Three Athletes & One Coach Will Be Enshrined Into UAlbany Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 8

Albany, N.Y. - Three former athletes and one legendary head coach will be enshrined into the University at Albany Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, October 8 at the 27th 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/Fall Festival Weekend, which also includes Saturday's football game at University Field against Northeast Conference-rival Saint Francis, Pa. at 1:00 p.m. On Friday, volleyball battles Providence at 7 p.m. On Saturday, men's soccer hosts Stony Brook at 11 a.m. and field hockey meets Maine at 4 p.m. Sunday events feature volleyball vs. New Hampshire at 1 p.m. and field hockey vs. Syracuse at 2 p.m.

The new inductees and their sports: Mike Cinque '87, basketball; Joe McCullen '92, cross country/track & field; Valerie Terry '02, softball; and R.K. Munsey, who served as the school's first cross country and track & field coach from 1962-85.
With this year's class, there are 128 former athletes, coaches and administrators who have been inducted into the University at Albany's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Mike Cinque (1985-87) -- One of the top point guards in the UAlbany basketball program's NCAA Division III history, Cinque helped the Great Danes earn a pair of ECAC Upstate New York Tournament appearances in his two-year career.

Cinque averaged 12.9 points, 6.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals as a senior when UAlbany advanced to the 1987 ECAC championship final against Hamilton. He totaled 13 points and 10 assists in an opening-round win over Hartwick and added 17 points in a 73-72 victory over Plattsburgh in the semifinal round. He captained the team to a 21-7 record.

Cinque, who shared team MVP honors for the second consecutive year, was selected honorable mention All-East by Eastern Basketball Magazine and was named to the All-ECAC Upstate and All-SUNY Athletic Conference squads. He nearly recorded a triple-double with 21 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in an 86-76 victory over Rensselaer, plus netted 20-plus points in three other contests.

After transferring from Division II Adelphi University, Cinque established single-season records for assists (197) and assists average (7.3 pg) in his first year with the UAlbany program. He also averaged 11.1 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. The Great Danes went 18-9 overall.

Cinque is still among UAlbany's best in the record book. He is fourth in assists (389) and first in career assists average (7.1 pg). Cinque is sixth in career steals (149) and first in steals average at 2.71 per game. As a high school standout, he led John S. Burke High to the 1983 Class B State championship final and earned first-team all-state honors.

A native of Monroe, N.Y., Cinque earned a B.A. in economics from UAlbany and went on to receive a master's from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. He serves as vice president of SuperValu/Target TBT for Coca Cola Enterprises in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. He and his wife, Aileen, have three daughters, Shea, Mairead and Kiernan.

Joe McCullen (1988-92) -- A national competitor in cross country and track and field, McCullen was the top middle-distance runner of the UAlbany program's NCAA Division III era.

McCullen helped the Great Danes finish tenth at the 1992 NCAA outdoor championships after taking second in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:50.74. As a senior, he would lead UAlbany to Collegiate Track Conference (CTC) championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. UAlbany captured its third consecutive CTC outdoor crown. In addition, he led his team to the NYSCT&FA state championship in Rochester by placing first in both the 800m and 1,500m events. McCullen would receive the school's 1991-92 Male Athlete of the Year award for his efforts.

At the 1992 NCAA indoor meet held at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, McCullen took fourth in the 1,500-meter run (3:56.51) and led the 4x400-meter relay to a fifth-place finish (3:21.32) as the Great Danes tied for sixth in the team standings. During the indoor season, he became the first UAlbany athlete to compete at the Millrose Games and was third in the IC4A College Mile at Madison Square Garden. He earned All-East recognition at the IC4A competition, won the CTC 1,000-meter run and established a school record in the mile run (4:10.57).

In 1991 at the NCAA outdoors, McCullen placed eighth in the 1,500-meters with a time of 3:52.23 in leading his squad to a seventh-place showing. He held six school records upon graduation. Additionally, McCullen helped UAlbany tie for sixth at the 1991 NCAA Division III cross country nationals at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. He placed 71st among 177 competitors in 25:57.

A native of Albany, N.Y. and a graduate of Bishop Maginn High School, McCullen earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics with a minor in business administration. McCullen has worked for 16 years as director of inventory control for TransWorld Entertainment. He has one daughter, Brooke, and two sons, Kyle and Jared.

