UAlbany Will Enshrine Five Former Athletes Into Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 24

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Five former athletes will be enshrined into the University at Albany Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, October 24 at the 25th annual HOF Dinner and Induction Ceremony. A reception for the Athletic Hall of Fame inductees begins at 5:30 p.m., with the dinner and ceremony to follow in SEFCU Arena on campus.

The induction ceremony is part of Homecoming and Family Weekend, which also includes Saturday's football game at University Field with Northeast Conference-rival Saint Francis, Pa. at 4:00 p.m. Men's soccer hosts Bryant and women's field hockey entertains Boston University earlier in the day. Both contests begin at 1:00 p.m. On Sunday, women's soccer is home against UMBC at 1:00 p.m., while women's volleyball meets UMBC at 2:00 p.m.

The new inductees and their sports: Tom Alexander '98, lacrosse; Andre Duncan '98, basketball; Afrim Nezaj '82, soccer; Kelly Paolino Cirilla, basketball '99; and Liz Peck '97, field hockey.

With this year's class, there are 119 former athletes, coaches and administrators who have been inducted into the University at Albany's Athletic Hall of Fame.



Tom Alexander (1995-99) -- Alexander was the top defenseman in the UAlbany lacrosse program's Division II era. He was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-America squad in three consecutive seasons.

A native of Altamont, N.Y., Alexander was selected to the USILA All-America second team as a sophomore. He earned Capital District College Lacrosse League All-Star recognition. Alexander led the Great Danes to the 1997 ECAC Division II championship final and was part of a defensive unit that allowed 9.31 goals per game.

Alexander, a 6-foot-2 and 220-pound athlete, was chosen to the USILA All-America first team as a junior and was voted second-team All-American as a senior. He also made two more appearances on the CDCLL all-star team. Alexander started 42 of 50 career games and accounted for 176 ground balls. In 1998, UAlbany finished with an 8-4 record and the defense was nationally ranked, allowing 7.83 goals per game.

Before his athletic career even began, Alexander was a great citizen of the University when he played a significant role in apprehending an assailant who held a UAlbany Greek history class hostage at gunpoint on Dec. 14, 1994.

Alexander earned his B.A. in English with a minor in history and also received a M.A. in education from UAlbany. He taught English at the 11th and 12th grade levels at Colonie Central High School from 2000-06 and has just returned to the school after a two-year absence. In the interim period, he started Alexander's Home Beautification Systems, Inc., a landscaping and contracting company.

He and his wife, Dagny, have two children, a 10-year old son, Malachi, and a four-year old daughter, Maryn. Alexander is still involved in lacrosse as his son's youth team coach. He previously was head coach of the freshman lacrosse team at Colonie Central High from 2000-03.



Andre Duncan (1994-98) -- Duncan, the 1998 New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, became the fourth Great Dane in the men's basketball program's history to earn All-America honors. He continues to be the only UAlbany player to combine for 1,400 points, 650 rebounds and 150 blocked shots in a career.

In 1998, Duncan led the Great Danes to an ECAC Division II Tournament appearance and a 19-8 record. He averaged 19.3 points and 8.6 rebounds and was among the NECC's top 10 in five statistical categories as a senior. Duncan was chosen to the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America third team. In addition, he was named All-Northeast Region, All-East (small college), ECAC-North first team and NABC All-District.

As a junior, Duncan was picked second-team All-NECC after averaging 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds. He also combined for 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game as a freshman in leading the Great Danes to an 18-8 record and the NCAA Division III Tournament's second round. He completed his career ranked fifth in scoring with 1,453 points, ninth in rebounding (696) and first in blocked shots (184) among the school's all-time leaders.

A native of Monticello, N.Y., Duncan went on to play professionally in Germany for two seasons, before signing with Guimaraes, a second division team in Portugal. After two years in the corporate world, he returned to Germany, and along with former UAlbany standout Will Brand, led Weissenfels to a second-place finish in its division. He is currently teaching at The School at Columbia University, an elementary school with 500 students.

Duncan received his undergraduate degree in a dual major of sociology and Africana Studies from UAlbany and is presently pursuing a master's in physical education from Teachers College, Columbia University. He and his wife, Angela, and their sons Diari (5) and Adrian (3 months) reside in Queens, N.Y.



