SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University Department of Athletics and Campus Recreation, in conjunction with the Hall of Fame Committee, is pleased to announce the Salisbury University Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024. This year's seven-person class includes
Gerry DiBartolo (Coach, Men's Soccer/Athletic Director),
Gabby (Long) Watkins '10 (Volleyball),
Andrew Miller '10 (Baseball),
Kandice (Hancock) Bond '11 & '13 (Field Hockey),
Erika Brittingham '12 (Softball),
Katie (Bollhorst) Hanson '13 (Women's Lacrosse), and
Ashton (Wheatley) Illian '14 (Women's Lacrosse).
The seven newest members will be honored during SU's Homecoming and Family Weekend, with a
formal banquet and ceremony scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. at the Guerreri Academic Commons. Admission to the banquet is $40 for current SU Hall of Fame members, $50 for all other guests, and $10 for children. Ticket prices include a small gift to the Maroon & Gold Club, which supports the university's varsity student-athletes.
Gerry DiBartolo
Few left as big of an impression on Salisbury University and Sea Gull Athletics as did DiBartolo across his 44 years at the institution, first as a men's soccer coach and then as athletic director. He arrived at then-Salisbury State College as an assistant coach in 1979, subsequently becoming head coach of the men's soccer team in 1982 and serving in that capacity until the conclusion of the 2015 season. At that time DiBartolo was named Interim Director of Athletics & Campus Recreation and served as full-time Director from 2017 until his retirement in 2023.
Across his 34 seasons leading the men's soccer program, DiBartolo's Sea Gulls won 412 games and seven Capital Athletic Conference (CAC, now Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference) championships, producing 114 All-CAC selections, eight CAC Players of the Year, and 11 All-Americans. DiBartolo himself earned CAC Coach of the Year on six occasions and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA, now United Soccer Coaches) Regional Coach of the Year six times. A mainstay in the postseason, Salisbury under DiBartolo made the NCAA Tournament 13 times, reaching the national semifinals in 2004.
DiBartolo's legacy continued following his move into the director's chair. With DiBartolo at the helm, Salisbury Athletics won five team national championships and 10 individual national titles, as well as 36 conference championships across all sports. DiBartolo oversaw the completion of the nationally-prominent East Campus Athletic Complex and spearheaded renovations to the Maggs Physical Activities Center and University Fitness Center. Highlighting DiBartolo's commitment to the "student" portion of the student-athlete experience, Sea Gull Athletics produced 20 Academic All-Americans during his tenure as athletic director. In August 2023, shortly after his retirement, the university's varsity soccer home was renamed the Gerry DiBartolo Sea Gull Soccer Complex in his honor.
Gabby (Long) Watkins
Arguably the greatest defensive player in the history of Sea Gull volleyball, Long holds the SU records for digs in a career (2,469), season (779), and match (46). She also graduated ranking fourth in program history with 239 career service aces (now fifth). With Long patrolling the back line for four years, Salisbury won three straight CAC championships (2007-09) to qualify for three NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the regional finals in 2009.
Long was a three-time First-Team All-CAC selection (2007-09) and was named to the CAC Silver Anniversary Team in in 2014. She earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region recognition on three occasions (2007-09), making the All-Region First Team in the latter two years, and was an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention twice (2008-09). Long is one of just five SU volleyball players to earn multiple All-America nods.
Andrew Miller
An elite presence in the Sea Gull batting order for three years, Miller helped the Sea Gulls reach new heights in 2009 when they earned their first-ever No. 1 ranking in the weekly D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll. Salisbury won the CAC championship twice (2008-09) with Miller in the lineup and qualified for three NCAA Tournaments (2008-10), hosting the regional round in 2009.
Miller was named an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) First-Team All-American in 2009 – one of just five first-teamers in SU history – while also garnering ABCA All-Region honors twice (2008-09) and three All-CAC nods (2008-10). He graduated as the program's all-time leader in times hit by a pitch (38, now seventh) and still ranks top-10 in career batting average (.385), on-base percentage (.512), runs (177), walks (88), and stolen bases (55).
Kandice (Hancock) Bond
Hancock provided a strong midfield presence for the Sea Gulls across a four-season stretch that saw Salisbury win a trio of CAC championships (2007-09) and make four NCAA Tournament runs (2007-10). Although injured for most of the Sea Gulls' 2009 national title campaign, Hancock's presence was felt on the sidelines throughout the year – she was among the first to hoist the trophy after SU's 1-0 win over Messiah in the championship tilt.
Hancock was a three-time First-Team All-CAC selection (2007, '08, '10) and was recognized as CAC Rookie of the Year in 2007 and CAC Player of the Year in 2008. She earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) First-Team All-Region nods in 2008 and 2010, claiming Region Player of the Year in the latter season, and was named an NFHCA All-American twice (2008, '10). Hancock scored 30 goals and dished out 23 assists across 68 career games for the maroon and gold.
Erika Brittingham
One of the most fearsome arms in a program known for choice pitching, Brittingham graduated with the second-most wins (60, now third) and second-most strikeouts (573, now third) in Sea Gull softball history and boasted a 0.98 career ERA. She fanned 15 or more batters on five occasions and shares the single-game team record with a pair of 17-strikeout performances. Brittingham authored 12 career no-hitters in her four years at SU, including nine solo efforts and six that went the full seven innings.
Brittingham earned back-to-back CAC Player of the Year nods in 2011 and 2012 and slotted on three All-CAC teams (2010-12). Twice she earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First-Team All-Region accolades (2011-12) and made a pair of NFCA All-America squads (2011-12). Brittingham was instrumental in leading Salisbury to four CAC Tournament championships (2009-12), four NCAA Tournament appearances, and a College World Series berth in 2009.
Katie (Bollhorst) Hanson
Bollhorst helped shepherd in a golden age for Sea Gull women's lacrosse, playing outsized roles on a pair of national championship sides (2010, '13), one national runner-up (2012), and a national quarterfinalist (2011), as well as four CAC titlists. The 2013 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) National Attack Player of the Year, she made a pair of IWLCA All-America and All-Region First Teams (2012-13) and was twice christened CAC Player of the Year (2012-13).
A prolific scorer through her four years, Bollhorst graduated as Salisbury's all-time leader in career assists (171, now second) and ranks third in career points (297). She recorded two of SU's seven 100-point seasons and owns two of the top seven single-season assist campaigns in Sea Gull history.
Ashton (Wheatley) Illian
Wheatley is without equal among Salisbury goalkeepers and one of the greatest netminders in the history of collegiate women's lacrosse. She won a program-record 66 games across four seasons in the cage, scooped up its second-most ground balls (136), and graduated with its fourth-most saves (412, now fifth). Wheatley led the nation with a 5.75 goals against average in 2012, and her career GAA of 5.61 was the best all-time in NCAA Division III at the time of her graduation (now third).
Wheatley was a three-time IWLCA National Goalie of the Year (2012-14), making the All-CAC, All-Region, and All-America First Teams in all three campaigns. She manned the pipes for four CAC championship sides (2011-14) and played in three national championship games, posting a 6.33 GAA in a trilogy of finals clashes with Trinity (Conn.) guiding the Sea Gulls to back-to-back NCAA crowns in 2013 and 2014.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 199 conference championships, and 50 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
