Five talented athletes and an enthusiastic basketball manager were inducted into the Dominican College Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony on September 24, 2021, in the Granito Center. The new inductees included: John Clarke ’75, men’s basketball; Dana Rotio ’08; women’s basketball; Ryan Clancy ’08, men’s soccer; Margaret Porter Hamilton ’12, women’s soccer; Tom Maloney ’10, baseball; and Derek Funsch for service.
John Clarke ’75, Men’s Basketball
Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Joseph Clinton marveled at Clarke’s statistics and said he asked Clarke’s former teammates to tell him what made Clarke so good. Among the answers, said Clinton, were, “Tenacious, he had a fire that burned inside that he was going to make sure his team won, very skilled player, had every shot in the book…he did amazing things in the clutch, if his team needed him, it was done.”
Clarke ranks fourth all time in men’s basketball history in points with 1,700 career points. In 77 games, he had 331 total free throws, 609 career field goals, and averaged 23 points per game.
Clarke was a transfer student and said his biggest accomplishment at Dominican College was meeting his wife Dora who was a student here as well.
Dana Rotio ’08, Women’s Basketball
John Burke, Vice President for Student Development, described Rotio as one of the all-time greatest basketball players at Dominican College because she had the ability and instincts to leap, steal, make things happen, and change the game on a dime. “And most importantly, every year that Dana was here the program got better,” he said.
Rotio sits eighth all-time in the Sue Heller 1,000 point club with 1,265 career points. A four-year member of the Lady Chargers she earned both All-CACC and All-Met honors, along with being named the 2007 ECAC Tournament Most Valuable Player. In her 120 game career she hit 400 career goals, 103 career three-point field goals and 355 career free throws.
At the ceremony, Rotio said she learned so many lessons and values playing at Dominican College that have helped her be successful both on and off the court. “Discipline, leadership, hard work, determination, and resiliency, are some of the other values that were instilled in me during my time as a Lady Charger,” she said. “I learned that giving up was never an option. We were physically tough, but we also learned the importance of mental toughness.”
Ryan Clancy ’08, Men’s Soccer
Clancy’s father, Jim, presented his son at the induction ceremony and described him as a natural athlete who began playing soccer in the backyard from the age of three. He recalled that his son played soccer, basketball, and baseball in high school – but particularly excelled at soccer.
At Dominican College, Clancy was a four year starter on the men’s soccer team. He ranks second all-time in program history in assists and is fifth in total points and goals scored. Along with his place in the Charger record book, Clancy was a three-time All-CACC honoree, a three-time CACC All-Tournament pick and a three-time All-Region selection. He also earned two CACC tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards.
In accepting the honor, Clancy referred to the title of entrepreneur Grant Cardone’s book “Be Obsessed or Be Average.” He then followed up with this advice, “Whatever you do, be obsessed and if you are not obsessed with it, find something you are obsessed with. I was obsessed with soccer and it will forever be a big part of my life.”
Margaret Porter Hamilton ’12, Women’s Soccer
Former Women’s Soccer Coach Phil Fluhr said Hamilton was a fantastic player who was fast, tough, and had both good instincts and soccer intelligence. “She was so aggressive that in a sense she didn’t show any fear all,” he said. “She just played hard. She was aggressive. She dived in a lot. She challenged and I don’t think anybody could withstand her shoulder charge.”
Hamilton was a two-year team captain and two-time CACC All-Tournament honoree. She ranks fifth all-time in Lady Chargers history in goals and eighth all-time in career points. Hamilton earned two All-CACC selections and one All-Region accolades.
In her remarks, Hamilton said, “Everything with Dominican has been special to me. There’s been a lot of ups and downs and my team has brought me a lot of joy.”
Tom Maloney ’10, Baseball
Maloney ranks sixth in the Charger 200 hit club with 207 career hits. Baseball Head Coach Rick Giannetti said the number of hits puts him in an elite club of only 11 players in the history of the program. “And he was by far our best player on a team that was #1 from day one to the last day of the season,” said Giannetti.
Maloney was both an all-CACC and All-Region honoree, along with receiving a CACC All-Tournament selection and was on the ECAC Division II All-Star First Team. Maloney is ninth all-time in Charger history in runs batted in.
Maloney thanked Coach Giannetti and said they shared a passion for winning. “I never met somebody who hated losing as much as I did until we met,” said Maloney.
Derek Funsch, Service
For the past 11 years, Funsch has worked as the men’s basketball team manager. Funsch thanked the incredible coaches and players for taking him along for an amazing ride. “Thank you Coach Clinton for taking me under your wing. You have been a mentor, a friend, and you have filled my days here at Dominican College with joy and humor.”
Clinton said Funsch was a great friend, the players love him, and he gets everyone “fired up” during practices and games. “The theme with Derek is the energy, the enthusiasm, the commitment, the loyalty, the responsibility,” said Clinton. “He is the heart and soul of our team.”