Grove City College Swimming and Diving
Hall of Fame
The Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame was
established in 1985 as a means of honoring those athletes who have obtained a
level of excellence in the pool that elevated them to heights achieved by only a
select few. The inductees represent current and former record holders,
All-Americans, National Champions, and inspirational leaders. These
individuals have shown a commitment to the program and were identified by their
predecessors, teammates, and successors as exemplary athletes and sportsmen.
A Hall of Fame class is typically
inducted every other year and includes a minimum of three and a maximum of six
new members. In order to be nominated for consideration an athlete must be
five years removed from their last competition. A list of nominees is
distributed to the Selection Committee prior to the first meet of an induction
year. The committee consists of ten individuals representing swimming and
diving from each of the past six decades.
Individuals may be submitted at any
time and may be self nominated. When making a nomination please include as
much information as possible. Efforts will be made to contact the
individual being nominated, but problems occasionally arise.
Click here to submit.
2008 Hall of Fame Induction Class
2006 Hall of Fame Induction Class
2004 Hall of Fame Induction Class
2002 Hall of Fame Induction Class
2000 Hall of Fame Induction Class
1994 Hall of Fame
Induction Class
1993 Hall of Fame
Induction Class
1991 Hall of Fame
Induction Class
1989 Hall of Fame
Induction Class
1987 Hall of Fame
Induction Class
1985 Hall of Fame
Induction Class
1985 Induction Class
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Ubbo van der Valk '60
Inducted 1985
In 1958 Ubbo became the first Grove City College swimmer to earn
All-American honors when he ranked 8th in the 100 Breaststroke. This
accomplishment was especially impressive when considering that at that
time all collegiate swimming fell under one classification - Ubbo was
quite literally the 8th best breaststroker in the nation, including
Division I programs.
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Earl Mays '63
Inducted 1985
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William McGarry '66
Inducted 1985
During his four years at Grove City, Bill McGarry became one of the
College’s most decorated athletes. In his freshman year, The Collegian
referred to him as “the most outstanding freshman this school has
probably ever known.” A standout in the individual medley and distance
events, he sparked the swimming and diving team to a 37-6 dual meet
record from 1962-1966 and four Penn-Ohio Championships. As a freshman
from Mount Lebanon, McGarry made an immediate impact as he set school
records in the 200 IM and the 500 freestyle. In his second season, he
garnered NCAA College Division All-America honors in the 200 and 400 IM,
the 1650 and the 400 medley relay. A change in College policy prevented
McGarry from returning to the NCAA Championships as a junior and
senior. He did, however, set numerous Penn-Ohio and home and away pool
records and also served as team co-captain in 1965-66. McGarry
graduated as a four-time All-American, varsity record-holder in eight
events and as an eight-time Penn-Ohio conference champion.
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1987 Induction Class
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James Livermore '65
Inducted 1987
Livermore was one of the trailblazers for the rich and storied tradition
of Grove City College Diving. A three time conference champion and
Penn-Ohio Conference record holder on the one meter springboard,
Livermore became the College's first diving All-American by finishing
3rd on one meter and 5th on three meter at the NCAA Small College
Championships in 1964. While collecting all of these accolades
Livermore also managed to set the school record on the three meter
board. Unfortunately, Livermore was unable to repeat his All-American
performance his senior year as Grove City did not participate in the
National Championships that year. Livermore was inspired, however, to
continue diving competitively until his early 50's as he achieved the
same results at the 1989 Masters Championships that he did at the 1964
NCAA Championships.
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William "Skip" Arbuckle '71
Inducted 1987
Dubbed "Mr. Freestyle" for his accomplishments in the event, Arbuckle
became the first GCC swimmer to earn All-American laurels 5 times. In
recognition of his tremendous accomplishments in the water Skip was
recognized as the 1971 OΔK
Sportsman of the Year.
