Crippen, Lauwaert Tabbed for Villanova Hall of Fame

Courtesy: Villanova Athletics

VILLANOVA, Pa.—The next induction class to the Villanova University Varsity Club Hall of Fame was announced on Monday afternoon with the unveiling of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018.  The newest group of inductees includes seven former student-athletes and one coach, along with the annual Jake Nevin Award winner. Villanova Athletics will celebrate these honorees at the 43rd annual Hall of Fame Dinner in the Finneran Pavilion on Saturday, February 2.  Registration information for the dinner will be announced at a later date.

The members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 represent seven different sports.  The inductees are Maddy Crippen (women’s swimming & diving); Maria DiBernardi (coach, softball); Brian Fili (baseball); Trish Juhline (women’s basketball); Liz Lauwaert (women’s swimming & diving); Brian Marks (men’s lacrosse); Gary Massey (men’s basketball); and Kevin Rogerson (golf).  Father John Stack is the 2018 Jake Nevin Award winner.

Below are the career highlights for each of the Varsity Club Hall of Fame inductees.

MADDY CRIPPEN (Women’s Swimming & Diving, Class of 2003)
Maddy Crippen is one of the most accomplished swimmers in the history of the Villanova program.  She was an NCAA champion in the 400 yard individual medley in 1999 and was just the second women’s swimmer from the Wildcats to win an NCAA title.  Crippen was an eight-time All-American and a 10-time BIG EAST champion, and was twice named the Outstanding Female Swimmer at the BIG EAST Championships (1999, 2001).  She set three previous BIG EAST Championships meet records (1650 yard freestyle, 200 yard butterfly, 400 yard IM) and, at one point in her career, held six of the 14 individual Villanova women’s swimming records.  Crippen currently is the school record holder in the 400 IM.  While still an active member of the Wildcats roster, she represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and finished sixth in the 400 meter IM.  Crippen is one of seven Olympians from the Villanova swimming & diving program and was the Wildcats first swimmer to compete for the U.S. Olympic Team.

MARIA DIBERNARDI (Softball Coach, 1984-2018)
Maria DiBernardi is the winningest coach in Villanova history for any sport.  She was the head coach of the Wildcats softball program for 35 seasons and registered a career record of 880-758-12.  DiBernardi is currently 33rd in all-time coaching victories in NCAA Division I history. One of her strengths was encouraging her student-athletes in their academic pursuits, and as a result she produced more than 300 selections to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team during her coaching tenure.  DiBernardi coached 77 All-BIG EAST honorees and 28 All-Region selections while leading the Wildcats to 17 BIG EAST Tournament berths and three appearances in the conference championship game.  Villanova had 12 seasons with 30 or more wins during her career, including three years with at least 40 victories.

BRIAN FILI (Baseball, Class of 1997)
Brian Fili was one of the top players for Villanova baseball during an extended period of success for the program.  He finished his collegiate career as a .300 hitter, and his career totals included 181 hits, 190 runs scored, 86 runs batted in, 34 doubles, five triples and 13 home runs.  He also drew 136 walks and stole 61 bases while being caught just nine times. Fili ranks in the top 20 in the Wildcats record book in eight different career categories, including having the best stolen base success rate (87.1 percent) in school history.  He also ranks second in walks, third in stolen bases and fourth in runs scored.  Fili was a first team All-BIG EAST selection in 1995 when he batted .325 with 67 runs scored, 46 walks, 22 stolen bases and a .471 on-base percentage while helping lead Villanova to a 40-win season and an appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament. During his career, the Wildcats won 112 games while posting a .571 winning percentage.  The team made three straight conference tournament appearances from 1995-97 and reached the BIG EAST championship game in Fili’s senior year.

