ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – The East Coast Conference honored it's five-member Hall of Fame Class of 2020 on Saturday, January 27 at Molloy University's Wilbur Arts Center in Rockville Centre, New York. Made up of three student-athletes and two coaches from four different institutions and five different sports, the ceremony recognized John DiRico, Alex Koszalka, John Petrucelli, Jackie Sileo, and Tom Zummo.
Additionally, Melissa Reilly was honored with the Outstanding Service Award for her work with the ECC over her 13-year career with the conference office.
Photos from the event can be found
here.
John DiRico, Dowling (Men’s Soccer Head Coach; 1992-2015)
DiRico is enshrined in the ECC Hall of Fame after turning Dowling College men’s soccer into one of Divison II’s elite programs. During his tenure, which spanned from 1992-2015, DiRico led the Golden Lions to dominance within the conference, compiling 14 ECC/NYCAC Regular Season Championships and six ECC/NYCAC Tournament Championships the league didn’t hold a conference tournament for men’s soccer until 2004).
That success within the conference also carried over to the NCAA postseason. Dowling made 13 NCAA Championship, six Division II Final Four appearances (2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010), and two National Championship match appearances (2006, 2008) under DiRico.
The culmination of his career came in 2006 when DiRico led the Golden Lions to the top of the mountain as Division II National Champions. That Dowling squad is still the only men’s soccer National Champion in ECC history.
Overall, DiRico compiled a 286-124-52 record, good for a .675 winning percentage over 24 seasons. His win total is tops in ECC history and good for 31st all-time among Division II coaches. His winning percentage is also the 25th best all-time in Division II.
DiRico also earned many honors during his career. Eight times he was the conference Coach of the Year, three times he claimed the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) East Region Coach of the Year, and after leading Dowling to a national title, was named the NSCAA Division II National Coach of the Year.
Alex Koszalka, Dowling (Volleyball Head Coach; 2000-2010)
Koszalka is welcomed to the ECC Hall of Fame after a decade of excellence as the volleyball Head Coach at Dowling.
After a slow start over the first two seasons of his tenure, Kosalka led the Golden Lions to nine straight NCAA Division II Championship appearances before stepping down from the position. In that span, Dowling became an East Region power, winning five regional titles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010) that resulted in NCAA Elite Eight berths.
Under his guidance, the 2010 version of the Golden Lions advanced all the way to the NCAA Final Four. To date, that team is still the only East Region squad to ever advance past the Division II Elite Eight.
Koszalka also led Dowling to six straight NYCAC/ECC Regular Season Championships from 2005-2010 and six NYCAC/ECC Tournament Championships (04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 10).
Overall, Koszalka finished with a 328-100 record in his time patrolling the Dowling sidelines. His career winning percentage of .766 ranks 16th all-time among Division II coaches.
John Petrucelli, Molloy (Men’s Basketball; 2010-2014)
Petrucelli earns his spot in the ECC Hall of Fame after one of the most impressive men’s basketball careers in conference history.
Petrucelli’s name is littered throughout the ECC’s record book. He is one of only five players in league history to top the 2,000 point plateau, finishing with 2011 in his career. He also ranks among the top-10 in conference history with 681 field goals made and 582 free throws made.
A prolific defender in addition to his offensive prowess, Petrucelli ranks first in league history with 353 steals, 81 more than the previous best. His steals total is also fifth in Division II history and his mark of 3.15 steals per game in his career is 17th best among all Division II players.
Petrucelli ranks in the top-10 in league history for single-season records, as well in points (6th), points per game (10th), steals (5th & 7th), steals per game (two seasons tied for 5th), field goals made (7th), and free throws made (7th). Most of those records came during the 2013-14 season when he was named ECC Player of the Year. That season he averaged 23.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and led all of Division II with 3.6 steals per game in 2014.
A four-time All-Conference honoree and 2011 ECC Rookie of the Year, Petrucelli averaged 18.0 points on 44.0 percent shooting, 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.2 steals over 112 career games.
Since leaving Molloy, Petrucelli has embarked on a professional career. He has played overseas in Slovakia, Israel, and Germany and spent three seasons in the NBA G-League, as well. He is currently playing for Brescia Leonessa in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A.
Jackie Sileo, LIU Post (Women’s Lacrosse; 2011-2014)
Sileo is a first-ballot ECC Hall of Famer after putting together not just the best women’s lacrosse career in ECC history, but arguably all of Division II and NCAA history, as well.
Sileo scored points at a rate unmatched in the history of the sport. No NCAA women’s lacrosse student-athlete has scored more points or dished off more assists than Sileo did during her four years at LIU Post. She holds the ECC, Division II, and NCAA All-Division records with 564 points and 369 assists while her 7.32 points per game rank second.
Her name is littered throughout the Division II single-season record book too. Three of her season point totals rank among the top-six in Division II history. Her marks of 178 points and 117 assists from the 2013 season are both second all-time in Division II and ECC records. Sileo was also the Division II national leader in points per game (2012, 2014), points (2012, 2013, 2014), assists per game (2012, 2013, 2014), and assists (2012, 2013, 2014).
Nearly every award imaginable went Sileo’s way for her outstanding play. On the conference level, she began her career by winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award before winning three straight Player of the Year honors. In addition, she was an All-American every year of her career (three times First-Team) and a three-time Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II National Attacker of the Year. Sileo excelled in the classroom, as well. Three times she was honored as a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American.
On top of all her individual accomplishments, she helped lead LIU Post to incredible team success. She led the Pioneers to an ECC Championship in 2013, an ECC Regular Season Championship in 2014, and NCAA Division II National Championships in 2012 and 2013.
Tom Zummo, New York Tech (Men’s Lacrosse; 2002-2005)
Zummo gains entry to the ECC Hall of Fame after an outstanding career on the lacrosse field for New York Tech.
Zummo was an All-American in each of his four seasons on Tech’s Old Westbury campus. He began his career with a Second Team nod before earning First Team accolades in each of his remaining three seasons. His senior year also saw him earn the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division II National Midfielder of the Year award.
At the conference level, Zummo was a four-time All-NYCAC honoree, the 2002 NYCAC Rookie of the Year, and the 2005 NYCAC Player of the Year.
He earned those honors as a potent scorer from the midfield position. Zummo totaled 109 goals and 172 points in his career. Both marks are among the top-10 in New York Tech program history.
Zummo led the Bears to a whopping 49-6 record in his four seasons. In that time, Tech claimed NYCAC Championships in each of his four seasons and Division II National Championships in 2003 and 2005.
After the conclusion of his collegiate career, Zummo went on to play professionally in Major League Lacrosse for six years. He was twice named a league All-Star and was honored as the 2008 New Balance MLL Sportsman of the Year after raising money to benefit youth afflicted with brain cancer.
Outstanding Service Award
Melissa Reilly, East Coast Conference
Melissa served as Senior Associate Commissioner with the East Coast Conference, where she also held positions as Associate Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, and Senior Woman Administrator.
During her 13 years at the ECC, she increased the reserve fund, developed strategic relationships to secure sponsorship deals, and increased ticket sales, while working to elevate the ECC through marketing and brand management, strategic planning, and establishing annual reporting and metrics for the President's Council.
She also served as Director of Compliance and was responsible for all facets of conference finances, student life programming, conference championships, and managing institutional and constituent groups.