Afrim Nezaj (1978-81) -- An NCAA Division III All-America and All-SUNY Athletic Conference selection, Nezaj is one of the top strikers in the men's soccer program's history.

Nezaj accounted for nine goals and two assists as a senior when he was named to the NCAA All-America squad and made his fourth consecutive All-SUNYAC East appearance. He recorded his second career hat trick in a victory over crosstown-rival Siena in the season opener on Sept. 14.

Nezaj also produced 20-plus points as a junior, when he had nine goals and four assists. He netted multiple goals against Plattsburgh and Vassar and the match's lone goal in a 1-0 triumph over Siena. Nezaj still ranks among the program's career scoring leaders with 25 goals and nine assists.

A native of Bronx, N.Y., Nezaj was drafted in the first round by Major Indoor Soccer League's Buffalo Stallions and played for four American Soccer League teams, including the Albany Capitals, for nearly a decade. He later went into coaching as a UAlbany assistant under Bill Schieffelin and became head coach at Fulton-Montgomery Community College in 1987. An USSF "A" Licensed Coach, Nezaj had two stints as an assistant coach at Siena College and served as a high school head coach at both Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk and Christian Brothers Academy. Nezaj, who has also coached on the professional level, currently serves as president of the Capital District Alleycats, a 22-team soccer club for boys and girls, ages 10 to 19.

Nezaj earned his undergraduate degree in sociology with a dual minor in psychology and criminal justice. He is the owner of Afrim Sports, a group that manages multi-sport facilities in Colonie and Latham. Nezaj and his wife, Patty, have five children, Martina (17), Isabella (8), Margot (6), Vivienne (2) and Emerson (8 months).



Kelly Paolino Cirilla (1995-99) -- A two-time All-New England Collegiate Conference guard, Paolino became the fourth player in the women's basketball program's history to score 1,000 career points.

Paolino led the Great Danes to the conference championship final against Massachusetts-Lowell as a sophomore. UAlbany finished with a 19-9 record, as she combined for 5.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. She was named to the NECC all-tournament team after scoring at an 11.7 clip in postseason play.

In the 1998-99 campaign, Paolino averaged 14.0 points, 3.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 steals as a senior. She netted a career-best 28 points against Binghamton. A two-time captain, she finished her career ranked fourth in scoring with 1,020 points, fourth in assists (332), second in steals (271) and first in games played (109).

Paolino, who also was a member of the women's golf team, received the 1999 ECAC Merit Medal as UAlbany's top female senior student-athlete. She served as the chair of the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and worked as a volunteer at Veteran's Hospital.

A native of Schenectady, N.Y. and a Schalmont High School graduate, Paolino received her B.A. in psychology with a minor in education. She earned her Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 2002 and runs a general practice out of her home that specializes in real estate. Paolino and her husband, Dennis Cirilla, a former UAlbany baseball player, have three children, Ashley (5), Dennis III (3) and Gianna (18 months). Cirilla, a graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, is an anesthesiologist at Albany Medical Center.



Liz Peck (1995-98) -- Peck was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America Team on three occasions at the NCAA Division II level. She made 67 consecutive starts in the midfield during the late 1990s.

A four-time UAlbany captain, Peck led the program to a combined 50 victories and the 1997 ECAC Division II championship during her career. She helped that '97 squad put together a school-record 17-2 campaign when she tallied four goals and two assists. Peck, who totaled eight goals and 11 assists as a collegian, garnered first-team All-America honors as a junior and senior. In 1996, Peck was voted second-team All-American after leading the Great Danes to a 14-3 record and a No. 3-ranking in the North Region.

In the classroom, Peck was picked to the 1998 CoSIDA Academic All-America Fall-Winter At-Large national first team and made the national second team the following year. Peck was named to the NFHCA national academic team three times. She received her B.S. in biology with a minor in education and then went on to earn a graduate degree in molecular biology. Peck received the 1998 ECAC Merit Medal as the school's top senior female student-athlete.

Following graduation, Peck would work at UAlbany as a volunteer assistant field hockey coach and as a member of the athletic grounds crew, including duties with New York Giants training camp. She has been employed by Price Chopper for the last eight years at various stores in the Capital Region. In April 2008, Peck was elevated to grocery manager at the Malta location where she administrates scheduling, stock orders and store presentation.