TRISH JUHLINE (Women’s Basketball, Class of 2003)
Trish Juhline is one of the most decorated players in Villanova women’s basketball history.  She currently owns the school record with 283 career three-point field goals made, ranks third in school history with 1,659 points and sits at 12th in career assists with 385. Juhline was named a first team All-BIG EAST selection for both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, making her only the third player in program history to be a multiple time first team All-Conference selection.  Juhline also set a then-BIG EAST record with 157 career three-pointers made in league games.  As a senior in 2002-03, she averaged 19.2 points per game in conference play and won the BIG EAST scoring title.  Juhline finished that season averaging 17.6 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game, 4.3 assists per game and 1.5 steals per contest while making 83 three-pointers and scoring 20 or more points on 12 occasions.  She led the Wildcats to the 2003 conference title and was named the MVP of the BIG EAST Championship.  Juhline helped Villanova go 85-41 (.675) during her career while appearing in three NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2003.  Juhline was a CoSida Academic All-District second team selection as a senior in 2003.  Following the season, she was drafted in the third round of the WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics.

LIZ LAUWAERT (Women’s Swimming & Diving, Class of 1999)
Liz Lauwaert finished her collegiate career as one of the most accomplished swimmers in Wildcats history.  She held four school records at the time of her graduation, including in two individual events (100 yard butterfly, 100 yard freestyle) as well as being a part of two record-setting relays (400 yard freestyle relay, 800 yard freestyle relay).  Lauwaert won BIG EAST titles in the 100 yard freestyle in both 1996 and 1998, and was a 10-time BIG EAST champion overall.  She swam on eight relays that won conference titles, including the 400 yard freestyle relay four straight years and the 200 yard freestyle relay twice. 

BRIAN MARKS (Men’s Lacrosse, Class of 2003)
Brian Marks was one of the best players in the history of the Villanova men’s lacrosse program.  He started all 57 games of his career and finished with career totals of 85 goals, 114 assists, 199 points, 227 shots and 151 ground balls.  Marks is the Wildcats all-time assist leader and currently ranks third in school history in points.  He was a USILA honorable mention All-American and the CAA Player of the Year as a senior in 2003.  Marks was also a first team All-CAA selection and played in the USILA North/South All-Star Game that year, while also being named a USILA Scholastic All-American for his academic success.  Marks set the CAA single-season record for assists with 43 during the 2003 season.  He was named to the CAA Silver Anniversary Team in 2010.

GARY MASSEY (Men’s Basketball, Class of 1989)
Gary Massey was a dynamic defender for a Villanova team that played in the postseason all four years of his career.  He was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and still ranks third in school history with 204 career steals.  Massey also set the still-standing school record with nine steals in a game against Providence on February 20, 1988.  During his career, the Wildcats registered an 80-59 record with three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT berth.  Massey was a starter on the 1987-88 squad that reached the NCAA Elite Eight, and he finished his career with 906 points.

KEVIN ROGERSON (Golf, Class of 1991)
Kevin Rogerson is one of the most prolific golfers in Villanova history.  He was a four-year member of the team and led Villanova in stroke average his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.  Rogerson helped the Wildcats win the BIG EAST title in 1990 and post runner-up conference finishes on three other occasions (1989, 1990 and 1991).  He was the individual BIG EAST champion in 1989 and tallied a second straight top-10 finish when he placed sixth at the 1990 conference championship.  Rogerson was the top Villanova finisher at 28 of the 47 tournaments he played in over his final three years on the team, including his 1989 conference title and being the individual medalist at the West Chester Invitational earlier that season.

FATHER JOHN STACK, O.S.A. (Jake Nevin Special Recognition Award)
A longtime supporter of Villanova Athletics, Father Stack is in his 37th year as a Villanova University staff member. After serving as the Dean of Students for 17 years from 1982-1999, he was promoted to his current role of Vice President of Student Life in 1999. In his current position, Father Stack oversees a number of student related areas on campus, including the university counseling center, freshman orientation, music activities, the international student program, the student health center, residence life, discipline and the disabled student program. A native of Drexel Hill, Pa., Father Stack graduated from Villanova in 1971 with a sociology degree. He went on to earn a Masters Degree in Secondary Counseling from Villanova in 1977. Father Stack was ordained an Augustinian priest in May of 1974.