ITHACA, N.Y. -- Eleven new members, including eight All-Americans, have been selected for induction into the Cornell University Athletics Hall of Fame at the 40th annual ceremonies to be held Saturday, Nov. 11 on the Cornell campus. After this year's class is inducted, the membership in the Hall will stand at 598.
The All-Americans who will be inducted are Mitch Belisle '07, men's lacrosse; Elizabeth Bishop '07, volleyball; Dave Devine '75, men's lacrosse; Matt McMonagle '07, men's lacrosse; Mike Smit '07, men's swimming and diving; Rayon Taylor '07, men's track and field; Morgan Uceny '07, women's track and field; and Sarah Wilfred '07, women's track and field.
Also selected to be enshrined in November are Chris Field '91, football; Don Greenberg '55, special category; and Stephen Machooka '64, men's track and field.
In addition to the formal induction ceremonies on Saturday evening, the honorees will be recognized at halftime of the Cornell-Columbia football game that afternoon.
The Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame was initiated in 1978. It became a reality through the thoughtfulness and generosity of the late Ellis H. Robison, Class of 1918, whose devotion, advice and financial support to his alma mater started immediately upon graduation from the university.
A brief biography of each of the 11 inductees follows.
Mitch Belisle '07, men's lacrosse
A two-time All-American, Belisle became the first Cornell defenseman to win the Schmeisser Cup as the top defensive player in the nation since Chris Kane took home the honor in 1978. A first-team USILA All-American in 2007, he was an honorable mention pick the previous year and was named to the All-Ivy first team both seasons. He started every game for the final three seasons of his career and averaged 34 ground balls per year. Belisle was elected co-captain for the 2007 season and anchored the third-best defense in the nation. He was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large First Team. Following graduation, he was chosen by the L.A. Riptide in the second round of the Major League Lacrosse draft with the 12th overall pick, and was the first overall true defenseman selected in the 2007 National Lacrosse League draft, going to the New York Titans in the first round as the 13th overall pick. As a professional, Belisle has won two championships, helping the Boston Cannons win the MLL Championship in 2011 and the Georgia Swarm take home the NLL Champion's Cup in 2017.
Elizabeth Bishop '07, volleyball
Bishop was a two-time AVCA honorable mention All-American, becoming the first Cornell volleyball player to earn All-America honors. Bishop, a three-time AVCA All-Northeast Region selection and four-time first-team All-Ivy League honoree, was unanimously named the Ivy League's Volleyball Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2006, becoming the first player to receive this honor in consecutive years since 1996-97. The Portland, Ore., native also led the Big Red to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. Bishop closed out her career ranked in the top 10 in eight different categories in Cornell history, including first in kills with 1,690, over 400 more than any other player in school history, and ranks second overall in Ivy League history. She finished her career ranked third all-time in Big Red history with 1,166 career digs, sixth in block assists, and 10th in total blocks.
Dave Devine '75, men's lacrosse
Devine was a two-time second-team All-American, earning accolades in 1974 and 1975. A first-team All-Ivy League selection those same years, Devine earned a spot on Team USA in 1978. He was chosen to play in the North-South Senior All-Star Game and earned the Joe Philp Memorial Award for contributing to the overall team effort. He also earned the Al "Junior" Kelz-Mike Herriott Award as the team's outstanding senior player in 1975. In his two years as a varsity starter, the Big Red went 27-4 overall with a pair of trips to the NCAA semifinals, were a perfect 12-0 in conference play winning two Ivy titles.
Chris Field '91, football
A member of the Cornell Football Association's all-time team, he was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy pick on the 1990 Ivy League championship team. A two-year letter winner after transferring from Northern Illinois, Field was the recipient of the team's Sid Roth Most Valuable Lineman Award in 1990 after leading the unit in assignment percentage the previous year. A preseason Division I-AA All-America selection by the Sporting News in 1991, he chose not to play that season after receiving his degree in August 1991.
Don Greenberg '55, special category
Greenberg has invested six decades as a varsity athlete, faculty adviser, benefactor and super fan of Cornell athletics. As an undergraduate, he was a two-year letter winner for the men's tennis team and a three-year letter winner for the soccer team. He helped tennis to a record of 22-10 overall and 8-4 in Ivy League competition. As a member of the soccer team, Greenberg earned first-team all-state accolades as the starting goalkeeper, posting three shutouts his senior year, including one against nationally ranked Cortland. Greenberg has served as an influential faculty adviser to the tennis team, and has also worked with numerous other Big Red teams, coaches and athletes during his longstanding relationship with Cornell athletics.
Stephen Machooka '64, men's track and field/cross country
The first Kenyan distance runner to compete in the United States, Machooka became the first black student-athlete to earn first-team All-Ivy League honors in cross country after winning the Heptagonal Championship and leading Cornell to a team victory in 1961. He won the IC4A cross country title a few weeks later at Van Cortlandt Park in two inches of snow, slush and mud and set a Franklin Park course record in Boston. Machooka set the Cornell mile record as a freshman in 1961 (4:10.8), bettering the mark of legendary John Paul Jones by more than four seconds. Machooka won the Heps freshman cross country race. His 1961 Cross Country performances resulted in him being featured on the cover of "Track & Field News" after dominating the East Coast Cross Country scene, and he was also featured in the New York Times. Circumstances changed after his sophomore year, and Machooka needed to work to pay his expenses and was urged by an academic advisor to spend less time running and more time with his courses. He still competed, but he took several long layoffs, and in 1962 contracted mumps and went several months without running. He returned for the 1963 Outdoor Heps and nearly claimed the title, running a 4:10.5 mile. That summer included a final flash of success, as Machooka joined the Penn-Cornell team in England to face Oxford-Cambridge when he won both the 880-yard (1:51.1) and mile runs (4:16.6). He gave up competitive running before his senior year to concentrate on his studies and graduated in 1964. Machooka was inducted posthumously into the Niagara Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2012.
