his alma mater to serve as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator since 2012. 
 
The start of the success of the softball program could be traced back to Trice's senior season when the team went to the NEC Softball Championship Game and posted a then program-best 35-17-1 record. Trice, an All-NEC first-team performer, finished her career with a .330 batting average, 172 hits, 20 doubles, 27 triples, seven home runs, 83 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. She left as the all-time leader in at-bats (522), hits, runs scored, doubles, triples and stolen bases, while ranking second in RBIs and third in home runs. She is still the all-time leader in triples. When she left Loretto, she also had three of the Top-5 single season hits marks including a then program record 58 hits in 1998. Trice also held the top standards on the single-season charts in triples (13, 1998), slugging percentage (.625, 1997) and stolen bases (15, 1998). Trice led NCAA Division I in triples in 1998 and becomes the second Saint Francis Hall of Famer from the softball team.
 
Vesnesky was the play-by-play voice of Saint Francis football and men's and women's basketball for nearly four decades. He was the voice of 11 of the 12 Red Flash women's basketball NEC Championship teams, the 1991 men's basketball championship and the 1992 Saint Francis football team that advanced to its first postseason appearance with a bid to the ECAC Championships. He saw countless student-athletes come and go from Loretto, including 19 women's basketball 1,000-point scorers and 12 for the men's basketball team. He started calling games on the local radio station and covered both home and away events for the Red Flash. When technology changed the game with streaming, Vesnesky and his longtime partner Bernie Jubeck for basketball were the first to cover all the action on the Red Flash network.