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Dan Reid '71
Inducted 1987back
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1989 Induction Class
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William Griffith '67
Inducted 1989back
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Richard Jewell '67
Inducted 1989
Captain of the '66-'67 squad, Dick Jewell has the unfortunate
distinction of being the best Grove City diver to never earn the title
of All-American. This was not a reflection on his abilities as he was
clearly capable of competing with the best of the best. It was merely a
case of untimely circumstances - Grove City College sent no athletes to
NCAA Championships during the years that Jewell competed for the
Crimson. He did however win the Penn-Ohio diving crown twice. Jewell's
contributions to the program did not end with his competition days,
however. He spent many days helping recruit further talent and has been
a major factor in the ongoing success of Grove City Men's Swimming and
Diving. Currently the swimmer or diver who collects the most points at
NCAA Championships or, in the event of a tie, at PAC Championships, is
awarded the Dick Jewell MVP Award. In August of 2003 Dr. Jewell
rejoined his alma mater as the
8th president of the
College.back to
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Richard Durstein '77
Inducted 1989back
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1991 Induction Class
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Christopher Van De Mark '82
Inducted 1991
Van De Mark became the first Grove City College National Champion when
he claimed the crown for both the 1 meter and 3 meter diving events in
1981. He followed that performance by defending his title in the 1
meter event in 1982, narrowly finishing 2nd in the 3 meter competition.
For his efforts he earned the Dick Jewell Swimming and Diving MVP Award
both years.back to
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Dan Young '83
Inducted 1991
After finishing in the top 5 in 1 meter diving behind teammate and
fellow Hall of Famer Chris Van De Mark in 1982, Young became the second
individual to capture the ultimate award of NCAA Champion by winning the
event in 1983. Dan was also an accomplished 3 meter diver finishing in
the top 10 in the event from 1981-83. In 1983 Young was awarded the
Dick Jewell Swimming and Diving MVP Award in recognition of his
accomplishments on the board.
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Clark Johnson '84
Inducted 1991
Not to be outdone by his predecessors, Johnson completed an amazing four
year run by winning the 3 meter diving event at NCAA Championships in
1984 - after teammates Chris Van De Mark and Dan Young had won the 1
meter event the previous three consecutive years. In 1984 Johnson also
finished 7th on the one meter earning him the Dick Jewell Swimming and
Diving MVP Award.
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1993 Induction Class
1994 Induction Class
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Dave Campbell '62
Inducted 1994back
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Mike Monahan '64
Inducted 1994back
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Scott Classen '65
Inducted 1994
Scott opened his collegiate swimming career helping his team to enjoy
the first undefeated season in GCC Men's Swimming history as they
finished 12-0 his freshman year. His career continued to go up from
there as he eventually became a Penn-Ohio Champion in the 200 Freestyle,
400 Medley Relay and 400 Free Relay. He was not finished though,
becoming an All-American in both of those relays in 1964. The former
record holder (200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay) and
four year letter winner's only disappointment came his senior year when
the College made the difficult decision to not send athletes to the NCAA
Championships; a decision that eliminated the opportunity for Scott to
add to his All-America credentials.
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2000 Induction Class
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Thurlow "Turtle" Mayhood '50
Inducted 2000
A freestyle performer on the 1949-50 team, Turtle Mayhood helped the
squad record its first five-win season in program history. That season,
he set a school record in the 100 freestyle and broke another Grove City
record in the medley relay. He also lettered in track and field at Grove
City and majored in electrical engineering as a student. He worked 37
years at General Electric, where he helped pioneer the armed helicopter
concept, served as program manager on a number of Vulcan Gun fighters
and worked on armament systems for B-29, B-36 and B-47 aircraft. He has
three adult children and lives in Brighton, Mich.
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William May '53
Inducted 2000
After only five years of competition, the Men's Swim Team took a four
year hiatus while our country was fighting in World War II. After the
war the swim team was on tenuous footing at best as they reopened
competition with a 1-9 record. Numbers were down and successes were
few. It is the feelings of many that without the efforts of Bill May -
recruiting athletes from campus and working hard encouraging his
teammates to perform to their fullest potential. By the time he
graduated in 1953, the Wolverines had enjoyed the first two of their 52
consecutive winning seasons, and had done well enough to convince the
college to include a new six lane, 25 yard swimming pool in the soon to
built Alumni Hall to replace the four lane 18 yard pool that had been
used by the team.