Matt McMonagle '07, men's lacrosse
McMonagle finished his career as the 19th three-time All-American in Cornell men's lacrosse history. A first-team All-America pick as a senior, he was a second-team selection as a junior and earned an honorable mention nod as a sophomore. A three-time first-team All-Ivy pick (the seventh in school history), he finished his career as the winningest goalie in Cornell history with 45 victories. Over four seasons, he posted a 45-10 (.818) overall record and a 21-1 (.955) mark in the Ivy League. He was the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year and also earned the Ens. C.M. Kelly Jr. Award as the nation's most outstanding goalkeeper in 2007. McMonagle was named a first team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2007. A two-time Tewaaraton Trophy nominee, McMonagle finished his career with 558 saves, fifth overall in Cornell history, and was the school record holder for single-season goals against average (5.73 in 2006, third in NCAA history). He stood atop the school's career goals against average list (7.27, third in NCAA history) as well. McMonagle ranked second in Cornell history and fourth in NCAA history in minutes played, logging 3,160 between the pipes. Following graduation, he was selected by the Long Island Lizards in the first round of the Major League Lacrosse draft, taken with the 10th overall pick.
Mike Smit '07, men's swimming and diving
Smit earned All-America honors at the 2006 NCAA championships. The two-time NCAA qualifier graduated with seven individual Cornell records and as part of four relay record-setting squads: the 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 freestyle, the 100 and 200 butterfly, the 400 IM and as part of the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle and 400 medley relays. Smit was the 2007 EISL Career Swimmer of the Meet and earned the team's MVP twice, as well as the squad's Hardest Worker Award in 2006. He was a three-time Ivy champion in the 500 free and earned seven Ivy individual titles.
Rayon Taylor '07, men's track and field
Taylor won Cornell's first NCAA individual track and field championship since Charlie Moore in 1951 when he won the triple jump in an Ivy record 53-8 1/2 in 2007. He earned All-America honors both indoors and outdoors in the triple jump as a senior, adding a fifth-place finish indoors to his national title. Taylor was All-East during both seasons, finishing as IC4A champion indoors and runner-up outdoors. The 2006 indoor Heptagonal champ graduated with the school's second-longest indoor leap (52-1 1/4). He also claimed the outdoor Heps crown in 2006 and graduated with the school record he set in his NCAA championship performance. He was a qualifier for the Pan-American Games in 2007 for Jamaica. After graduation, he used his final season of eligibility at Florida State, finishing fourth in the triple jump at the NCAAs outdoors, helping the Seminoles to a national team title. Taylor also placed eighth indoors as Florida State was the national runner-up.
Morgan Uceny '07, women's track and field
A four-time NCAA All-American and school record holder in the 800 meters on the track, Uceny captured six individual Heptagonal titles (all at 800 meters) combined with four relay crowns. Uceny held the event's record at both the indoor and outdoor Heptagonals and was a part of the 4x400 relay team that holds both Heps marks. The Most Valuable Performer at the 2006 indoor ECAC meet, Uceny set a meet record in the 800 en route to winning the event. All told, Uceny held eight school records (indoor 500, 800 and 1000 meters, indoor and outdoor 4x400, outdoor distance medley and sprint medley relays and outdoor 4x800), and three all-time Heps marks (4x400, 4x800 and sprint medley relays). Uceny served as a team co-captain and helped lead Cornell to eight consecutive indoor and outdoor Heps team titles. She finished as high as fourth (2006 NCAA indoors) at the championships in the 800, and showed her versatility by posting the second-fastest time in the 1,500 meters in winning the event at the 2007 ECACs in her second collegiate race at that distance. She was named the USTFCCCA Northeast District Runner of the Year as a senior and placed sixth at 800 meters outdoors. Professionally, Uceny finished the 2011 season ranked No.1 in the world at 1500 meters and won the final at the 2012 U.S. track and field Olympic Trials, qualifying for the London Olympic games and reaching the finals in the event. She competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2016, finishing fifth. Uceny won U.S. Championships at 1500 meters indoors in 2010 and outdoors in 2011 and 2012 and placed 10th at the World Championships in 2011.
Sarah Wilfred '07, women's track and field
Wilfred was a two-time All-American, placing fourth in the high jump at the NCAA championships indoors in 2007 and was fifth outdoors in 2006. She won the indoor high jump at the Heptagonal Championships three consecutive years (2005, 2006, 2007) and set school records in the event both indoors (6-0 3/4) and outdoors (6-0 1/2). Wilfred was named the USTFCCA Northeast Region Female Field Event Athlete of the Year indoors in 2007. She won the Penn Relays Championship of America high jump competition in 2007, becoming the first Cornell woman to win a Championship of America Event since 1992. A six-time All-East performer, she won the ECAC title in the high jump outdoors in 2006 and indoors in 2007, as well as finishing as runner-up outdoors in 2007. Wilfred served as team captain her senior year.
