ITHACA, N.Y. -- Fourteen new members, including eight All-Americans, have been selected for induction into the Cornell University Athletics Hall of Fame as the Class of 2026. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Selected to be enshrined in November are Udeme Akpaete '16, women's track and field; Reggie Baker Robbins '75, special category; William "Buck" Briggs '76, special category; Zak Dentes '09, sprint football; Keri Farley '95, women's basketball; Nahshon Garrett '16, wrestling; Taylor Goetzinger '12, women's rowing; Daniel Haber '14, men's soccer; Luke Hagy '16, football; Shonn Miller '15, men's basketball; Meghan Phair '06, fencing; Nick Sachvie '14, men's squash; Marissa Siergiej '16, field hockey; and Luke Tasker '13, football.
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 14 inductees follows.
Udeme Akpaete '16, Women's Track & Field
Akpaete earned two NCAA All-America honors and was one of Cornell's most accomplished sprinters during her career, collecting nine Ivy League Heptagonal titles — four individual and five as a relay member — along with 15 All-Ivy selections. She was named the Ivy League Most Outstanding Performer at the 2015 outdoor Heptagonal Championships after winning the 200-meter and 400-meter races and anchoring Cornell's championship 4x100 and 4x400 relays. At the 2015 outdoor Heptagonals, Akpaete set Cornell school records in the 200 and 400 meters, an Ivy League record in the 4x100 relay and a meet record in the 4x400 relay. She also helped Cornell's 4x400 relay team win ECAC indoor and outdoor championships and qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in both 2014 and 2015, earning second-team All-America honors both seasons at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Upon graduation, Akpaete held seven school records: the indoor 400 meters and 4x400 relay, and the outdoor 200 meters, 400 meters, and the 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400 relays.
Reggie Baker Robbins '75, Special Category
Baker Robbins was a founding figure in Cornell women's ice hockey, playing on the program's first three varsity teams from 1972-75. The Lansing, N.Y. native organized interest on campus before enrolling, recruiting 23 women to form the team and advocating for access to Lynah Rink. She was instrumental in securing varsity status for the 1972-73 season, and she and her teammates raised their own funds to cover uniforms, equipment and travel. By the program's third season, her leadership helped Cornell to a 12-2 record. Her advocacy was central not only to the establishment of Cornell women's ice hockey but to the broader development of women's athletics at the University.
William (Buck) Briggs '76, Special Category
A founding father of the Cornell Football Association, William (Buck) Briggs '76 is one of the foremost historians and ambassadors of Cornell football and Big Red athletics. He served as vice president for arbitration and litigation for the NFL after earlier work as an attorney for the NFL Players Association. Briggs later returned to Cornell as an adjunct professor in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, where he developed and taught the school's first sports law courses, while also serving as a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. A familiar voice to generations of Big Red fans, Briggs spent nearly two decades as the color analyst for Cornell football broadcasts on radio and ESPN+. In recognition of his lifelong commitment to the program, he received the Cornell Football Association's Lou Conti Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. His historic Ithaca home, the Old Stone Heap, has become a living museum celebrating the rich history of Cornell Athletics, Cornell University and the Ithaca community.
Zak Dentes '09, Sprint Football
A three-time all-CSFL performer and two-time first-team pick, Dentes quarterbacked the Big Red to an unbeaten championship season as a sophomore in 2006 and a CSFL runner-up finish as a senior captain in 2008. The three-year starter guided Cornell to a 15-4 mark and never lost a game at Schoellkopf Field (8-0). He set school career records with 2,853 passing yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 425 rushing yards and seven scores, and also holds school marks for career completions, completion percentage, total offense yards and yards per play. He was named the team's co-MVP as a senior.
