Eight individuals and one team covering a wide variety of sports make up the 2018 John Carroll University Athletic Hall Of Fame Induction Class.

Ali Kazemaini (Men's Soccer Head Coach), Don McPhillips (Head Athletic Trainer), David Vitatoe (Football, '00), Amy Marcelis (Women's Soccer, '02), Mike Markovic (Wrestling, '02), Kristi Branam (Women's Track & Field/Volleyball , '03), Michelle Petrillo (Women's Tennis, '05) and Cyril Pinchak (Men's Cross Country/Men's Track & FIeld, '06) are the individuals who will be inducted along with the 1981 Men's Swimming & Diving Team.

The Induction Ceremony will be held on campus on Friday, October 5, 2018 in the Dolan Science Center from 6pm - 9pm. 


  Ali Kazemaini was the head coach of the John Carroll men's soccer program at John Carroll from 1992-2005, and guided the Blue Streaks to seven Ohio Athletic Conference regular season titles and four OAC Tournament titles. He also led the Blue Streaks to NCAA Division III Tournament appearances in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005. John Carroll's best showing was in 2003, when the Blue Streaks reached the round of 16 in 2003 and finished the season ranked #14 in Division III.

John Carroll qualified for the OAC Tournament in 13 of Kazemaini's 14 seasons at the helm. He was named Regional Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001, and Ohio Coach of the Year in 2001. Kazemaini was also a three time OAC Coach of the Year (2000, 2001, 2005).

In his 14 seasons, Kazemaini compiled a record of 177-76-13, and his overall winning percentage of .690 was among the top 40 in all of Division III at the end of his tenure. He coached ten OAC Players of the Year, 76 All-OAC players (37 first team), 35 All-Ohio players, and 24 All-Region players


  Don McPhillips is being honored for devoting what amounts to a lifetime of outstanding service to the varsity intercollegiate programs at John Carroll University. The next school year will mark 30 years of experience at an NCAA Division III Jesuit University, where he has supervised over 250 student trainers and has administered to the health and well being of approximately 15,000 JCU student-athletes during his tenure.

Hired as the John Carroll head athletic trainer in the summer of 1988, McPhillips has been responsible for all administrative aspects of the JCU Athletic Training Department. Among his duties has been to serve as the Site Coordinator for Drug Testing at NCAA championship events, teaching classes for 17 years in the department of Exercise Science, and assume the role of Medical Director when JCU hosted the 1989 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships and the 2009 NCAA Division III Volleyball
Championships

McPhillips is a Licensed Athletic Trainer by the State of Ohio, as well as a certified Athletic Trainer by the NATABOC. In 2013, McPhillips was a JCU Silver Circle Award winner  for 25 years of service to John Carroll University.


  David Vitatoe was a vital part of the very successful John Carroll football teams of the late 1990's as the placekicker. He appeared in a school record 42 games and graduated as the school record holder for Field Goals in a Career (35), Extra Points in a Career (140) , Extra Points in a Season (40), Extra Points in a Game (8) and Points scored by a kicker (245).
 
His most productive year was 1998, when he received Division III All American honors from multiple outlets, including Associated Press Little All- American.  He was also the NCAA National Statistical Champion for Field Goals (1998), a first team All-North Region choice and an All-OAC first team selection.

The teams he played on finished with a combined record of 32-10. Vitatoe was the placekicker for the NCAA playoff team in 1997, helping the Blue Streaks reach the postseason for just the second time with his 39-yard game-winning field goal in overtime against Baldwin Wallace on the final Saturday of the regular season. He finished his career as the third all-time leading scorer in JCU football history and only the fourth player in school history to break the 200 point mark. Vitatoe converted at least one kick (PAT or field goal) in all 42 games. 


  Amy Marcelis was the acknowledged leader of the defense on the history-making John Carroll women's soccer teams between 1998-2001. In her senior year, she was named Defensive Player of the Year in the OAC, helping JCU record nine shutouts that season. Marcelis was a major factor is leading the Blue Streaks to their first and still only NCAA Division III postseason appearance.
 
