Zachary Worstell
zdw001@marietta.edu
As part of the annual Winter Weekend Festivities, Marietta College will induct five Pioneers and three men’s varsity rowing crews into the Marietta College Athletics Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame reception begins at 6:00 p.m. and the banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center.
Earlier in the day both the men’s and women’s basketball teams will face off against Ohio Athletic Conference rival Heidelberg University. The women’s game is slated for 1:00 p.m. and the men’s game is set for 3:00 p.m.
The first inductee is Leonard Randolph Jr. ’65 for the sports of football and baseball. Randolph played four years of football and two years of baseball. Randolph’s contributions led to several Pioneers victories as he scored the lone touchdown in a 7-6 win over Capital University and scored two touchdowns in a 13-12 victory over Hiram College.
After graduating from Marietta with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, he continued his education by earning a master’s degree from Howard University and a medical degree from Meharry Medical College. Randolph started working as a high school chemistry teacher and football coach until he joined the United States Air Force in 1970. Randolph retired after 33 years of service with the rank of Major General.
The second inductee is Jim Thibodeau ’90 for earning four varsity letters in baseball playing under coach Don Schaly. During his tenure the Pioneers won three OAC Championships and made four NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1988 the Etta Express won the regional championship and earned a spot in the NCAA Division III World Series.
Thibodeau was one of the best outfielders for his time, receiving first team All-OAC in 1988 and 1990, first team All-Region in 1990, and first team All-America honors in 1990. Also in 1990, Thibodeau earned his Physical Education degree which he used to become a secondary school teacher in Ontario, Canada.
The next inductee is Jen Fleischer ’00 as she earned four varsity letters for being the Pioneer’s starting goalkeeper in soccer. Furthermore, Fleischer holds the school record for saves in a match with 26 against Heidelberg in 1996. She ranks second in records for saves with 198, career saves with 580, and career shutouts with 23.
After receiving an English degree from Marietta, Fleischer quickly found a job as a high school teacher at the North Olmstead City Schools. However, Fleischer continued her athletic career as well. She played three seasons with the Cleveland Fusion Women’s Professional Football team. With the team she was crowded Special Teams Player of the Year in 2004.
Justine Pagenhardt is the next inductee as she earned six varsity letters at Marietta, four for basketball and two for tennis. Pagenhardt was also a three-time Academic All-OAC honoree and once named a third team Academic All-American in 2008 by ESPN Magazine. Pagenhardt finished her basketball career fourth on the Pioneer’s all-time scoring list with 1,454 points. In the 2005-2006 season she scored 481 points which is the most by any Pioneer since Lisa Wagner put up 507 points in the 1991-1992 season.
After receiving a degree in Biology from Marietta, Pagenhardt went to West Virginia University and received a Doctor of Medicine in 2012. She is currently employed at WVU as an emergency medical physician.
The last inductee in the Class of 2024 is Michelle (Sayre) Knight ’13 as she led the Pioneer’s softball team in hitting during three of her four seasons. Twice she finished a season with a batting average over .400. Knight earned four varsity letters under Hall of Fame coach Jeanne Arbuckle and first team All-Region in 2011.
Knight holds the school records for career RBIs with 119, doubles with 38, home runs with 26, and total bases with 285. She ranks second for hits with 161 and runs scored with 113. She ranks third in batting average with .374.
Since graduating Marietta with a Psychology degree, she has been employed as a Mental Health Specialist at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Hospital.
The first crew inducted is the 1963 Men’s Varsity Heavyweight crew. This crew beat Georgetown University by 3.6 seconds to claim the first Dad Vail gold medal for coach Ralph Lindamood. This was the first gold medal for Marietta since 1934.
The second crew inducted is the 1966 men’s Heavyweight crew as they posted a perfect 17-0 record and defeated St. Joseph’s University by six seconds to claim a gold medal. This crew also claimed the Mid-America Collegiate Rowing Association Championship beating school such as Purdue and Michigan.
The final crew to be inducted is the 1967 men’s Heavyweight crew as they improved upon the previous season finishing 24-0 and winning another Dad Vail gold medal. Marietta beat Purdue by a tenth of a second at the Regatta. They also claimed another Mid-America Collegiate Rowing Association Championship and competed in Europe. They competed in the Gillette Cup in Germany finishing 6th and the Henley Royal Regatta in England.