Keri Farley '95, Women's Basketball
A three-time All-Ivy League selection, including a first-team pick as a senior, Farley was one of two choices for the Ivy League Silver Anniversary Honor Roll in 1998-99. She still ranks third all-time at Cornell in career points (1,380) and field goals made (537) and fourth in career 3-point percentage (.368). Farley set the Ivy League single-game scoring record with 41 points against Harvard in 1995, and her nine consecutive 3-pointers in a game against Georgetown stood as an NCAA record for nearly a quarter century. She was the Ivy League scoring champion in 1994-95, averaging 17.4 points per game. After graduation, Farley earned a spot on the USA Handball national team from 1995-2003, competing in the 1999 and 2003 Pan-American Games.
Nahshon Garrett '16, Wrestling
A four-time NCAA All-American and 2016 national champion, Garrett became the sixth Cornellian to earn All-America honors four times. The two-time Ivy League Wrestler of the Year and four-time EIWA champion ended his career with a 149-12 record, second on the school's wins list. He closed his collegiate career on a high note, earning his first NCAA title with a 7-6 win over Iowa's Cory Clark to cap a 37-0 senior year, matching Kyle Dake's 2012-13 campaign for the most wins without a loss in a season in Cornell history. Following graduation, Garrett was a two-time member of Team USA and claimed a silver medal at the 2023 Pan-American Games.
Taylor Goetzinger '12, Women's Rowing
Just the second repeat CRCA All-American in Cornell women's rowing history, Goetzinger was a first-team honoree in 2012, following a second-team selection in 2011. As a senior, she rowed seventh seat in the Big Red Varsity boat that placed 11th overall at the 2012 NCAA Women's Rowing Championship. She was named second-team All-Ivy after helping Cornell to a silver medal in the varsity eight race at the 2012 Ivy League Championship. Goetzinger was named a first-team All Mid-Atlantic Region selection and a CRCA second-team All-American after rowing in the seven-seat of the varsity eight during her junior year in 2011. She helped the boat to wins against Yale, Harvard and Dartmouth as the crew was consistently ranked in the top 20, reaching as high as No. 10. Following the season, Goetzinger was given the team's Lianne Ritter Memorial Award, presented annually to a junior member of the women's rowing team who best exemplifies the pursuit of excellence in the sport of rowing, scholarship, and leadership. Goetzinger was also a CRCA All Mid-Atlantic Region second-team selection as a sophomore. She was a member of the 2013 U.S. national team at the World Rowing Championships in the women's pair.
Daniel Haber '14, Men's Soccer
Haber was named to the NSCAA All-America first team as a junior after leading the team with 18 goals and 43 points, including leading the country in goals per game (1.06) and points per game (2.53) in 2012. His scoring prowess, including five game-winning goals, helped the Big Red to its first Ivy League title since 1995 and its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1996. He was named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy after scoring 43 points, good for second-best in school history, behind only Victor Huerta's 47-point year in 1972. Haber was named to the All-Ivy first team and was the first men's soccer player ever at Cornell to win the Ivy League Player of the Year award after helping the team to a 15-2 finish. He also won the Ivy League's Player of the Week award a record five times during the season and seven times in his career. Haber was a second-team All-Ivy pick as a sophomore in 2011 after pacing the conference in scoring with nine goals and four assists for 22 points. He closed his three-year varsity career with 28 goals and 13 assists (69 points) with eight game-winners. His 28 goals ranked fourth in a career at Cornell, his 13 assists were seventh, and his 69 points and eight game-winning goals were third. Haber turned pro in 2013, signing a contract with Maccabi Haifa FC, one of the elite teams in Israel's Premier League.
Luke Hagy '16, Football
Hagy was a three-time All-Ivy League selection, including a first-team pick as a senior, after becoming the first Ivy football player to reach 2,000 rushing and 1,500 receiving yards in a career and the first Cornell player to lead the Big Red in rushing in four consecutive seasons. He ended his career in the top five all-time in all-purpose yardage and top 10 in rushing, touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards. As a junior, he ranked third in the Ivy League in rushing (734 yards) while adding six total touchdowns. As a sophomore, Hagy led all Ivy running backs in receptions (55), receiving yards (652) and receiving touchdowns. His rookie year he was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award for national freshman of the year. An Academic All-Ivy League selection and team captain, he was one of two finalists from the Ivy League for the All-State Good Works Team.
