Carnegie Mellon Unveils Fourth Athletics Hall of Fame Class
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Twelve individuals and two teams will be enshrined in the Carnegie Mellon University Athletics Hall of Fame(opens in new window).
The list of honorees includes a longtime athletics administrator, a coach, 10 standout student-athletes, and two football teams: the 1938 Sugar Bowl team and the 1983 team that posted six shutouts en route to a perfect regular season and NCAA appearance.
“It is a privilege to celebrate our history, and I am looking forward to a wonderful Tartan celebration with our Hall of Famers and their friends and families in November,” said Director of Athletics Josh Centor(opens in new window). “I am grateful to our Hall of Fame committee for their work in selecting this incredible class of Tartans.”
Below is the 2024 Hall of Fame class.
To learn more about the mission of the Athletics Hall of Fame, and the guidelines for induction, please visit the athletics department website(opens in new window).
To support the Tartans and the Carnegie Mellon Athletics Hall of Fame, make a gift today(opens in new window).
- Jeanine (Megahan) Ayers (Women’s Basketball, Class of 1994)
- Paul Bangor (Men’s Golf, Class of 1985)
- Sam Benger (Football, Class of 2018)
- Jacqueline (Guevel) Harrison (Women’s Track and Field, Class of 2014)
- Joan Maser (Administrator/Coach, 1981-2019)
- Maureen McGranaghan (Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field, Class of 1998)
- Gary Meckley (Coach: Cross Country and Track & Field, 1978-99)
- Lisa Murphy (Women’s Basketball, Class of 2017)
- Andris ("Andy") Niedra (Men's Cross Country/Track and Field/Basketball, Class of 1964)
- Robert O’Toole (Football, Class of 1991)
- Julie (Pavia) Yarrington (Women’s Diving, Class of 2006)
- Amanda Rose (Women’s Soccer, Class of 2008)
- 1938 Sugar Bowl Football Team
- 1983 Football Team
Nominations for the Carnegie Mellon Athletics Hall of Fame were solicited from the general public. Candidates must be five years removed from their final year of intercollegiate competition. A 12-member Hall of Fame selection committee, which includes alumni, coaches, administrators, a member of the university’s Board of Trustees(opens in new window), a faculty member and a student, evaluated the candidate pool and selected the class.
The class will be inducted during Homecoming Weekend(opens in new window), Nov. 1-2. The Hall of Fame festivities will include on-field recognition at the football game against Westminster College on Saturday, Nov. 2 followed by an induction dinner that evening.
Jeanine Ayers, then Jeanine Megahan, was a four-year starter for the women’s basketball team from 1990-94. She ranks first on the program’s all-time steals list with 282 for her career. Ayers ranks second all-time in assists with 325, third in scoring with 1,454 points and fifth in rebounding with 759. She was a four-time All-University Athletic Association (UAA) selection, earning first-team honors three times and second-team honors once. She was part of the 1990-91 team that won the program’s only UAA Championship.
Paul Bangor was a member of the men’s golf team from 1981-85. Bangor became the program’s first All-American following the 1984-85 season. He led the Tartans to the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship in 1985. Bangor was twice named to the All-PAC team and was named the PAC Player of the Year in 1985. He was the team’s top golfer in all four PAC Championships during his career.
Running back Sam Benger was a four-time PAC Football selection from 2014 to 2017 while being named the PAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. Benger was a five-time All-American, twice named by the American Football Coaches Association and D3football.com with the other coming from the Associate Press. In 2015, Benger led the nation with 2,092 yards on the ground, averaging 190.2 yards per game. He became the 21st player in Division III history to reach the 2,000-yard plateau, which also set the school's single-season mark. Benger, a two-time Academic All-American, was named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the top scholar-athlete in the nation. He ended his career as the program’s all-time rushing leader with 5,386 yards and he is the only player in program history to gain 1,000 or more rushing yards in three straight seasons. Benger also holds the program’s record for rushing touchdowns (59), total touchdowns (65), points (392) and carries (915), while holding the single season record for yards, rushing touchdowns (26), points (170) and carries (315). He rushed for a school record 303 yards against Washington & Jefferson in 2015.
Jacqueline Harrison, then Jacqueline Guevel, was a four-time All-American in track and field —two outdoor and two indoor — was a four-year runner for the Tartans from 2011-14. In 2011, Harrison became the second Tartan to capture All-America honors in two events at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She placed seventh in both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles. That same year, she placed sixth in the 55-meter hurdles at the indoor national meet. Her fourth All-America honor came during the 2012 indoor championships when she placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles. Harrison holds the outdoor school record in both hurdles’ events with times of 14.18 seconds in the 100-meter and 1 minute, 01.61 seconds in the 400-meter. She also holds two indoor school records: the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.32 seconds and the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.23 seconds. Harrison received 17-time All-UAA honors in track and field and won eight UAA titles. In 2011, she was named the UAA Most Outstanding Performer in Running Events as well as Rookie of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Joan Maser was a member of the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation from 1981 until her retirement in 2019, as she served many roles in her 38 years. From 2008 until 2019, Maser was the coordinator of athletics support services and for 17 years prior, she was an associate director of athletics. From 1981-84, Maser was Carnegie Mellon's head women's field hockey coach and a physical education instructor. In 1984, she was promoted to assistant director of athletics before becoming associate director in 1991. She also served as an assistant athletic trainer from 1981-1991. Maser, who was in her role of assistant director of athletics at Carnegie Mellon when the UAA was formed, was one of the administrators who helped shape the direction of the conference and the strong role played by female administrators since its inception.
