Hall Of Fame
Marietta College
Marietta College's Athletic Hall of Fame announces 25th induction class
Dec. 7, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — February 16, 2008, will mark the induction of five former Pioneer standouts into the 25th class of the Marietta College Athletics Hall of Fame. The ceremony will once again highlight the Winter Weekend festivities.
This year's inductees include national-qualifying distance runner Roderick MacLeod '72, All-American baseball standout and Way-Weigelt award winner David Thomas '84, All-American defensive tackle Jason Olivea '96, Betty Cleland award winner Lee Ann Shoemaker '97 and two-time National Player of the Year and Way-Weigelt award winner Joseph Thomas '97.
The Hall of Fame Banquet to be held Saturday evening in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center caps off a busy weekend at Marietta College, that includes a collegiate track & field meet as well as a men's and women's varsity basketball game, while also featuring a men's and women's basketball and volleyball alumni games.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through the athletics office by calling (740) 376-4665 or by emailing Wendy Thieman at thiemana@marietta.edu.
This year's class raises the Hall of Fame membership to 129. Here is a look at the 2008 inductees:
Roderick MacLeod
Class of 1972
Cross Country, Track & Field
MacLeod, who laced up his running shoes from 1968-72, was a four-year member of the cross country and track & field programs. The distance runner, who set a home course record (21:01) as a sophomore, was the first Pioneer to qualify for the NCAA College Division National Championships after finishing fourth at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships in 1969. MacLeod then led Marietta to a runners-up finish at the OAC Championships and a 13th-place finish at the 1970 national meet. He placed 28th as an individual at the National Championships. The co-captain also guided the Pioneers to a 15th-place finish at the national level as a senior in 1971.
On the track, MacLeod set a number of school records, including the top mark in the two-mile, three-mile and four-mile, in 1969. He was also a member of the four-mile relay team that set a school record in 1970.
MacLeod was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, where he was the treasurer for three years, and a representative to the Inter-Fraternity Council. He was also involved in the M-Club and served on the College's Judicial Board.
Following graduation, MacLeod joined the Shaker Heights public school system, where he taught junior high science from 1972-85 and then high school science from 1985-2007. Recently retired, he spent his final 10 years as the chairman of the high school science department. In addition to teaching science, MacLeod spent time as a cross country, football, soccer and track & field coach in addition to being the ski club advisor and a scout leader.
MacLeod and his wife, Betsy, live in Hudson, Ohio. They have three children, Bonnie, Scott and Peter.Dave Thomas
Class of 1984
Baseball
Thomas, the 1984 Way-Weigelt Award winner, was a four-year letterman on the Marietta College baseball team from 1981-84. During his time on the field, the Etta Express won four Mideast Regional Championships and two National Championships while finishing national runners-up the other two seasons.
Thomas earned honorable mention All-Ohio Athletic Conference in 1983. As a captain in 1984, he was named a first team All-OAC and All-Region selection as well as third team All-American. Thomas also earned Academic All-American honors in 1983 and 1984.
The outfielder, who also played second base, holds the school record for career stolen bases with 129, which ranks second in the OAC. A captain in 1984, he is also ranked second and fifth all-time at Marietta and in the OAC in runs scored with 206 and in games played with 200, respectively.
Thomas worked for two years in the oil and gas industry before taking a job at Meriam Process Technologies in Cleveland, Ohio. He has worked there for 20 years and is currently the Manager of Measurement and Instrumentation.
Thomas has spent time as a youth baseball, basketball and soccer coach in Strongsville, Ohio, where he and his wife, Dynda, live with their three children, Cort (16), Carolyn (13) and Caleb (11). He is an active member of the Strongsville United Methodist Church, where he serves on the Building Committee and teaches high school students in the LOGOS Program.Jason Olivea
Class of 1996
Football
Olivea earned three varsity letters with the Marietta football team from 1992-95. The defensive tackle played as a freshman and sophomore before sitting out as a junior. He then came back to have a dominating senior campaign and helped the Pioneers finish 8-1-1.
Olivea, who set a school record with 11 sacks in 1993, matched the total as a senior en route to earning first team All-OAC honors and the Paul Hoernemann Award for the OAC's Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman. Olivea was also named a Hewlett-Packard All-American in his final season.
Olivea spent the 1996 and 1997 seasons as an assistant coach with the football team while he finished his degree. He is currently a Quality Improvement Consultant with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. In addition, Olivea has coached youth football and has been involved in the Big Brother Program.
Olivea and his wife, Heather, a 1996 Marietta graduate, are expecting their first child, Sydney Tyler, in January. They live in West Chester, Ohio.Lee Ann Shoemaker
Class of 1997
Softball, Volleyball
Shoemaker, the 1997 Betty Cleland Award winner, earned four varsity letters in both softball and volleyball at Marietta from 1994-97. She also lettered as a freshman in basketball.
On the diamond, Shoemaker earned second team All-OAC honors in 1994 and 1996 and first team All-OAC honors in 1995. The first baseman also received first team All-Region recognition in 1995 and second team All-Region recognition in 1996. Shoemaker, who was named to the All-Tournament Team at the NCAA East Region, played a key role in Marietta winning the Ohio Athletic Conference title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history in 1996. She currently ranks second all-time in hits (146), doubles (24), batting average (.374) and fielding percentage (.976), third in at-bats (390) and runs batted in (73) and fourth in putouts (508).
In volleyball, Shoemaker picked up honorable mention All-OAC in 1995 and second team All-OAC honors in 1996. The outside hitter is the school record holder for kills (505) and attacks (1,253) in a season and kills (1,252) in a career. She also holds the record for kills (29) and attacks (69) in a five-game match.
Shoemaker, who lives in Batavia, Ohio, has worked as a Veterinary Assistant at Hopewell Animal Hospital for the last 10 years. She still enjoys playing slow-pitch softball and attends the Loveland Heights Church of Christ.Joseph Thomas
Class of 1997
Baseball
Thomas, the 1997 Way-Weigelt Award winner and two-time National Player of the Year, wore the pin-stripes as a member of the baseball team from 1994-97. During his time with Marietta, the Etta Express, who won four Ohio Athletic Conference titles, qualified for the World Series in both 1995 and 1996 after winning the Mideast Regional Championships.
The Pitcher and first baseman, who was a captain in 1997, was named first team All-OAC and first team All-Mideast Region as a sophomore, junior and senior. Thomas was also awarded the Jack Rafeld OAC Player of the Year and MVP of the OAC Tournament in 1996 and 1997. After receiving second team All-American honors in 1995, he was awarded first team All-American honors and named the National Player of the Year in both 1996 and 1997.
Thomas holds a share of the school's single-game (3) and the single-season (22) record for doubles. In addition, he is ranked second all-time in doubles (57) while third in career batting average (.415), fourth in career putouts (1.076) and fifth in career hits (240) at Marietta. He also ranks first in the OAC in doubles in a game and in a season while second in doubles in a career and fourth in career batting average.
Following his senior year, Thomas was drafted in the 21st round by the Boston Red Sox in the 1997 draft. He played seven years of minor league baseball. Thomas, a member of the Independent Frontier League's All-Decade Team, spent time as an assistant coach at New York Institute of Technology (2003), Mercyhurst (2005-06) and with the Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League (2006-07) before being hired as the pitching coach at Temple this fall.
Thomas lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.