MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury College late last week announced its 2018 class of inductees for the Middlebury Athletics Hall of Fame, and it included Cornwall resident and longtime Panther skiing and cross-country running Coach Terry Aldrich.
The fifth class to be inaugurated, this year’s group includes Middlebury graduates representing four decades, spanning 1968 to 2003. The inductees combined to play 10 sports at the college. Aldrich is being recognized for his service as a longtime coach, while two have represented the U.S. at the Olympics.
The induction ceremony and dinner will be held on Nov. 3.
The 2018 Hall Of Fame selections are:
•  Aldrich, a 36-year head coach at Middlebury, primarily with the skiing and cross-country running programs. He spent 31 years coaching alpine skiing, leading the women’s teams to the 1979 and 1980 AIAW national championships. He coached 30 All-Americans and three Olympians.
Aldrich served as the head cross-country coach for 36 years. His women’s teams captured six NCAA Division III championships, 10 NESCAC titles, and 11 NCAA regional crowns. The men’s program captured its first NESCAC championship during his final year in 2010 and advancing to the NCAAs for the first time.
•  1993 graduate John Atherton, a standout athlete who earned 12 varsity letters in four sports. He achieved All-American honors on the soccer field as a defender and earned All-New England honors three times.
In lacrosse, he was a three-time honorable mention All-American selection in four seasons, and also earned all-conference honors for three years.
On the ice, Atherton was a steady defenseman for the nationally ranked Panthers, who won the ECAC title during his first year on the team. He also played one season of football, making an impact on defense and special teams.
•  2003 graduate Meg Bonney, who excelled in three sports at Middlebury. On the soccer field, she scored more goals (53) and recorded more points (119) than any other player in program history. A four-time All-NESCAC selection, she earned conference Rookie of the Year honors in 1999 and was the league’s Player of the Year in 2000.
Bonney was a member of the alpine ski team for two years, earning All-American honors in 2001. On the lacrosse field, her teams posted a 51-1 mark with two NCAA and three NESCAC titles during her three seasons.
•  1999 graduate J.P. Gowdy, a swimmer who earned All-American honors 17 different times and earned honorable-mention honors seven times. In 1997, he captured the NCAA championship in the 400 individual medley (IM), completing the race with a time of 3:59.85.
Gowdy was an All-American in both the 200 and 400 IM during each of his four seasons on the team. He set individual program records in the 100 freestyle, 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 butterfly, three of which still stood at the time of his induction. He was also a part of four record-holding relay teams.
•  1989 graduate Vic Hoyt, the most decorated squash player in school history. Hoyt earned All-American honors in each of her four seasons with the Panthers, competing against all divisions. Hoyt was ranked among the top-14 collegiate players.
After graduation she played for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1990 to 1997 and represented her country in the 1995 Pan American Games in Colombia. Hoyt played professionally, regularly maintaining a top-10 ranking in the U.S. and moving up as high as 35th in the world.
•  2001 graduate Kate Irvin, who earned All-American honors 10 times at Middlebury, more than any other athlete in track and field history.
Irvin earned All-NESCAC honors during all four spring track seasons, winning the NESCAC title at 800 meters and capturing the 1,500 title twice. Irvin placed third for three consecutive years (1999, 2000 and 2001) at the NCAA championships in the 1,500.
Irvin was a member of the cross-country team, which won its first NCAA championship in 2000. She was a top-four finisher in all four championship races as the Panthers finished second in 1999 and third in 1997.
•  1982 graduate Sue Long, who came to Middlebury as an alpine skier and branched out as a Nordic skier and runner. Long was one of the top ski racers on the AIAW national championship team in 1979, earning All-American honors.
She converted to Nordic racing, where she earned several top finishes as a senior, winning individual and relay races at the New Hampshire Carnival. Following Middlebury, she was the 1984 national champion at 10 and 20 kilometers events, winning the Olympic Trials before competing in the 1984 Olympic Games.
In cross country, Long earned All-American honors in 1981 by placing third at the NCAA championships.
•  1968 graduate John Morton, a standout Nordic skier at Middlebury who went on to become a world-class biathlete and designer of more than 225 ski-trail projects across the U.S. and abroad.
During his senior year, Morton finished first in every carnival cross-country event and won the EISA championship for the second time and took second at the NCAA championships. Morton was a member of the U.S. Biathlon Team from 1968 to 1976, winning national titles in 1974 and in 1976 and competing in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics. He was the head coach for skiing at Dartmouth for 11 years.
The Middlebury Athletics Hall of Fame is located in the Peterson Family Athletics Complex. Nominations are now being accepted for the Class of 2019, which will be inducted in November of 2019. Information about the Middlebury Athletics Hall of Fame, including complete biographies of the inaugural class and a link to the nomination form, is available at athletics.middlebury.edu/traditions/halloffame.