Maureen McGranaghan was a three-time All-American in cross country and the first in program history. McGranaghan was a four-year runner for the cross country team and helped the Tartans to the program’s first NCAA berth in 1995 when they placed 11th in the nation. She was also part of the 1998 team that placed fourth nationally, the highest finish in program history. In 1997, she was named the NCAA Mid-East Region Athlete of the Year. On the track, McGranaghan was a two-time All-American after finishing third at the 1997 outdoor championships and sixth at the 1998 indoor championships in the 5,000-meter run. She was a four-time All-UAA First-Team honoree in cross country and part of three UAA Championship teams in 1995, 1997 and 1998, while she received five All-UAA honors in track and field. On three occasions, McGranaghan was named an Academic All-American and she received the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
For 33 years, Gary Meckley was at the helm of the Tartans’ men's cross country and track and field programs. His squads combined for a 382-48 record. From 1978-99, a time when the schedule featured many dual meets, or head-to-head contests, the Tartans reeled off an NCAA Division III record 129 consecutive cross country victories. They posted a 92-4 track record against single opponents from 1977 until his retirement in 2001. Carnegie Mellon won 24 cross country and track and field titles in the PAC. The Tartans won two UAA Championships and Meckley was named the UAA Coach of the Year three times. He coached 135 conference champions, 106 individuals who qualified for the NCAA Division III national championship meets, 67 all-region performers and eight All-Americans.
Lisa Murphy established herself as the best player in Carnegie Mellon history and sits among the greatest players in the history of the UAA and Division III. In 2017, Murphy was the Jostens Trophy award winner, an honor that is given to the top women's basketball player for their excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community. Murphy's leadership led the Tartans to a top 10 national ranking in 2017, the highest in program history. She left Carnegie Mellon as the all-time leader in points scored (2,306), rebounds (1,180), and blocks (232), and holds the NCAA All-Division record for season field-goal percentage (.780) and career field-goal percentage (.712). Murphy concluded her Tartan career as the first player in team history to be named an All-American by both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and D3hoops.com, a feat she accomplished in back-to-back seasons. She was a two-time UAA Player of the Year and garnered 2017 Great Lakes Region Player of the Year by D3hoops.com. Murphy averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds for three straight seasons. Upon her graduation, she became the eighth player in Division III history to record 2,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 200 career blocks. Murphy was a two-time Academic All-American and was named the 2017 Women's Basketball Division III Academic All-American of the Year.
Andris ("Andy") Niedra was a three-sport athlete, earning 12 varsity letters throughout his career. He graduated with an electrical engineering degree in 1964. His letters came in cross country, basketball and track and field, earning four in each, respectively. Niedra served as captain of the basketball team and co-captain of the track and field team. He was named the most valuable player of the basketball team and track and field team his senior year.
Robert O’Toole was a four-year starter at middle linebacker for the Tartans from 1987-1990. During his four seasons, Carnegie Mellon compiled a 29-10-2 record, won a share of a PAC title in 1989, won the first ever UAA Championship in 1990 and a berth to the NCAA Championship. Throughout his career, O’Toole received numerous accomplishments including twice being named an All-American, a two-time All-PAC selection and an All-UAA honoree. O’Toole was named an Academic All-American three times and in 1990 was named Academic All-American of the Year. He finished his career with 236 total tackles, including 142 solo stops, as both ranked second all-time in program history upon his graduation. O’Toole’s numbers currently rank seventh and fifth, respectively, all-time.
Julie Yarrington, then Julie Pavia, was a six-time All-American in diving, claiming four honors on the 3-meter board and two others on the 1-meter board. On four occasions, Yarrington finished in the top 10 at the NCAA meet, including a fourth-place showing in 2005 on the 3-meter which is the highest finish by a women’s diver in program history. Yarrington was a four-year diver for the Tartans and was an eight-time All-UAA honoree. In 2005, she was named UAA Diver of the Year. She twice claimed UAA titles, winning the 1-meter her freshman year in 2003 and then the 3-meter in 2005.
Amanda Rose became the second women’s soccer player in Tartan history to be named an All-American, earning the award her senior season. She was a four-time All-UAA honoree, claiming first-team accolades in 2005 and 2007. Rose holds the program’s single season assist mark with 11, set in 2007, as well as the career record with 35 assists. She also ranks second and fourth, respectively, in a single season with 10 assists in 2005 and eight in 2006. Throughout her career, Rose had eight games with multiple assists while she helped lead the program to three Eastern College Athletic Conference tournaments, including the championship title in 2004.
Carnegie Tech’s 1938 squad finished with a 7-1 regular season record and was named Eastern College champions. The team played in the fifth annual Sugar Bowl and lost to Texas Christian, 15-7. Tech finished the season sixth nationally and was the recipient of the Lambert Trophy, given to the best team in the East, while topping the defending national champion, University of Pittsburgh, the nation’s top-ranked team and winners of 22 straight, midway through the season.
The 1983 football team finished the regular season with a perfect 9-0 record while shutting out six of their opponents. The defense allowed 5.3 points per game while the offense scored 25.8 points per game. The Tartans advanced to the NCAA Championship tournament for the third time in program history. Early in the season, the Tartans held the top ranking in the nation, the first for any sports team in institution history, while the team ended the regular season with a ranking of second in the NCAA Division III Football standings. The 1983 team still holds school records for fewest first downs allowed in a season (58), fewest touchdown passes allowed in a season (3) and fewest points allowed per game (5.3).