A first team All-Great Lakes Region choice in 2001 and an All-Ohio 2nd team pick in 2001, Marcelis was named All-OAC three times in her career. As a sophomore, she was tabbed for the second team, then occupied a spot on the first team in both 2000 and 2001. The teams she played on were OAC regular season champions in 2000 and OAC tournament champions in 2001. JCU won 45 games over the course of Marcelis' career, and qualified for the OAC Tournament each of her four seasons.

Marcelis was a four-year starter and letterwinner, the Team Defensive MVP in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and a team Tri-Captain in 2001.


  Mike Markovic was a three-time national qualifier for the JCU Wrestling team, earning All-American status by placing fourth in the nation as a junior. A four-time letterwinner and three-year starter, he ended his career with 77 victories – at the time one of just 27 wrestlers to graduate with over 70 victories; His 32 wins as a senior marked one of the top ten single season totals in program history;

A highly decorated student-athlete, Markovic was the Most Outstanding Wrestler for JCU in 2000 and 2002 and Most Valuable Wrestler in 2001. In 2002, he was the male Clyde A. Lamb Award recipient from John Carroll (highest league honor a student-athlete who competes in the Ohio Athletic Conference can receive). Markovic was a three-time Ohio Athletic Conference champion at 149 pounds as well as a three-time Academic All-OAC winner. Additional honors for his work on the mat and in the classroom included being named an NWCA National Scholar three times, earning a first team selection on the 2002 CoSIDA Academic All-American team and a second team Academic All-American award in 2001, and being honored as a CoSIDA Academic All-District student-athlete three times

Markovic wrestled for two OAC Wrestling Championship teams in 1999 and 2002, and on a team that placed 5th in nation in 1999, 37th in 2000, 12th in 2001, and 25th in 2002.


  Kristi Branam was a standout student-athlete in two sports -- track & field and volleyball. In track & field, she was an NCAA Division III national provisional qualifier in both 2000 and 2002. She reigned as the All-Ohio pole vault champion in 2002 and 2003, where she set the All-Ohio record with her winning vaults in both years. She also was the 2000 OAC outdoor pole vault champion, and earned All-OAC in the pole vault five other times – two outdoor (3rd in 2002 and 2003) and three indoor (2nd in 2001, 2002 and 2003). Still holder of the school indoor and outdoor pole vault record, Branam was a four-year letterwinner in track & field, and was the team indoor and outdoor MVP in 2002.

On the volleyball court, Branam was second team All-OAC in 2000. She played on OAC tournament qualifiers in 2000, 2001, and 2002, with the best finish an OAC semifinals appearance in 2001. She was a four-year letterwinner and two-time team captain in volleyball as well as the volleyball team MVP in 2000. Branam graduated with the program record for career service aces (144) and ranked eighth all-time in program history with 1,085 kills when she concluded her career; Ranks fourth all-time with 165 solo blocks

Branam was Academic All-OAC track & field 2nd team in 2003.


  Michelle Petrillo was the 2005 OAC Women's Tennis Player of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to earn the honor. She was part of a very successful era of women's tennis in which JCU captured the 2004 OAC regular season and tournament Championship and reached the finals of the OAC Tournament in 2005.

In her final three seasons, Petrillo was recognized by the OAC as an honorable mention as a sophomore before claiming first team status as a junior and senior. She amassed a career record of 98-38, which included a 50-16 mark in singles (46-9 over final three seasons). She also compiled a record of 48-22 in doubles. She played #1 singles and #1 doubles in each of last two seasons after playing #3 singles and #2 doubles as a sophomore

Petrillo was very prolific in OAC play as she put together a combined career record of 50-20  in singles and doubles play against conference opposition, including 22-5 in singles in her final three seasons. Her biggest victory was when she won her #1 singles match in straight sets in JCU's title clinching win over Ohio Northern in 2004.


  Cyril Pinchak was an eight-time letterwinner covering the sports of cross country and track & field, and enjoyed tremendous levels of success in both.