R.K. Munsey (1958-85) -- The architect of the school's cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field programs, R.K. Munsey started the group of sports in the 1960s and molded them into consistent winners with championship teams.

The sport of cross country started as a club program before moving to varsity status in 1962 under Munsey's guidance. The Great Danes went on to win five SUNY Athletic Conference championships in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977 and 1984. Munsey coached UAlbany to a second-place finish at the 1973 NCAA Division III Championship in Wheaton, Illinois. His teams appeared in 11 NCAA championship meets, including six top-20 finishes, and registered victories over Division I opponents Syracuse and Army.

Munsey's cross country teams would post a 208-80 record for a .722 winning percentage during his 23 years at the helm. The Great Danes recorded ten 10-plus win seasons, including 13 victories in 1977 and a pair of 12-win campaigns. UAlbany put together two win streaks of 30 consecutive dual matches. Twelve runners have been chosen to the SUNY Athletic Conference Cross Country Hall of Fame. He was also the founder of the UAlbany Cross Country Invitational, a regional meet that will be held on campus in October for the 44th year. The men's varsity race is named in his honor.

As a track & field coach, Munsey had a 137-34-1 dual-meet record in 18 outdoor seasons and added another 63 wins on the indoor circuit. After beginning the program in 1968, he developed five All-Americans, James Shrader, Rudy Vido, Carlo Cherubino, Vinny Reda and Marc Mercurio. Munsey also coached indoor track for 15 seasons.

Munsey, who arrived on UAlbany's Downtown Campus in the late 1950s as the head of student housing and student employees, has had full and varied life experiences. These began when he worked on the Alaska Highway for 10 months after Pearl Harbor before graduating from Denver East High School. As a veteran of World War II, Munsey served in the United States Army Air Corps for nearly three years. He retired in the spring of 1985 from coaching and as a professor emeritus on the physical education faculty. Throughout his career he was known for his dedication to education and his deep concern for the student-athlete.

Coach Munsey's life has also been balanced. Besides being the first official historian for NCAA Division III track and field, he has been a creative artist in pastel drawing and stained glass and participated in an archeological dig in Arizona, uncovering the Hopee Indian culture. His interests include water rafting, opera and the history of the American West.

Munsey has spent much of his retirement in the state of Montana. He earned a B.S. in social science with minors in history and education from the University of Denver in 1949 and a master's in guidance and student personnel from Columbia University Teachers College in 1958.

Valerie Terry (1999-02) -- A shortstop and the school's all-time leader in stolen bases, Terry was a key figure in softball's transition from the NCAA Division II to Division I level. She led the Great Danes to a pair of 30-plus win campaigns and ECAC post-season appearances in both NCAA classifications.

As a freshman, Terry helped UAlbany win the 1999 ECAC Division II Mid-Atlantic championship and post a 33-14 record. She batted .350 with 45 runs, 12 extra-base hits, 32 stolen bases and 31 RBIs. A second-team All-New England Collegiate Conference selection, she led the conference in runs and stolen bases.

In 2000, UAlbany finished 27-9 in its first Division I season while competing as an independent. Terry hit for a .330 average and led the team in triples (4) and sacrifice hits (11). As a junior, Terry ranked 26th nationally by hitting .403 and was second in stolen bases. Her 49 steals is the top single-season total in school annals and she still has the top three marks in that category. She also scored 49 runs, a single-season standard at the time. Her top offensive game came against Maryland-Eastern Shore, when she totaled four hits and four RBIs.

UAlbany became a member of the America East Conference in her senior season. The Great Danes qualified for the 2002 conference tournament and put together a 30-20 record. Terry batted .306 and ranked seventh among the NCAA leaders in stolen bases (1.09 pg), plus scored 29 runs.

A starter in all 178 games played, Terry completed her collegiate career as the program's all-time leader in runs (148), stolen bases (129), triples (16) and total hits (198). She continues to hold the career marks in steals and triples. Terry, who had three or more hits against 16 opponents as a collegian, is currently fifth in career batting average (.348). In addition, she had 23 doubles, 76 RBIs and a career .904 fielding percentage.

Terry, who hails from South Glens Falls, N.Y., received her undergraduate degree in sociology with a minor in education. She has worked for the last six years as an investigator for Washington County Child Protective Services. Terry lives with her family, Jason Ives and daughter, Sydney. Her parents, Mark and Cindy, reside in Whitehall, N.Y.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information