Five Athletes Named to Pace 2013 Hall of Fame

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y.- The Pace University Department of Athletics has announced the names of the five new members who will be inducted into the Pace Athletics Hall of Fame at the 2013 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, April 12, 2013 at the Tudor Room of Pace’s White Plains Law School Campus. The evening will feature a reception starting at 6:00 pm followed by dinner and the induction ceremony starting at 7:00 pm.

The newest members to the Pace Athletics Hall of Fame are Kim DePaola-Napier (Softball ’89), Brian Finnerty (Baseball ’72), Rich Middlebrook (Football ’87), Fred Oglesby (Men’s Basketball ’83) and Michelle Seeley-Flannory (Volleyball ’99). The Pace Athletics Hall of Fame was started in 1997 with this year’s ceremony marking the twelfth induction class. Tickets for the event are available for $100 per person. For more information on the 2013 Pace University Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, please contact Director of Athletic Development Drew Brown at 914-773-3481 or dbrown4@pace.edu.   

The Inductees

Kim DePaola-Napier played softball for Pace from 1986-89 and was the first recruited player in the history of the Pace Softball program. She was a two-time Hudson Valley Conference Player of the Year as well as helping lead the team to back-to-back Hudson Valley Conference Regular Season and Playoff Championships in 1987 and 1988. She ranks in the top-3 all time in innings pitched, wins, strikeouts, complete games, shutouts, saves and earned run average. DePaola-Napier finished her career with 605.1 innings pitched, 45 wins, 229 strikeouts, 75 complete games, 12 shutouts, three saves and a 1.61 ERA. She ranks third and fifth on the single season wins list with 15 in 1986 and 13 in 1987 and 1989. She is also second on the single season ERA list as she posted a 0.91 mark in the 1989 season.

Brian Finnerty played baseball for the Setters from 1969-71. He was a three-time All-Knickerbocker Conference selection (‘69, ‘70, ‘71) and helped lead the Setters to two Knickerbocker Conference Championships in 1969 and 1971. Finnerty led the nation in batting average with a .455 mark in 1970 and earned the Adirondack Big Stick Award for his outstanding season. He was a three-time Atlantic Collegiate League All-Star from 1968-70 as he starred in summer ball. He was drafted in the 37th Round of the 1971 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Montreal Expos. He currently works with Raymond James and Associates, Inc., and has been a financial commentator for CBS, CNBC, CNN, Fox News and PBS. 

Rich Middlebrook was one of the top defensive players in the history of the football program as he played from 1983-86. He was named to the Liberty Conference First Team Defense in 1985 and 1986, while he garnered Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1986 as he served as a team captain. He was an All-Metro Area Defense selection in 1984 and earned Football News Second Team All-American honors in 1986. Middlebrook was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in 1985 and 1986 and was named Homecoming Co-MVP in 1985. He is the all-time sack leader with 28 for his career, while ranking second and third on the single season sack list with 13 in 1986 and 12.5 in 1985. Currently working as a CPA, Rich and his wife Patricia, also a Pace alumna, have four children and currently live in Ridgefield, CT.

Fred “Freddie O.” Oglesby played for the men’s basketball team from 1978-82 and graduated as the all-time leading scorer. He was a two-time Big Apple Conference First Team selection as well as earning Big Apple Conference MVP honors in 1981 and 1982. He was named MVP by the coaches of the Big Apple Conference after averaging 20.9 points per game in 12 straight contests during the 1980-81 season. In fourteen of twenty-seven games during that season he scored 20 points or more. Oglesby was named to the Metropolitan College Division All-Star team in back to back seasons in 1979-80 and 1980-81. He currently ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,825 points and eighth all-time in assists with 350. He also holds the third spot on the single season scoring list as he totaled 625 points in the 1981-82 season. In three of his four varsity seasons, Oglesby led the team in scoring and in his senior season averaged 23.1 points per game.    

Michelle Seeley-Flannory played for the women’s volleyball team from 1995-98 and was one of the top setters in the history of the program. She was a New York Collegiate Athletic Conference First Team selection in 1996 and helped lead Pace to the NYCAC Playoff Championship in that same season. Seeley-Flannory was a two-time Northeast-10 Conference selection, earning Second Team honors in 1997 and First Team Honors in 1998. She was a two-time American Volleyball Coaches’ Association All-Region pick in 1996 and 1998. She was a member of the 1997 NE-10 Playoff Championship as well as the NE-10 Regular Season Title in 1998. Seeley-Flannory helped lead the Setters to three straight NCAA appearances from 1996-98 with two teams advancing to the Sweet 16 in 1996 and 1997. The 1998 squad won the Northeast Region and advanced to the Elite 8 as she was named to the NCAA Northeast Region All-Tournament First Team. During her four seasons, Pace posted a record of 134-34 for a .798 winning percentage. Seeley-Flannory is the all-time leader in Pace history in assists with 5,967, while ranking third in sets played with 584 and seventh in service aces with 212. She is third in all-time digs and second in the pre-rally scoring era with 2,046. She holds the top four single season assist totals. She is currently a chemistry and research teacher at Elmont Memorial High School. Michelle and her husband Gerard have a one year old son.