Goldey-Beacom College Department of Athletics Inducts Fourth Hall of Fame Class

4/4/2022 12:00:00 AM

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Goldey-Beacom College's Department of Athletics proudly inducted another solid class into its Athletic Hall of Fame with the 2010-11 Women's Basketball Team, Dan DiGiacobbe, Matt DiGiacobbe and Joe Kissel enshrined as part of the Fourth Hall of Fame Class.

The class was inducted April 3 at the College's new events center and also was attended by many dignitaries that included GBC President Dr. Colleen Perry Keith. It was the first year the ceremony stood by itself as the College in previous years had combined it with the Student-Athlete Award Ceremony.

"This year's class of Hall of Fame inductees was well worth the two-year wait," Goldey-Beacom College Director of Athletics Jeremy Benoit said. "COVID threw a wrench in our initial plan to induct them back in 2020, but the wait is over. These members of our Lightning Family and their many successes comprise some of the most impactful in our history and celebrating them on Sunday was nothing short of tremendous. Especially, being able to host them in the beautiful new Events Center and showing them all the great work the College has done to improve its campus and the student experience."

The 2010-11 Women's Basketball Team made history by winning the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Title and competing in the NCAA Tournament. The squad notched two road wins over No. 1 regionally ranked Holy Family, two victories over No. 7 University of the Sciences and one over No. 10 Bloomfield.

The first win ended a 110-game regular-season conference winning streak and 71-game home winning streak at Holy Family, ranked 14th in the country at that time. The second was in the conference final as Goldey-Beacom topped then No. 15 Holy Family, 66-54, to secure the second CACC title by a women's team in school history.

The squad featured two all-conference picks (Janae Weldon, Jacinda Jones) and the CACC Tournament Most Valuable Player (Janae Weldon). Weldon and Jones still remain in the program's top 10 list in points, field goals, 3-pointers, free throws and steals.

The DiGiacobbe brothers helped fuel a turning point in the history of the men's soccer program as the Lightning, perennial contenders at this point, finally could call themselves champions. During the duo's stay from 2001-04, Goldey-Beacom won the 2002 NAIA Region X championship, played in the NAIA National Tournament that year, won the 2003 CACC title and advanced to the ECAC final that season.

Dan DiGiacobbe was picked first team All-CACC in 2003, second team in 2002, was named to the 2003 CACC All-Tournament team and graduated third in school history with 20 assists, fourth with 22 goals and fourth with 64 points. Matt DiGiacobbe was tabbed first team all-league in 2004, second team in 2002 and graduated first in program history with 36 assists, third with 31 goals and third with 98 points.

The squad's play in the 2002 NAIA National Tournament marked the first team appearance by the college in a national championship tournament.

Kissel arrived in 2006 at Pike Creek to a second-year women's tennis program still looking for its first win. What he turned it into was a juggernaut that won the CACC title in 2016 and 2017, claimed a share of the regular season title in 2018 and competed in eight NCAA Tournaments.

He produced 146 wins during his 13 seasons that included the 2014-15 team finishing 31st in the country, the 2017-18 squad ending 32nd and the 2018-19 unit ending 44th. The Lightning also posted winning campaigns in his final 11 seasons dating to 2008-09 and double-digit victories in nine of the last 11 campaigns.

The 2014-15 season was one of the most memorable with the squad winning a program-record 18 matches and upending CACC-foe Chestnut Hill, becoming the first squad in school history in any sport to win a head-to-head NCAA Tournament contest. The 2018-19 unit claimed a share of its third straight CACC regular-season title and advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament, marking the furthest a GBC team in any sport advanced in an NCAA sponsored event.

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