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Phillip Van Sickel '78
Inducted 2000back
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Randy Galm '81
Inducted 2000
A three year All American, Galm was recognized as the 1981 OΔK
Sportsman of the Year. An outstanding performer for the Wolverines, Galm
still held the school 500 Freestyle record at the time of his
induction. In addition, Galm also held the 200 Free school record for
16 years, until fellow Hall of Famer Doug Fullerton bettered his time in
1997 and his name could also be found on the top ten list in the 100
Free as he held down the eighth best time in the event at the time of
his recognition.
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Matt Wilkes '87
Inducted 2000
In 1996 and 1997 Wilkes earned the Dick Jewell Swimming and Diving MVP
Award for his performances at the NCAA Swimming and Diving
Championships.back
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2002 Induction Class
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Robert Etter '51
Inducted 2002
One of the fastest small college freestylers in his day, earned a
team-high 87 points during the 1948-49 season. He specialized in the
middle distance and distance freestyle events. He also swam on most
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Jay D'Ambrosio '95
Inducted 2002
One of only nine
swimmers in school history to win All-American honors three years in
row, Jay represented the Wolverines at nationals in the 100- and
200-yard backstroke all four years. D’Ambrosio still owns the varsity
record in both the 100 backstroke (52.04) and 200 backstroke (1:53.63)
events. He was named MVP of the 1994 Grove City College Swimming &
Diving Invitational after leading the Wolverines to their fourth
consecutive championship title.
D'Ambrosio earned the Dick Jewell Swimming and Diving MVP Award from
1992-1994.back to
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Doug Fullerton '97
Inducted 2002
Doug became the school's 44th All-American in 1996, placing ninth in the
200 individual medley. A three-time MVP, Fullerton still held an amazing
eight varsity records at the tie of his graduation: 200 IM (1:55.34),
400 IM (4:07.99), 200 freestyle (1:43.20), 200 breaststroke (2:08.48),
as well as the 200 free relay (1:25.26), 400 free relay (3:09.73), 200
medley relay (1:35.81) and the 400 medley relay (3:31.68). He still
sets the bar in both individual medleys, the 200 breaststroke, and the
200 free relay. Fullerton also earned NCAA Academic All-American honors
after posting a 3.98 grade point average in mechanical engineering. In
addition to earning All-American in the 200 IM, Fullerton also was
recognized as Grove City College's OΔK
Sportsman of the Year in 1996. From 1995-1997 Doug was awarded the Dick
Jewell Swimming and Diving MVP Award.
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James E. Longnecker, Head Coach 1957-1997
Inducted 2002
During his 40 years at the helm of the Grove City Men's Swimming and
Diving Team, Coach Longnecker compiled a record of 366-93 (.797) which
included wins over such schools as West Virginia University and the
University of Pittsburgh. Coach Longnecker's career reads like a
coach's wish list - 40 consecutive winning seasons, 18 league
championships, 6 undefeated seasons, 9 national top 20 finishes, 3
athletes earning 5 individual national championships, 44 All-Americans
in 121 events, and the initiation of the Collegiate Division National
Championship of which Grove City hosted the inaugural event. Coach
Longnecker has been recognized as a master coach by the Collegiate Swim
Coaches Association.
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2004 Induction
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Lee Steller '57
Inducted 2004
Possibly one of the most intriguing statistics about Steller is that he
still holds school records in two events. Of course, the events have
not been competed since 1956 - the 300 Medley Relay and 150 IM. The
mark that he set in the 150 IM was (and technically still is) a
Penn-Ohio record. Lee also was a school and conference record holder in
the 100 Free and 200 Fly; a school record holder in the 440 Free, 400
Medley Relay and 400 Free Relay; and a conference record holder in the
200 IM. He was a four time Penn-Ohio champion and helped lead the team
to its first conference championship in 1955. The 1957 co-captain is
also regarded by some as the swimmer who originally put Grove City on
the map - attracting talent to the school and inspiring his teammates,
including fellow Hall member Ubbo van der Valk, to reach their full
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Jeff Moxie '80
Inducted 2004
A two time All-American, Moxie was a tremendous Breaststroker that set
the standard in both the 100 and 200 events in 1980. Currently he
stands 7th all time in the 200 Breast and 10th all time in the 100
Breast. In addition, he also set the school record in the 400 IM - a
mark that still stands as 8th best in the history of the college.