Shonn Miller '15, Men's Basketball
A two-time first-team All-Ivy League selection, Miller became the first player in Cornell history to surpass 100 blocked shots and 100 steals in a career and the first Cornellian and fifth Ivy player to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 steals. A finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award as national Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, he ranked in the top 100 nationally in 11 different categories as a senior, averaging 16.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Miller was Ivy League Rookie of the Year as a freshman, setting new Cornell rookie records for rebounds and blocked shots. He attended the University of Connecticut as a graduate transfer, averaging 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds while helping the Huskies reach the NCAA Tournament. Following his collegiate career, Miller played professionally in the NBA G League and in Portugal, Mexico, Germany, Greece and the Philippines.
Meghan Phair '06, Fencing
Phair earned first-team All-America honors in epee in each of her first two seasons with the Big Red. A four-time All-Ivy League selection, including a first-team pick as a freshman in 2003, she became the first Big Red fencer to earn All-America status in 19 years after recording a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Fencing Championships that year. She ended the competition with a 15-7 record, and had a +9 touch differential. Phair also took second place in the Northeast Regional that same season. The following year, Phair captured fourth place at the 2004 NCAA Championship - the highest finish to that point in school history - and finished the competition with a 15-8 record and a stellar +22 touch differential. She qualified for the NCAAs by taking gold at the NCAA Northeast Regional. She also went 9-5 in Ivy League competition to earn second-team All-Ivy honors. In all, she was a three-time NCAA qualifier, also claiming 17th in 2006.
Nick Sachvie '14, Men's Squash
A four-time College Squash Association (CSA) All-America selection, he was also a four-time first-team All-Ivy League selection and was unanimously named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2011. Sachvie was named a first-team All-American for a third time after advancing to the quarterfinals of the CSA Individual Championships in 2014. He was also one of three finalists for the CSA's Skillman Award, which is given annually to the senior men's squash player who has demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship during his entire collegiate career. The top-ranked junior player in Canada when he arrived at Cornell, Sachvie finished his collegiate career with a 44-23 record from the top position in the men's squash team's lineup. He became the program's first finalist in the College Squash Association's Individual Championships in 2011.
Marissa Siergiej '16, Field Hockey
Siergiej became the program's first All-American in 13 seasons when she was named to the NFHCA second team as a senior in 2015. She was a two-time first-team All-Mideast Region All-American, and was named a unanimous first-team All-Ivy honoree in each of her final two seasons. As a senior, she became the first-ever Cornell field hockey player to earn an Ivy League Player of the Year honor, taking home the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award. Siergiej was selected to participate in the NFHCA Senior All-Star game and was named to the 2015 ECAC Field Hockey All-Star first team. Over the course of her four seasons, she anchored some of the best defenses in program history and ended her career ranked second in school history for goals (38), just two shy of Linda Miller's school record, and fifth overall in points (85).
Luke Tasker '13, Football
Tasker was named a third-team Football Championship Subdivision All-American by Beyond Sports Network in 2012 after ending his career with 2,482 receiving yards, second on Cornell's career list and 13th best all-time in Ivy history. Tasker had a pair of 200-yard games as a senior, including 10 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Princeton. He was even better against Monmouth, setting a Cornell single-game record with 280 receiving yards on 11 catches with one touchdown. He was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League pick in his final season, hauling in 75 passes for a school single-season record 1,207 yards and eight touchdowns. Tasker's yardage mark ranked sixth in Ivy history and he ranked among the national leaders in receptions per game (ninth, 7.5), receiving yards per game (fourth, 120.7) and all-purpose yardage per game (34th, 127.2). Tasker's totals led the Ancient Eight in both receptions and receiving yards per game. After signing with the San Diego Charges of the NFL as an undrafted free agent, he went to the Canadian Football League and was a four-time CFL All-Star with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He piled up 455 receptions for 5,734 yards and 35 touchdowns in 88 career games, leading the CFL in yards (1,167) in 2017 and touchdowns (11) in 2018.