In cross country, he capped his career by earning All-American honors at the national meet, placing 31st. Overall, Pinchak was a three-time NCAA Division III national
qualifier. He was also a four-time All-Great Lakes Region runner (top 35), placing fifth as a senior, ninth as a junior, tenth as a sophomore, and 22nd as a freshman. He was an All-Ohio Athletic Conference performer all four years, and was the league runner-up as a junior.

Pinchak excelled at many distances in both indoor and outdoor track & field. He racked up All-OAC honors nine times in track (4 indoor, 5 outdoor). As a senior, Pinchak was the outdoor league runner-up in both the 1,500-meter run and the 5,000-meter run as well as the 4 x 800 relay. His senior indoor season was capped by placing second in the
5,000-meter run and third in the one-mile run.

In 2006, Pinchak was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District College Division Track & Field/Cross Country team. He was also an Academic All-OAC winner twice.



The 1981 Men's Swimming & Diving Team won the program's only Presidents' Athletic Conference title and also produced the highest national team finish at the NCAA Division III Championship meet.

JCU did not field a varsity swimming & diving team until 1975-76, and in that first year, the Blue Streaks finished sixth of seven teams in their first PAC Championships. By the second year, JCU was the runner-up behind Allegheny. This would also be John Carroll's finish in 1978, 1979 and 1980

In 1981, the Blue Streaks began the year finishing second at the Greater Cleveland Invitational, and then won the Notre Dame Relays. John Carroll then went 7-2 in its dual meet season, beating Oberlin, Carnegie Mellon, Hiram, Washington & Jefferson, Mount Union, Case Reserve and Bethany. Its only two losses were to defending national champion Kenyon and a one-point loss to defending PAC champion Allegheny, both on the road.

JCU led after day one of the PAC championships, 168-131, thanks to having the top five divers in the 1-meter competition, as well as a 1-2 finish in the 50 Free by Todd Grigereit and Paul Hulseman. On day two, a 1-2 finish in the 200 Free by Steve Brown and Bryan Alitto helped the Blue Streaks maintain the lead, as did a win in the 800 Free Relay by Hulseman, Andy Majeske, Alitto and Brown that broke the PAC and pool record.

On day three, Allegheny got to within 15 points of JCU after the mile swim, but Alitto and Hulseman finishing first and second in the 100 Free and the Blue Streaks never looked back. A sweep of the 3-meter podium by Doug Virden, Greg Patterson and Tim Donahoe sealed the win, and for punctuation, Hulseman, Grigereit, Alitto and Brown won the 400 Free Relay and qualified for nationals while breaking league and pool records.

The 1981 team featured seven conference champions and six All-Americans, and would go on to finish in seventh place at the NCAA Division III Championships. JCU had seven national qualifiers in 1981, and the All-American 800 Free Relay set a school record that stood for 29 years.

At the national meet, John Carroll's point scorers were Doug Virden (2nd place 3-meter diving; 3rd place 1-meter diving),  Greg Patterson (3rd place 3-meter diving; 6th place 1-meter diving); Steve Brown (12th in 200 Free) and the quartet of Steve Brown, Andy Majeske, Paul Hulseman, Bryan Alitto (7th place in 800 Freestyle Relay)

Team Roster
Bryan Alitto, So.
Mark Bombelles, Jr.
Steve Brown, Fr.
David Byars, Jr.
Kevin Carmony, So.
Frank Cicco, Jr.
Tim Donahoe, So.
Peter Francel, Fr.
Mike Gingo, Sr.
Todd Grigereit, Fr.
Hal Hawk, Sr. (Captain)
David Holtz, So.
Paul Hulseman, Jr.
Joe Kovach, Jr.
Richard Lewandowski, Sr. (Captain)
Andy Majeske, So.
John Mech, So.
Paul Mulvihill, Fr.
Ned Nicosia, Jr.
Phillip O'Neil, So.
Greg Patterson, Fr.
David Schmidt, Jr.
Robert Uphues, Fr.
Doug Virden, Sr.
Ron Zwierlein, Head Coach
Larry Terry and Mark Milroy, Assistant Coaches
Annette Costa and Mary Carol Knectges, Managers
Note: Rita Braun and Amy DeLaVergne were also in the program as members of the women's swimming & diving team