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Eric Sluss '86
Inducted 2004
Sluss has proven to be the best butterflyer in the history of Grove City
College, holding both the 100 and 200 fly school records for the past 21
years and achieving All-American status in the stroke four times. Eric
also helped his 1984 400 Medley Relay team finish 12th at NCAA
Championships and set the school standard - a mark which held for 12
years until fellow Hall of Famer Doug Fullerton's team surpassed the
time in 1996. The true display of Sluss's prowess in the 100 Butterfly
is the fact that his conference record in the event still stands. Until
2003 he still held the conference record in the 200 Butterfly.
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2006 Induction
Class
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Scott Johnston '55
Inducted 2006
Arriving on the pool deck his freshman year looking more like a tight
end than a swimmer, Scott brought no more experience than some summer
races across a lake against his brother. With some guidance from his
teammates and a fierce competitive drive, Scott soon became a school
record holder in the 50 and 100 freestyle events and helped lead Grove
City to it's first winning season (1951-52) and it's first conference
championship (Penn-Ohio, 1955). At the conference championships his
senior year Scott was struggling with pneumonia, but was able to
overcome his illness to win the 50 free in school record time. Grove
City won that championship by a mere 11 points - Johnston accounted for
14 of the team's total points. Johnston closed his senior year by
taking home the 1955 OΔK
Sportsman of the Year award in recognition for his achievements in both
swimming and soccer. By being inducted into the Swimming and Diving
Hall of Fame, Johnston becomes the first Grove City alum to be inducted
into two separate Hall of Fames - he was inducted in Men's Soccer in
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Jamie Brunk '76
Inducted 2006
As a two time All-American in the 400 and 800 Free Relays in 1976, Jamie
was able to establish himself as one the of the best athletes not only
in GCC Swimming history, but also as the outstanding athlete on campus
his senior year - for which he was awarded the 1976 OΔK
Sportsman of the Year. In addition to his contributions on the relays,
Jamie was also an accomplished distance swimmer - qualifying for the
NCAA Championships in the 500 Free and taking first place honors at the
Penn-Ohio Championships in both the 500 and 1650 Freestyle events.
Furthermore, Jamie was the first GCC swimmer to break 11:00 in the 1000.
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Pat Kelley '87
Inducted 2006
The one time record holder in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, Pat
became the first Grove City swimmer to break the 22.0 mark in the 50
free in his senior year. Pat's record in the 50 stood for eleven years
and is currently tied for fifth in the history of the college. His
record in the 100 stood for eight years and is now ranked 4th. In
addition to setting school records, Pat became an All-American in the
400 Medley Relay in both 1984 and 1985 as he anchored both those relays
to then school record times at the NCAA Championships.
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2008 Induction
Class
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Dave McClintic '65
Inducted 2008
A team captain for both his junior and senior years, McClintic helped
lead the Wolverines to a cumulative record of 40-5 and four consecutive
team conference titles during his tenure on the team. Although the
College made the difficult decision to not attend the NCAA Championships
his senior year, McClintic still earned two All-American honors his
junior year in the 400 Individual Medley and 400 Freestyle Relay. In
addition to his national recognition, McClintic also was a two time
conference champion in the 500 Free while holding the school record in
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Chuck Stadler '65
Inducted 2008
Stadler became the first Grove City College swimmer to break the one
minute barrier in the 100 backstroke his junior year. During that
campaign the Pittsburgh native earned All-American honors by finishing
4th in the 100 back, 10th in the 200 back, and leading the 400 Medley
Relay to a 9th place finish. Not only was he successful in the 100
back, he also won two conference titles in the 200 back and four titles
in the Medley Relay as the team went 4-0 in Penn Ohio Championship meets
and 40-5 in dual meets during his four years.
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Keith Bennett '85
Inducted 2008
Affectionately called "Paddles" by his friends and teammates, Bennett
came to Grove City as a small, inexperienced swimmer. After spending
four years with Coach Longnecker, Bennett left Grove City as the school
record holder in the 200 and 400 IM, 200 Breast, 400 and 800 Free
Relays, an All-American in the 400 Medley Relay, and the 1985 PAC MVP.
He became such and accomplished athlete that his times in the 200
Breast, 200 IM, and 400 IM still ranked in the top ten in the history of
the College at the time of his induction over 20 years after the
conclusion of his swimming career.
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