COLCHESTER — Former Middlebury College women’s lacrosse and field hockey coach Missy Foote will join Olympic medalists, other successful coaches, sports pioneers, a champion boxer, a standout football player, a star hockey player, and a chronicler of Vermont’s athletic scene in the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017.
The VSHOF announced its dozen new members on Tuesday at Saint Michael’s College. They will be inducted at the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Celebration on April 22 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Burlington in South Burlington. Ticket information and more on the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame is available at www.vermontsportshall.com.
The VSHOF’s fifth induction class includes Foote; Olympic skiers Betsy Snite Riley of Norwich and Lindy Cochran Kelley of Richmond; coaches Ed Markey of St. Michael’s and Bernie Cieplicki Sr. of Burlington High School; John Caldwell of Putney, the father of U.S. Nordic skiing; Olympic equestrian gold medalist Tad Coffin of Stratford; Burlington Free Press sportswriter Don Fillion of Shelburne; Golden Gloves champion boxer Tony Robitaille of Newport; hockey and soccer standout Guy Gaudreau of Beebe Plain; mountain climbing pioneer Helmut Lenes of Shelburne; and runner Clarence DeMar of South Hero, a multiple winner of the Boston Marathon.
Inductees were selected from a field of nominees by a voting committee consisting of previous inductees, members of the VSHOF board of directors, and advisors from around Vermont. This year’s class will bring membership in the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame to 61.
Foote was selected, according to a Hall press release, because of her impressive résumé at Middlebury as a coach and administrator before retiring in 2015. She directed the Panthers field hockey program for 21 years, compiling a career record of 180-95-12 that included the 1998 NCAA Division III championship. Prior to NCAA participation, Middlebury also won two ECAC titles.
In her 34 years as its women’s lacrosse coach, Middlebury reached 14 consecutive NCAA final fours, winning five titles with four perfect seasons. Her 422 career wins are second in Division III history and she ranks third among college lacrosse coaches in all divisions. She is a member of several sports halls of fame, including the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Biographies and information about all the inductees may be found at www.vermontsportshall.com/2017class.html.