Five individuals and one team were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Friday, September 28, 2018 in the Granito Center.
A record-breaking team, four standout athletes, and one longtime coach were inducted into the Dominican College Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Friday, September 28, 2018 in the Granito Center. The new inductees include: the 2005 Men’s Soccer Team; Brian Mackey ’08, Golf; Courtney Marks ’00, Volleyball; Corey Fleetwood ’96, Basketball; Rick Gianetti, Service; and Bobby Mulligan, Basketball.
2005 Men’s Soccer Team
The 2005 men’s soccer team holds the school record with 17 straight wins and won the first NCAA Tournament berth in school history. The team was ranked in the top ten in the nation and first in the region by the New England Region by NSCAA. The team also retained its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament titles.
Former Assistant Soccer Coach Lou Fratello fondly remembered the players’ camaraderie. “They were brothers on and off the field. They were all together, all the time, and in the true sense of the word. They were eating, sleeping, playing, working, pushing each other to be better,” he said.
In 2005 men’s soccer team played 20 games and gave up just 11 goals all season.
Brian Mackey ’08, Golf
Brian Mackey was the first athlete in school history to qualify for an NCAA National Championship and the first to win an NCAA Northeast Regional Individual Championship. His list of honors includes: three-time Division II PING All-Region Northeast Team selection; four-time All-CACC honoree; 2008 Charger Award recipient; and four-time Dominican College Men’s Golf MVP recipient.
Athletic Director Joseph Clinton said even with all those awards, Mackey remains one of the most humble guys he knows. “With all the things he’s done, he doesn’t have a big head. He’s a winner. He’s a gentleman in every sense of the word,” said Clinton. “I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Mackey apologized for getting choked up when he spoke. “There’s one honor that I have really cherished to this point and that was the fact that I got to play for my dad who is here,” he said. Wayne Mackey was the former men’s golf coach. Brian Mackey continues to play professional golf and won three tournaments in 2018.
Courtney Marks ’00, Volleyball
Courtney Marks was “phenomenal on the court” according to John Burke, V.P. for Student Development and Dean of Students, who coached the team when she played. She had 3,115 assists – second in all-time program history.
Burke credits Marks with assisting him in coaching the team. In addition, he said Marks was a good student and helped to start several service projects, including the Big Brother, Big Sister Program, which continues on today. “She is small in stature, but has a huge heart and she really allowed our program to sustain a couple of good years,” he said.
Marks was a two-time recipient of the DC Women’s Volleyball Most Valuable Player Award.
Corey Fleetwood ’96 Basketball
Clinton, who also serves as head basketball coach, thanked former player Corey Fleetwood for giving his heart and soul to him and said he will never forget it. “He took the team and we got as high as 15th in the country and he kind of carried us on his back,” said Clinton.
Fleetwood thanked his father for instilling in him the love of the game, while always being kind and gentle. Then he thanked Coach Clinton. “He was my second father. He was kind, but he was tough. He wouldn’t settle for anything except my best and that’s what I wanted to give him because he believed in me,” he said.
Fleetwood was a two year team captain, honorable All-American, three year All-CACC selection, 8th all-time in program history in rebounds, and a member of the 1000 Point Club.
Rick Giannetti, Service
Longtime Baseball Coach Rick Gianetti asked all his former players to stand at the induction ceremony and thanked them. “I’m standing here because of you guys,” he said. Now in his 27th year at Dominican College, Giannetti said, “I’ve spent more than half of my life here. I owe everything in my adult life to this place – everything.”
Clinton said he was very proud of Gianetti’s accomplishments. “This is my observation with Rick. He is a baseball guy. Baseball has been his life. The passion and love he has for the game is a marvel to watch every day,” he said. “He has the same passion and love of this game that he had when we first started.”
Gianetti has 784 Dominican College coaching victories; his teams have won 15 CACC Tournament Championships and made 10 regional tournament appearances. His other accomplishments include being named ECAC Coach of the Year, nine-time CACC Coach of the Year, and six-time Regional Coach of the Year.
Bobby Mulligan, Basketball
Bobby Mulligan, a star basketball player who tragically died more than 30 years ago at the start of his senior year, was posthumously inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Mulligan had amassed 912 career points at Dominican College, and certainly would have reached the 1,000 point mark if he had played his senior year.
A letter from Mulligan’s sister, Mary Sue, who lives in California, was read during the ceremony. “We are truly grateful for your recognition of Bobby. Since his death, we have come to know the values Dominican College and the athletic division hold true and we are honored that you believe Bobby held these values as well,” she wrote.
Mulligan was a beloved student, remembered for his generosity and his volunteerism. His good friend and teammate Billy Hofmann ’89 said the choice of Mulligan to enter the Athletic Hall of Fame was a “great choice and well-deserved.”